Objective To develop a synthetic medical image generation system which can provide test images for the validation of medical image segmentation algorithms.Methods The synthetic image was created based on the deformation of region of interest (ROI) in original clinical images.First the synthetic foreground boundarywas generated by the resampling of the Fourier descriptors of manually segmented foreground boundary in original image.Then all the ROI pixels were divided into 4 categories and their intensities were calculated by texture matching techniques.Results The intracranial hemorrhage image was selected as the original image,and the generated synthetic images were applied to validate the precision and accuracy of multi-threshold segmentation and level set algorithm.Conclusion The proposed system can rapidly generate synthetic images with realistic appearance of clinical cases and well define ground truth foreground boundary.It has strong practicality for quantitative validation of segmentation algorithms.

Objective To study the long-term results of using an autologous vascularized pedicled flap of gastric tissues in the repair of traumatic bile duct strictures.Methods From 2002 to 2016,38 patients with traumatic bile duct strictures underwent repair using an autologous vascularized pedicled flap of stomach tissues.The postoperative morbidity,mortality,long-term clinical results,liver function and the rate of biliary stricture recurrence were studied.Results The overall complication rate was 18.4％ (7/38).A delay in healing of the incision wound occurred in 4 patients,biliary fistula in 2,and ascites in 1.Two patients died of malignant tumor.The median follow-up was 92 (61 ～ 107) months and the follow-up rate was 100％.Excellent results were obtained in 97.2％ (35/36) of patients.Abnormal liver function was detected in 1 patient which improved with treatment using choleretic drugs.The remaining 35 patients had normal liver functions with absence of abdominal pain.Conclusions To repair traumatic bile duct strictures using an autologous vascularized pedicled flap of stomach tissues was safe and reliable,and good long-term outcomes are available.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese-translated Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (BREQ-2) for nursing home residents. Methods: A convenience sample of 204 nursing home residents were used for measuring the instrument performances. Demographics form and BREQ-2 developed by Markland were applied. Results: The translated BREQ-2 model was a good fit for the results of confirmatory factor analysis, χ2 was 276.75, comparative fit index was .94, standardized root mean square residual was .05, and root mean square error of approximation was .07. Results in the BREQ-2 indicated good consistency, Cronbach's α coefficient of BREQ-2 was .78, and each of the five subscales were ranged from .78 to .83. The test–retest was valued .84, and the five subscales ranged from .75 to .89, which supporting the stability of instrument. Conclusion This study provided psychometric evidence for the application of BREQ-2 among nursing home residents in China.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese-translated Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (BREQ-2) for nursing home residents. Methods: A convenience sample of 204 nursing home residents were used for measuring the instrument performances. Demographics form and BREQ-2 developed by Markland were applied. Results: The translated BREQ-2 model was a good fit for the results of confirmatory factor analysis, χ2 was 276.75, comparative fit index was .94, standardized root mean square residual was .05, and root mean square error of approximation was .07. Results in the BREQ-2 indicated good consistency, Cronbach's α coefficient of BREQ-2 was .78, and each of the five subscales were ranged from .78 to .83. The test–retest was valued .84, and the five subscales ranged from .75 to .89, which supporting the stability of instrument. Conclusion This study provided psychometric evidence for the application of BREQ-2 among nursing home residents in China.

Adult ; Decompression, Surgical ; Diskectomy, Percutaneous ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; surgery ; Laser Therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has indicated that low-concentration hydrogen or hydrogen rich water or hydrogen saturated saline exerts a protective effect on various diseases, such as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effect of hydrogen rich water on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were equally randomized into control and hydrogen-rich groups, and then subdivided into ischemic preconditioning, ischemia, and ischemia/reperfusion groups (n=8 rats in each subgroup). The myocardial ischemia/reperfusion model was established in the heart of each rat by the following procedures: reverse perfusion for 10 minutes, room temperature for 20 minutes, and reperfusion for 20 minutes. The control rats was perfused with pre-oxygenated (95% O2plus 5% CO2) 37 ℃ K-R solution and the hydrogen-rich group was perfused with pre-oxygen-equilibrated (95% O2plus 5% CO2) 37 ℃ K-R solution plus hydrogen-rich water (0.6 mmol/L, pH=7.3). Subsequently, the heart was removed, the pathological changes of the myocardial tissues were observe by hematoxylin-eosin staining, the activities of lactic dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in the myocardial tissues were determined, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were detected by ELISA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the control group, the activity of lactic dehydrogenase at the ischemic and ischemia/reperfusion stages was significantly higher than that at the ischemic preconditioning stage (P < 0.05), and the activity of creatine kinase at the ischemia/reperfusion stage was significantly higher than that at the ischemic preconditioning and ischemic stages (P < 0.05). In the hydrogen-rich group, there was no significant difference in the activities of lactic dehydrodenase and creatine kinase at each stage, but the activities of at the ischemia/reperfusion stage was significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the two groups, the order of the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β was as follows: the ischemia/reperfusion stage > ischemic stage > ischemic preconditioning stage (P < 0.05). The levels of above factors in the hydrogen-rich group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Our findings imply that hydrogen rich water has protective effect on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury of the rat hearts in vitro,which may be by reducing the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β, and further alleviating the inflammatory response.

The changes of microRNA expression in rat hippocampus after traumatic brain injury (TBI) were explored. Adult SD rats received a single controlled cortical impact injury, and the ipsilateral hippocampus was harvested for the subsequent microarray assay at three time points after TBI: 1st day, 3rd day and 5th day, respectively. We characterized the microRNA expression profile in rat hippocampus using the microRNA microarray analysis, and further verified microarray results of miR-142-3p and miR-221 using quantitative real-time PCR. Totally 205 microRNAs were identified and up-/down-regulated more than 1.5 times. There were significant changes in 17 microRNAs at all three time points post-TBI. The quantitative real-time PCR results of miR-142-3p and miR-221 indicated good consistency with the results of the microarray method. MicroRNAs altered at different time points post-TBI. MiR-142-3p and miR-221 may be used as potentially biological markers for TBI assessment in forensic practice.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between body mass index (BMI), hypertension and all-cause mortality in the elderly population in Beijing.

METHODSIn 1992, a cohort of 3 257 people above 55 years old was selected from 3 different areas of Beijing, i.e. urban and suburbs (both plain and mountain areas). Information on physical condition, history of chronic diseases, self-perceived health, as well as smoking and drinking status was collected. Blood pressure, body height and weight were measured among 2 086 of 3 257 subjects.

RESULTSBMI was decreasing with age, while the prevalence of hypertension increased with age. Meanwhile the prevalence of hypertension increased with age as well as with BMI. There was a reverse relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality, i.e. the risk of death was 39.0% lower for those with BMI = 20.0 - 24.9 kg/m(2) (Hazard ratio: 0.61, 95% Confidence interval: 0.49 - 0.75) and 62% lower for those with BMI >/= 25.0 kg/m(2) (Hazard ratio: 0.38%, 95% Confidence interval: 0.29 - 0.49) than those with BMI < 20.0 kg/m(2). After controlling for age, gender, residential place, hypertension as well as self-perceive health status and cognition function, low BMI remained a significant and independent predictor to death.

CONCLUSIONThe distribution of BMI was different in elderly from the youth. The findings suggested that it was important to control the body weight among the elderly hypertensives.

Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Cause of Death ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Rural Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Sex Factors ; Urban Health ; statistics & numerical data

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NOXs) are the major enzymatic source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX2 and NOX4 are expressed in the heart but its role in hypoxia-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion is unclear. This study investigated the effect of NOX on ANP secretion induced by hypoxia in isolated beating rat atria. The results showed that hypoxia significantly upregulated NOX4 but not NOX2 expression, which was completely abolished by endothelin-1 (ET-1) type A and B receptor antagonists BQ123 (0.3 µM) and BQ788 (0.3 µM). ET-1-upregulated NOX4 expression was also blocked by antagonists of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2; varespladib, 5.0 µM) and cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2; CAY10650, 120.0 nM), and ET-1-induced cPLA2 expression was inhibited by varespladib under normoxia. Moreover, hypoxia-increased ANP secretion was evidently attenuated by the NOX4 antagonist GLX351322 (35.0 µM) and inhibitor of ROS N-Acetyl-D-cysteine (NAC, 15.0 mM), and hypoxia-increased production of ROS was blocked by GLX351322. In addition, hypoxia markedly upregulated Src expression, which was blocked by ET receptors, NOX4, and ROS antagonists. ET-1-increased Src expression was also inhibited by NAC under normoxia. Furthermore, hypoxiaactivated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B (Akt) were completely abolished by Src inhibitor 1 (1.0 µM), and hypoxia-increased GATA4 was inhibited by the ERK1/2 and Akt antagonists PD98059 (10.0 µM) and LY294002 (10.0 µM), respectively. However, hypoxia-induced ANP secretion was substantially inhibited by Src inhibitor. These results indicate that NOX4/Src modulated by ET-1 regulates ANP secretion by activating ERK1/2 and Akt/GATA4 signaling in isolated beating rat hypoxic atria.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Naoxintong capsules on learning and dysmnesia and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) about vascular dementia (VD) in rats. METHODS: The model of vascular dementia rats were built by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and then the rats were randomly divided into a Naoxintong group (that was traditional Chinese medicine group,TCM group), a Western medicine group, a model group, a sham operation group, and a normal group. After corresponding treatment, the rat so behaviors were detected by Morris water maze experiment to obtain their performance record of learning and memory. The changes of cell morphology were detected by Nissl stain. The expression of CGRP in the hippocampus was measured with immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The masculine cells about CGRP of the TCM group were more than those of the model one (P<0.05). Naoxintong capsules improved the ability of learning and memory in vascular dementia rats, prevented the pyramidal cells on CA1 field in hippocampus from decreasing, increased the number of masculine cells about CGRP, and deceased the gray scale value. CONCLUSION Naoxintong capsules can raise the number of masculine nerve cells of CGRP, protect the pyramidal cells of VD rats, and lessen their learning and dysmnesia, which may be part of the mechanism of improving learning and memory capacity of VD model in rats.
Animals ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; metabolism ; Dementia, Vascular ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; metabolism ; Male ; Maze Learning ; Pyramidal Cells ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley