AIM:To compare the curative effect of conjoint fascial sheath suspension and the simple frontalis muscle suspension for moderate or severe ptosis.METHODS:In March 2013 to March 2016 in our hospital, 46 patients with moderately severe ptosis(68 eyes) were taken as the research objects.According to random number table method, they were divided into study group and the control group, 23 cases in each group.Study group(34 eyes) received the joint fascial sheath suspension (CFS), the control group(34 eyes) received frontalis muscle suspension.The degree of ptosis correction, upper eyelid retracted, satisfaction and complications of two groups were compared.RESULTS:The corrected rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).After treatment, the upper eyelid retracted of the study group was significantly lower than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).The satisfaction of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).The incidence of complications in the study group was significantly less than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Conjoint fascial sheath suspension is more effective on the treatment of severe ptosis than the simple frontalis muscle suspension, and has advantages such as less trauma, repeatable, and less complication.

Yeast strains with improved ethanol yield are important for efficient bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass for fuel ethanol.Candida shehatae CICC1766 was adapted to 4%(v/v)ethanol,and then subjected to UV mutagenesis.One respiration deficient mutant Rd-5 with improved xylose fermentation capability was selected.Protoplasts of Rd-5 were inactivated by UV treatment,followed by the PEG-mediated protoplast fusion with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with good ethanol-fermenting capability.The xylose fermenting capability of the fusants was investigated,and the fusant F6 demonstrated good ethanol fermentation performance,producing 18.75g/L ethanol from 50g/L xylose with an ethanol yield of 0.375 or 73.4% of its theoretical value of 0.511.Comparing with its parent Candida shehatae strain,the ethanol yield of F6 was increased by 28%.

BACKGROUNDEvaluation of the severity of the pregnant women with suitable admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is very important for obstetricians. By now there are no criteria for critically ill obstetric patients admitted to the ICU. In this article, we investigated the admission criteria of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU in order to provide a referral basis of reasonable use of the ICU.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of critically ill pregnant women admitted to the ICU in Perking University Third Hospital in China in the last 6 years (from January 2006 to December 2011) was performed, using acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE-II), Marshall and WHO near miss criteria to assess the severity of illness of patients.

RESULTSThere were 101 critically ill pregnant patients admitted to the ICU. Among them, 25.7% women were complicated with internal or surgical diseases, and 23.8% women were patients of postpartum hemorrhage and 23.8% women were patients of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Sixty-nine cases (68.3%) were administrated with adjunct respiration with a respirator. Sixteen cases (15.8%) required 1-2 types of vasoactive drugs. Fifty-five cases (54.5%) required a hemodynamic monitoring. Seventy-three cases (72.3%) had multiple organ dysfunctions (MODS). The average duration in ICU was (7.5 ± 3.0) days. A total of 12.9%, 23.8% and 74.3% of women were diagnosed as critically ill according to the APACHE-II, Marshall and WHO near miss criteria, respectively. The rate was significantly different according to the three criteria (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe WHO near miss criteria can correctly reflect the severity of illness of pregnant women, and the WHO near miss criteria are appropriate for admission of critically ill pregnant women to ICU in China.

APACHE ; China ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; World Health Organization

OBJECTIVEThe exercise rehabilitation in patient with chronic heart failure (CHF) is standard clinical practice, but it is rare using CardioPulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) guide to prescribe exercise rehabilitation in China.

METHODSWe performed symptom limited maximal CPET in 10 patients with CHF, randomly divided into two groups: 5 patients as control without exercise and 5 exercise patients used Δ50%W intensity to exercise 30 min/d, 5 d/w, x12 w. Before and after 12 w rehabilitation, we evaluated functions.

RESULTSThere were no significant difference between two groups patients (P > 0.05). The exercise duration was increased from 8 min to 23 min after rehabilitation (P < 0.001); distance 6 minutes walking was increased from 394 m to 470 m (P < 0.05); score of Minnesota quality of life was decreased from 25 to 3 in exercise group (P < 0.01). However, there were nosignificant changes in control group (P>0.05) and their changes were smaller than those in exercise group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe CPET guiding exercise rehabilitation is safe and effective for patients with CHF.

China ; Chronic Disease ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Therapy ; Heart Failure ; therapy ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Walking

To establish a sensitive and specific method for simultaneous determination of gestodene, etonogestrel and ethinylestradiol in plasma by LC-MS/MS, plasma samples were extracted and derivatized before injection. An ESI ion source was used and operated in the positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). Norgestrel was chosen as internal standard and performed on a C18 (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 5 microm) column. The concentrations of gestodene, etonogestrel and ethinylestradiol were measured, using step-gradient mobile phase and step-gradient flow rate. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.1-20 ng x mL(-1) for gestodene and etonogestrel and 0.01-2 ng x mL(-1) for ethinylestradiol, and showed excellent linearity. The intra- and inter-assay accuracy and precision were below 10.0% and recovery was 93.6%-110.9% over the three concentration levels evaluated. The method was applied in pharmacokinetic study of the compound gestodene patch and the compound etonogestrel patch in rabbits. The LC-MS/MS method was selective, accurate and sensitive, especially the LOQ were 100 pg x mL(-1) for gestodene and etonogestrel and 10 pg x mL(-1) for ethinylestradiol. The method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic study for contraceptives.
Animals ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Desogestrel ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Ethinyl Estradiol ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Norpregnenes ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Rabbits ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

BACKGROUNDKeloid is an intricate lesion that is probably regulated by many genes. In this study, the authors used the technique of complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray to analyse abnormal gene expression in keloids and normal control skins.

METHODSThe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of 8400 genes were spotted in an array on chemical-material-coated-glass plates. The DNAs were fixed on the glass plates. The total RNAs were isolated from freshly excised human keloid and normal control skins, and the mRNAs were then purified. The mRNA from both keloid and normal control skins were reversely transcribed to cDNAs, with the incorporation of fluorescent dUTP, for preparing the hybridisation probes. The mixed probes were then hybridised to the cDNA microarray. After thorough washing, the cDNA microarray was scanned for differing fluorescent signals from two types of tissues. Gene expression of tissue growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and of c-myc was detected with both RT-PCR and Northern blot hybridisation to confirm the effectiveness of cDNA microarray.

RESULTSAmong the 8400 human genes, 402 were detected with different expression levels between keloid and normal control skins. Two hundred and fifty genes, including TGF-beta1 and c-myc, were up-regulated and 152 genes were down-regulated. Higher expressions of TGF-beta1 and c-myc in keloid were also revealed using RT-PCR and Northern blot methods.

CONCLUSIONcDNA microarray analysis provides a powerful tool for investigating differential gene expression in keloid and normal control skins. Keloid is a complicated lesion with many genes involved.

DNA, Complementary ; analysis ; Humans ; Keloid ; genetics ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Skin

Objective To investigate the effect ofurapidil in lowering the brain temperature in hot and humid environment. Methods Ninety soldiers stationed in Chinese Nansha Islands were divided into veteran group, untreated new recruit group and new recruit group with urapidil (tablet) treatment. All the soldiers were asked to complete a running exercise for 3000 m within 20 min in hot and humid environment, and their body temperature before and after the exercise was measured to evaluate the brain temperature changes. Results Before the running exercise, no significant differences was found in the body temperature among the 3 groups. The body temperature of the soldiers showed significant differences after the exercise, and the untreated new recruit had the most obvious elevation of the body temperature, whereas those with urapidil treatment showed the least elevation. Conclusion Veterans and new recruit show different tolerance and adaptability to hot and humid environment, and urapidil tablets can help reduce brain temperature increment induced by hot and humid environment.

OBJECTIVETo explore a more effective therapy for retention of urine induced by spinal cord injury.

METHODSEighty-four cases were randomly divided into a treatment group of 46 cases and a control group of 38 cases. The treatment group were treated with electroacupuncture at Baliao and Huiyang (BL 35), and the control group with electroacupuncture at acupoints routinely selected.

RESULTSThe total effective rate and the cured rate were 82.6% and 43.5% in the treatment group and 63.2% and 23.7% in the control group respectively, with a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0. 01).

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture at Baliao and Huiyang (BL 35) has obvious therapeutic effect on retention of urine induced by spinal cord injury.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; complications ; Urinary Retention ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of coronary microemboliation (CME) on coronary microvascular injury and myocardial endothelin-1 (ET-1) level.

METHODSCME was induced in 10 miniswines by selective infusion of microspheres (45 microm) into left anterior descending artery (LAD). The ET-1 level in coronary sinus was measured with radioimmunoassay. The microvascular integrity indicator CFR was measured by Doppler flow wire in LAD at baseline and after infusion of microspheres.

RESULTCompared to the baseline, CFR decreased significantly with different doses of microspheres. ET-1 level increased significantly with doses of 5 x 10(4) and peaked with 10 x 10(4), and progressively decreased from doses of 12 x 10(4) to 15 x 10(4) microspheres. There was negative correlation between ET-1 and CFR (r=-0.31, P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONThe extent of microvascular injury is not linearly related to the extent of microembolization, but it is closely associated with myocardial ET-1 level.

Animals ; Coronary Vessels ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Embolism ; Endothelin-1 ; blood ; Female ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; blood ; pathology ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature

Objective To clarify the relation between the C3435T polymorphism of multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene and human refractory epilepsy (RE) in ethnic Han Chinese. Methods We collected 170 patients with epilepsy, whose diagnoses were correct and treatments were reasonable. RE was defined as having uncontrolled seizures that occurred with an average frequency of at least once a month for a period of at least 2 years; during the 2-years period, at least 2 different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were used daily, either singly or in combination. According to the definition, 91 patients were classified into RE group and the other 79 patients into non-RE group. A 5-mL venous blood sample was taken from the patients for DNA extraction and genotyping. Genotype of C3435T polymorphism in MDR1 gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results The distribution of CC, CT, TT genotypes was 48.4%, 40.7%,11.0% in RE group, and 40.5%, 38.0%, 21.5% in non-RE group, respectively; no significant differences of C3435T genotype were noted between the 2 groups (x2=3.615, P=0.164). The C and T allele frequencies were 68.7%, 31.3% in RE group, and 59.5%, 40.5% in non-RE group, respectively; no significant differences were found between 2 groups (x2=3.112, P=0.080). Patients were divided into primary epilepsy group and cryptogenic or symptomatic epilepsy group according to the etiology;analyses of the genotype and allele of C3435T in the sub-groups (RE and non-RE subgroups) of this 2 groups were similarly unremarkable. Conclusion No association between the C3435T polymorphism in MDR1 gene and RE in ethnic Han Chinese is noted.