OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety and efficacy of carotid artery stenting before open heart surgery.

METHODSPatients with heart disease and severe carotid artery stenosis received carotid stenting before open heart surgery were included in this prospective cohort study. The incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction and death from carotid stenting to 30 days after cardiac surgery was assessed.

RESULTSA total of 42 patients were enrolled. The carotid stenting procedural success rate was 100%. Distal embolic protection devices were used in 97.6% patients (41/42). Thirty-six (85.7%) patients received bypass surgery, 5 patients received bypass and valve replacement surgery (11.9%) and 1 patient received valve replacement surgery (2.4%) post carotid stenting. The incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction and death from carotid stenting to 30 days after cardiac surgery was 2.4% (1/42), 0% and 0% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSOur data from this small cohort study showed that carotid artery stenting before open heart surgery was safe and effective for patients with heart disease and severe carotid artery stenosis.

Carotid Arteries ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; surgery ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Stents ; Treatment Outcome

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa ; transplantation ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethral Stricture ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective （ ） To explore the feasibility of using generalized estimating equation GEE to analyze the influencing - （ ） factors of high frequency hearing loss HFHL among noise exposed workers in an air conditioner manufacturing enterprise. Methods - The noise exposed workers in an air conditioner manufacturing industry who had been tested for pure tone hearing threshold twice or more from 2015 to 2019 were selected as the research subjects using the judgment sampling method. Data ， ， ， ， ， （ ） such as age length of service gender smoking alcohol consumption body mass index BMI and HFHL were collected. The Results influencing factors of HFHL were analyzed using the GEE. The detection rates of HFHL from 2015 to 2019 were ， ， ， ， ， 22.2% 23.8% 24.2% 24.1% and 20.9% respectively. Among them the detection rate of HFHL in 2019 was lower than that （ P ） ， ， in 2017 and 2018 all <0.001 . The GEE analysis results showed that the risks of HFHL in 2015 2016 2017 and 2018 were （ P ）， higher than that in 2019 all <0.01 regardless of interaction effects and after adjusting for confounding factors such as ， ［OR（ CI）］ （ - duration of noise exposure smoking and BMI. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals 95% were 1.19 1.07 ）， （ - ）， （ - ） （ - ）， 1.33 1.26 1.13 1.39 1.30 1.18 1.43 and 1.27 1.15 1.39 respectively. The risk of HFHL was higher in males than in （P ）， OR（ CI） （ - ） ， （P ）， OR females <0.01 and 95% was 3.78 3.00 4.77 . The older the age the higher the risk of HFHL <0.01 and （ CI） （ - ） Conclusion - 95% was 1.07 1.05 1.09 . The influencing factors of HFHL among noise exposed workers in the air conditioner industry are age and gender. GEE can be used to analyze the factors influencing the longitudinal data of HFHL in workers with noise exposure.

BACKGROUNDLeigh syndrome is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that emerges in infancy and childhood and presents with a clinically heterogeneous variety of neuromuscular and non-neuromuscular disorders. It can result from the inheritance of mutations in either nuclear or mitochondrial DNA. In the current study, we performed a retrospective study in 65 patients in order to investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of Leigh syndrome in Chinese patients.

METHODSSixty-five unrelated cases (35 men and 30 women) who were hospitalized in the past 12 years were reviewed. Diagnosis was based on both the clinical presentation and the characteristic neuropathologic findings of bilateral symmetric necrotizing lesions in the basal ganglia and brain stem as detected using cranial computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The differential diagnosis of organic acidurias and fatty acid beta-oxidation defects were performed. Specific point mutations and deletions in mitochondrial DNA (T8993G, T8993C, T9176C, A8344G, A3243G) were screened by PCR-restriction analysis and Southern blot. The SURF1 gene was sequenced. Skeletal muscle biopsies were performed in 17 (26.2%) of the patients. The diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy in 6 (9.2%) patients.

RESULTSThe patients had various forms of metabolic encephalomyopathy. Fifty-nine (90.8%) of the patients had the typical neuroradiological features of Leigh syndrome, including symmetrical necrotizing lesions scattered within the basal ganglia, thalamus and brain stem. Twenty (30.8%) patients were confirmed by genetic, biochemical analysis and autopsy. Specific point mutations in mitochondrial DNA were found in 5 cases (7.7%). Of these, the A8344G mutation was detected in 2 patients. The T8993G, T8993C, and A3243G point mutations were identified in 3 other patients, respectively. SURF1 mutations associated with cytochrome c oxidase deficiency were identified in 8 (12.3%) families by DNA sequencing. A G604C mutation was identified in 6 (9.2%) patients. The genotypes of 52 patients remained unknown.

CONCLUSIONSLeigh syndrome presents as a diverse array of clinical features and can result from specific mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA. In this study, SURF1 mutations associated with cytochrome c oxidase deficiency were identified in 8 (12.3%) out of 65 patients with Leigh syndrome. It indicates that SURF1 mutations might be a common cause of Leigh syndrome in China. The etiology of Leigh syndrome in Chinese patients represents a persistent challenge to clinicians.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cytochrome-c Oxidase Deficiency ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Leigh Disease ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; Mutation ; Proteins ; genetics ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate quinalizarin-induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells in vitro and explore the molecular mechanisms.

METHODSMTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxic effects of quinalizarin on human gastric cancer AGS, MKN-28 and MKN-45 cells. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry were used to assess quinalizarin-induced apoptosis in AGS cells and its effect on intracellular ROS levels; the expression levels of apoptotic proteins in the cells were determined with Western blotting.

RESULTSQuinalizarin dose-dependently reduced the cell viabilities of the 3 gastric cancer cells (P<0.05). The ICvalues of quinalizarin in AGS, MKN-28 and MKN-45 cells were 7.07 µmol/L, 22.55 µmol/L and 14.18 µmol/L, respectively. Quinalizarin time-dependently induced apoptosis of AGS cells and potentiated the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Pretreatment with NAC, a scavenger of ROS, inhibited quinalizarin-induced apoptosis (P<0.001). Western blotting results showed that quinalizarin also up-regulated the expression levels of the apoptotic proteins including p-p38, p-JNK, Bad, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP-1 (P<0.05), and down-regulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins p-Akt, p-ERK, and Bcl-2 (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONQuinalizarin inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells in vitro through regulating intracellular ROS levels via the MAPK and Akt signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidences of urea cycle defects (UCDs) in the patients with hyperammonemia and study their etiology, clinical and laboratory features.

METHODSIn the past 7 years, 26 cases (10.2%) of UCDs were detected from 254 patients with hyperammonemia. The etiological diagnoses were made by blood amino acids analysis, urinary organic acid analysis and blood acylcarnitine profile analysis. Three patients with citrullinemia type II were further confirmed by liver pathological analysis and gene diagnosis.

RESULTSAmong 26 cases with UCDs, 15 had ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, 5 had citrullinemia type I, 3 had citrullinemia type II and 3 patients had arginemia. The age of onset of the patients ranged from 3 days to 13 years. Three cases (11.5%) developed hyperammonemic encephalopathy during neonatal period. Thirteen (50.0%), 7 (26.9%) and 3 (11.5%) cases developed clinical symptoms at the age of 1 to 12 months, 1 to 3 years and 6 to 13 years, respectively. Positive family history was found in 11 cases (42.3%). Among 26 patients with UCDs, 9 (34.6%) were hospitalized with the complains of seizures, psychomotor retardation, vomiting and unconsciousness, 8 (30.8%) with recurrent vomiting, headache and coma, 6 due to liver dysfunction. Intrahepatic cholestatic jaundice was found in 3 patients with citrullinemia type II. Blood ammonia ranged from 58 to 259 micromol/L on their first visit to our hospital. Twenty cases (76.9%) had liver dysfunction, 4 patients (15.4%) were diagnosed postmortem. Twenty-one patients got treatment and were followed up. Among them, 7 cases died of hyperammonemic encephalopathy or upper alimentary tract bleeding. Clinical improvement was observed in 14 cases. A boy with OTC deficiency who received a partial liver transplant from his mother showed normal general condition for two years.

CONCLUSIONSUCDs are the most frequent causes of congenital hyperammonemia. In this study, 26 patients (10.2%) with UCDs were identified from 254 patients with hyperammonemia resulting in encephalopathy and liver dysfunction. Early diagnosis and treatment can contribute a lot to improve the prognosis of the patients. Blood ammonia assay and further etiological analysis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neurological and hepatic abnormality.

Adolescent ; Ammonia ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperammonemia ; congenital ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Urea ; metabolism

With the development of the new generation of 16S rRNA sequencing technology and metagenomics, the relationship between the microbiota and bronchial asthma (asthma for short) has been increasingly recognized, and has become a research hotspot in the pathogenesis of asthma. It is estimated that more than 10,000 different microbial species inhabit the human body, affecting nutrition, metabolism and immune function of body. The imbalance of microbial flora leads to the disturbance of the internal environment in the body, which causes diseases such as asthma. Asthma is determined by both genetic and environmental effects, and the microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis, phenotype and disease severity of asthma. This paper reviews the role of different microbiota in the development of asthma.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of the depth of the sperm counting chamber on sperm motility.

METHODSWe measured the depths of sperm counting chambers using the Filmetrics F20 Spectral Reflectance Thin-Film Measurement System. Then, according to the WHO5 manual, we analyzed 36 semen samples for the percentages of progressively motile sperm (PR) and non-progressively motile sperm (NP) and sperm motility (PR + NP) with the Ruiqi CFT-9201 computer-aided sperm analysis system, and compared the results of analysis.

RESULTSThe depths of the 4 sperm counting chambers were 9.8, 12.7, 15.7 and 19.9 microm, respectively, and the obtained PR were (44.00 +/- 11.63), (41.96 +/- 12.62), (40.86 +/- 11.71) and (37.78 +/- 11.38)%, NP (13.54 +/- 3.01), (14.13 +/- 2.94), (14.91 +/- 3.02) and (16.53 +/- 2.77)%, and sperm motility (57.53 +/- 11.06), (56.08 +/- 11.97), (55.78 +/- 11.55) and (54.31 +/- 12.11)% from the 4 chambers, respectively. The depth of the sperm counting chamber was correlated negatively with PR (r = -0.993, P < 0.05) and sperm motility (r = -0.978, P < 0.05), but positively with NP (r = 0.989, P < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the 9.8 microm and 19.9 microm deep chambers in PR and NP (P < 0.05) though not in sperm motility among the 4 chambers of different depths.

CONCLUSIONThe impact of the depth of the sperm counting chamber on sperm motility should not be ignored, for the deviation of the results from the chambers of different depths may lead clinicians to incorrect diagnosis and consequently inappropriate therapeutic approaches. Different reference ranges of sperm motility need to be normalized in correspondence to the depths of sperm counting chambers.

Humans ; Male ; Sperm Count ; instrumentation ; Sperm Motility

The current study aims to rapidly and comprehensively profile the chemical composition of Cistanche salsa using direct infusion coupled with MS/MS~(ALL)(DI-MS/MS~(ALL)). The C. salsa extract was directly imported into electrospray ionization(ESI) source of quadrupole time-of-flight(Q-TOF) mass spectrometer with an infusion pump at a flow rate of 10 μL·min~(-1). Acquisition program was applied under negative ionization polarity to collect one MS~1 spectrum(m/z 50-1 200), followed by 1 150 MS~2 spectra with precursor isolation window(m/z 1) amongst mass range m/z 50-1 200. After each MS~2 spectrum was matched to its precursor ion, putative identification was conducted through matching mass spectral data with literature and database. A total of 31 components were identified from C. salsa, including 9 phenylethanoid glycosides, 2 iridoids, 4 saccharides, 9 organic acids, and 7 other compounds, similar to those from C. tubulosa and C. deserticola. In conclusion, DI-MS/MS~(ALL), a facile and reliable analytical tool, can be employed for qualitative analysis of chemical constituents in C. salsa. The research offers a promising strategy to achieve rapid chemome profiling of herbal medicine and provides an alternative source of Cistanches Herba.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cistanche ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Glycosides ; Plants, Medicinal ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Community-based home hospice care provided by community service centers and family physician teams aims to alleviate the suffering of terminally ill patients and help them to receive end-of-life care and pass away at home.The Puhuangyu Community Health Service Center established the home hospice care model of PUMCH-Puhuangyu Coordination at the end of 2019.The model has been practiced and improved to date.This paper introduces this model of home hospice care.
Humans ; Hospice Care ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Hospices ; Home Care Services ; Terminal Care