Objective To study the effect of surface physical properties of different materials for the artificial joint pros -thesis interface on Mycobacterium tuberculosis adhesion .Methods The surface polishing coating , titanium coating and hydroxyapatite coating were chosen as the experimental materials to analyze the surface topography and measure the surface roughness, contact angle and surface energy .The M.tuberculosis strains were used by in vitro cultivation method and ob-served by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study the morphology of M.tuberculosis and the material surface adhe-sion.The influence of surface physical properties of the interface of the artificial joint prostheses on the proliferation and ad -hesion of bacteria was evaluatd .Results The titanium coating and hydroxyapatite coating materials were hydrophobic , while the surface polishing coating was hydrophilic .The contact angle and surface energy were significantly different ( P<0.05).In the process of bacterial culture of the three types of materials , there was no significant difference (P>0.05)in the OD value of bacterial solution .The titanium coating had the largest amount of interface adhesion for M.tuberculosis, fol-lowed by the hydroxyapatite coating and the polishing coating .The difference between various materials was statistically sig-nificant (P<0.05).Conclusion The adhesion of M.tuberculosis in the surface of artificial joint prosthesis materials is closely related to the surface physical properties .A adhesiveness improves with surface roughness .

PURPOSE: We evaluated one patient with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS), using fundus fluorescein angiography (FAG), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) on acute phase of the disease, at 2 weeks after onset and at 10weeks. METHODS: Each diagnostic images were compared with patient's clinical course .OCT measurements of serial retinal thickness were done to assess the change in retinal thickness over the disease process. RESULTS: White dots on fundoscopic examination showed hypofluorescent on ICGA and imaged hyperreflective on OCT without presence of neither subretinal fluid nor neuroretinal increase in thickness. These ICGA and OCT findings suggest that lesions of perfusion defect on ICGA may be caused by interstitial precipitations of inflammatory cells in choriocapillaries and the underlying mechanism is not due to vasculitis with edema or serous exudation. CONCLUSIONS: ICGA and OCT allowed more precise anatomic evaluation than FAG in diagnosis and correlated well with clinical symptoms.
Angiography ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Perfusion ; Retinaldehyde ; Subretinal Fluid ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Vasculitis

INTRODUCTIONRoutine blood cultures have been recommended for all patients in treatment guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This practice has become a major area of resource utilisation, despite the lack of evidence in its clinical utility. Calls for abandoning the practice is balanced by the occasions of uncovering an unexpected pathogen or an unusual antimicrobial resistance pattern. The aim of this study is to identify factors that predict positive blood cultures among patients hospitalised for pneumonia upon presentation at the Emergency Department (ED).

MATERIALS AND METHODSA case control study was carried out on patients treated for pneumonia in the ED who had routine blood cultures performed as part of their management. The pneumonia severity index (PSI) was used to categorize patients into low- and high-risk for 30-day mortality. Logistic regression was carried out to determine factors significantly associated with positive blood cultures, from which a predictive probability equation was used to identify patients whose blood cultures were negative at a pre-determined cut-off, with minimum number of culture positive misclassification. A scoring system was devised, with scores predicting which patients would be likely to have a positive or negative blood culture.

RESULTSA total of 1407 patients with pneumonia were treated at ED from May to December 2006, from whom 1800 blood cultures were performed. Of these, 140 cultures (7.8%) grew organisms, comprising 96 (5.3%) true positive cultures and 44 (2.4%) contaminated cultures. Logistic regression analysis identified ill patients with higher PSI classes, smokers and Malay patients to be more likely to have positive blood cultures. Patients who had prior treatment with antibiotics, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cough were less likely to have positive blood cultures. An index to predict a negative blood culture resulted in the accurate classification of all but 4 positive patients while still correctly classifying 27.8% of blood culture negative patients. The area under the ROC curve was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.65-0.76). A simplified scoring system was devised based on the predictive model had a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 38.2% for a positive blood culture.

CONCLUSIONRoutine blood cultures yielded negative results in 94% of patients presenting with pneumonia. The development of the clinical scoring system is a first step towards selecting patients for whom blood cultures is performed and improve cost-effectiveness.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections ; blood ; diagnosis ; Culture Techniques ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Forecasting ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; blood ; diagnosis ; Regression Analysis ; Singapore ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect and safety of plastering Chinese Compound Shenhuang Ointment (CSO) at Shenque (RN8) in promoting the rehabilitation of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction patients of qi stagnation blood stasis syndrome (QSBSS).

METHODSA prospective, multi-centered, randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial was conducted in 220 postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction patients of QSBSS. They were randomly assigned to two groups, the CSO group (110 cases) and the placebo group (110 cases). CSO was plastered at Shenque (RN8) for 5 days after operation. The time of exhaustion, defecation, the recovery of intestinal peristalsis, integrals of TCM syndrome, and serum levels of motilin (MOT)and somatostatin (SS) were observed.

RESULTSCompared with the placebo group, the condition of exhaustion and defecation, the recovery of intestinal peristalsis on the 3rd day after operation was all improved (P < 0.05). The integrals of TCM syndrome at day 2, 3, and 4 were more significantly lowered in the CSO group than in the placebo group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The total effective rate of TCM syndrome was 95.3% in the CSO group, better than that in the placebo group (91.8%, P < 0.05). Compared with the placebo group, the serum MOT level increased and the serum SS level decreased at day 5 after operation in the CSO group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe plastering of CSO at Shenque (RN8) could advance the time of exhaustion and defecation, and improve patients' clinical symptoms. And patients could tolerate well.

Aged ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Ointments ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: To report the early postoperative macular change in uncomplicated phacoemulsification cataract surgery. METHODS: A retrospective study of 36 consecutive eyes of 36 patients, who underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery and OCT, preoperatively and postoperatively was made. In 16 eyes from group 1, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy without macular edema was present before the cataract surgery. In the other 20 eyes (group 2), no systemic or ocular pathology was present . RESULTS: The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) follow up after cataract surgery was 4 +/- 1 weeks in each group. In group 1, the mean +/- SD retinal thickness increased from 201 +/- 14 micro meter preoperatively to 243 +/- 22 micro meter 3 hrs after cataract surgery (P=0.38). In group 2, the mean +/- SD retinal thickness increased from 212 +/- 10 micro meter preoperatively to 246 +/- 24 micro meter 3 hrs after cataract surgery (P=0.55). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that uncomplicated phacoemulsification cataract surgery has no immediate influence on retinal thickness.
Cataract* ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Macular Edema ; Pathology ; Phacoemulsification ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence*

BACKGROUNDIschemic postconditioning (I-postC) is a newly discovered and more amenable cardioprotective strategy capable of protecting the myocardium from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a principal site for secretary protein synthesis and calcium storage. Myocardial I/R causes ER stress and emerging studies suggest that the cardioprotection has been linked to the modulation of ER stress. The aim of the present study was to determine whether cardioprotection of I-postC involves reduction in ER stress through calcineurin pathway.

METHODSIn the in vivo model of rat myocardial I/R, myocardial infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and apoptosis was detected using terminal eoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Expression of calreticulin, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), caspase-12, and activation of caspase-12 in myocardium were detected by Western blotting. The activity and expression of calcineurin in myocardium were also detected.

RESULTSI-postC protected the I/R heart against apoptosis, myocardial infarction, and leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB). I-postC suppressed I/R-induced ER stress, as shown by a decrease in the expression of calreticulin and CHOP, and caspase-12 activation. I-postC downregulated calcineurin activation in myocardium subjected to I/R.

CONCLUSIONI-postC protects myocardium from I/R injury by suppressing ER stress and calcineurin pathways are not associated with the I-postC-induced suppression of ER stress-related apoptosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; Calcineurin ; metabolism ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form ; blood ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; physiology ; Hemodynamics ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; blood ; metabolism ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; blood ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; pathology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Muramidase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Peptides, Cyclic ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Pichia ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification

We studied the refractive state of 1440 eyes, 720 children (360 boys and girls in each) of T primary school in Busan and 720 eyes, 360 children (186 boys and 174 girls) of S primary school in Geu-Chang, Keung Nam. We neglected small refractive errors up to 0.5 Diopter because there was mathematical error in spite of exact clinical measurement of ocular refractive powerunder cycloplegia. The results were as follows: 1. Incidence of refractive errors of children (7 to 12 years) was 37.7 and 27.8% in T and S primary school respectively. 2. Incidence of myopic eyes was 25.6 and 13.6% in T and S primary school but that of hyperopic eyes was 11.7 and 14.2% respectively. Incidence of refractive errors and myopic eyes of children between T and S primary school showed significant difference. 3. The greatest incidence of refractive errors was at the age of 7 years but there was no significant difference at the age of 8 to 12 years. 4. The degree of refractive power of children in T and S primary school was 95.9 and 96.1% of hyperopia and 74.5 and 83% of myopia under 1.0 Diopter respectively. 5. Incidence and the degree of refractive power in myopia showed tendency of an increase in proportion to the age of 8 to 12 years. 6. The incidence of myopic eyes was not related to body weight and height of children of both sex.
Body Weight ; Busan ; Child* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Incidence ; Myopia ; Refractive Errors

This paper introduces an EMG multi-gateway analysis diagnosis and information management system. The clinical applications show that this system has higher efficiency and standard report contents, and easy statistical analysis. And it also offers EMG standard figure, normal value data, nerve and muscle select scheme etc, for reference.
Automatic Data Processing ; Computers ; Electromyography ; instrumentation ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; methods ; Management Information Systems ; Medical Records Systems, Computerized ; standards ; Software

Objective To determine the value of acute phase protein in the early diagnosis of recurrence after curative gastric cancer surgery. Methods Acute phase serum protein level was measured before and after the gastric cancer surgery in 120 patients,and was compared with that of the control group. At 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months after the operation in 87 patients undergoing curative gastric cancer surgery, the levels of acute phase proteins were measured. They were followed up for at least 12 months or until death. Results The levels of serum C reactive protein(CRP), ?1 antitrypsin (?1 AT) and ? acid glycoprotein (? AG) in gastric cancer group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P0.05). In patients who underwent curative gastric cancer surgery in a certain period after the operation, the serum levels of CRP, ?1 AT and ? AG were significantly lower than those before the surgery(P0.05).There were significant difference in CRP,?1 AT and ? AG between the recurrence groups and nonrecurrence group before and after the operation (P