Objective The article described the design and building of a virtual reality technology-based rehabilitation system for patients with cognitive deficits, including overall idea, design and structure of the system, the key technology, such as formal description of the training data, man-machine interactive control, controlling simulation of the training process and virtual environment module development to achieve system implementation. The system is suitable for our country and military. It will create a new way for the cognitive rehabilitation and help to promote the application of virtual reality technology in rehabilitation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ischemic preconditioning on chaperone hsp70 expression and protein aggregation in the CA1 neurons of rats, and to further explore its potential neuroprotective mechanism.

METHODSTwo-vesseloccluded transient global ischemia rat model was used. The rats were divided into sublethal 3-min ischemia group, lethal 10-min ischemia group and ischemic preconditioning group. Neuronal death in the CA1 region was observed by hematoxylineosin staining, and number of live neurons was assessed by cell counting under a light microscope. Immunochemistry and laser scanning confocal microscopy were used to observe the distribution of chaperone hsp70 in the CA1 neurons. Differential centrifuge was used to isolate cytosol, nucleus and protein aggregates fractions. Western blot was used to analyze the quantitative alterations of protein aggregates and inducible chaperone hsp70 in cellular fractions and in protein aggregates under different ischemic conditions.

RESULTSHistological examination showed that ischemic preconditioning significantly reduced delayed neuronal death in the hippocampus CA1 region (P < 0.01 vs 10-min ischemia group). Sublethal ischemic preconditioning induced chaperone hsp70 expression in the CA1 neurons after 24 h reperfusion following 10-min ischemia. Induced-hsp70 combined with the abnormal proteins produced during the secondary lethal 10-min ischemia and inhibited the formation of cytotoxic protein aggregates (P < 0.01 vs 10-min ischemia group).

CONCLUSIONIschemic preconditioning induced chaperone hsp70 expression and inhibited protein aggregates formation in the CA1 neurons when suffered secondary lethal ischemia, which may protect neurons from death.

Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; pathology ; Cell Count ; methods ; Cell Death ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression Regulation ; physiology ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; blood supply ; metabolism ; pathology ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Male ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Proteins ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo explore the efficacy of homemade hemostatics of injected gelatin matrix (HIGM) for immediately treating blunt hepatic trauma in canine model without additional pressure.

METHODSA total of 27 commercial hybrid dogs underwent celiotomy to establish hepatic trauma model after general anesthesia. The dogs were prospectively randomized into 3 groups: the treatment group (n=9, with the direct application of homemade hemostat), the positive control group (n=9, with thrombin solution), and the negative control group (n=9, with 0.9% normal saline). Time to hemostasis and intra-abdominal blood loss were recorded, and heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and hematological parameters were compared among these three groups. Gross examinations were performed 30 minutes after surgery.

RESULTSSignificantly shorter time to hemostasis [(1.20±0.33) min] and less blood loss [(47.22±8.61) ml] were observed in the treatment group than in control groups (P 0.05). No cases of bleeding occurred in any animals in the treatment group, and no signs of infection and adhesion formation were evident due to exposure to HIGM. Two cases in the positive control group (22.22%) were found to have rebleeding. All animals in the negative control group experienced visible bleeding.

CONCLUSIONHIGM is effective for controlling bleeding after hepatic trauma without the additional compression, and therefore may be valuable in field surgery.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dogs ; Gelatin ; administration & dosage ; Hemostatics ; administration & dosage ; Injections ; Liver ; injuries

This paper gives a comprehensive illustration on the key technologies involved in HIFU treatment machine development and thus it can be used for reference and be of benefit to the further development.
Breast Neoplasms ; therapy ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; instrumentation ; methods ; Liver Neoplasms ; therapy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Transducers ; Ultrasonic Therapy ; instrumentation ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Compound Zhajin Granule (CZG) on Toll-like re-ceptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway in high-fructose corn syrup induced NASH mice.

METHODSThirty 6-week-old male C3H mice were divided into the high fat and high fructose (HFHFr) group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 10) according to body weight. Mice in the HFHFr group ate high fat diet and drank 20% fructose water, while those in the control group ate common diet and drank common water. After 8 weeks mice in the HFHFr group were divided into two group according to body weight, the HFHFr group and the CZG group, 10 in each group. Mice in the CZG group were fed with high fat forage and 20% fructose water, and administered with 50 mL/kg 12. 8% CZG (prepared by hawthorn, Radix Curcumae, Alisma Orientale, Fritillaria Thunbergii, Silybum Marianum, peach seed in the ratio of 3:1.5:1.5:2:1.5:2:1) by gastrogavage. Mice in the HFHFr group were fed in the same way and daily administered with equal volume of distilled water by gastrogavage. Sixteen weeks later all mice were sacrificed. Body weight, liver wet weight, liver function, and lipid metabolism were detected. Pathological changes of liver tissues were assessed by HE staining, oil red O staining, and Masson staining. Expressions of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were detected using immunohistochemical staining and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.

RESULTSBody weight, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were obviously lower in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group (P < 0.05); oil red O stained area and density were decreased more in the CZG group than in the control group. HE staining showed ballooning inflammation was reduced more in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group. Masson staining was negative. Positive rates of TLR4 and MyD88 and mRNA expressions were significantly lower in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCZG could significantly inhibit TLR4 signaling pathway of liver in NASH mice.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fructose ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Inflammation ; Lipid Metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; metabolism ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To report our experience with retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy with excision of a bladder-cuff for renal pelvic and ureteral tumors.Methods Thirty-five patients (21 women and 14 men;mean age,67 years;age range,49 -82 years) with upper urinary tract tumors underwent retro- peritoneal laparoscopic nephrourcterectomy with excision of a bladder-cuff.Of the 35 cases,15 had pelvic tumors and 20 had ureteral tumors;19 cases had the tumors on the right side and 16 on the left.Two cases had ureteral tumors combined with bladder tumors.One case had bilateral ureteral tumors then concomitantly had bladder tumors.The needle electrode was used to circleround incise the bladder thoroughly 0.5 cm away from the ureterostoma.Three trocars in the waist were used for dissecting the kidney;and the ureter was dis- sected as far distally downward.Then an incision of 5-9 cm was created in the lower abdomen to allow dis- section of the distal ureter and bladder-cuff and intact specimen extraction.Results The operation was successful in all 35 patients.The mean operative time was 3.1 h ( range,1.5-6.0h).The mean estimated blood loss was 166 ml (range,20-1600 ml).Four cases received blood transfusion.The patient's activity re- covered in 20-32 h after operation.Postoperative pathology showed transitional cell carcinoma in 30 cases, poorly differentiated adenocareinoma in 2 (ureter),squamous cell carcinoma in 1 (ureter),leiomyosarcoma in 1 (ureter),xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in 1.Duodenal leakage occurred in 1 patient who had had dialysis a drainage catheter was placed on the third d after operation,and the patient died of heart failure af- ter 2 months.Postoperative vesical irrigation was performed to prevent tumor recurrence.The mean hospital stay was 11 d.During a mean follow-up of 14 months(range,1-32 months),1 patient developed pelvic me- tastasis and was alive with the tumor.The other 33 patients survived free of tumor to date.No patient had re- current transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.Conclusions Our data demonstrate that retroperitoneo- scopic nephroureterectomy for renal pelvic and ureteral tumors has shorter incision and more rapid postopera- tive recovery compared with open surgery.Using resectoscope to resect the termination of ureter allows more complete excision of the ureter.

Objective To assess the value of two-dimensional time-of-flight (2D-TOF) magnetic resonance venography (MRV) and 3D-TOF MR angiography (MRA) in the diagnosis and therapeutic effect evaluation of cerebral sinus thrombosis (CVST). Methods Twelve patients with CVST underwent both conventional spin-echo (SE) sequence MRI and 2D-TOF MRV, and 10 of the patients also received examination with DSA and 8 received 3D-TOF MRA. The findings of CVST by these imaging modalities were compared in these patients. Results A total of 34 CVST lesions were found in these 12 patients. Conventional SE sequence MRI identified 17 CVST lesions in 9 cases, showing abnormal signals in the venous sinus and loss of normal blood flow signals. MRV detected 32 CVST lesions in 11 cases, shown as filling defects and loss of normal high signals in the venous sinuses. DSA displayed 30 CVST lesions in 10 cases, and MRV showed reduced number of the cerebral arteries in 2 of 8 cases. The detection rate of cerebral venous sinus was 93.3% by MRV. Most of the venous sinuses showed normal high signals in 6 patients after endovascular treatment, and the two patients with reduced cerebral artery shown by MRA showed markedly increased cerebral arteries after thrombolytic therapy. Conclusion MRV and MRA can be of important values in the diagnosis and therapeutic effect evaluation of CVST.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the indication and effect of the application of Ligasure vessel sealing instrument in laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver cancer.

METHODSEleven patients with liver cancer undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy were analyzed for the tumor size and location, operation time, volume of intraoperative bleeding, postoperative hospital stay and short-term clinical outcomes.

RESULTSAll the operations were performed successfully in the 11 cases. All the tumors were less than 7 cm in diameter, locating at the segments II, III, V, VI and VII. The mean operation time was 91 min (80-126 min), and the intraoperative blood loss averaged 82 ml (20-200 ml). The average postoperative hospital stay of the patients was 8 days (7-9 days). No complications were observed in these cases.

CONCLUSIONLigasure vessel sealing instrument in laparoscopic hepatectomy is applicable in cases of perimeter liver cancer. This instrument can decrease the operation time, reduce the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative hospital stay with good safety and minimal invasiveness.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo establish a new model for liver transplantation recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and validate the feasibility of it.

METHODSFrom February 1999 to June 2005, clinical data of 130 liver cancer patients who accepted liver transplantation were collected. Screening the pretransplant factors correlated with post-transplant survival using COX proportional-hazards regression, and establishing the assessment model. Finally, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC ROC) were used to compare the validity of the new model with MELD.

RESULTSScreened by the COX model, serum concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, alphafetoprotein, sodium and the number of tumor nodule were significantly related with post-transplant survival. The new model with these four variables had greater ability to assess post-transplant recipients' outcomes, however, the MELD had not evaluation capacity.

CONCLUSIONThe established new model has a better ability to assess the risk of post-transplant mortality.

Adult ; Aged ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; blood ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; blood ; surgery ; China ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; methods ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sodium ; blood ; Survival Analysis ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the health-related quality of life and postdischarge long-term outcome after severe acute pancreatitis.

METHODSThe hospital records of patients with SAP discharged healthy from January 2003 to December 2003 were reviewed. The Rand 36-item Health Survey with accessory question was mailed to each patient. The means and deviations for each of eight scales scores of SF-36 were calculated, the study population scores were compared with general Chinese population; Univariate analysis was applied to determining the effects of variables such as age, sex, causes of disease, mode of treatment, frequency of surgery, financial burden, length of stay, chronic complications. Accessory questions were analyzed separately.

RESULTSThe means and deviations for each of eight scales (PF, RP, RE, BP, VT, MH, SF, GH) scores of SF-36 in SAP patients were 83 +/- 15, 62 +/- 42, 69 +/- 36, 80 +/- 15, 69 +/- 19, 72 +/- 15, 75 +/- 18, 65 +/- 18, compared with general people. Except RP and SF, the others were similar. In the ANOVA of Physical Component Summary, the three variables mode of treatment, financial burden and length of stay were included (P < 0.05), while in that of Mental Component Summary, the two variables of gender and financial burden were included (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe health-related quality of life in SAP patients is similar to that of general people. Greater attention should be given to mode of treatment, length of stay and financial burden to improve quality of life.

APACHE ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; psychology ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Survivors ; Treatment Outcome