Objective To investigate the existence of neglect and explore the relationship between spacial attentional deficits and hemisphere in patients with schizophrenia. Methods 51 schizophrenic patients and 55 healthy controls were measured with line bisection test and number bisection test、 Results In the Line Bisection Test,shcizophrenic patients group showed a negative deviation, in which the 2cm line( -0.03 ± 0. 74 )% and mean ( - 0. 02 ± 0. 03 ) % deviation rates were more significantly leftward than that of the normals ( ( 0. 00 ±0.02 ) %, ( - 0.00 ± - 0.01 ) %, P ＜ 0. 05 ) respectively. The mean deviation rates of the patients (P ＜ 0. 01 ) and control groups (P ＜ 0. 05 ) were also significantly leftward compared with zero value. In the number bisection test,schizophrenic patients group showed a negative deviation and a significant leftward bias on the interval 5 ( - 0.07 ±0.18)% ,7( -0.08 ±0.22)% and 9( -0.09 ±0.28)% ) than that of the normals(( -0.01 ±0.05)% ,(0.01± 0. 08 ) % and (0.00 ± 0.14 ) %, P ＜ 0.05 respectively). Conclusion Schizophrenic patients have a right-neglect, suggesting that spacial attentional deficits exist, and it may be related to the left cerebral hemisphere dysfunction.

Objective To compare the results of the anterior approach (AA) with the conventional approach in the treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods We searched the Medline,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Wanfang database on randomized clinical controlled trials and non-randomized clinical controlled trials comparing AA with the CA in right hepatic resection for large hepatocellular carcinoma.The data were analyzed with the RevMan5 software.Results Five non-randomized clinical controlled trials (NRCTs) and three randomized clinical controlled trials involving 615 patients (304 in the AA group,311 in the CA group) were enrolled into the analysis.There was no significant difference in the operation time between the two groups.Compared with the CA,the AA had lower intraoperative blood loss (WMD=-680.2 ml; 95％CI,-1023.97～-336.43;P=0.0001),blood transfusion rate (OR=0.38;95％ CI,0.25～0.59;P＜0.0001),intraoperative tumor rupture (OR=0.33;95％CI,0.11～0.97;P=0.04),surgical complication (OR=0.59;95％CI,0.38 ～ 0.93 ; P =0.02),hospital mortality (OR =0.37 ; 95 ％ CI,0.21 ～ 0.67 ; P =0.0009),and hospital stay (WMD=-4.75 d;95％CI,-7.82～-1.67;P=0.002).Conclusion AA is superior to CA in the treatment of larger.The operation time is the same for the 2 approaches.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and effect of three-points ablation approach in in treatment of typical atrial flutter guided by CARTO. Methods Twenty-six patients with typical atrial flutter diagnosed by ECG and electrophysiological study (EPS) were enrolled in this study. Activation sequence mapping and linear ablation were performed in 11 patients (conventional group) . Three-points guided linear ablation with CARTO system was performed in another15 patients (three-points group) . Results There was no significant difference in the success rate between the two groups. Both the procedure and fluoroscopic time in three-points group were significantly shorter than that in conventional group [(72.66±29.82) vs (102.52±32.61) min;(4.26±2.76) vs (7.32±3.16) min] . Conclusions The three-points ablations approach is as safe and effective as conventional ablation approach in treatment of typical atrial flutter;however,the former can significantly shorten the procedure time and fluoroscopy time.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of catheter ablation of Para-Hisian Atrial Tachycardia guide by CARTO. Method Catheter ablation guided by CARTO was performed after activation map in three patients with Para-Hisian Atrial Tachycardia. Result Successful ablation was got at right atrial in two patients and at non-coronary in one patient. Conclusion Catheter ablation guided by CARTO is safe and efficient for Para-Hisian Atrial Tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to measure the concentration of adiponectin (APN) in serum and induced sputum in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD during acute exacerbation (AECOPD) and at stable stage and to determine the role of APN as a marker of inflammation in the pathogenesis of COPD. METHODS: All the patients in this prospective study were enrolled from October 2008 to October 2009, including 30 male AECOPD patients from the emergency department, 30 male stable COPD patients from the department of respiratory diseases, and 30 healthy non-smoking male controls from the department of medical examination. The serum and induced sputum were collected from each patient. All of the patients had normal weight (BMI range 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). Patients with severe bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis or autoimmune disease were excluded. Cell count and classification was performed for the induced sputum. The concentrations of APN, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. Pulmonary function was tested among the three groups. Comparisons between the groups were conducted by Student's t test, ANOVA analysis or nonparametric test. Correlation analysis was carried out by Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient test or Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient test. RESULTS: The concentrations of APN in the serum or induced sputum in AECOPD patients were significantly higher than those in stable COPD patients or healthy non-smoking controls (P<0.01). The concentration of APN in stable COPD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy non-smoking controls (P<0.01). For the AECOPD patients, APN was positively correlated with IL-8 and TNF-α in the serum and induced sputum (r=0.739, 0.734, 0.852, 0.857 respectively, P<0.05). For the stable COPD patients, APN was also positively correlated with IL-8 and TNF-α in the serum and induced sputum (r=0.751, 0.659, 0.707, 0.867 respectively, P<0.05). In addition, for the AECOPD patients, APN was positively correlated with the percentage of neutrophils in the induced sputum (r=0.439, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: APN is involved in the process of systematic and airway inflammation of COPD. This process is related to neutrophils in the airway, IL-8 and TNF-α. APN could be used as a new marker for inflammation of COPD.

BACKGROUND: As a cytokine highly expressed in internal organs, visfatin could be used as a biomarker of systemic inflammation response for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, but few studies have reported the use of visfatin in severe pneumonia. The present study was undertaken to determine the plasma levels of visfatin in patients with severe pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 70 patients, including 40 patients with severe pneumonia (group A) and 30 patients with non severe pneumonia (group B) who had been admitted to the ICU from June 2009 to June 2010, were enrolled in this prospective study. And another 30 healthy physical examinees served as healthy controls (group C). Patients were excluded if they suffered from severe diseases of the heart, brain and kidney, cancers, autoimmune diseases, or received special treatment in the latest month. The plasma levels of visfatin, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA, while the level of CRP was determined by immuneturbidimetry, and the routine blood test was performed. Blood gas analysis and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) were performed in patients with pneumonia. Comparisons between the groups were conducted by Student's t test, ANOVA or nonparametric test. Correlation analysis was carried out by Pearson's correlation test or Spearman's rank-order correlation test. RESULTS: The plasma level of visfatin in group A was significantly higher than that in groups B and C (P<0.001), and the level of visfatin in group B was significantly higher than that in group C (P<0.001). The plasma level of visfatin was positively correlated with CRP, TNF-α, APACHE II and PMN％ in patients with severe pneumonia (rho=0.653, r=0.554, r=0.558, r=0.484, respectively, P<0.05 for all), while it was negatively correlated with PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 (rho=?0.422, r=?0.543, respectively, P<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Visfatin may be involved in the systematic inflammation response in patients with severe pneumonia as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and it is valuable in assessing the severity of pneumonia..

Abstract: Objective To detect the polymorphisms of drug resistance-related genes pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 of Plasmodium vivax in lazan city in the China-Myanmar border, in order to guide the treatment plan of Plasmodium vivax. Methods A total of 48 Plasmodium vivax samples were collected from Lazan in the China-Myanmar border in 2007, and fragments of pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 genes were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The sequences were aligned with the Salvador I (Sal-I) strain reference genome sequences to determine the presence of SNPs. Results The target fragments of pvcrt-o gene were amplified from 39 Plasmodium vivax samples, while pvmdr1 genes were amplified from 40 samples. Amongst them, 25 samples had AAG insertion before the 10th amino acid (K10 insertion) of pvcrt-o gene, accounting for 64.1%. Non-synonymous mutations were detected at three loci of pvmdr1 gene (T958M, Y976F, and F1076L), the mutation rates were 100%, 22.5%, and 55.0%, respectively. There were three haplotypes of pvmdr1 gene, of which the triple mutant 958M/976F/1076L accounted for 22.5% (9/40), the double mutant 958M/Y976/1076L accounted for 32.5% (13/40), and the single mutant 958M/Y976/F1076 accounted for 45.0% (18/40). The proportion of strains with pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 gene mutation is 63.16%, which is significantly different from those only with pvmdr1 mutation. Conclusions The proportion of pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 gene mutation of 48 Plasmodium vivax isolates is high in the China-Myanmar border, and there is a certain degree of correlation between the two gene mutations. To assess changes in Plasmodium vivax drug resistance in this region, it is required to improve the surveillance of these two molecular markers.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on MDM2 gene expression in astrocytoma cell line SHG-44, and to provide basic data for further research on the progression mechanism and gene therapy of human astrocytoma.

METHODSThe differential expressions of MDM2 gene and protein in SHG-44 cells were detected by cDNA microarray and Western blot, respectively, before and after treatment of ATRA. The expressions of MDM2 protein in WHO grade II and grade IV astrocytomas were determined by immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase method. Some differentially expressed genes were selected randomly for Northern blot analysis.

RESULTSThe intensity ratio of ATRA-treated to untreated SHG-44 cell was 0.37 in the cDNA microarray, suggesting that the expression of MDM2 gene was down-regulated in SHG-44 cells after treatment with ATRA. Some genes differentially expressed in the microarray were confirmed by Northern blot. Western blot demonstrated that the optical density ratios of MDM2 to beta-actin in ATRA-treated and untreated SHG-44 were 14.02+/-0.35 and 21.40+/-0.58 (t = 24.728, P = 0.000), respectively, suggesting that the expression of MDM2 protein was inhibited in ATRA-treated SHG-44 cells. Moreover, the percentages of MDM2-positive protein were 24.00% (6/25) and 56.52% (13/23) (chi(2) = 5.298, P = 0.021) in WHO grade II and grade IV astrocytomas, respectively, suggesting that the expression of MDM2 protein may increase along with the elevation of astrocytoma malignancy.

CONCLUSIONATRA can inhibit MDM2 gene expression in SHG-44 cells, and MDM2 is related to astrocytoma progression.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Astrocytoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Size ; drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Humans ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo study the accuracy of position estimation of right-sided double-lumen endobronchial tubes (DLTs) without carinal hook in elderly patients according to the changes of inspiratory peak airway pressure (Ppeak), lung compliance (Cdyn), pressure-volume loop (P-V loop), and flow-volume loop (F-V loop).

METHODSNinety-six elderly patients undergoing thoracic surgery were intubated with right-sided Mallinckrodt DLTs, the depth of which was determined based on the regressive equation. After 15 min of two lung ventilation (TLV), the Ppeak showed a more than 50% increase from the baseline in 22 patients when switching to one lung ventilation (OLV) with Cdyn less than 50% of the baseline and Ppeak in excess of 22 cmH(2)O. In these 22 cases, the position of the DLT was determined by fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB) and adjusted to the precise position at 15 min of OLV.

RESULTSDLTs were inserted into the right middle bronchi in 19 cases and the right lower lobe bronchi in 3 cases. At 124-/+39 s after OLV, the SpO(2) began to decrease, and the Ppeak of OLV increased by 91.0% and Cdyn decreased by 62.7%. The slope of P-V curve was reduced and the P-V loop extended, with reduced increment of the expiratory limb and the area of the F-V loop, so that the tips of the DLT were withdrawn by 0.5 to 1.9 cm. The Ppeak of OLV increased only by 43.4% when DLT was in correct position, and was Cdyn decreased by 33.6% ( P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONWhen changes of Ppeak and Cdyn in excess of above guidelines occurs after switching from TLV to OLV in the elderly patients, FOB should be applied to determine the tip position of DLT before SpO(2) reduction takes place.

Aged ; Bronchoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Fiber Optic Technology ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; adverse effects ; methods ; Male ; Respiratory Mechanics ; Spirometry ; Thoracic Surgical Procedures