growth aspects ; Environment ; Child

Introduction: None of the identified studies employed quantitative scales correlating the knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy. Method: This study aimed to study the relationship between the knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy, using the Epilepsy Knowledge Questionnaire (EKQ) and the Public Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale. Results: A total of 279 publics with a mean age of 36.6±14.7 years (ranged from 15-77 years), 50.8% female with majority (63.0%) Chinese, and 49.5% with tertiary education level, were recruited. The mean score of epilepsy knowledge questionnaire (EKQ) was 21.05±3.92 (95% CI: 20.57-21.48). Higher score in EKQ was associated with higher education level (p<0.01). The total score in the EKQ correlated negatively with the mean scores in the PATE scale, as well as the mean scores in both the personal domain and general domains in the PATE scale (p<0.05). Only 8 out of 34 items in EKQ were associated significantly with the mean scores in the personal domain, and 4 other items were with the general domain of the PATE scale. Conclusion: This study showed that although the overall knowledge in epilepsy is significantly associated with better attitudes toward epilepsy, only certain aspects of knowledge in the scale contributed to this association.

Objective To investigate the safety of rituximab combination chemotherapy in the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma (B-NHL) complicated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection,and assess the incidence of HBV reactivation reduced by prophylactic lamivudine.Methods A retrospective study of HBV-related markers,HBV-DNA and liver function was performed before and after rituximabcontaining treatment in B-NHL patients.Thirty nine B-NHL patients with HBcAb(+)/HBsAb(-) were divided into prophylactic group (14 cases) and control group (25 cases).The incidences of HBV reactivation,functional damage of liver were measured.Results Among the 108 B-NHL patients who received rituximab combinatio nchemotherapy,15 (13.89 ％) were HBsAg (+) and 39 (36.11％) HBsAg (-) / HBcAb (+).Of the 15 HBsAg (+)patients,2 (13.3 ％) experienced reactivation of HBV.The prevalence of HBV reactivation was 7.7 ％(1/13) in patients who received prophylactic antiviral treatment and 50 ％ (1/2) in those who did not receivelamivudine.Among the 39 HBsAg (-) / HBcAb (+) patients,3 cases (7.7 ％) experienced reactivation of HBV.The prevalence of HBV reactivation was 0 in patients who receivcd prophylactic lamivudine treatment and 12 ％ (3/25) in those who did not receive this antiviral drug.Conclusion Prophylactic lamivudine before rituximab combination chemotherapy can reduce HBV reactivation obviously.

Background & Objective: Modulation of cortical excitability by low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has demonstrated therapeutic use in epilepsy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of low-frequency rTMS on refractory epilepsy in a group of Malaysian subjects. Methods: Nine patients with refractory epilepsy completed the study. All patients received 10 sessions of 1Hz rTMS (1000 pulses per session) at 90% of resting motor threshold. Outcome measures included seizure frequency, Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31). Responders were defined as having ≥ 50% seizure reduction. Results: The mean age was 33.8 years (SD 11.7), with 4 male. Three patients had mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS); 4 with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and two lesion-negative. Three patients achieved >50% seizure reduction at 8 weeks post-treatment, with 2 of them had improvement in the number of IED. All of the responders had FCD. The responders were younger (mean 24.7 vs. 38.3 years old), had shorter duration of illness (mean 15.7 vs. 30.5 years) and had less frequent seizure frequency prior to treatment (mean 5.5 vs. 10.8 attacks per week), as compared to the non-responders. Six patients had improvement in BDI-II scores, two in QOLIE-31 and four in SCL-90 post treatment, irrespective of seizure control. The mean scores in BDI-II improved significantly with treatment (p<0.01). Conclusion: rTMS is a potentially promising treatment for epilepsy, esp
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ; Epilepsy

OBJECTIVETo explore the minimum observed adverse effect level(LOAEL) and intensity of pathogenesis of tin mine dust.

METHODSA cohort study design with retrospective assessment of exposure was used. Selected 4,471 male tin miners who were exposed to tin at least one year during 1960 to 1974 and were compared with 4,797 pottery dust exposed workers in the same way designed. Statistical analysis system SAS, PROC LIFETEST were used to perform the non-parameter calculation by Life Table method.

RESULTSTin mine cohort subjects were followed up to December 31, 1994. The percentage of miners who developed silicosis was 21.7% (971/4,471). 81% of the patients had been exposed to dust before 1958. The cumulative total dust exposure(CTD) was significantly correlated with silicosis risk. The risk of silicosis was 0.012 when CTD was less than 50 mg/m-3.year-1. The risk of silicosis was increased to 0.971 when CTD was beyond 400 mg.m-3.year-1. However, the risk of silicosis was only 0.369 for dust exposed workers in pottery factories when CTD was beyond 400 mg.m-3.year-1.

CONCLUSIONThere was significant relationship between cumulative dust exposure and the incidence of silicosis in tin exposed workers. And silicosis induced by tin mine dust is more serious than the pottery dust.

Cohort Studies ; Dust ; Humans ; Mining ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Silicosis ; etiology ; Tin

Intracranial atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of ischemic stroke and occurs more commonly in patients of Asian, African or Hispanic origin than in Caucasians. Although the histopathology of intracranial atherosclerotic disease resembles extracranial atherosclerosis, there are some notable differences in the onset and severity of atherosclerosis. Current understanding of intracranial atherosclerotic disease has been advanced by the high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HRMRI), a novel emerging imaging technique that can directly visualize the vessel wall pathology. However, the pathological validation of HRMRI signal characteristics remains a key step to depict the plaque components and vulnerability in intracranial atherosclerotic lesions. The purpose of this review is to describe the histological features of intracranial atherosclerosis and to state current evidences regarding the validation of MR vessel wall imaging with histopathology.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Atherosclerosis ; Autopsy ; Hispanic Americans ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Microscopy* ; Pathology ; Stroke

PURPOSE: Many studies supported that vegetarians have a lower risk of cardiac diseases and mortality, partly due to better blood pressure and serum cholesterol profiles. However, the inflammatory markers, especially lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), have not been well-studied. This study aimed to compare inflammatory markers and conventional risk factors between vegetarians and omnivores. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and seventy-three vegetarians and 190 omnivores were studied. Fasting blood samples were obtained to compare levels of glucose, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, homocysteine, Lp-PLA2 activity, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). RESULTS: Vegetarians had higher serum levels of the following markers: hs-CRP (1.8 +/- 3.4 vs. 1.2 1.8 mg/L, respectively; p = 0.05), homocysteine (9.39 +/- 3.22 vs. 7.62 +/- 2.41 micromol/L, respectively; p < 0.01), and triacylglycerol (96.91 +/- 59.56 vs. 84.66 +/- 43.24 mg/dL, respectively; p < 0.05). Vegetarians also had lower levels of Lp-PLA2 (18.32 +/- 7.19 10-3 micromol/min/mL vs. 20.22 8.13 10-3 micromol/min/mL; p < 0.05), total cholesterol (180.62 +/- 36.55 mg/dL vs. 192.73 +/- 36.57 mg/dL; p < 0.01), LDL cholesterol (118.15 +/- 32.8 vs. 126.41 +/- 34.28 mg/dL; p < 0.05), and HDL cholesterol (55.59 +/- 13.30 vs. 62.09 +/- 14.52 mg/dL, p < 0.01). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that a vegetarian diet increases the chances for high serum hs-CRP and low Lp-PLA2 activity. CONCLUSION: In addition to lower total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol, Taiwanese female vegetarians have lower serum Lp-PLA2 activity but higher levels of hs-CRP, homocysteine, and triacylglyerol. It might be due to geographic differences of vegetarian diets, and further studies are needed.
1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase/*blood ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cholesterol/blood ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Cholesterol, LDL/blood ; *Diet, Vegetarian ; Female ; Homocysteine/blood ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Taiwan ; Triglycerides/blood

Objective:To investigate the clinical characters and prognostic value of PSA flare and bone flare in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer(mCRPC) patients received Abiterone acetate(AA) therapy.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted for 93 mCRPC patients treated with AA from Jul.2016 to Dec.2020. Mean age was (75.4±8.9)years, median PSA was 58.2 (16.4, 148.6)ng/ml. Patients received at least 6 months of AA treatment. PSA flare was defined as an increase of PSA after AA therapy followed by a decrease. Bone flare was defined as disease progression after 3 months of therapy, typically based on increased lesion intensity or number, and reevaluation 6-9 months later showed improvement in the scan. The clinical characters and prognostic value of the flare phenomenon was evaluated and analyzed respectively.Results:The median follow up time was 16 months(6, 54 months), fourteen patients showed PSA flare at first month after AA treatment, and median time of duration was 2 months(1, 7 months). The serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) had a similar rising trend along with PSA flare[115.5(98.0, 198.5)U/L vs. 119.0(97.0, 288.8)U/L, P=0.016]. Seven patients showed bone flare and 3 cases co-existed with PSA flare. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated bone flare was an independent protective factor for progression free survival(PFS)( HR=0.117, 95% CI 0.015-0.895, P=0.039), PSA flare had no significant influence on PFS ( HR=1.314, 95% CI 0.554-3.121, P=0.536)and overall survival(OS)( HR=1.348, 95% CI 0.393-4.263, P=0.635). Log-rank test showed patients with bone flare had a longer PFS( P=0.016) and OS( P=0.047) compared with patients without bone flare. Conclusions:PSA flare always faded away after 2 months AA therapy and had no influence on PFS and OS. Bone flare maybe an indication for better prognosis.

Lateral epicondylitis is a common clinical disease with characteristics of lateral elbow pain, insidious onset and easy recurrence, which can cause forearm pain and decreased wrist strength, seriously affecting patients′ daily life and work. Although there are various treatment methods for lateral epicondylitis with different effects, standard treatments are still lacking nowadays. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has good effects on bone and tendon repair, and is now widely used in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. However, there is a lack of a unified understanding of the technology and specifications of PRP in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Therefore, the Sports Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Branch of the Chinese Medical Association organized experts in the fields of sports medicine and rehabilitation medicine in China to formulate the "clinical expert consensus on platelet-rich plasma treatment for lateral epicondylitis (2022 version)", and proposed suggestions based on evidence-based medicine mainly from the concept, epidemiology and pathophysiology of lateral epicondylitis, symptoms, signs and imaging manifestations of lateral epicondylitis, PRP concept and application component requirements, quality control of PRP preparation technology, indications and contraindications of PRP in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis, PRP injection in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis, application of PRP in the operation of lateral epicondylitis, related problems after PRP treatment of lateral epicondylitis, evaluation of the results after PRP treatment of lateral epicondylitis, and health and economic evaluation of PRP treatment of lateral epicondylitis, so as to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

BACKGROUNDDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disease accompanied with a high incidence of hind limb ischemia (HLI). In recent years, numerous studies demonstrated that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in angiogenesis and maintenance of vascular integrity following HLI. On the other side, it has been proved that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) could promote angiogenesis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of APS and EPCs on enhancing angiogenesis after experimental HLI caused by femoral artery ligation in rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes.

METHODSRats (n = 110) were randomly assigned to the following groups: sham group, ischemia group, APS group, EPCs group and APS+EPCs group. APS, EPCs or an equal volume of vehicle was administered intramuscularly after HLI induction, and 6 rats were assessed by angiography at 28 days after induction of HLI, 6 rats were sacrificed at the same time point to take histological studies, biochemical tests were also performed at that point in the rest rats.

RESULTSAPS or EPCs treatment induced an increase, respectively, in the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (36.61%, 61.59%), VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) (35.50%, 57.33%), VEGFR-2 (31.75%, 41.89%), Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) (37.57%, 64.66%) and Tie-2 (42.55%, 76.94%) (P < 0.05), after HLI injury. And combined therapy of APS and EPCs enhanced the effort of angiogenesis after HLI induction in diabetic rats, through elevating protein expression of VEGF (99.67%), VEGFR-1 (105.33%), VEGFR2 (72.05%), Ang-1 (114.30%) and Tie-2 (111.87%) (P < 0.05). Similarly, mRNA expression of VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR2, Ang-1, Tie-2 also show similar trends as well as protein expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAPS or EPCs could enhance angiogenesis, and the combined treatment leads to better effort, at least, partially via VEGF/VEGFR and Ang-1/Tie-2 signaling pathway.

Animals ; Astragalus Plant ; chemistry ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Endothelial Progenitor Cells ; physiology ; Hindlimb ; pathology ; Ischemia ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Male ; Polysaccharides ; therapeutic use ; Rats