Brown-Sequard Syndrome ; etiology ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

Autopsy ; Eye Injuries ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans

Objective To evaluate the effects of C4-5 partial foraminotomy on reducing the occurrence of C5 palsy after posterior cervical decompression surgery. Methods A total of 127 patients (male 62, female 65) underwent the cervical decompression surgery with lateral cervical mass screw insertion between January 2011 and December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. In these patients sixty-one cases (Group A) underwent the posterior laminectomy with lateral cervical mass screw insertion, while 66 cases (Group B) received posterior laminectomy with lateral cervical mass screw insertion, combined with partial C4/5 foraminotomy at C4-5 level. The clinical data, radiographic parameters and the occurrence of C5 palsy were assessed in two groups of patients. Results There was no significant difference in JOA recovery rate and change of cervical curvature index between preoperation and postoperation in each group (P>0.05). Postoperative C5 palsy occurred in 11 cases (18.03%) in group A and 3 cases (4.05%) in group B. The difference in the incidence of C5 palsy was significant between the two groups (P=0.022). Conclusion The cervical decompression surgery can improve the function of the spinal cord effectively. C4-5 partial foraminotomy after cervical decompression surgery is effective for preventing C5 palsy.

OBJECTIVEThis study investigates the differences in condylar position between centric relation (CR) and maximum intercuspation (MI) in Angle's Class II orthodontic patients before treatment.

METHODS80 cases, who were Angle's Class II pretreatment patients, and 50 cases, who were normal(ideal) occlusion were accepted. Dental casts were mounted on Panadent articulator with CR bite record, taken by bilateral manipulation and load testing. The differences in condylar position between CR and MI in all three spatial planes were measured using the Panadent condylar position indication (CPI).

RESULTS(1) The positive rate of CR-MI discrepancy was 92.50%(74 cases) in the group of Angle's Class II malocclusion and 10.00% (5 cases) in the group of normal occlusion(P< 0.001). 2)74.32% (55 cases) CR-MI discrepancy in 74 cases in the group of Angle's Class II pretreatment patients were coincidence discrepancy. (3)91.25% patients in the group of Angle's Class 11 malocclusion and 66.00% in the group of normal occlusion present occlusion interferences which located at the posterior teeth.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that orthodontists should be aware of a high incidence of condylar displacement in Angle's Class ii pretreatment patients, and measure condylar displacement before the start of comprehensive orthodontic treatment to unmask real jaw relationships and avoid possible misdiagnoses.

Adult ; Centric Relation ; Dental Arch ; Dental Articulators ; Dental Occlusion ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Mandibular Condyle

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and toxicity of priming induction regimen of CAG for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients. METHODS: Seventy-five patients with newly diagnosed AML were divided into 2 groups: 34 were treated with priming induction regimen CAG and the other 41 were treated with 2 classic routine chemotherapy regimens including pirarubicin+cytarabine (TA) and homoharringtonine+cytarabine (HA). All patients had a 14 day interval between the 2 courses of chemotherapy. RESULTS: The complete remission rate after 2 courses of induction therapy in patients with the priming induction regimen CAG and the total efficacy rate was significantly higher than that of the routine chemotherapy patients(67.6% vs. 39%; 82.4% vs. 56.1%). Patients with unfavorable karyotypes had poor chemotherapy efficacy. The 3-year disease-free-survival (DFS) time was longer in patients with AML treated with priming induction regimen CAG than in patients treated with 2 classic routine chemotherapy regimens. Except for the muscular soreness, the hematological and non-hematological side effects in the CAG priming induction group were significantly fewer than those in the routine chemotherapy group. CONCLUSION The priming induction regimen of CAG has a significantly higher complete remission rate and an efficacy rate, fewer side effects, milder chemotherapy intensity and is more sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs than those of the routine chemotherapy. It can shorten the duration of agranulocytosis and decrease infectious complications and increase the sensitivity of leukemia blast cells to chemotherapeutic drugs.
Aclarubicin ; administration & dosage ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Cytarabine ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; drug therapy ; Male ; Remission Induction

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of phytoestrogen alpha-zearalanol (alpha-ZAL) on normal human breast.

METHODSTen specimens of normal human breast tissues were subcutaneously implanted into 30 athymic nude mice aged 9-10 weeks, one for 3 mice. These mice were then randomly divided into three groups: control group (without hormone treatment, n = 10), 1 mg/kg alpha-ZAL group (n = 10), and 5 mg/kg alpha-ZAL group (n = 10). All breast tissues were taken out 6 weeks later. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the protein expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), inhibiting apoptosis gene Bcl-2, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the expression levels of estrogen sulfotransferase (EST) mRNA and bridging integrator protein-1 (BIN1) mRNA. Morphological features of grafts before and after treatment were also observed.

RESULTSAlpha-ZAL had no significant effects on Bcl-2, PCNA, ER, and PR expression of mammary epithelial cells in graft specimens. Alpha-ZAL upregulated BIN1 mRNA expression in grafts, but had no significant effect on ESTmRNA expression.

CONCLUSIONSAlpha-ZAL does not affect the morphology, proliferating, and apoptosis of epithelial cells in normal human breast tissues implanted into nude mice, but it may increase the gene expression of tumor-inhibiting BIN1, suggesting that alpha-ZAL may have potential proteotive effect on normal human breast.

Adult ; Animals ; Breast ; chemistry ; drug effects ; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Phytoestrogens ; pharmacology ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; analysis ; Random Allocation ; Receptors, Estrogen ; analysis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; analysis ; Zeranol ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo search for an effective therapy for neurodermatitis.

METHODSNinety-six cases were divided into 2 groups by random number table. The treatment group (n = 54) were treated by hot-red needle therapy combined with blood-letting puncturing and cupping at skin-injured area, and the control group (n = 42) were treated with external smearing of halometasone cream.

RESULTSThe cured rate and the total effective rate were 51.9% and 96.3% in the treatment group, and 28.6% and 81.0% in the control group, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups in the therapeutic effect (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONRed-hot needle therapy combined with blood-letting puncture and cupping has a definite therapeutic effect on neurodermatitis, without toxic and adverse effects.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bloodletting ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurodermatitis ; therapy

BACKGROUNDVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is well known as a hypoxia-induced protein. That it markedly increased expression of VEGF and improvement of rat motor function after spinal cord injury suggested that VEGF could play a neuroprotective role in ischaemic tolerance. This study investigated whether vascular endothelial growth factor has direct neuroprotective effects on rat spinal cord neurons.

METHODSWe employed primary cultures of embryonic rat spinal cord neurons, then administrated different concentrations of VEGF164 in the culture medium before hypoxia when the number of neurons was counted and the cell viability was detected by MTT. The neuronal apoptosis and expression of VEGF and its receptor genes were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) and immunohistochemistry. The VEGFR2/FLK-1 inhibitor, SU1498, was used to confirm whether the neuroprotective effect of VEGF was mediated through VEGFR2/Flk-1 receptors.

RESULTIn hypoxic conditions, the number and viability of neurons decreased progressively, while the number of TUNEL-positive cells increased along with the prolongation of hypoxic exposure. When the concentration of VEGF in cell culture medium reached 25 ng/ml, the cell viability increased 11% and neuronal apoptosis reduced to half, this effect was dose dependent and led to an approximately 25% increase in cell viability and about threefold decrease in TUNEL-positive cells at a maximally effective concentration of 100 ng/ml. In normal conditions, VEGF/Flk-1 but not VEGF/Flt-1 gene expressed at a low level: after hypoxia, the expression of VEGF/Flk-1, but not VEGF/Flt-1 was significantly increased. The protective effect of VEGF was blocked by the VEGFR2/Flk-1 receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, SU1498.

CONCLUSIONSVEGF has direct neuroprotective effects on rat spinal cord neurons, which may be mediated in vitro through VEGFR2/Flk-1 receptors.

Animals ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Cinnamates ; pharmacology ; Female ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; drug effects ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the adhesive and invasive ability of four common periodontal pathogens, Pg33277, Pi25611, Aa29522 and Fn10953 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC).

METHODSThe model of infection of HUVEC by periodontal pathogens was established in vitro. The invasive ability of four periodontal pathogens in HUVEC was tested by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and antibiotic protection assays-colony-forming units (CFU).

RESULTSAll of the four periodontal pathogens were found to adhere to HUVEC by SEM and invaded HUVEC at invasion numbers of (0.8 +/- 0.1) x 10(8), (4.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(6), (1.6 +/- 0.3) x 10(6) and (5.0 +/- 0.4) x 10(6) CFU/L respectively by antibiotic protection assays-CFU. The invasion efficiencies were (0.400 +/- 0.050)%, (0.021 +/- 0.003)%, (0.008 +/- 0.002)% and (0.025 +/- 0.002)%, respectively. The invasive ability of Pg33277 was significantly greater than those of the other three periodontal pathogens (P < 0.001). There was no difference in invasive abilities among Pi25611, Aa29522 and Fn10953 (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAll of the four common periodontal pathogens, Pg33277, Pi25611, Aa29522 and Fn10953 could adhere to and invaded HUVEC, with Pg33277 being the strongest.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; pathogenicity ; ultrastructure ; Bacterial Adhesion ; Cells, Cultured ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; pathogenicity ; ultrastructure ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; microbiology ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; pathogenicity ; ultrastructure ; Prevotella intermedia ; pathogenicity ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of peroxisome proliferators activated receptors (PPAR) alpha, gamma ligand on ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and caveolin-1 expressions and cholesterol, ox-LDL contents in human monocyte derived foam cells.

METHODMalondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by TBARS method, ox-LDL detected by ELISA method, cholesterol measured by fluorescence spectrophotometric method, ABCA1, caveolin-1 mRNA and protein expressions determined by RT-PCR and Western blot, in human monocytes, foam cells [human monocyte-derived macrophage induced by myristate acetate (PMA) further treated with 50 mg/L ox-LDL for 24 h], foam cells plus 10 micromol/L pioglitazone for 48 h, foam cells plus 5 micromol/L clofibrate for 48 h.

RESULTThe intracellular total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), cholesteryl ester (CE), ox-LDL and lipid peroxide were significantly increased and the membrane expressions of ABCA1, caveolin-1 were down-regulated in foam cells compared to monocytes (all P < 0.05) and these changes were significantly attenuated by cotreatment with PPARalpha, gamma ligand.

CONCLUSIONThe anti-atherosclerosis effects of PPARalpha, gamma ligand are related to reducing cholesterol contents and up-regulating ABCA1, caveolin-1 expressions in foam cells.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; metabolism ; Caveolin 1 ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Cholesterol ; genetics ; metabolism ; Foam Cells ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Monocytes ; metabolism ; PPAR alpha ; metabolism ; PPAR gamma ; metabolism