Objective To analysis the quality of life of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Methods The quality of life was assessed in 52 patients with active AS using SF-36 and was compared with the general population.The correlation between the quality of life and the clinical measures of disease,in- cluding the Bath AS disease activity index(BASDAI),Bath AS functional index(BASFI),Bath AS metrology index(BASMI),patient's global assessment(PGA),spinal inflammation,total back pain,nocturnal back pain, and enthesis index(EI),were determined.Results The patients with active AS reported significant decreased scores on all dimensions of SF-36.The score of physical health components was poorer than that of mental health components.BASFI was the strongest factor correlated with the score of SF-36,followed by BASDAI and PGA.BASMI and total back pain were correlated with three dimensions only.In multivariate regression analysis,BASFI showed relative closer relationship to the qulity of life with active AS than other clinical mea- sures of disease and it accounted for 50.3%,35.2% and 47.9% of the variance in the physical health compo- nents,the mental health components and the overall score of SF-36,respectively.Conclusion The quality of life in patients with active AS is significantly declined compared with general population.The physical aspects seem to be more severely affected.Functional status of the patients with active AS are correlated with the quality of life closely.

Carcinoma ; genetics ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Male ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; Spectral Karyotyping ; methods

OBJECTIVETo observe the impact of inducing the formation of the post-moxibustion sore on the efficacy of bronchial asthma treated with scarring moxibustion.

METHODSThree hundred and seventy-two cases diag nosed definitely as bronchial asthma at remission stage were randomly divided into a modified nursing group (248 cases) and a conventional nursing group (124 cases). The scarring moxibustion was applied at Dazhui (GV 14), Feishu (BL 13), Danzhong (CV 17) and Tiantu (CV 22) in either group. The direct moxibustion with moxa cone was adopted. In modified nursing group, 0.5% Iodine was used for the sterilization at moxa abscess. The herbal plaster was cut into an inverted triangle and compressed on the wound. After suppuration, the fester was not cleaned in each dressing change. Additionally, the patients were advised to have high-protein diets after moxibus tion till abscess dropped. In conventional nursing group, 0.5% Iodine was used for the sterilization at moxa abscess. The herbal plaster was cut into a round shape that could cover completely the moxa wound. After suppuration, in each dressing change, the wound was cleaned and sterilized. Additionally, the patients were advised to avoid any stimulating food after moxibustion till abscess dropped. The clinical efficacy, the change of C3 content in blood serum and the clinical symptom score were observed in two groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 93.5% (232/248) in modified nursing group, which was better than 79.0% (98/124) in conventional nursing group (P < 0.01). C3 content increased apparently after treatment as compared with that before treatment in either group (both P < 0.01), but C3 level increased much more apparently in modified nursing group as compared with that in conventional nursing group (P < 0.01). The clinical symptom score reduced apparently after treatment in either group (both P < 0.01), but that reduced much more apparently in modified nursing group as compared with that in conventional nursing group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIn the treatment of bronchial asthma with scarring moxibustion, to induce the formation of the post-moxibustion sore achieves the better clinical efficacy as compared with conventional nursing.

Acupuncture Points ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asthma ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of -1C/T single nucleotide polymorphism within Annexin A5 gene in the genetic susceptibility to coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP).

METHODSFour hundred and seventy CWP Han chinese patients and 428 Han chinese controls were enclosed in present case-control study. All subjects were exposed to coal dusts. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to detect the -1C/T SNP in Annexin A5 gene for all subjects. The relationship between the -1C/T SNP in Annexin A5 gene and CWP was analyzed.

RESULTSCT/TT genotype in -1C/T SNP was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CWP, as compared with the CC genotype among subgroups exposed to coal dusts for ≥ 27 years (adjusted OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.44 - 0.98, P = 0.039) and patients with CWP at stage II (adjusted OR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.34 - 0.90, P = 0.028).

CONCLUSIONThe results of present study suggest that the Annexin A5 -1C/T polymorphism may be involved in the development of CWP in Han Chinese coal miners.

Aged ; Annexin A5 ; genetics ; Anthracosis ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Objective To study the risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients before and after treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antago- nists.Methods RA and AS patients treated with TNF antagonists infliximab and etanercept between 2003 and 2006 were followed up for the risk of TB infection.The protein purified derivative (PPD) test and chest anteroposterior and lateral view X-ray were done at screening for all these patients.Results Among 67 RA patients screened,1 was PPD positive.One patient developed right supraclavicular lymph node TB 4 months after study completion.Among 203 AS patients screened,27 patients were PPD positive,2 had calcified pul- monary TB foci and 2 had pulmonary TB.PPD positive rates and calcified TB foci or active TB found in RA and AS patients screened were significantly lower than national TB infection rates and prevalence (P＜0.01). Conclusion In this short-term clinical observation,increased risk of TB infection was not found after TNF antagonists treatment in RA and AS patients.However,it is necessary to screen patients for signs of TB infec- tion before TNF antagonists treatment.

OBJECTIVEThe main purpose of this work was to give the evidence of reasonable and feasible dust control measures which will be taken in the future by analyzing the trend of dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 and identifying working faces with the severe dust contamination in one underground iron mine.

METHODSThe data was from routine monitoring between the years 1991 and 2010, which enclosed the total dust concentrations and silica contents. China National Standard of Occupational exposure limits for hazardous agents in the workplace used to judge whether the dust concentration exceeded the National Standard.

RESULTSThe general trend of total dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 was decreased, especially maximum and average levels. The highest exceeding rate was 43.16% in 1993 and the best years were 2009 and 2010, but the exceeding rates were still over 30%. The dust exposure levels varied with different work faces. The mining and supporting were the most severe dust pollution faces which the highest ultra exceeding rates were 51.61% and 51.48% and the maximum exceeding times were 64.6 and 16.4 respectively. The next was constructing face with 40.23% exceeding rate and 24.6 times more than standard.

CONCLUSIONThe trend of total dust concentration from 1991 to 2010 was decreased, but the dust exceeding rate was still high. The strong measures should be taken to control the dust pollution in this iron mine, especially mining and supporting faces.

Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Dust ; analysis ; Environmental Monitoring ; Iron ; analysis ; Mining ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) combined with general anesthesia or controlled hypotension on hippocampal neuronal damage and the inflammatory response in peripheral circulation and central nervous system (CNS) after surgery, and to investigate its brain protection mechanism.

METHODSEighteen healthy male beagles aged 6 - 8 months were randomly divided into a general anesthesia group (group G), a controlled hypotension group (group C) and a compound anesthesia acupuncture group (group A), 6 cases in each group. Dogs in group G was anesthetized by isoflurane inhalation, and group C was combined with intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside based on isoflurane inhalation to induce hypotension, and followed surgery after achieving the target blood pressure, and group A was combined with TEAS at "Quchi" (LI 11), "Hegu" (LI 4) "Zu sanli" (ST 36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) based on controlled hypotension, and then brain tissue was taken out on the 72 h after mean arterial pressure (MAP) was returned to baseline levels. The concentration of IL-1beta,TNF-alpha in serum at different time points were detected by ELISA. The expression of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, Bcl-2, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were measured by immunohistochemistry, and the apoptosis of hippocampus were detected by TUNEL.

RESULTS(1) At different time points, the concentration of TNFalpha showed the trend of increase first and then decrease, while IL-1beta concentration represented a trend of decrease first and then increase in both group C and group A, but there were no significant differences in cytokine expression between the two groups (all P > 0.05). (2) The ratio of positive cells of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and caspase-3 in CA1 and CA3 of hippocampus in both group C and A were higher than those in group G (all P < 0.01), and cytokines expression in group A were lower than those in group C (all P < 0.01), and caspase-3 in CA1 in group A was lower than that in group C (P < 0.01). The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in both group C and A were lower than that in group G (all P < 0.01), and that in group A was higher than that in group C (P < 0.01 in CA1, P < 0.05 in CA3). (3) The apoptosis index (AI) of hippocampal neurons in both group C and A was significantly higher than that in group G (P < 0.01), while AI in CA1 in group A was lower than that in group C (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe TEAS can regulate the expression of inflammatory factor in hippocampus in animals undergoing general anesthesia or con trolled hypotension surgery, further improving Bcl-2/Bax ratio, inhibiting the expression of caspase-3 and reducing neuron apoptosis in hippocampus so as to play a neuroprotection.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Acupuncture Points ; Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Dogs ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; immunology ; surgery ; Humans ; Hypotension, Controlled ; Inflammation ; genetics ; immunology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Interleukin-1beta ; genetics ; immunology ; Male ; Neurons ; cytology ; immunology ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; immunology

Drug delivery system (DDS) is a novel approach to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumors nowadays. This work was designed to investigate a new micellar delivery system for in vitro reversal of resistant ovarian tumor cells, based on a nonionic triblock copolymer Pluronic P105 and paclitaxel (PTX). The PTX-loaded polymeric micelles (P105/PTX) were prepared by thin film-hydration methods. Based on the results of single factor experiments, the P105/PTX micelle formulation was optimized by employing the central composite design-response surface methodology. The physico-chemical properties of the P105/PTX micelles were characterized, including micelle size, drug loading coefficient, in vitro release behavior, etc. The cytotoxicity of the P105/PTX micelles was assessed against human ovarian tumor cell line, SKOV-3/PTX, by a standard 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl (MTT) assay. In order to understand the possible mechanism of Pluronic effects in resistant tumor cells, cellular uptake study of micellar PTX or Rhodamine-123 (R-123) was also carried out. The results showed that the micelle size was about 24 nm with drug loading coefficient of 1.1% and PTX concentration of 700 microg x mL(-1). The cumulative release amount of PTX from the P105/PTX micelles was only 45.4% in 6 h (P < 0.05) and 79.6% in 24 h, whereas Taxol injection in 6 h released 95.2% PTX. The IC50 values of the P105/PTX micelles and Taxol injection against SKOV-3/PTX were 1.14 and 5.11 microg x mL(-1), and resistance reversion index (RRI) was 9.65 and 2.15, respectively. The micellar PTX or R-123 exhibited a significant increase in cellular uptake in resistant SKOV-3/PTX cells compared with free PTX or R-123. These results indicated that PTX could effectively be solubilized by Pluronic P105 block copolymers via thin film-hydration process and formulation optimization, producing nano-scale polymeric micelles with sustained release property in vitro. The P105/PTX micelles were effectively able to reverse resistance to PTX in SKOV-3/PTX tumor cells compared with Taxol injection or free PTX solution, and the enhanced cytotoxicity in the resistant SKOV-3/PTX cell was related to the improved cellular uptake of PTX by Pluronic P105 copolymers.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Carriers ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; drug effects ; Excipients ; chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Micelles ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Particle Size ; Poloxamer ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence rate of upper respiratory tract group A Streptococcus (GAS) carriage in school-age children from Xinjiang Province.

METHODSA total of 478 children at age of 9-12 years from Tulufan City and Buerjin County of Xinjiang Province were enrolled by random cluster sampling. Throat swab cultures were performed once each season for the determination of presence of GAS.

RESULTSIn the 1 827 samples, 196 GAS strains were isolated, with a GAS carrier rate of 10.7%. The prevalence rate of GAS carrier in Tulufan City ranged from 3.7%-16.5% compared with 4.7%-21.4% in Buerjin County (P < 0.05). The prevalence rate of GAS carrier in winter is the highest, followed by in autumn, spring and summer in both regions. There were significant differences in the GAS carriage rate in autumn between the two regions. There were no significant differences in the GAS carriage rate between boys and girls. Of the 196 GAS strains, 133 from Han, 22 from Uygur and 41 from Hazakh children. There were significant differences in the prevalence rate of GAS carriage among children with different ethic groups.

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence rate of GAS carriage is high in school-age children from Tulufan and Buerjin of Xinjiang Province. The GAS carrier rate is associated with the season and ethic group. The children from Buerjin County present a higher GAS carrier rate than those from Tulufan City.

Carrier State ; microbiology ; Child ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Respiratory System ; microbiology ; Streptococcus pyogenes ; isolation & purification

Objective To evaluate the life quality of patients with SLE, present nursing problem, make nursing intervention, to improve patient' life quality. Methods 100 patients were asked with the K. P. Leong QOL questionnaire and SLE DAI scoring table. Evaluated the general situation of patient, and analyzed all the data. Results SLE affected the QOL of patients slightly to mildly. Fever and hypocalcemia were highly correlated with the whole score of questionnaire (P <0. 05); Duration and activity index were not correlated with the whole score of questionnaire (P >0. 05). Conclusions Adequate exercise, reducing the relapse of SLE, enhancing the care towards fever, fatigue and adverse gastrointestinal symptoms, increasing the number of professional workers of Rheumatology, intensifying the propaganda and education, and reinforcing the psychological supports, those six aspects would enhance the QOL of SLE.