Objective To compare the effect of injection with botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) before serial casting with BTX-A injection alone for the treatment of spastic equinus in children with cerebral palsy (CP).Methods Sixty patients were divided into an experimental group and a control group with 30 patients in each.Those io the experimental group received a BTX-A injection followed by serial casting,while the controls received BTX-A only.Before treatment and 1 month,3 months and 6 months after treatment,the dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM)of the ankle recorded while the knee in flexion and extension were measured,and gait was evaluated with an observational gait scale.Results Before treatment there was no significant inter-group difference in any of the 3 outcome measures.At 1 montb,3 months and 6 months after treatment,there were significant inter-group differences in all 3 measures,and also significant differences compared with before treatment in both groups.Conclusion Lower muscle tone,greater ankle mobility and better gait patterns can be promoted in CP children with spastic equinus using serial casting combined with BTX-A injection.The improvements may last longer than those after BTX-A injection alone.

Objective To study the causes of corneal epithelial endogeny after excimer laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and nursing intervention.Methods Clinical data of patients with corneal epithelial endogeny after LASIK was retrospectively reviewed, related causes were analyzed and corresponding nursing intervention was implemented.Results Incidence of corneal epithelial endogeny before intervention was 1.40%, while after intervention none of the 618 subjects had corneal epithelial endogeny, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01).Conclusions Wearing contact lenses before LASIK, corneal epithelial edema and shedding, thin corneal flap, layer diffuse stromal keratitis, high humidity of the operating room, as well as blinking or rubbing eyes frequently after surgery and accidental eye injuries are the main causes of corneal epithelial endogeny. Nursing interventions can effectively prevent and reduce corneal epithelial endogeny after LASIK.

This article summarizes the pathogenesis of hypercoagulability in β thalassemia patients, including platelet activation, alteration of red blood cell membranes, abnormal expression of adhesion molecules on vascular endothelial cells and iron overload. Clinical evidence, clinical manifestations of hypercoagulable state and thrombosis in β thalassemia and the effect of splenectomy on hypercoagulable state were reviewed. Strategies to prevent and treat the thromboembolic events in β-thalassemia intermedia are also discussed, including transfusion therapy to raise hemoglobin levels, avoidance or delay of splenectomy and a number of treatments in the exploration.
Erythrocyte Aggregation ; Humans ; Thrombophilia ; etiology ; prevention & control ; beta-Thalassemia ; complications

Objective To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in synovium of rats with adjuvant arthritis and the relationship between the histopathologic score and the expression of VEGF.Methods Adjuvant arthritis was established in Wistar rats by inoculating complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA). We calculated the arthropathologic score and the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein at different stages after CFA inoculation.Results In model group the arthropathologic score and expression of VEGF protein in synovium increased significantly all the time (P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficiency of one-step multiplex RT-PCR for identifying four common fusion transcripts (TEL/AML1, E2A/PBX1, MLL/AF4 and BCR/ABL) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODSTotal RNA was extracted from bone marrow samples of 76 children who were newly diagnosed with ALL between January 2003 and December 2010. These RNAs were analyzed for TEL/AML1, E2A/PBX1, MLL/AF4 and BCR/ABL by one-step multiplex RT-PCR or common nested-multiplex PCR. The PCR products were confirmed by DNA sequencing.

RESULTSTEL/AML1 was found in 12 cases (the length of products was 298 bp in 9 cases and 259 bp in 3 cases), E2A/PBX1 was found in 3 cases (the length of products was 373 bp), BCR/ABL was found in 1 case (the length of products was 2 124 bp), and MLL/AF4 was found in 7 cases (the length of products was 427 bp in 1 case and 673 bp in 6 cases) using one-step multiplex RT-PCR combined with DNA sequencing. The results were consistent with those using common nested-multiplex PCR.

CONCLUSIONSOne-step multiplex RT-PCR may be another alternative for detection of common fusion transcripts in children with ALL.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; Female ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ; genetics ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo investigate the features of methylation in the promoter region of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene and the association between gene promoter methylation and G6PD deficiency.

METHODSFluorescent quantitative PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of G6PD in 130 children with G6PD deficiency. Sixty-five children without G6PD deficiency served as the control group. The methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting curve analysis and bisulfite PCR sequencing were used to analyze gene promoter methylation in 22 children with G6PD deficiency and low G6PD mRNA expression. The G6PD gene promoter methylation was analyzed in 44 girls with normal G6PD mRNA expression (7 from G6PD deficiency group and 37 from control group).

RESULTSTwenty-two (16.9%) children with G6PD deficiency had relatively low mRNA expression of G6PD; among whom, 16 boys showed no methylation, and 6 girls showed partial methylation. Among the 44 girls with normal G6PD mRNA expression, 40 showed partial methylation, and 4 showed no methylation (1 case in the G6PD group and 3 cases in the control group).

CONCLUSIONSGene promoter methylation is not associated with G6PD deficiency in boys. Girls have partial methylation or no methylation in the G6PD gene, suggesting that the methylation may be related to G6PD deficiency in girls.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase ; genetics ; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Sex Characteristics

Objective To study the influence of nasal irrigations on the postoperative curative effect of patients with chronic sinusitis.Methods Total of 357 patients who suffered from chronic sinusitis received transnasal endoscopic surgery from 2008 to 2010 with 184 patients selecting nasal irrigations for the following treatments.Patients were followed up at two weeks,six weeks and four months after the surgeries via telephone.The symptoms of nasal obstruction,nasal discharge and headache were recorded and SNOT-20 was used to measure the quality of life.Results Symptoms of patients were improved,but improvement in nasal irrigations group was better than that in non-nasal irrigations group.Four months later,the average symptom score of nasal obstruction in nasal irrigations group was [0(0,1 )] which was significantly lower than [ 0( 0,1 )] in non-nasal irrigations group ( Z =- 3.176,P ＜ 0.05).The average symptom score of nasal discharge in nasal irrigations group was [0(0,2)] which was significantly lower than [0(0,2)] in non-nasal irrigations group (Z =- 4.403,P ＜ 0.05 ).The average score of headache was [ 0 ( 0,1 ) ] in nasal irrigations group and [ 0 (0,2) ] in non-nasal irrigations group,and the difference was statistically significant ( Z =- 4.539,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions Nasal irrigations can improve symptoms of patients with chronic sinusitis and reduce the rectrrence.

Background and objective MicroRNAs were important regulators of tumors and the expression of miRNA-221 was associated with malignant proliferation and invasion in many tumors. hTe aim of this study is to explore the expression of miRNA-221 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and its correlation with prognosis. Methods We ret-rospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 117 NSCLC patients who underwent surgery in our hospital from Novem-ber 2005 to January 2007. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miRNA-221. Chi-square test was utilized to ana-lyze the relationship between miRNA-221 expression and clinicopathologic features. Survival curves were plotted by using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the Log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to examine the joint effect of covariants. A P-value less than 0.05 was evaluated as statistically signiifcant. Results hTe patients were di-vided into two groups according to the relatively expression of miRNA-221. No statistically signiifcance was observed between the expression of miRNA-221 and the clinicopathologic parameters, including gender (χ2=0.070, P=0.791), histology (χ2=0.414, P=0.520), p-TNM stage (χ2=0.068, P=0.794) and history of smoking (χ2=0.206, P=0.650). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high expression of miRNA-221 was closely associated with a shorter survival time (P<0.001). Finally, both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that high miRNA-221 expression might be a poor prognostic marker of NSCLC patients. Conclusion Our results indicated that down-regulation of miRNA-221 was associated with poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC. MiRNA-221 may serve as a molecular prognosis marker for patients with NSCLC.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of premature rupture of the membrane (PROM) on neonatal complications in premature infants.

METHODSThe registration information of 7684 preterm infants with gestational age <37 weeks were collected from the cooperative units in the task group between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Specially trained personnel from each cooperative units filled in the unified form in a standardized format to record the gender, gestational age, birth weight, PROM, placental abruption, antenatal corticosteroid, Apgar score, amniotic fluid pollution, and complications of the infants. The data were analyzed comparatively between the cases with PROM and those without (control).

RESULTSThe preterm mortality rate was significantly lower but the incidences of ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly higher in PROM group than in the control group (P<0.05). The 95% confidence interval of the OR value was <1 for mortality, and was >1 for ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD. After adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, gender, mode of delivery, placental abruption, placenta previa, prenatal hormones, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational period hypertension and 5-min Apgar score <7, the incidences of NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05) with 95% confidence interval of OR value >1, but the mortality rate and incidence of ICH were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPROM is a risk factor for NEC, ROP and BPD in preterm infants, and adequate intervention of PROM can reduce the incidences of such complications as NEC, ROP and BPD in the infants.

Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture ; pathology ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; etiology ; Infant, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors