Objective To study the inter-rater reliability of Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) and Gait Abnormality Rating Scale (GARS) in patients with stroke. Methods 20 hemiplegic patients were required to walk on their comfortable speed and videotaped from frontal, backward and lateral. The video recordings were scored with WGS and GARS by 2 experienced physical therapists. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated for the scores in each category and the total score. Results ICC for the WGS were 0.372~1, and were 0~0.875 for the GARS. Conclusion WGS is more appropriater to assess the gait of hemiplegic stroke patients than GARS.

Objective To find the plantar pressure readings which best indicate foot inversion during the stance phase of walking among hemiplegic stroke survivors.Methods Twenty-two hemiplegic stroke survivors who were able to walk without extra aid were recruited as the experimental group, while 17 healthy elderly men of similar age and body weight were selected as the control group.Those in both groups were asked to walk at their preferred speed over a Footscan device which measured medio-lateral pressure ratios, maximum plantar pressures and the contact areas of both feet.The Clinical Spasticity Index (CSI) was used to evaluate the affected feet.Results The average medial forefoot pressure of the affected side in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group, but their average mesopodium and heel pressure was significantly higher.The average pressure applied by the great toe on the uninjured side in the experimental group was significantly smaller than that of the control group, but the average mesopodium and heel pressure of both feet among the hemiplegics were significantly higher than those of the control group.Among the experimental group, the average medial forefoot pressure of the affected foot was significantly greater than that of the healthy foot.The average contact area of the great toe on the affected side was significantly bigger than was observed in the control group.That of the medial forefoot was, however, significantly smaller than in the control group.There was no significant difference in the contact area between the healthy and affected feet in the experimental group, though the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of their full feet and forefeet on the affected side were significantly lower than those in the healthy group.No significant differences in the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of the heel were observed between the two groups, nor of the full feet, forefeet and heels of the affected and unaffected sides in the experimental group.The patients demonstrated consistently reduced joint mobility on both sides during the stance phase, coinciding with increased inversion.A significant negative correlation was found between the maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios of the full foot and the maximum pressure of the lateral part of forefoot in the experimental group, but there was no significant correlation with contact area or CSI.Conclusions Plantar pressure data can be used to describe the amount of foot inversion in the stance phase of walking with hemiplegic patients after stroke.The maxmium medio-lateral pressure ratios can effectively reflect their foot inversion.

BACKGROUNDIt has been widely observed that infants and young children can reossify large calvarial defects when they are younger than 2 years of age; afterwards, they lose this regenerative potential. Previous studies have implicated that the dura mater serves as a key regulator of calvarial regeneration. However, the molecular mechanism of calvarial reossification remains elusive.

METHODSIn order to identify the proteins that may participate in this process, we performed a proteome-wide comparison of the protein expression levels of immature and mature dura using 2D electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The Western blotting was used to verify the results of the 2D electrophoresis/MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

RESULTSEleven proteins were found to express with significant differences in the immature and the mature dura. Among them, the emergence of vimentin, tropomyosin, beta-actin and gamma-actin were further confirmed by the Western blotting analysis.

CONCLUSIONThe proteins and proteomic profiles provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of calvarial regeneration.

Aging ; physiology ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Dura Mater ; chemistry ; Electrophoresis ; Mass Spectrometry ; Proteins ; analysis ; Proteomics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo study the flavonoids of Erigeron canadensis.

METHODThe constituents of EtOH extraction from the whole plant of E. canadensis were isolated and purified by repeated column chromatography. These compounds were identified by their physical and spectral data.

RESULTTwelve flavonoids were isolated and identified as quercetin-7-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside(1),quercetin(2), luteolin(3), apigenin(4),5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3'-methoxy flavone(5), quercetin-3-alpha-rhamnopyranoside(6), quercetin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(7), apigenin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(8), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucuronide methyl ester(9),4'-hydroxy baicalein-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside(10),baicalein(11),rutin(12).

CONCLUSIONCompound 1 was isolated from the Compositae family for the first time. Compound 5 and 9 were firstly isolated from the genus Erigeron. Compound 3,4,7,8 and 11 were isolated from E. canadensis for the first time.

Conyza ; chemistry ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular

Objective:To explore the effectiveness of an 8-week hope group counseling on the level of hope in offenders.Methods:The experiment used quasi-experiment design and 24 offenders whose scores of Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS) were one standard deviation lower than the overall average were assigned to the intervention group (n =12) and the control group (n =12).The subjects in the intervention group received group counseling for improving the level of hope (90 min per week for 8 times),and the control group kept normal.The ADHS (including agency thoughts and pathway thoughts),Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used to evaluate the effectiveness before and after intervention.Besides,the study involved the follow-up test in the forth-week after the intervention.Differences within groups were compared by using t-test of paired samples.Differences between groups were compared by using analysis of covariance and JohnsonNeyman method.Result:The results of differences within groups showed that,in the follow-up test,the scores of ADHS,agency thought and pathway thought were higher than that of before the intervention,and the scores of SAS were lower than that of before the intervention(Ps ＜0.01).The results of differences between groups showed that,=in the follow-up test,the scores of ADHS,agency thought and pathway thought were higher in the intervention group than in the control group,and the scores of SAS were lower in the intervention group than in the control group [(48.0 ±5.7)vs.(39.2 ±5.6),(23.1 ±3.4)vs.(19.0 ±3.2),(24.9 ±3.0)vs.(20.2 ± 3.4),(36.4 ± 7.6)vs.(41.2 ±6.5);Ps ＜0.01].The results of Johnson-Neyman method showed that when the scores of ADHS in the intervention group were between 8 and 37 points on the pre-test,the scores of hope on the post-test were higher in the intervention group than in the control group[(48.8 ± 4.9) vs.(35.7 ± 4.9),P ＜ 0.05].Conclusion:These findings suggest that the group counseling could improve the level of hope in offenders.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between the -1131T/C and 56C/G polymorphism in the APOA5 gene as well as the -482C/T in the APOC3 gene and susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Chinese Han population.

METHODSUsing polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) methods, we analyzed the genotypes in 312 CAD patients diagnosed by angiography and 317 healthy controls. The levels of serum lipid profiles were also studied by biochemical methods.

RESULTSThe frequency of the APOA5 -1131 C allele in CAD patients was significantly higher than that of the control group (39.9% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.02). Compared with the wild type TT, CC homozygotes had a significantly increased CAD risk (OR = 1.93 and OR = 1.80 using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models, respectively). This association still existed after adjustment for the APOC3-482 variant. The APOA5-1131C allele also showed a correlation with increasing plasma TG levels (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe APOA5-1131T/C polymorphism but not APOC3-482C/T might contribute to an increased risk of CAD among Chinese accompanied by an elevation of serum TG levels; this effect was found to be independent of the APOC3-482C/T variant.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alleles ; Apolipoprotein A-V ; Apolipoprotein C-III ; genetics ; Apolipoproteins A ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Coronary Artery Disease ; blood ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Triglycerides ; blood

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; HIV Infections ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Rural Population ; Sexual Behavior ; Single Person ; Young Adult

This paper discussed the reform of teaching of medical rehabilitation as an elective course for postgraduates majored in non rehabilitation. As a clinical second-rate discipline, rehabilitation medicine covered extensive contents, but the class time is few. This paper discussed how to teach more practical, helpful clinical content in limited time.

BACKGROUND: We examined changes in hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) during the four sequential phases of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection: hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic infection (EPCI) and hepatitis (EPCH), followed by HBeAg-negative chronic infection (ENCI) and hepatitis (ENCH). We compared the performance of serum HBcrAg, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HBV DNA in predicting EPCH and ENCH. METHODS: We enrolled 492 consecutive patients: 49 with EPCI, 243 with EPCH, 101 with ENCI, and 99 with ENCH. HBcrAg was detected by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays. HBsAg and HBeAg were detected by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays. HBV DNA was detected by real-time PCR. Predictive performance of HBcrAg, HBsAg, and HBV DNA was evaluated using ROC curves. RESULTS: Areas under ROC curves (AUCs) of HBcrAg, HBsAg, and HBV DNA for predicting EPCH were 0.738, 0.812, and 0.717, respectively; optimal cutoffs were ≤1.43×105 kU/mL, ≤1.89×104 IU/mL, and ≤3.97×107 IU/mL, with sensitivities and specificities of 66.3% and 77.6%, 65.0% and 93.9%, and 60.5% and 79.6%, respectively. AUCs of HBcrAg, HBsAg, and HBV DNA for predicting ENCH were 0.887, 0.581, and 0.978, respectively; optimal cutoffs were >26.8 kU/mL, >2.29×102 IU/mL, and >8.75×103 IU/mL, with sensitivities and specificities of 72.7% and 95.1%, 86.9% and 39.6%, and 89.9% and 92.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HBsAg and HBV DNA were the best predictors of EPCH and ENCH, respectively. HBcrAg is an important surrogate marker for predicting EPCH and ENCH.
Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; ROC Curve

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been one of the most important public health problems,however,no complete cure is currently available.Although interferon (IFN)-α has been clinically used as a drug for chronic hepatitis B therapy because of its advantages including a higher rate of HBsAg/HBeAg seroconversion and a lower rate of recurrence after cessation of treatment,only 20％ -40 ％ of patients respond well to IFN therapy,thus hampering its clinical application.In recent years,based on the in vitro HBV replication and infection cell models,animal models and patient cohort with hepatitis B and by using a variety of methods,studies have been made.On the one hand,to identify new mechanisms underlying the IFN-and IFN-induced genes-mediated anti-HBV activities and signaling transduction,on the other hand,to reveal the effect and mechanisms of HBV replication and viral proteins in regulating the innate immune signaling pathways and IFN induction and antiviral action,based on which new strategies and approaches for optimization of IFN-based therapy and for a HBV cure have been further explored.This review mainly introduces the research findings of author's group and the future development is prospected.