ObjectiveTo study the effect of Rehabilitative Ankle-Foot Orthoses training program on walking function of hemiplegic patients after stroke .Methods95 patients were randomly divided into two groups: observed group (49 cases) and control group (46 cases). The patients of control group were trained by routine rehabilitation training program, the patients of observed group were trained by Rehabilitative Ankle-Foot Orthoses and routine rehabilitation training program.ResultsAfter training, either observed group or control group showed significant improvement at walking function and ADL(P<0.01), but the improvement on observed group were more marked than coutrol group(P<0.01 and P<0.05). ConclusionsThe ability of walking in acute stroke patients were obviously improved, and the degree of the disability of them was decreased by Rehabilitative Ankle-Foot Orthoses.

China ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases ; prevention & control ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control ; Occupational Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Rural Population ; statistics & numerical data

China ; Health Education ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Occupational Diseases ; prevention & control ; Occupational Health ; Rural Population ; Sampling Studies ; Transients and Migrants

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between ankle brachial index (ABI) and the extent of coronary stenosis and evaluate the usefulness of ABI to predict the extent of coronary stenosis in old patients.Methods118 patients with coronary angiography were examined by ABI and hemostatic factors evaluation in addition to history collection.ResultsABI was inversely and significantly associated with Gensini score. ABI reduced significantly (P<0.001) in the patients with 3-vessel or left main coronary artery disease (CAD). But there were no significant differences in ABI among the patients with no CAD, 1-vessel or 2-vessel CAD. The corresponding area under the ROC curve was 0.75±0.045, with 95% CI=0.67～0.84 (P<0.001) in ABI in 3-vessel or left main CAD. When ABI≤0.9, it had a relatively high specificity (89.1%) and sensitivity (55.6%) for predicting the presence of 3-vessel disease or left main CAD.ConclusionIn the old patients, ABI is inversely and significantly associated with the extent of coronary stenosis, and ABI≤0.9 has a relatively high specificity and sensitivity for predicting the presence of 3-vessel or left main CAD.

OBJECTIVETo study features of brain gray matter injury in cerebral infarction patients and intervention of scalp acupuncture by using voxel-based morphology.

METHODSA total of 16 cerebral infarction patients were recruited in this study, and assigned to the scalp acupuncture group and the control group, 8 in each group. Another 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as a normal group. All patients received scanning of T1 structure. Images were managed using VBM8 Software package. Difference of the gray matter structure was compared among the scalp acupuncture group, the control group, and the healthy volunteers.

RESULTSCompared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients mainly occurred in 14 brain regions such as cingulate gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, anterior central gyrus, insular lobe, and so on. They were mainly distributed in affected side. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the scalp acupuncture group still existed in 8 brain regions such as bilateral lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, left cuneus, right precuneus, and so on. New gray matter injury occurred in lingual gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the control group existed in 23 brain regions: bilateral anterior cingulum, caudate nucleus, cuneate lobe, insular lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, precuneus, paracentral lobule, superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, lingual gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and so on. New gray matter injury still existed in 9 cerebral regions such as lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and so on.

CONCLUSIONSBrain gray matter structure is widely injured after cerebral infarction. Brain gray matter volume gradually decreased as time went by. Combined use of scalp acupuncture might inhibit the progression of gray matter injury more effectively.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Brain Injuries ; therapy ; Cerebral Infarction ; therapy ; Gray Matter ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Scalp ; Stroke ; therapy

An oxygen-tolerant denitrifying strain designated as H1 was screened by the procedures of shallow shaking and continuous aeration cultures.With the aid of an nnrS-gfp fusion responsive to nitric oxide (NO)and acetylene inhibition-GC procedure,it was shown that strain H1 was able to produce NO and N_2O but not N_2 under denitrifying conditions.Denitrifying processes were thus determined as NO_3~-→NO_2~-→NO→N_2O,with N_2O as the end product.Strain H1 could denitrify under shallow shaking conditions as well as in the initial atmospheric oxygen concentration ranging from 0～21%.Denitrification processed normally under continuous aeration at the rate of 2 L air per min in a 150 mL medium,but stopped under high aeration rate as 5 L air per min.16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain H1 shared 98% similarity to its closet relative Ralstonia taiwanensis,the genus where denitrifying bacteria are frequently found.

Objective To prospectively evaluate the effects of heart rate and heart-rate variability on dual-source computed tomographic coronary image quality in patients with high heart rates,and to determine retrospectively the accuracy of dualsource computed tomographic diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis in the same patients.Methods The image quality and diagnostic accuracy were compared between the normal group of 40 patients whose heart rates exceeded 70 beats/min and the control group of 40 patients whose heart rates were 70 beats/min or slower.Results No statistically significant differences between the groups were found in diagnostic-image quality scores of total segments or of any coronary artery,nor were any significant differences found between the groups in the accurate diagnosis of angiographically significant stenosis.Calcification was the chief factor that affected diagnostic accuracy.In high -heart -rate patients,heart -rate variability was significantly related to the diagnostic image quality of all segments(P=0.001) and of the left circumflex coronary artery(P=0.016).Heart-rate variability more than 5 beats/min most strongly contributed to an inability to evaluate segments in both groups.When heart rates rose,the optimal reconstruction window shifted from diastole to systole.Conclusion The image quality of dual -source computed tomographic coronary angiography at high heart rates enables sufficient diagnosis of stenosis,although variability of heart rates significantly deteriorates image quality.

Objective To investigate the CT findings and guidance significance of multi-slice computed tomography(MSCT) in aortic intramural hematoma(IMH).Methods The clinical data and MSCT findings of 35 cases of aortic intramural hematomas diagnosed by MSCT with continuous volume scanning were analyzed.Results The direct signs of IMH were crescent or circular thickening of aortic wall without intimal flap and true and false lumens in all 35 patients.The indirect signs were penetrating ulcer(18 cases),calcification ingression(7 cases),atherosclerosis(16 cases)and single or bilateral pleural effusion(21 cases).The complicated signs were aneurysms(5 cases) and typical type B aortic dissection(3 case).Conclusion MSCT is a fast and noninvasive examinational technique,by which the direct,indirect and complicated signs of aortic IMH can be clearly revealed.All these signs have important guidance values for clinical diagnosis and management.

BACKGROUND: When one is in a stress state, some amino acids as neurotransmitter in his brain are of important regulating action to his cerebral functions and his psychic behaviors,and some traditional Chinese drugs can regulate the stress state of the body.OBJECTIVE:To observe the content changes of glutamic acid,aspartic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid and taurine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats under repeatedly psychic stress so as to investigate the effects of tiaogan recipe, jianpi recipe, bushen recipe and ginsenoside on them.DESIGN: A randomized grouping and controlled observation trial.SETTING:Department of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) of Basic Medical Science College, Guangzhou University of TCM.MATERIALS:The experiment was completed from March 2002 to January 2003 at the Animal Center of Guangzhou University of TCM.Totally60 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: normal, model, tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups, with 10 in each group. Compositions and doses of tiaogan recipe: radix bupleuri 5 g, fruetus gardeniae 5 g,radix paeoniae alba 15 g,fructus lycii 15 g,fructus aurantii 6 g,radix rehmanniae 18 g, concha haliotidis 30 g. Compositions and doses of shenqi pill: radix rehmanniae 30 g, rhizoma dioscoreae 15 g, fructus corni 15 g,rhizoma alismatis 10 g,poria 10 g,cortex moutan radicis 10 g,ramulus cinnamomi 4 g, radix aconiti praeparata 4 g. Compositions and doses of sijunzi decoction:radix codonopsis pilosulae 20 g,rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae 15 g, poria 15 g, radix glycyrrhizae preparata 6 g.METHODS:① The traditional Chinese medicines were conventionally decocted; and the tiaogan recipe condensed to the liquid containing1.69 g/mL crude drug, shenqi pill containing 1.76 g/mL crude drug,sijunzi decoction containing 1.01 g/mL crude drug.Ginsenoside was prepared as 7 g/L water solution.The rats in the normal and model groups were by gavage given 2 mL of 9.0 g/L sodium chloride injection.The rats in the tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups were respectively by gavage given 2 mL of tiaogan recipe, shenqi pill, sijunzi decoction and ginsenoside solution 1 hour before immobilization stress. ② Except for rats in the normal group, those in the rest groups were all conducted for establishment of psychic stress reaction model.The rats were put into an immobilization tube,their action space was gradually reduced by using a mobile insertion piece,they were regulated to a nervous state without prpduction of intense revolting, which was done once a day, starting with 4 hours immobilization on the first day, and later on increased by 30-60 minutes per day, for consecutive 14 days. ③ The whole brain of the rats in each group was collected by decapitation,OPA high-performance liquid chromatography was used for assays of the contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, γaminobutyric acid and taurine in hypothalamus and hippocampus of the rats.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The content changes of glutamic acid,aspartic acid,γ-aminobutyric acid and tanrine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group.RESULTS: Totally 60 rats involved all entered into the result analysis. ①The content changes of glutamic acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group:Compared with normal group,the contents of glutamic acid in hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan, jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased [(21.85±8.19), (15.76±1.80),(14.68±7.91), (21.46±5.45), (13.43±7.68) μmoL/g]; compared with model group,the contents in the tiaogan, bushen, jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously raised [(11.04±3.65), (11.78±2.17), (18.67±2.98), (20.91 ±3.96),(17.71±1.83) μ moL/g, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.05]. ② The content changes of aspartic acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group:Compared with model group,the contents of aspartic acid in the hypothalamus in the jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously decreased [(8.65±1.18), (5.72±1.32), (4.67±1.88) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.01,P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hippocampus of rats in the jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly raised[(2.58 ±0.87),(3.93±0.49), (4.52±0.98), (3.83±0.41) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.05].③ The content changes of γ-aminobutyric acid in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group:Compared with model group,the contents of γ-aminobutyric acid in the hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan,jianpi,bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased[(20.92±4.96), (15.87±2.90), (13.84±2.63), (14.94±3.98), (10.94±3.68) μ moL/g,P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01, P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hypothalamus were obviously raised [(4.12±1.66), (4.18±1.04), (6.67±1.29),(6.11±0.99), (6.37±0.78) μmoL/g, P＜ 0.05, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01].④ The content changes of taurine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of rats in each group: Compared with model group, the contents of taurine in the hypothalamus of rats in the tiaogan, jianpi, bushen and ginsenoside groups were markedly decreased [(10.24±1.72), (7.82±1.14), (8.00±2.05),(6.42±3.17) μmoL/g, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01], while the contents in the hippocampus in the jianpi and ginsenoside groups were obviously raised [(12.61±3.51), (17.03±2.74), (18.04±2.14) μnoL/g, P＜ 0.01, P＜ 0.01].CONCLUSION:The central acting site of tiaogan recipe may mainly be in the hypothalamus,possibly being related with down-regulating amino acids.While the central acting sites ofjianpi recipe,bushen recipe and ginsenoside may include the hippocampus and hypothalamus, being mainly related with up-regulating amino acids,through enhancing the integration of the hippocampus on stress so as to gain the effect of anti-injury of stress.