Objective To evaluate the functional changes in the isometric,concentric and eccentric muscle strength of the knee extensors and flexors in patients with knee osteoarthritis,and to explore the relationship among these contractions.Methods A Biodex System-3 isokinetic test system was used to assess the isometric,concentric and eccentric strength of the knee extensors and flexors of the involved and uninvolved limbs of 54 patients suffering from osteoarthritis.Results The strength of the knee extensors and flexors of the involved limbs was significantly less than that of the uninvolved legs in the different contraction modes(P＜0.05).The difference was especially marked in concentric and eccentric contraction at low angular velocity.The hamstrings/quadriceps ratio and the dy- namic control ratio showed abnormalities in the muscle balance of the hamstrings and quadriceps.Conclusion Iso- kinetic testing should be applied and the hamstrings/quadriceps ratio and the dynamic control ratio should be analyzed in evaluating patients with knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate polymorphism of HLA-DRB1 in Chinese Lahu population in Yunnan.

METHODSPolymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) were used to determine HLA-DRB1 genotypes of 110 unrelated healthy Lahu minority people of Yunnan Province.

RESULTSSixteen alleles of DRB1 were detected in this study. The results of test showed that the genotype distributions observed were corresponded with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

CONCLUSIONThis study has obtained a more comprehensive and accurate data set of the normal allele frequencies of HLA-DRB1 in Chinese Lahu population in Yunnan Province, which may be of significance in the studies on population genetics and disease association.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; DNA Primers ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; HLA-DR Antigens ; genetics ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) on inflammatory cells accumulation after focal cerebral ischemia and the underlying mechanism. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by 30 min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 72 h of reperfusion. NDGA (5 and 10 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 30 min, 2, 24, 48 h after reperfusion, respectively. The brain injuries were observed by neurological and histological examination. Endogenous IgG exudation, neutrophils and macrophages/microglia accumulation, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) protein expression were determined by immunohistochemistry 72 h after reperfusion. ICAM-1 mRNA was determined by RT-PCR 72 h after reperfusion. The catalysates of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), were evaluated by ELISA 3 h after reperfusion. The results showed that NDGA ameliorated neurological dysfunction, decreased infarct volume, and inhibited endogenous IgG exudation, neutrophils infiltration, ICAM-1 mRNA and protein expression 72 h after reperfusion. Moreover, NDGA reduced the levels of LTB4 and CysLTs 3 h after reperfusion. However, NDGA did not reduce the accumulation of macrophages/microglia 72 h after reperfusion. These results suggest that NDGA decreases neutrophil infiltration in the subacute phase of focal cerebral ischemia via inhibiting 5-LOX activation.
Animals ; Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase ; metabolism ; Brain Ischemia ; complications ; physiopathology ; Immunoglobulin G ; immunology ; Inflammation ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukotriene B4 ; metabolism ; Lipoxygenase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Male ; Masoprocol ; pharmacology ; Neutrophils ; drug effects ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control

BACKGROUND: Proximal humeral fracture is a common disease of fall injury in the elderly, because of bone nonunion after treatment with a variety of factors such as senile osteoporosis. Currently, the use of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty has achieved good clinical effect, but has certain limitations. OBJECTIVE: To compare and observe the clinical effects of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty and open reduction and internal plate fixation in the treatment of nonunion of proximal humeral fractures. METHODS: Totally 120 cases of nonunion of proximal humeral fractures were randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 60 cases in each group. The observation group received reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (replacement of artificial shoulder joint). The control group received open reduction and internal plate fixation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Follow-up results: At 3 years after surgery, the pain score was lower in the observation group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Constant daily activities, range of activities, strength test score, Constant total score, satisfaction and hospitalization expenses were higher in the observation group than in the control group. Functions of flexion, laterotorsion and intorsion were better in the observation group than those in the control group (P < 0.05). (2) Adverse reactions: At 3 years after surgery, 26 and 22 cases had adverse reaction in the observation group and the control group respectively. (3) The results show that the clinical effect of the elders' nonunion of proximal humeral fracture treated with reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is quite good, and the pain degree and shoulder function are obviously improved. The curative effect of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty is better than that of open reduction and internal plate fixation.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate protective effect of minocycline,a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative on different traumatic brain injuries in rats and mice.

METHODSThe opened brain trauma was induced in rats and the closed head injury and cold brain injury were induced in mice. In 3 brain trauma models, minocycline (45 mg/kg, ip) was administered twice daily for 2 d before the operation, at 30 min before and 1 h after the operation, and once daily for 2 d following the operation (totally 8 doses in 5 d). After the operation, the behavioral alteration was observed daily, lesion area and survival neuron density were measured at the end of the experiments (14 d after the injuries).

RESULTFor rat opened traumatic injury, minocycline promoted the recovery of hindlimb motor activity (inclined board angle), but did not alter other indexes. For mouse closed head traumatic injury, minocycline reduced the neuron loss, but did not improve behavioral dysfunction. For mouse cold injury-induced trauma, minocycline reduced death rate and lesion area, but did not remarkably improve behavior and neuron loss.

CONCLUSIONMinocycline only has an incomplete neuroprotective effect on different brain traumatic injuries in rats and mice.

Animals ; Brain Injuries ; drug therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Minocycline ; therapeutic use ; Neuroprotective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of adult primary retroperitoneal malignant tumor (APRMT).

METHODSThe clinical data of 98 cases with APRMT underwent resection from January 1990 to April 2003 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSAmong the 98 cases, complete excision were performed in 79 cases (80.6%), palliative excision in 16 cases (16.3%), tumor biopsy only in 3 cases (3.1%). Resection of involved adjacent organs were carried out in 25 cases (25.5%) and the re-operation rate for recurrence was 28.6% (28 cases). The 1, 3, 5 year survival rates for 79 cases with complete resection were 93.7%, 73.4% and 34.2%, respectively. The 1, 3, 5 year survival rate for 16 cases with palliative resection were 75.0%, 6.3% and 6.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSCertain imaging examinations are crucial to the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of APRMT. Resection of the involved organs could improve resection rate and prognosis. For the recurrent cases, earlier reoperation is strongly recommended.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE To detect potential mutations of GCDH gene in five patients with glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I). METHODS Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples from the patients. The 11 exons and their flanking sequences of the GCDH gene were amplified with PCR and subjected to direct sequencing. RESULTS Four mutations of the GCDH gene were identified among the patients, which included c.532G>A (p.G178R), c.533G>A (p.G178E), c.106_107delAC (p.Q37fs*5) and c.1244-2A>C. Among these, c.1244-2A>C was the most common, while c.106_107delAC was a novel mutation, which was predicted to be pathogenic by MutationTaster software. CONCLUSION The diagnosis of GA-I has been confirmed in all of the five patients. Identification of the novel GCDH mutations has enriched the mutational spectrum of the GCDH gene.

Non-human primates (NHPs) are confirmed as reservoirs of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi. In this study, 197 fresh fecal samples from 8 NHP species in Qinling Mountains, northwestern China, were collected and examined using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method. The results showed that 35 (17.8%) samples were positive for tested parasites, including Cryptosporidium spp. (3.0%), G. intestinalis (2.0%), and E. bieneusi (12.7%). Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 6 fecal samples of Macaca mulatta, and were identified as C. parvum (n=1) and C. andersoni (n=5). Subtyping analysis showed Cryptosporidium spp. belonged to the C. andersoni MLST subtype (A4, A4, A4, and A1) and C. parvum 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) subtype IId A15G2R1. G. intestinalis assemblage E was detected in 3 M. mulatta and 1 Saimiri sciureus. Intra-variations were observed at the triose phosphate isomerase (tpi), beta giardin (bg), and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) loci, with 3, 1, and 2 new subtypes found in respective locus. E. bieneusi was found in Cercopithecus neglectus (25.0%), Papio hamadrayas (16.7%), M. mulatta (16.3%), S. sciureus (10%), and Rhinopithecus roxellana (9.5%), with 5 ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genotypes: 2 known genotypes (D and BEB6) and 3 novel genotypes (MH, XH, and BSH). These findings indicated the presence of zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in NHPs in Qinling Mountains. This is the first report of C. andersoni in NHPs. The present study provided basic information for control of cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, and microsporidiosis in human and animals in this area.
Animals ; China ; Cryptosporidiosis/*parasitology ; Cryptosporidium/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Enterocytozoon/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Genotype ; Giardia lamblia/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Giardiasis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Male ; Microsporidiosis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Primate Diseases/*parasitology ; Primates/classification/parasitology

OBJECTIVES: To explore the optimal maintenance dose of caffeine citrate for preterm infants requiring assisted ventilation and caffeine citrate treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 566 preterm infants (gestational age ≤34 weeks) who were treated and required assisted ventilation and caffeine citrate treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit of 30 tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu Province of China between January 1 and December 31, 2019. The 405 preterm infants receiving high-dose (10 mg/kg per day) caffeine citrate after a loading dose of 20 mg/kg within 24 hours after birth were enrolled as the high-dose group. The 161 preterm infants receiving low-dose (5 mg/kg per day) caffeine citrate were enrolled as the low-dose group. RESULTS: Compared with the low-dose group, the high-dose group had significant reductions in the need for high-concentration oxygen during assisted ventilation (P=0.044), the duration of oxygen inhalation after weaning from noninvasive ventilation (P<0.01), total oxygen inhalation time during hospitalization (P<0.01), the proportion of preterm infants requiring noninvasive ventilation again (P<0.01), the rate of use of pulmonary surfactant and budesonide (P<0.05), and the incidence rates of apnea and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.01), but the high-dose group had a significantly increased incidence rate of feeding intolerance (P=0.032). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the body weight change, the incidence rates of retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular hemorrhage or necrotizing enterocolitis, the mortality rate, and the duration of caffeine use (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS This pilot multicenter study shows that the high maintenance dose (10 mg/kg per day) is generally beneficial to preterm infants in China and does not increase the incidence rate of common adverse reactions. For the risk of feeding intolerance, further research is needed to eliminate the interference of confounding factors as far as possible.
Caffeine/therapeutic use* ; Citrates ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to present a major challenge to public health. Vaccine development requires an understanding of the kinetics of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: In total, 605 serum samples from 125 COVID-19 patients (from January 1 to March 14, 2020) varying in age, sex, severity of symptoms, and presence of underlying diseases were collected, and antibody titers were measured using a micro-neutralization assay with wild-type SARS-CoV-2. Results: NAbs were detectable approximately 10 days post-onset (dpo) of symptoms and peaked at approximately 20 dpo. The NAb levels were slightly higher in young males and severe cases, while no significant difference was observed for the other classifications. In follow-up cases, the NAb titer had increased or stabilized in 18 cases, whereas it had decreased in 26 cases, and in one case NAbs were undetectable at the end of our observation. Although a decreasing trend in NAb titer was observed in many cases, the NAb level was generally still protective. Conclusion We demonstrated that NAb levels vary among all categories of COVID-19 patients. Long-term studies are needed to determine the longevity and protective efficiency of NAbs induced by SARS-CoV-2.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology* ; Antibodies, Viral/immunology* ; COVID-19/immunology* ; Female ; Humans ; Kinetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neutralization Tests ; SARS-CoV-2