Objective To compare the prescrotal orchiopexy and traditional inguinal orchiopexy in the clinical treatment of children with low cryptorchidism.Methods Seventy-two patients(78 testes)who underwent orchiopexy in our hospital during March 2006 to May 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.And the undescended testis could be manipulated beyond the external inguinal ring under anaesthesia.Matching conditions were age differences among 3 months,same preoperative testicular positioning,same surgeon and same side.Using the paired study of 1 to 1,all the patients were divided into 2 groups: prescrotal orchiopexy(group A)and the traditional inguinal orchiopexy(group B),each group included 36 patients(39testes).Mean age was 5.4 years(group A)and 5.5 years(group B).The time of operation and restore standing,success rate and complications,including hernia,hydrocele,testicular atrophy and ascent were compared between the 2 groups.Results All the patients were successfully operated.The average surgical time for the prescrotal and inguinal groups were 33 and 41 min(P =0.0022),and average time of standing was 1.2 and 5.4 d(P =0.0003).All the patients had no wound infection.Followup ranged from 3 to 65 months.No hernia,hydrocele,testicular atrophy and ascent were identified in either group.The ratios of successful surgery were 100％ in the two groups.Conclusions The prescrotal orchiopexy is simple,safe,and effective in the cases that testis could be pushed down through the external inguinal ring.Compared with traditional inguinal approach,the advantages of prescrotal approach are shorter operative time,fewer traumas,less pain,faster recovery and cosmetic results.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical characteristics and short-term survival of patients with splenomegaly and acute-on-chronic liver failure related to chronic HBV infection.

METHODSElectronic medical records of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure were collected to analyze the clinical parameters and 4-week survival of patients with or without splenomegaly.

RESULTSOf the 149 patients enrolled, the overall 28-day mortality rate was 48.3%, which was lower in patients with enlarged spleen than those without (34.2% vs 54.1%, P=0.034). Compared with patients without splenomegaly, patients with splenomegaly had lower platelet counts (P=0.001), lower ALT levels (P=0.005) and lower PT-INR (P=0.010). Although the occurrence of hepatic encephalopathy was comparable between patients with or without splenomegaly, severe conditions were more frequent in those without splenomegaly. Hepatic encephalopathy grades, serum creatinine levels, neutrophil percentages over 70%, PT-INR and splenomegaly were independent factors associated with the 28-day survival, and this novel model was superior to model of end-stage of liver disease in predicting the 4-week survival (P=0.017).

CONCLUSIONPatients with splenomegaly that evolves into acute-on-chronic liver failure have unique clinical characteristics and further clinical observations are warranted.

Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure ; mortality ; physiopathology ; Chronic Disease ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Splenomegaly ; mortality ; physiopathology

Objective To evaluate the effects of hearing disorder factors on analgesic efficacy of propofol. Methods Ninety?five patients with hearing disorders, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ, aged 18-60 yr, with body mass index of 20-30 kg∕m2, scheduled for elective ear surgery, served as test group(group T). Ninety?five patients with normal hearing function, of Ameri?can Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ, aged 18-60 yr, with body mass index of 20-30 kg∕m2, scheduled for elective non?ear surgery, served as control group(group C). Propofol was given at the initial target plasma concentration of 1.2 μg∕ml. When the target plasma concentration was achieved, 1 min later the concentration was increased in increments of 0.3 μg∕ml. When the patients lost eyelash reflex and had no responses to clapping on the shoulder, bispectral index value and target plasma and effect?site concentrations of propofol, consumption of propofol and time for loss of consciousness were recorded. Re?sults Compared with group C, no significant change was found in bispectral index value at baseline or at loss of consciousness(P>0.05), the target plasma and effect?site concentrations and consumption of propofol were significantly decreased, and the time for loss of consciousness was shortened in group T(P<0.05). The consumption of propofol required at loss of consciousness was gradually reduced with the aggra?vated severity of hearing disorders in group T(P<0.05). Conclusion The analgesic efficacy of propofol is enhanced in the patients with hearing disorders.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the poor ability of many drugs to cross that barrier greatly limits the efficacy of chemotherapies for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The present study exploits albumin as drug delivery vehicle to promote the chemotherapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) by improving the stability and targeting efficiency of PTX/albumin nanoparticles (NPs). Here we characterize PTX-loaded human serum albumin (HSA) NPs stabilized with intramolecular disulfide bonds and modified with substance P (SP) peptide as the targeting ligand. The fabricated SP-HSA-PTX NPs exhibited satisfactory drug-loading content (7.89%) and entrapment efficiency (85.7%) with a spherical structure (about 150 nm) and zeta potential of -12.0 mV. The drug release from SP-HSA-PTX NPs occurred in a redox-responsive manner. Due to the targeting effect of the SP peptide, cellular uptake of SP-HSA-PTX NPs into brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) and U87 cells was greatly improved. The low IC, prolonged survival period and the obvious pro-apoptotic effect shown by TUNEL analysis all demonstrated that the fabricated SP-HSA-PTX NPs showed a satisfactory anti-tumor effect and could serve as a novel strategy for GBM treatment.