A kind of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) apparatus is developed to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT),which is based on the theory of occurrence and prevention of the DVT and AT89C52 micro-controller. This paper introduces its principle, composition of electromechanical system and the software design. The apparatus has showed its characteristics of easy operation, high intelligence and high reliability.
Equipment Design ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; instrumentation ; Software ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; instrumentation ; Venous Thrombosis ; prevention & control

A set of primers amplified the VP1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease vims (FMDV) was designed and synthesized. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique detected the RNA of FMDV was established after selecting the best purification method, reagents and reaction conditions. Samples of fresh milk, lymph node, spinal cord, vesicular skin, milk powder, cotton swab, mouse and meat in daughter-house were detected by RT-PCR, positive rates were41.4% (24/58), 13.33% (2/15), 20% (1/5), 100% (1/1), 100% (1/1), 37.5% (12/32), 100% (2/2) and 10% - 70%, respectively. However, positive rate of cockroach detected by RT-PCR was 0. The results showed that the established FMDV RT-PCR technique provided a more sensitive, specific and reliable method for diagnosis and epizootic study of the foot-and-mouth disease.

This paper is devoted to predicting the transmembrane helices in proteins by statistical modeling. A novel segment-training algorithm for Hidden Markov modeling based on the biological characters of transmembrane proteins has been introduced into training and predicting the topological characters of transmembrane helices such as location and orientation. Compared to the standard Balm-Welch training algorithm, this algorithm has lower complexity while prediction performance is better than or at least comparable to other existing methods. With a 10-fold cross-validation test on a database containing 160 transmembrane proteins, an HMM model trained with this algorithm outperformed two other prediction methods: TMHMM and MEMSTAT; the novel method was validated by its prediction sensitivity (97.0%) and correct location (91.3%). The results showed that this algorithm is an efficient and a reasonable supplement to modeling and prediction of transmembrane helices.
Algorithms ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Mathematical Computing ; Membrane Proteins ; chemistry ; Models, Statistical ; Protein Conformation

Residues in protein sequences can be classified into two (exposed / buried) or three (exposed/intermediate/buried) states according to their relative solvent accessibility. Markov chain model (MCM) had been adopted for statistical modeling and prediction. Different orders of MCM and classification thresholds were explored to find the best parameters. Prediction results for two different data sets and different cut-off thresholds were evaluated and compared with some existing methods, such as neural network, information theory and support vector machine. The best prediction accuracies achieved by the MCM method were 78.9% for the two-state prediction problem and 67.7% for the three-state prediction problem, respectively. A comprehensive comparison for all these results shows that the prediction accuracy and the correlative coefficient of the MCM method are better than or comparable to those obtained by the other prediction methods. At the same time, the advantage of this method is the lower computation complexity and better time-consuming performance.
Algorithms ; Computational Biology ; methods ; Databases, Protein ; Markov Chains ; Models, Chemical ; Models, Molecular ; Proteins ; chemistry ; classification ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; methods ; Solubility

Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) contains abundant oxidants and free radicals. Oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoking results in the destruction of the alveolar cell walls and emphysema. However, there exists discrepancy about how CSE works in the process. In the present study, we observed the effect of CSE on the cell growth of type II alveolar epithelial cell-derived A549 cell line, and provided molecular understanding of this effect. The MTT assay results showed that CSE decreased the cell viability of A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and cell cycle was arrested in G(1)/S phase. Furthermore, CSE-induced apoptosis of A549 cells was verified by Hoechst 33258 staining, electron microscopy in morphology, and the appearance of DNA fragmentation and annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining assay at molecular level. It was found that CSE treatment resulted in the upregulation of Fas/APO-1 receptor and activation of caspase-3. CSE also initiated accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, which was detected by laser confocal microscopy. Taken together, CSE could inhibit the cell growth and induce apoptosis of A549 cells through Fas receptor pathway. Oxidative stress caused by CSE may be the radical factor leading to apoptosis as well as cell growth inhibition in alveolar epithelial cells.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; cytology ; drug effects ; pathology ; Smoke ; adverse effects ; Tobacco ; toxicity

BACKGROUNDClinical features of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are important for its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. However, few studies have reported such data, especially in China. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of ACL injury on a large cohort.

METHODSBetween 1993 and 2007, a total of 4355 ACL deficient inpatients (612 athletes and 3743 non-athletes) were registered. Data were collected using a special database system. And the distributions of characteristics in different groups were compared and analyzed statistically.

RESULTSAll subjects were confirmed with ACL tear during surgery. Statistical analysis revealed that the percentage of females in Athlete Group was significantly higher than that in Non-athlete Group (56.05% vs. 24.95%, P < 0.001). This study also found that sports trauma was the main cause of ACL tears. Soccer, basketball, judo, wrestling and track and field were the five most responsible activities for athletes. The average injury time for athletes was significantly shorter than that for non-athletes (413.3 days vs. 717.5 days, P < 0.001). Three thousand nine hundred and eight cases were ordered ACL reconstruction (76.04% single-bundle, 18.30% double-bundle). Three hundred and forty-five patients (7.92%) were combined with other ligaments injuries, 2667 (61.24%) were found with various grades of cartilage lesions, and 3377 (77.54%) were found with meniscal injury.

CONCLUSIONSSports trauma was the main cause of ACL tears in China, and reconstruction had become the principal surgical choice. In order to restore knee joint stability and reduce the incidence of cartilage and meniscal injury, patienttailored ACL reconstruction should be suggested at the right moment.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; pathology ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Injuries ; epidemiology ; etiology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Distribution ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of Rbl on action potentials and force of contraction in guinea pig ventricular papillary muscles.

METHODThe ventricular papillary muscles of guinea pig were isolated regularly and immersed with Tyrode, s solution. The effects of Rbl (purified saponins of panaxnotoginseng) on the action potentials (AP), the slow action potentials and the force of contraction (FC) of the muscles were studied. The AP and FC were measured synchronously.

RESULTRbl shortened the duration of AP, including APD2O and APD90, and reduced the FC(n = 5, P < 0.01), but didn't affect the rest potential (RP), the amplitude of action potential (APA), overshot (OS) and maximal upstrok velocity (Vmax). Rbl also decreased the APA of slow action potential, but quinidine had no such effects.

CONCLUSIONRbl may be a channel blocker.

Action Potentials ; drug effects ; Animals ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Ginsenosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Guinea Pigs ; Male ; Myocardial Contraction ; drug effects ; Panax ; chemistry ; Papillary Muscles ; physiology

BACKGROUNDShoulder immobilization can induce adhesion of the joint, capsular contracture or lead to the condition of frozen shoulder. However, little is known about the histological effects of immobilization on the shoulder joint. This study aimed to explore the effect of immobility on the subscapular bursa (SSB) and the joint capsular content, including the distribution of types I and III collagen, within an immobilized rat shoulder.

METHODSForty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into one control group (n = 6) and four immobilization groups (n = 10 in each group), in which the left shoulders were immobilized with plaster for 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. At the end of each time point, 2 rats from each group were euthanized and shoulders prepared for serial histological observations of the glenohumeral joints, as well as picrosirius red and immunohistochemical observation of type III collagen. Histological sections of the remaining rat shoulders were used for the immunohistochemical detection of the capsular content of types I and III collagen.

RESULTSThe hyperplastic synovium of the anterior capsule obstructed the communication between the SSB and the glenohumeral joint cavity at 2 and 3 weeks. The adhesion of the SSB appeared at 3 and 4 weeks. The quantitative and qualitative results showed that the capsular contents of types I and III collagen progressively increased at 2, 3 and 4 weeks, and that type III collagen was distributed extensively within the joint capsule at 2 and 3 weeks.

CONCLUSIONImmobilization of the rat shoulder induced synovial hyperplasia of the joint capsule, adhesion of the SSB and an increase of the capsular content of types I and III collagen.

Animals ; Collagen ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunohistochemistry ; Joint Capsule ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Shoulder Dislocation ; metabolism ; pathology ; Shoulder Joint ; metabolism ; pathology

Objective:To explore the feasibility and clinical outcomes of punch excision combined with superficial X-ray and intralesional drug injection in the treatment of chest multiple keloids.Methods:Patients with chest multiple keloids in Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University from March 2020 to June 2021 were selected and randomly divided into observation group and control group according to random number table. In the observation group, punch excision was performed first, superficial X-ray was irradiated once within 24 h after surgery, and then once a week, for a total of 4 sessions. One week after radiotherapy, intralesional injection was performed with 5 ml mixture of 1 ml triamcinolone acetate injection, 0.6 ml fluorouracil injection and 3.4 ml 2% lidocaine hydrochloride injection, once a month, for a total of 4 times. Single injection endpoint reaction was keloid whiteness. The control group did not receive punch excision, and other treatments were the same as those in the observation group. Vancouver scar scale (VSS) score and efficacy evaluation (cure, excellent, improvement, ineffective) were performed before treatment and 3, 6, 12 months after treatment. Total keloids volume, intralesional injection volume and adverse reactions before and after treatment were recorded. SPSS 26.0 software was used for data analysis, and the measurement data were expressed as Mean±SD. Independent sample t-test was used for comparison between two groups, and repeated measurement data analysis of variance was used for comparison before and after treatment in the same group. Statistical data were expressed as % and χ2 test was used for comparison between groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 58 patients were included, 29 in each group. There were 36 males and 22 females. The age ranged from 18 to 59 years old, with an average age of 29. The number of chest keloids in each patient was 5-12. Before treatment, the VSS scores of observation group and control group was 13.21±1.24 and 12.90±1.21 respectively. There was no significant difference in VSS scores between the two groups before treatment ( t=0.97, P=0.337). After 3, 6 and 12 months of follow-up, the VSS scores of the observation group were 4.21±1.26, 4.34±1.40 and 4.55±1.33 respectively, while those of the control group were 5.66±1.32, 6.07±1.44 and 6.62±1.40 respectively. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( t=-4.27, -4.63, -5.78, all P<0.001). Intra-group comparison showed that there were no statistically significant differences in VSS scores at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment in the observation group ( F=2.50, P=0.111), while VSS scores at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment in the control group showed a gradually increasing trend, with statistically significant difference ( F=30.75, P<0.001). In the observation group, 22 cases showed excellent effect, 7 cases improved, and the excellent rate was 75.86%(22/29). In the control group, there were 6 cases of excellent effect and 23 cases of improvement, the excellent rate was 20.69%(6/29), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=17.68, P<0.001). Before treatment, the total keloids volume of the observation group was (7.76±1.71) cm 3, which was (8.27±1.26) cm 3 of the control group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment ( t=-1.28, P=0.207). In the follow-up of 12 months after treatment, the total keloids volume of the observation group[(2.57±0.59) cm 3] was significantly smaller than that of the control group[(5.51±1.39) cm 3], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-10.47, P<0.001). The total amount of intralesional injection in the observation group[(6.45±1.25) ml] was less than that in the control group[(11.00±1.73) ml], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-11.48, P<0.001). Transient hyperpigmentation appeared in the irradiation area 3-5 days after superficial X-ray, which subsided naturally within 6 months in both groups. In addition, there were 5 adverse reactions in the observation group, including delayed healing (2 cases), telangiectasia (2 cases) and abnormal menstrual cycle (1 case). There were 13 cases of adverse reactions in the control group, including telangiectasia (7 cases), abnormal menstrual cycle (2 cases), and atrophic and sunken skin (4 cases). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant [17.24%(5/29) vs. 44.83%(13/29), χ2=5.16, P<0.001]. Conclusion:Punch excision combined with superficial X-ray and intralesional drug injection for the treatment of chest multiple keloids has the advantages of simple operation, good therapeutic effect and less adverse reactions.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and clinical outcomes of punch excision combined with superficial X-ray and intralesional drug injection in the treatment of chest multiple keloids.Methods:Patients with chest multiple keloids in Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University from March 2020 to June 2021 were selected and randomly divided into observation group and control group according to random number table. In the observation group, punch excision was performed first, superficial X-ray was irradiated once within 24 h after surgery, and then once a week, for a total of 4 sessions. One week after radiotherapy, intralesional injection was performed with 5 ml mixture of 1 ml triamcinolone acetate injection, 0.6 ml fluorouracil injection and 3.4 ml 2% lidocaine hydrochloride injection, once a month, for a total of 4 times. Single injection endpoint reaction was keloid whiteness. The control group did not receive punch excision, and other treatments were the same as those in the observation group. Vancouver scar scale (VSS) score and efficacy evaluation (cure, excellent, improvement, ineffective) were performed before treatment and 3, 6, 12 months after treatment. Total keloids volume, intralesional injection volume and adverse reactions before and after treatment were recorded. SPSS 26.0 software was used for data analysis, and the measurement data were expressed as Mean±SD. Independent sample t-test was used for comparison between two groups, and repeated measurement data analysis of variance was used for comparison before and after treatment in the same group. Statistical data were expressed as % and χ2 test was used for comparison between groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 58 patients were included, 29 in each group. There were 36 males and 22 females. The age ranged from 18 to 59 years old, with an average age of 29. The number of chest keloids in each patient was 5-12. Before treatment, the VSS scores of observation group and control group was 13.21±1.24 and 12.90±1.21 respectively. There was no significant difference in VSS scores between the two groups before treatment ( t=0.97, P=0.337). After 3, 6 and 12 months of follow-up, the VSS scores of the observation group were 4.21±1.26, 4.34±1.40 and 4.55±1.33 respectively, while those of the control group were 5.66±1.32, 6.07±1.44 and 6.62±1.40 respectively. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( t=-4.27, -4.63, -5.78, all P<0.001). Intra-group comparison showed that there were no statistically significant differences in VSS scores at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment in the observation group ( F=2.50, P=0.111), while VSS scores at 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment in the control group showed a gradually increasing trend, with statistically significant difference ( F=30.75, P<0.001). In the observation group, 22 cases showed excellent effect, 7 cases improved, and the excellent rate was 75.86%(22/29). In the control group, there were 6 cases of excellent effect and 23 cases of improvement, the excellent rate was 20.69%(6/29), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2=17.68, P<0.001). Before treatment, the total keloids volume of the observation group was (7.76±1.71) cm 3, which was (8.27±1.26) cm 3 of the control group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment ( t=-1.28, P=0.207). In the follow-up of 12 months after treatment, the total keloids volume of the observation group[(2.57±0.59) cm 3] was significantly smaller than that of the control group[(5.51±1.39) cm 3], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-10.47, P<0.001). The total amount of intralesional injection in the observation group[(6.45±1.25) ml] was less than that in the control group[(11.00±1.73) ml], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-11.48, P<0.001). Transient hyperpigmentation appeared in the irradiation area 3-5 days after superficial X-ray, which subsided naturally within 6 months in both groups. In addition, there were 5 adverse reactions in the observation group, including delayed healing (2 cases), telangiectasia (2 cases) and abnormal menstrual cycle (1 case). There were 13 cases of adverse reactions in the control group, including telangiectasia (7 cases), abnormal menstrual cycle (2 cases), and atrophic and sunken skin (4 cases). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant [17.24%(5/29) vs. 44.83%(13/29), χ2=5.16, P<0.001]. Conclusion:Punch excision combined with superficial X-ray and intralesional drug injection for the treatment of chest multiple keloids has the advantages of simple operation, good therapeutic effect and less adverse reactions.