Objective To discuss the opportunity of hemilateral craniotomy in treatment of a large area combined middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction.Methods Thirty-two patients with a large area combined MCA infarction were performed by hemilateral craniotomy.Initial clinical presentation was evaluated by the Glasgow coma scale(GCS).All survivors were assessed three months after surgical decompression according to Barthel index(BI).The effects of pre-hemia decompressive surgery(before any signs of cerebral hernia,based on clinical status and CT or DWI findings)versus post-hernia surgery (after signs of hernia) on mortality,functional outcome.Results In 18 patients with pre-hernia decompressive surgery,3 patients (16.7%)were dead and average BI was (66.94±7.75)scores.The mortality was 57.1%(8/14)and average BI was (38.43±9.82)scores of post-hernia surgery with 3 cases severe aphasia.Conclusion Hemilateral craniotamy is performed before occurrence of cerebral hernia may decrease the mortality and improve outcome in these patients.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of sophoridine against bone cancer pain in bone cancer pain model rats induced by W256 tumor cells and its mechanism.

METHODThe rat model of bone cancer pain was reproduced by injecting W256 tumor cells into the rat marrow cavity. Ten days after the model establishment, 36 rats were selected and randomly divided into the model control group and the sophoridine treated group. At the same time, other 10 rats with sham-operation were selected to be the normal control group. Since the 15th day after the operation, rats in the treated group had been given sophoridine (25 mg x kg(-1)) for 10 days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold and the thermal withdrawal latency of each group were measured before and after the treatment. After the last treatment, the radiological and histopathological observation shall be conducted for sick legs of all rats. The expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in tumor tissues were detected by mmunohistochemistry.

RESULTSophoridine could significantly increase the mechanical withdrawal threshold and the thermal withdrawal latency (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), significantly relief the bone injury caused by W256 tumor cells (P < 0.05), and notably down-regulate the COX-2 and VEGF expressions in tumor tissues (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSophoridine has the effect in relieving pain and inhibiting tumor progression in bone cancer pain rats induced by W256 tumor cells. Its mechanism may be related to the down-regulated expressions of COX-2 and VEGF.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Bone Neoplasms ; complications ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Hyperalgesia ; complications ; drug therapy ; Pain ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

The clinical and experimental publish literatures of the traditional acupuncture treatment for xerophthalmia were review and selected, and the acupoints and outcomes index were analyzed. The clinical studies demonstrated that acupoints around eyes, head and face were mainly coordinated with Zangfu organs and meridians; and the experimental studies showed the effect of acupuncture work through stimulation of the lacrimal gland secretion, repairing lacrimal gland structure, inhibition of apoptosis to increase the flow of tears, extending the breakup time of lacrimal film, and relieving eye related symptoms.

Objective To study the immediate effect of applying a portable functional electrical stimulation device (PUEFESD) to the upper extremities of stroke patients.Methods Twenty stroke survivors were selected.Pairs of electrodes of the PUEFESD were applied on the dorsal and palm sides of the affected forearm and thenar to stimulate the extensors and flexors as well as the thenar muscles sequentially according to a programmed protocol.Functional evaluation was conducted before and immediately after the stimulation.All participants were assessed with regard to their motor function and performance in the activities of daily living using an upper extremity function test (UEFT),the upper extremity motor function portion of the Fugal-Meyer assessment (FMA),and rating with the modified Barthel index (MBI).A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain in the affected upper extremity.Results The patients' average FMA score was 19.4 ± 7.1 before the stimulation and 30.4 ± 9.6 after.The corresponding UEFT scores were 3.6 ± 3.7 and 26.9 ± 5.9,and the average MBI scores were 53.8 ± 26.2 and 65.8 ± 17.7.All of these increases were statistically significant.The average VAS score,however,did not change significantly.Conclusions Functional electric stimulation can quickly improve upper extremity function and the ADL ability of stroke patients,but pain is not relieved significantly.

Objective To construct a fusion protein that used for treatment of resistance and palindromia in leukemia and studied its biological activity. Methods IL-3 and LP gene fragments were amplified by PCR. After enzymatic digestion and T4 ligation, the fusion gene was cloned into expression vector pAYZ. The product was purified by exchange chromatography and anti-Etag affinity chromatography. IL3-G4SLP fusion protein was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Protein biological activity was detected by FACS. Results The fusion protein was expressed as soluble protein by E.Coli 16C9. The protein expression level was about 1 mg/L, its purity was over 95 %, and the expression level was about 1 mg/L. The fusion protein can combined specificely with CD123 on leukemia stem cells. Conclusion Fusion protein IL-3-G4S-LP can target on leukemia stem cells and maybe as a potential drug used for treatment of resistance and palindromia in leukemia.

Objective To study sleeping conditions and relevant factors for insomnia in the elderly people aged 60 years and over in the community of Shanghai,China.Methods A cross-sectional study on sleeping condition by questionnaire was conducted among 2789 elderly people aged 60 years and over during July to October 2005 in seven neighborhood committees of Jing'an District,Shanghai,China,with cluster sampling.Results Totally,2304 elderly people completed the study questionnaire with a response rate of 82.61%.Prevalence of insomnia was 14.84% (342/2304) in the elderly.Logistic regression analysis showed that age increasing (OR=1.02),female (OR=2.20),drinking before sleeping (OR=2.98), room light (OR=3.89),noise (OR=1.95),diabetes (OR=1.82),hypertension (OR=1.49),stroke (OR=1.65),osteoporosis (OR=1.76) and number of afflicted chronic diseases (OR=1.43) all were risk factors for insomnia in the elderly (P

0.05),but the expression in controls were negative.The expression levels of PRAME gene at remission was decreased obviously,but increased again when the patients relapsed.Conclusions Expression of PRAME gene has a high level in childhood acute leukemia.The dynamic changes are closely related with the prognosis.It can be regarded as a candidate for detecting minimal residual disease in acute leukemia,and may have important implications for estimating the prognosis and guiding the chemical therapy.

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy of the patients of xerosis conjunctivitis with liver and kidney yin deficiency among the combined therapy of acupuncture and Shi's manipulation, common acupuncture and artificial tears therapy.

METHODSOne hundred and eight patients were randomized into an acupuncture group, a SHI's manipulation group and an artificial tears group, 36 cases in each group. A total of 15 cases dropped out before the end of the study, including 4 cases in the acupuncture group, 6 cases in the SHI's manipulation group, and 5 cases in the artificial tears group. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was applied to Jingming (BL 1) and Qiuhou (EX-HN 7) on the affected side, and the bilateral Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3). The needles were retained for 20 min. In the SHI's manipulation group, on the basis of the treatment as the acupuncture group, Shuigou (GV26) was added and stimulated with SHI's acupuncture manipulation. In these two groups, acupuncture was given 3 times a week totally for 3 weeks. In the artificial tears group, sodium hyaluronate eye drops were used, 5 times a day, for 3 weeks totally. Separately, before treatment, at the moment after the 1st treatment and 3 weeks after treatment, the subjective symptom score, Schirmer I test, breakup time (BUT) of tear film were observed in each group.

RESULTS(1) Subjective symptom score: at the moment after the 1st treatment and 3 weeks after treatment, the scores in each group were all reduced significantly as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.05). At the moment after the 1st treatment, the score in the SHI's manipulation group and the artificial tears group was reduced apparently as compared with that in the acupuncture group (both P < 0.05). In 3 weeks of treatment, the score in the SHI's manipulation group was reduced apparently as compared with the acupuncture group and the artificial tears group (both P < 0.05). (2) For Schirmer I test, at the moment of the 1st treatment, the result in the SHI's manipulation group and the artificial tears group was improved significantly as compared with that before treatment (both P < 0.05). In 3 weeks of treatment, the result in the acupuncture group and the SHI's manipulation group group was improved significantly as compared with that before treatment (both P < 0.05). At the moment of the 1st treatment, the result in the artificial tears group was improved significantly as compared with the acupuncture group and the SHI's manipulation group (both P < 0.05). In 3 weeks of treatment, the result in the acupuncture group and the SHI's manipulation group was better than that in the artifi-cial tears group separately (both P < 0.05). (3) For BUT, the result in the acupuncture group and the SHI's manipulation group was prolonged significantly as compared with that before treatment and was prolonged apparently as compared with that in the artificial tears group (both P < 0.05) in 3 weeks of treatment.

CONCLUSIONThe intervention of SHI's acupuncture manipulation relieves the subjective symptoms of xerosis conjunctivitis of liver and kidney yin deficiency and achieves the same efficacy as the common acupuncture and artificial tears treatment. It does not present the apparent advantages as the common acupuncture in the short term for promoting the tear secretion and tears film repair.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Conjunctivitis ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Dry Eye Syndromes ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; physiopathology ; Liver ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Yin Deficiency ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the application of hydrogen proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Methods Forty patients with glioma were examined by 1H-MRS preoperation, and were divided into low grade glioma group (n=20) and high grade glioma group (n=20) according to postoperative pathological diagnosis. Tumor resection with peripheral tissues marked previously was carried out under the guidance of neuronavigator system. All the pathological sections were divided into positive group and negative group according to the presence or absence of tumor cells, and the differences in pathological findings of peripheral regions (region 1, 2 and 3) and 1H-MRS values were analyzed in these two groups. Results No infiltration was found in the peripheral regions of low grade glioma group except for one case in peripheral region 1, while infiltration was found in all peripheral regions of high grade glioma group. There was no significant difference in 1H-MRS values between positive group (n=24) and negative group (n=36) in patients with high grade glioma (P>0.05). Conclusion 1H-MRS enjoys some advantages over routine radiological examinations in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Total removal can be expected when combined with neuronavigator system, while there is room for improvement for relevant techniques.

Objective To explore the validity of graduated compression stockings (GCS) in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in postoperative patients with central nervous system tumors. Methods Patients in experimental group (n=100) were given GCS since the first operative day until they can walk. Patients in control group (n=80) did not apply GCS treatment. Doppler studies of the lower extremities were routinely obtained before and 3 days after surgery. Results Three patients developed DVT in the experimental group with an incidence rate of 3%; while 21 patients appeared DVT in the control group with an incidence rate of 26% and 1 patient developed pulmonary embolism. The efficacy between the experimental group and the control group were significantly different (P<0.05). Conclusion GCS can effectively prevent the DVT in postoperative patients with central nervous system tumors.