Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; diagnosis ; therapy

The treatment of multiple myeloma has become possible in the era of novel agents. Novel agents have dramatically improved the response rates of multiple myeloma (MM) and have extended the survival of patients even if MM remains an incurable disease. De-termining the treatment goals of MM has become a major challenge for clinicians in the era of novel agents. Many results show the correlation between response depth and patients' survival. Complete remission (CR), stringent CR, phenotypic CR, and CRs at the molecular and PET-CT levels are being explored and becoming the goals of MM treatment. Doctors should balance efficacy with adverse effects in daily clinical practice to avoid the blind pursuit of a high and deep response rate.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 3 therapeutic schemes in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS:A total of 94 PD cases were randomly assigned into 3 groups:Group A (Benserazide tablets +carbidopa and Levodopa controlled release tablets),Group B (Benserazide tablets+Carbidopa and Levodopa controlled release tablets+Selegiline tablets) and Group C (Benserazide tablets+Carbidopa and Levodopa controlled release tablets+Entacapone tablets). After treatment for 8 weeks,the cost-effectiveness analysis were conducted for all the 3 groups. RESULTS:For Group A,B and C,the costs were 448.78,803.89,1 559.89 yuan,respectively; the total effective rates were 56.67%,83.33% and 85.71%,respectively; the cost-effectiveness ratios were 791.92,964.71,1 819.96,respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of Group B and C were 1 332.00 and 3 826.14,respectively as against Group A. CONCLUSION:Group B is preferable for PD among the 3 groups.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; complications ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Seizures, Febrile ; complications ; epidemiology ; genetics

Objective To discuss the techniques of ventricular endoscopy for obstructive hydrocephalus.Methods A total of 33 patients with obstructive hydrocephalus were treated by ventriculostomy using ventricular endoscopy from June 2003 to December 2006.The patients had received CT,MRI,and 99mTc-DTPA cistern SPECT before the surgery.Results Endoscopic third ventriculostomy was performed successfully in 32 patients,the other patient died of hemorrhage under the third ventricle fistula.Postoperative fever occurred in 13 patients.One patient developed bilateral chronic subdural hematoma 6 months after the operation,and was cured by drill and drainage.Three patients developed subdural hydroma 6 months postoperation without showing symptoms.They were monitored without any treatment.The 32 patients were followed up for 2-42 months(mean,16.7 months),all of them achieved clinical relieve.In the patients,the intracranial pressure(ICP) was 26(16-39) cm H2O before the operation,and was significantly decreased to 22(12-28) cm H2O 7 days after the operation(t=2.903,0.005

BACKGROUND:Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is a new and safe biological therapy method mainly used for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other similar diseases. OBJECTIVE:To explore the purification method and cytokine profile of ACS. METHODS:Blood obtained equipment (containing 3 mm of glass beads) was used to collect peripheral blood samples that were mixed uniformly and then placed in a 37℃ thermostatic incubator for 24 hours, finally filtered to obtain ACS. The quantitative determination of interleukin (IL)-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1β was conducted, and the 36 kinds of cytokines were semi-quantitatively detected by cytokine antibody array. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The levels of various cytokines in ACS were obviously increased, among which, IL-1Ra level (important for alleviating osteoarthritis) was increased from 140.25 ng/L to 1125 ng/L(increased by above 8 times); IL-6 level was increased from 389.5 ng/L to 2802 ng/L; IL-8 level was not detected firstly and finally increased to 2822 ng/L. Cytokine antibody array results showed that at least 10 kinds of cytokines in ACS were changed, and most of cytokines were on a rise, and few in decline. These results indicate that the ACS contains IL-1Ra and a variety of cytokines, and some chemokines in the ACS recruit more immune cells to the inflammation sites and accelerate the inflammatory process, further exerting therapeutic effects.

The basic physiological function of anti-arrhythmic drugs is affects myocardial cell membrane ion channels. Change the ion flow and affect cell electrophysiological properties, change the conduction velocity, eliminate retrace, inhibit autorhythmicity and trigger events, inhibit the occurrence of arrhythmia, but will trigger a new activities, new retrace, produce new arrhythmia. In recent years, with the improvement of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine and the production of new research methods, Chinese medicine treatment of arrhythmia has a new development. This article summarized the recent decades of which Chinese medicine monomer anti-arrhythmic drugs that had been proved by the influence of monomer anti-arrhythmic drugs, lists the differents traditional Chinese medicinal materials which chemical composition and the effective of the anti-arrhythmic effects, shows the unique advantages of Chinese medicine in the aspect of anti-arrhythmic, and points out that the current Chinese medicine in anti-arrhythmic (monomer) existing problems and solutions.
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; Biomedical Research ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans

Objective To observe the influence of atorvastatin on the arteria carotis atheromatous plaque and blood lipid in old people. Methods 57 hospitalized patients who had cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack(TIA) were examined for atheromatous plaque by the color Doppler. They were administered atorvastatin 20 mg/d for three months. The changes of diameter of arteria carotis, rate of flow and size of plaque were measured be-fore and after treatment. Results The diameter of arteria carotis was expanded [left ( 0.99 ± 0. 11 ) era, right (0.98 ± 0.08 ) cm vs left (0.94 ± 0.09 ) cm, right ( 0.95 ± 0.07 ) cm, P < 0.05], the hemorrheology was improved, the size of plaque was diminished[left(0.57±0.20)cm2, right (0.54± 0.18 )cm2 vs left (0.86±0. 17 ) cm2 and right (0.82 ±0. 16 )cm2, P < 0. 05], TC, TG, LDL-C were lowered and HDL-C was elevated with statistical signifi-cance ( P < 0. 05). Conclusions The atorvastatin has positive therapeutical effect in diminishing the size of plaque, adjusting blood lipid and improving hemorrheology.

Artery aneurysm occurred in the aortic arch involving branches of vital organs is the difficulty of the endovascular repair.In recent years,experts have made a few researches,and have obtained some effects. We reviewed the present situation this technique in this paper.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of Xinfeng Capsules (XFC), a traditional Chinese medicine for invigorating the spleen to resolve dampness and dredging collaterals, on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and anemia, and to investigate its mechanism. METHODS: Forty patients with RA and anemia were divided into three groups: XFC-treated group (n=20), Tripterygium glycosides Tablets (TGT)-treated group (n=10) and methotrexate (MTX)-treated group (n=10). The patients in each group took corresponding medicine for three months. The response rates of the three groups were evaluated after treatment. The general symptoms and specific signs and symptoms of RA were observed before and after the treatment. The indexes of blood routine examination and some other laboratory indexes such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and blood levels of rheumatoid factor (RF), iron, C-reaction protein (CRP), immunoglobins (Ig), complements 3 and 4, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and erythropoietin (EPO) were all examined and compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: The total response rate in the XFC-treated group was similar to those both in the TGT-treated and MTX-treated groups. The effects on relieving specific symptoms of RA in the three groups were also similar. The ESR and serum levels of RF, CRP, IgG, IgA and IgM were all decreased after treatment as compared with those before treatment in the three groups, and there were no significant differences among those laboratory indexes in the three groups after treatment. The XFC displayed more obvious effects on improving the general symptoms of patients with RA and anemia, increasing the blood levels of hemoglobin, iron and IL-10, while decreasing the serum level of TNF-alpha and regulating the serum EPO level, as compared with those in the TGT-treated and MTX-treated groups. CONCLUSION: The XFC for invigorating the spleen to resolve dampness and dredging collaterals was developed on the basic principle of regulating spleen. It can obviously improve the symptoms and laboratory indicators of RA. Such effects may be related to maintaining the balance of cytokines, regulating the serum level of EPO and increasing the serum iron level in patients with RA and anemia.