Objective To discuss the application of bare-stent“chimney”technique in treating aortic dissection associated with left common carotid rupture, and to evaluate its therapeutic effect. Methods The clinical data of 7 patients with aortic dissection accompanied with left common carotid rupture, who were admitted to Qinghai Provincial People’s Hospital during the period from February 2012 to March 2014 to receive endovascular isolation operation treatment with bare-stent “chimney” technique, were retrospectively analyzed. When the rupture of aortic dissection was occluded with covered-stent, the left common carotid rupture was isolated with “chimney”bare-stent to reconstruct the blood flow of left common carotid artery. CT angiography was performed 2 weeks after the operation to check if there was any complication such as endoleak, stent migration, etc. Results The technical success rate of endovascular isolation operation was 100%. No type I endoleak occurred. The patients were followed up for 1-13 months, the covered stent in the aorta was in good position, and the “chimney” bare-stent in the left common carotid artery was patent. No complications such as endoleak, stent migration, etc. occurred. Conclusion Bare-stent“chimney”technology can provide treatment opportunity for the patients suffering from left common carotid artery rupture accompanied by aortic dissection; the rupture can be completely obstructed and the blood flow can be reconstructed. The short-term effect is satisfactory, although the long-term effect needs to be further studied.

Objective To study the effect of heat-clearing and detoxicating remedy on the Level of Serum Hs-CRP, WBC and homocysteine in patients with Atherosclerosis. Methods 50 patients were be selected and randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treated group was treated with SanHuang pill for 2 weeks in addition to the basal treatment of western medicine, and the control group was treated with western medicine. The level of serum hs-CRP, WBC and homocysteinemia were observed. Results The level of serum Hs-CRP, WBC and homocysteinemia declined in different extent after treated by SanHuang pill, the treated group showed a better result than the control group. Conclusions Heat-clearing and detoxicating remedy can reduce the level of serum Hs-CRP and homocysteine.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided percutaneous celiac plexus block (NCPB) using 25 G controllable curved needle together with 22 G straight needle in treating refractory carcinomatous upper abdominal pain. Methods A total of 18 patients with advanced refractory carcinomatous upper abdominal pain were enrolled in this study. The carcinomatous upper abdominal pain failed to the three-step analgesic therapy. Guided by CT scan, percutaneous injection of ethanol with a 25 G controllable curved needle to destroy celiac plexus was carried out in all patients. According to WHO pain relief standards, the relieving degree of pain was evaluated before NCPB and 2 weeks, one, 2, 3 and 6 months after NCPB. The results were analyzed. Results The technical success rate was 100%. The short-term (within 2 weeks) efficacy rate was 88.8%and the complete remission rate was 38.8%. The long-term (over 3 months) efficacy rate was 50% and the complete remission rate was 20%. No severe complications occurred. Conclusion For refractory carcinomatous upper abdominal pain, CT-guided percutaneous celiac plexus block is a simple, safe and effective treatment.

BACKGROUND: Brain-awakening nasal sprayer is composed of many herbs,such as Chuanxiong and Shichangpu, which were regarded by "Shennong Bencaojing" as having the function of "preventing stroke in the brain".OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes of free radicals and nitric oxide synthase in rat brain following focal ischemic-reperfusional injury due to brain-awakening nasal sprayer intervention and compare with that due to classical nimodipine.DESIGN: A randomized controlled study.SETTING: Department of internal medicine of a hospital affiliated to a traditional Chinese medical university.MATERIALS: Seventy adult male Wistar rats of clean grade, were randomly divided into seven groups: brain-awakening nasal sprayer of higher dosage group, moderate dosage group, lower dosage group, nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group, physical saline nasal sprayer group, menstruum nasal sprayer group, and sham operation group with 10 rats in each.METHODS: Focal brain ischemia-reperfusion model was established by blocking the left cerebral middle artery in rats of all the groups except sham operation group. Three days before model establishment and during reperfusion, rats were given different dosages of brain-awakening nasal sprayer composed of Chuanxiongqin and Shichangpu of 5.4, 2.7, 1.08 mg/(kg · d) and 1.35, 0. 54, 0.27 g/(kg· d), respectively, three times a day; which was replaced by physical saline and menstruum nasal sprayer of 0. 18 mL/ (kg · d),three times a day in physical saline nasal sprayer group and menstruum nasal sprayer group; rats in nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group received intraperitoneal injection of nimodipine by 0. 8 mg/(kg · d) twice a day. Rats in sham operation group were routinely raised. The content of prodialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide synthase were measured with colorimetric method.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① The changes of prodialdehyde content, superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide synthase activity in rat brain following focal ischemic-reperfusional injury in groups of different dosage of brain-awakening nasal sprayer and other groups. ② Comparison between different dosage brain-awakening nasal sprayer intervention groups and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group.RESULTS: Eight rats died during model establishment and the other 62 rats entered the results analysis. ① Content of prodialdehyde: It was significantly lower in higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group than in physical saline nasal sprayer group [ (0.92 ± 0. 32), (0. 87 ± 0. 39)vs(1.35 ±0. 34) μmol/g, P ＜ 0.05], but there was no difference between higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group. ② Activity of superoxide dismutase: It was obviously higher in higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group than in physical saline nasal sprayer group[ (35.64 ± 11.67), (33.88 ± 7. 15) vs(20. 70 ± 3.88) NU/mg,P ＜ 0. 05 ], but no difference could be observed between higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group. ③ Activity of nitric oxide synthase and superoxide dismutase: It was found obviously higher in higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group than in physical saline nasal sprayer group[ (4.64 ± 1.22), (5.00 ± 1.10) vs (3.08 ± 1.12) mkat/g, P ＜ 0.05], but no difference could be observed between higher dosage group and nimodipine intraperitoneal injection group.④ The activity of nitric oxide synthase and superoxide dismutase slightly increased while prodialdehyde slightly decreased in moderate dosage group,lower dosage group and menstruum nasal sprayer group, which did not differ significantly from physical saline nasal sprayer group.CONCLUSION: Brain-awakening nasal sprayer intervention exerts multiple effects such as preventing lipo-peroxidation following brain ischemic- reperfusional injury, in addition to suppressing prodialdehyde production, attenuating injury induced by free radicals and increasing nitric oxide synthase activity, thereby playing a similar role to nimodipine in protecting against brain ischemic-reperfusionaldamage

Objective To study the effects of Naoxing Nasal Spray(NNS)on ultrastructure of brain tissues i n rats with focal cerebral ischemia -reperfusion inj ury(CIRI ).Methods Thirty Wistar rats were randomly all ocated to 6groups:Group A(treated with high dose of NNS ),Group B(treated with moderate dose of NNS),Group C(treated with low dose of NNS ),Group D(positive control group),Group E (treated with normal saline)and Group F (normal group).After medication for 3days,rat models of CIRI were established by the occlusion of left mid dle cerebral artery.Ultrastructur e of left fore-head cortical tissue was observed un der electron microscope after one -h our ischemia and 24-hour reperfusio n.Results The injury of neurons,gliocytes and capillaries in Group A and Group B was obviously milder than that in Group E and that in Group A was the mildest,the differences being not significant as compared with that in Group D.Conclusion NNS can reduce the ischemic damage of cerebr al cortex and obviously protect cere bral tissues in rats with CIRI.

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of Chlamydia pneumonia (Cpn) infection on haemorheology and atherosclerosis and the intervention of Huanglian Jiedu decoction (HJT).

METHODAt the beginning of the experiment, all the sixty New-Zealand rabbits were token blood to test Cpn IgG and all the results were negative. Eight New-Zealand rabbits were randomized into normal group F, and all other rabbits were fed with forage containing 2.5 g x kg(-1) cholesterol and infected with Cpn via nasophrynx for three times during 6 weeks. At the end of the sixth week, forty-four rabbits with serum Cpn IgG positive were randomized into four groups: Group A treat with HJD 2 g x kg(-1) d(-1) by gastric gavage, group B with HJT 1 g x kg(-1) x d(-1), group C with azithromycin 20 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), model group D with normal saline for six weeks. Group E was set up in eight rabbits with serum Cpn IgG negative and served as the control. At the end of 18th week, blood was token from middle ear artery to test haemorheology such as whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, haematocrit, erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI), erythrocyte rigidity index (IRI), and erythrocyte deformability index (EDI). After that, all the rabbits were executed and the pathological features of aorta tissue were observe under microscope.

RESULTHaemorheological disorder and atherosclerotic changes were obvious in both group D and E. while maximum intimal thickness (MIT) (23.65 +/- 8.19 vs 12.76 +/- 4.06), atherosclerotic damage percentage (P(LCI)) (41.08 +/- 12.51 vs 22.43 +/- 9.45), plaque area index (I(PA)) (9.57 +/- 1.82 vs 2.84 +/- 0.25) in group D was much higher than that in group E (all P < 0.01). Compare with group D, haemorphological disorder and atherosclerotic changes were much improved in group A, B and C. MIT (6.45 +/- 1.27 vs 23.65 +/- 8.19), (P < 0.01), P(LCI) (22.39 +/- 6.74 vs 41.08 +/- 12.51), (P < 0.05) and I(PA) (1.44 +/- 0.33 vs 9.57 +/- 1.82), (P < 0.01) in group A was much lower than that in group D. And MIT (12.65 +/- 3.63 vs 23.65 +/- 8.19), (P < 0.01) and I(PA) (4.43 +/- 1.17 vs 9.57 +/- 1.82), (P < 0.05) in gruoup B was much lower than that in group D too.

CONCLUSIONCpn infection could aggravate the haemorheology disorder in cholesterol-supplemented-diet rabbits, and both antidotal decoction of Coptis and azithromycin can alleviate it.

Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Chlamydophila Infections ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; physiology ; Cholesterol ; blood ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Hemorheology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation

Female ; Humans ; Breast Neoplasms/surgery* ; Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms ; Mastectomy ; Medical Oncology

【Objective】 To investigate the improvement of signal uniformity in cardiac magnetic resonance image by adjusting the transmit gain (TG). 【Methods】 For this study we recruited 11 volunteers for cardiac MR scans between July and September 2018. The scanner of US GE Discovery 750 3.0T superconducting MRI was used. We divided the volunteers into normal group and overweight group according to their individual BMI index. The imaging sequences consisted of the black blood double inversion recovery sequence (T1 weighted image and T2 weighted image) and breath-holding black blood three-inversion recovery sequence (FST1 weighted image and FST2 weighted image). All sequences were performed across different TG values, including 150, 160, 170, 180, and 190. The images’ quality was scored by two experienced radiologists using a four-point system based on the blinding principle. The paired variance analysis was made to compare the image quality of different TG groups. 【Results】 We observed consistent results in both normal and overweight groups. The optimal TG value was 160 for black blood triple inversion recovery sequence and 170 for black blood double inversion recovery sequence. 【Conclusion】 Adjusting the TG value can improve the signal uniformity of the myocardium, thereby improving the quality of images.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants have made COVID-19 convalescents susceptible to re-infection and have raised concern about the efficacy of inactivated vaccination in neutralization against emerging variants and antigen-specific B cell response. To this end, a study on a long-term cohort of 208 participants who have recovered from COVID-19 was conducted, and the participants were followed up at 3.3 (Visit 1), 9.2 (Visit 2), and 18.5 (Visit 3) months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. They were classified into three groups (no-vaccination (n = 54), one-dose (n = 62), and two-dose (n = 92) groups) on the basis of the administration of inactivated vaccination. The neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers against the wild-type virus continued to decrease in the no-vaccination group, but they rose significantly in the one-dose and two-dose groups, with the highest NAb titers being observed in the two-dose group at Visit 3. The NAb titers against the Delta variant for the no-vaccination, one-dose, and two-dose groups decreased by 3.3, 1.9, and 2.3 folds relative to the wild-type virus, respectively, and those against the Omicron variant decreased by 7.0, 4.0, and 3.8 folds, respectively. Similarly, the responses of SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific B cells and memory B cells were boosted by the second vaccine dose. Results showed that the convalescents benefited from the administration of the inactivated vaccine (one or two doses), which enhanced neutralization against highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants and memory B cell responses. Two doses of inactivated vaccine among COVID-19 convalescents are therefore recommended for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic, and vaccination guidelines and policies need to be updated.