Objective To understand websites of public hospitals in China.Methods Website search and appraisal were called into play to analyze the percentage and present conditions of websites built by public hospitals in Shanghai,Hubei Province and Gansu Province.Rusults The study found websites in less than 55％ of the public hospitals in these three areas.Those websites in operation provide instant information on hospitals and medical services,yet their online service functions are less satisfactory and website levels vary sharply.Conclusion The authors recommend the Chinese government encourage public hospitals to build websites and enhance their online services.

BACKGROUND:Previous experiment has confirmed that the nitinol artificial esophagus is an artificial succedaneum which can be used for replacing an esophagus resected and rebuilding esophageal tube.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the tissue reaction of the neo-esophagus and the adjacent organs injury contacted with the nitinol artificial esophagus after replacement.
METHODS:Eight miniature pigs were selected and modeled by resection of a 70 mm segment of the thoracic esophagus. After modeling, the nitinol artificial esophagus was inserted into the proximal and distal end of the thoracic esophagus at an insert distance of about 10 mm. After that, the nitinol artificial esophagus with polyester connecting ring was sewed into the thoracic esophagus in a manner of ful-thickness anastomosis. After operation, the pigs were subjected to feeding regulation measures to control the shedding time of the artificial esophagus. Two model pigs were sacrificed for anatomical observation at 1, 2, 3, 4 months postoperatively, respectively. The tissue reaction during the neo-esophagus formed procedure and adjacent organs injury contacted with the nitinol artificial esophagus were observed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Al pigs survived without complications such as thoracic hemorrhage, pneumothorax, pyothorax, esophageal perforation and anastomotic leakage. The experimental animals with the nitinol artificial esophagus fixed in situ had no dysphagia for eating semisolids food (Bown’SⅡ). Autopsy findings showed that there was slight membrane-like adhesion between partial pleura and lung. No hydrothorax was found. The nitinol artificial esophagus was wrapped up by the neo-esophagus. There was slight membrane-like adhesion between the neo-esophagus and the adjacent organs such as the lung, aorta and esophageal mucosa. The esophageal mucosa covered the neo-esophageal entocoele from esophageal stumps to intermedius of neo-esophagus until completely covered. Histological findings of the neo-esophagus showed that in imbed cycle of the nitinol artificial esophagus the tissue reaction showed aseprtic inflammation reaction and foreign body reaction around the implant. These tissue reactions were most severe at 1 month after operation and thereafter relieved gradual y.

Argentina ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Hemophilia A ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Russia ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; United States ; epidemiology ; Urban Population

A Monte Carlo model for optical coherence tomography of human skin is proposed. The new model includes importance sampling technique which is designed to suit for the multi-layer human skin, new rules for back scattered photon classification are correspondingly proposed. Based on the new simulation model, we analyzed the focusing of Gaussian beam through skin and the maximum detecting depth of optical coherence tomography. The experimental results show that there exists focus distortion when beam propagates in skin, including focus shift and diffusion. Object lens with greater NA will lower the maximum detecting depth of optical coherence tomography.
Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; Monte Carlo Method ; Photons ; Skin ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

Objective To explore the expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling and its correlation with the progression of acute intestinal graft-versus-host disease (iGVHD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice.Method Recipient BALB/c female mice were lethally irradiated and were reconstituted within 4-6 h with a transplant of bone marrow cells (1 × 107) and different amounts of splenocytes (1 × 107,n =12 or 2 × 107,n =12) from MHC-mismatched C57BL/6 donors to induce iGVHD,and 6 healthy BALB/c mice served as controls.A globe survey observation of GVHD by survival,clinical manifestation,and histological detection was performed.RT-PCR,immunohistochemistry,and Western blotting technology were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB p65 in the small intestine tissue.Result The exacerbation of iGVHD was associated with the increasing dose of allogeneic spleen lymphocytes.The mRNA expression of TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κBp65 was increased as the iGVHD progressed.All of them in severe iGVHD model were significantly increased as compared with the healthy controls (P＜0.05).The expression of corresponding proteins had the same tendency as mRNA.All of the three genes expression was not only positively correlated with each other,but also with the clinical GVHD score:TLR4 (R =0.814,P＜0.001),MyD88 (R=0.828,P＜0.001),and NF-κB p65 (R=0.568,P =0.034).Conclusion Excessive activation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway does exist in iGVHD,and the enhanced levels of gene transcription and translation are positively correlated with the deterioration of iGVHD.

Objective To investigate the tendency of diapause symptoms in breast cancer patients during their chemotherapy. Method Sixty-four breast cancer patients with chemotherapy participated in the study by using Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the cancer fatigue scale (CFS), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) to assess their sleep, fatigue, anxiety and depression at every first day from the second course to sixth one of chemotherapy. Results The diapause symptoms including fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression varied with the therapeutic course progressing. The conditions in sleep quality, fatigue and depression were the poorest at the diapause of the fourth course and the condition of anxiety was the poorest at the diapause of the third course. Conclusion The medical staff should attach importance to the patients'physical and mental problems brought by the process of chemotherapy, strengthen the regulation of psychosomatic symptoms during chemotherapic diapause, and give reasonable control and intervention before the symptoms deteriorating.

Aluminium (Al) toxicity is one of the major limiting factors for barley production on acid soils. It inhibits root cell division and elongation, thus reducing water and nutrient uptake, consequently resulting in poor plant growth and yield. Plants tolerate Al either through external resistance mechanisms, by which Al is excluded from plant tissues or internal tolerance mechanisms, conferring the ability of plants to tolerate Al ion in the plant symplasm where Al that has permeated the plasmalemma is sequestered or converted into an innocuous form. Barley is considered to be most sensitive to Al toxicity among cereal species. Al tolerance in barley has been assessed by several methods, such as nutrient solution culture, soil bioassay and field screening. Genetic and molecular mapping research has shown that Al tolerance in barley is controlled by a single locus which is located on chromosome 4H. Molecular markers linked with Al tolerance loci have been identified and validated in a range of diverse populations. This paper reviews the (1) screening methods for evaluating Al tolerance, (2) genetics and (3) mechanisms underlying Al tolerance in barley.

OBJECTIVETo study the natural progress of different degree chronic periodontitis and its association with IL-1B-511 genetic polymorphisms. METHODS; 100 subjects with chronic periodontitis were selected and examined at baselined and in the 6 month and in 1 year on attatchment loss at 6 sites of each tooth. DNA samples were obtained with buccal swabbing technique and were further analyzed for IL-1B-511 genotype polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP-based method in all subjects.

RESULTSThe mean AL increases were 1.43 mm within 1 year. Among 100 subjects, 16 patients with moderate progression (0 mm < AL increase/a year < or = 1.0 mm), 84 patients with rapid progression of periodontal disease (AL increase/ a year > 1.0 mm). There was no significant difference for the distribution and frequency of IL-1B-511 genotype and alleles between the AL increase/ a year > 1.0 mm group and AL increase/a year < or = 1.0 mm group. The progression of periodontal disease (AL increase/a year > 1.0 mm group) was significantly higher in the non-severe chronic periodontitis group than in the severe group (P < 0.05). The percentage of molar was higher as far as the rapid-progress sites (AL increase > 2.0 mm both in the 6th and the 12th months examination) were concerned than that of premolar and anterior (P < 0.05). The number of progressed sites in the severe group was higher than the non-severe chronic periodontitis group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe progress of chronic periodontits varies individually. No specific relationship was found between the progression of chronic periodontitis and IL-1 gene polymorphisms.

Adult ; Alleles ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Interleukin-1 ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontitis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

Objective A scientific evaluation of hospital culture with the Dimension organizational culture model, in view of features of China's general public hospitals.Methods Based on Denison model, according to the characteristics of the public general hospitals in China, the authors developed a tool for organizational culture assessment (TOCA) by using the survey data from 87 hospitals in three provinces from the East, Central, and West areas in China.Results This tool, an evaluation scale, comprises the four cultural characteristics of direction, consistency, participation, and adaptability, as well as 13 cultural dimensions of social responsibility and competitive consciousness. The tool is tested as having good internal reliability and validity.Conclusion The TOCA provides hospital administrators with a tool for hospital culture evaluation, diagnosis and improvement.

Objective To investigate whether allocardiac graft acceptance in the specific NF-κB impaired mice is due to regulatory T cell(Tr) and Th17 cells.Methods Mice abdominal heterotopic cardiac transplantation was performed and then divided in to control group(BALB/c→C57BL/6) and experimental group(BALB/c→IκBα/△N-Tg).Pretransplant and at day 7,30,100 posttransplant,spleens were harvested from the IκBα△ N-Tg mice,and then the Tr were detected by the fluorescence activated cell sorter.At day 5 posttransplant,the CD4 + Th17 cells from the spleens of the two groups were examined by the FACS.Additionally,at day 3 and 5 posttransplant,IL-17 expressed in the cardiac allograft was detected by Western blot.Results In the IκBα/ N-Tg mice group,the cardiac allografts were survived more than day 100,and without obviously lymphocytes infiltration.At the day 7 and 30 posttransplant,the Tr was obviously increased(21.23 ± 3.95,23.17 ± 4.11 vs 11.64 ± 1.96,P ＜ 0.05); however,the Tr decreased at the day 100 posttransplant,and had no difference with before transplant(10.79 ±2.48 vs 11.64 ± 1.96,P ＞0.05).Compared with the control group,at day 5 posttransplant,CD4+ Th17 cells in the IκBα/N-Tg mice and IL-17 expression of the cardiac allograft were both decreased.Conclusion In the early stage after transplantation,specific T cell NF-κB impaired could abrogate the balance of the Tr and Th17 cells,and induce the T cells differentiated into Tr and inhibit the Th17 cells differentiation,and then induce tolerance.