Objective To evaluate the roles of magnetic resonance imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H-MRS) in the diagnosis of meningiomas. Methods 98 patients with meningiomas underwent conventional pre-contrast MR and contrast MR. Among them, 28 cases had two dimensional single voxel or multi voxel 1 H-MRS simultaneously both in the lesion's region and the contralateral side. Results On precontrast MR images of 98 cases, T1 WI showed 58.1% (61/105) isointensities, 31.4% (33/105) faintly low intensities and 10. 5% (11/105) mixed intensities; T2WI showed 40. 0% (42/105) isointensities, 41.0%(43/105) hyperintensities, 10.5% (11/105) faintly low intensities and 8.5% (9/105) mixed intensities. After administration of Gd-DTPA, the solid part of the tumors exhibited various enhancement in all the 98 cases.28 cases of MRS exhibited specific different spectral peaks, including increased of choline-containing compounds(Cho), absent or decreased of acetylaspartate(NAA), and the unchanged of creatine(Cr). The value of NAA, Cr, Cho, NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, NAA/Cho in the tumor center of meningioma were 0. 09 ± 0.06,0.31 ± 0. 22, 0.46 ± 0. 16, 0.33 ± 0. 42, 1.50 ± 0. 68, 0. 15 ± 0.08, compared with the contralateral normal region, Cr has no significant difference (P ＞ 0. 05), NAA, Cho, NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, NAA/Cho had significantly differences(P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion Conventional pre-contrast MR and contrast MR is the most important dignostic means for meningiomas, 1H-MRS combined with MRI can improve the diagnostic accuracy of meningiomas.

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the intubation reaction during intratracheal intubation in the patients in the emergency department .Methods Fifty adult patients needing emergent tracheal intubation in the emergency de-partment of this hospital were divided into the dexmedetomidine group and the middazolam group ,25 cases in each group .The dexmedetomidine group was given dexmedetomidine(1 μg/kg) before tracheal intubation and the midazolam group was given mid-azolam(0 .1 mg/kg) before tracheal intubation .Results BP and HR during tracheal intubation ,at 1 ,3 min after tracheal intubation in the dexmedetomidine group were significantly decreased compared with the midazolam group (P<0 .05);SpO2 at 1 min before tracheal intubation and during tracheal intubation in the dexmedetomidine group had no statistical difference compared with before drug administration(P>0 .05);SpO2 at 1 min before tracheal intubation and during tracheal intubation in the middazolam group was decreased ,which showed the statistical difference compared with before drug administration (P<0 .05) .Conclusion Dexme-detomidine is more effective than midazolam in alleviating cardiovascular responses during intratracheal intubation ,moreover has no influence on the patient′s respiratory function .

A in vitro platelet aggregation bioassay was developed for the quality control of XST capsules. The in vitro anti-platelet aggregation effect in rats was observed to detect the bioactivity of XST capsules. Panax notoginseng saponins and Xuesaitong lyophilizedpowder for injection were taken as standard control substances to determine the potency. According to the results, XST capsules showeda significant inhibitory effect on thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. The in vitro anti-platelet activity oflyophilized powder for injection was stabler than that of Panax notoginseng saponins, and so suitable to serve as a standard control substance. The biological potency of XST capsules compared with standard control substance was detected by using parallel line assay. According to the results, the established bioassay method had a good repeatability (RSD 2.92%). The sample test results could pass thereliability test(linear deviation P > 0.05, parallel deviation P > 0.05). This bioassay method could be used as one of the complementary quality control methods for XST capsules.
Animals ; Capsules ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects between antegrade intramedullary nailing and retrograde intramedullary nailing for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures.

METHODSFrom March 1999 to October 2006, 105 patients with humeral shaft fractures were treated with locked intramedullary nail and were adequately followed up. There were 82 antegrade nailing and 23 retrograde nailing. The follow-up parameters included operation time, blood loss,fracture healing rate, healing time, complications, Constant-Murley shoulder score and Mayo elbow performance score.

RESULTSThe mean follow-up period was 31.2 months. Antegrade intramedullary nailing had significantly less blood loss than that in retrograde intramedullary nailing (P=0.002). The differences in operation time, complications, healing time and bone healing rate between he two groups had no statistical significance. Complications in the antegrade intramedullary nail group included 4 patients with nonunions, 1 patient with radial nerve palsy, and 8 patients with shoulder pains and decrement in shoulder range of motion. Complications in the retrograde intramedullary nail group included 1 patient with radial nerve palsy and 3 patients with iatrogenic fractures. For shoulder joints,the difference in the average Constant-Murley shoulder score between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.04). For elbow joints, the average postoperative Mayo elbow performance score between these two approaches did not differ significantly.

CONCLUSIONBoth the antegrade intramedullary nailing and the retrograde intramedullary nailing are good alternatives for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures. Because of higher incidence of iatrogenic fractures, the insertion point of retrograde intramedullary nailing should be carefully prepared. With antegrade insertion, it important to bury the humeral nail below the rotator cuff to prevent the subacromial impingement, and the rotator cuff should be carefully repaired to avoid shoulder pain and improve shoulder function.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; methods ; Humans ; Humeral Fractures ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of antibiotic-PMMA (polymethyl-methacrylate) beads combined with external fixator in treatment of infected fracture nonunion.

METHODSTwenty-two cases of infected fracture-nonunions were reviewed involving 20 male and 2 female with an average age of 34.68 years (ranging 21 to 74 years). The data consisted of 9 cases of tibial fractures, 2 distal fractures of the femur, 6 femoral shaft fractures, 3 intertrochanteric fracture of the femur and 2 humeral shaft fractures. The procedure included thorough debridement to wipe out dead bone and granulation tissue, then antibiotic-PMMA bead chains imbedded into the dead space. One week later, secondary debridement was performed, antibiotic-PMMA bead chains were changed according to result of bacterial culture and susceptibility test, and fractures were stabilized with external fixator. Three months after debridement, antibiotic-PMMA bead chains were taken out and bone graft with autogenous iliac cancellous bone chips was performed.

RESULTSThe mean follow-up period was 19.98 months (ranging 15 to 28 months). Infection was controlled in 20 cases. One tibial fracture and 1 intertrochanteric fracture of the femur needed repeated debridement 2 and 3 months after bone grafting respectively,because of infection recurrence and sinus formation. All 22 cases achieved bony union averaged 15.09 weeks after bone grafting with a range of 8 to 24 weeks.

CONCLUSIONThorough debridement, imbedding antibiotic-PMMA bead chains combined with external fixator and staged bone grafting has proven to be effective and simple for treatment of infected fracture nonunion. The antibiotic bead delivers high tissue levels,obliterates dead space, aids bone repair.

Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Bone Diseases, Infectious ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; surgery ; Bone Transplantation ; External Fixators ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Bone ; complications ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Fractures, Ununited ; complications ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; chemistry ; Young Adult

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), an enveloped positive-stranded RNA virus in the genus Pestivirus of the Flaviviridae family, is the causative agent of a highly contagious swine disease characterized by symptoms of hemorrhagic fever and immune depression, usually leading to substantial economic losses. The serological methods for detection of CSFV antibody such as ELISA are important means for the diagnosis of CSFV and immune surveillance. It is difficult to obtain CSFV antigen with high quality using traditional method because its titration titer is low in cell culture. CSFV has four structural protein named C, E0, El and E2. The E2 protein contains major antigenic determinants that are conserved between different CSFV strains and involved in neutralization by antibodies. So recombinant E2 protein can be developed as an alternative to the intact viral antigen. So far, CSFV E2 have not been expressed in E. coli with high level. Many factors, such as the secondary structure, the stability of 5' and 3' terminus of gene, the location of SD sequence and the bias of codes, are involved in the expressing level of foreign gene in E. coli . In this study, two sites of the E2 gene sequence were confirmed to be detrimental to its expression efficiency in E. coli through the computer-aided analysis. So they were mutated using recombinant PCR without changing the amino acids sequence of CSFV E2 gene. A plasmid was constructed by inserting the mutated E2 gene into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a(+) and named pETE2. The E. coli competent host BL21 (DE3)lysS transformed with pETE2 could express the E2 gene at high level, amounting to 28% of the total protein of the induced recombinant bacteria at the presence of IPTG. Except the hydrophobic transmembrane domain at C terminus, the recombinant E2 protein includes the total aa sequence. So it contains all the potential linear antigen epitopes of E2 protein because hydrophobic aa region can not form epitope. The recombinant E2 protein was CSFV-specific as proved by Western blotting and indirect ELISA. The rabbits immunized with the recombinant E2 can be protect from the challenge of hog cholera lapinized virus. This is the first report that E2 gene is expressed with high level expression in E. coli. In conclusion, it is an effective measure that mutate the CSFV E2 gene to increase its expression level in E. coli. The recombinant CSFV E2 protein possess fine immunonicity and can be used the antigen for the detection of CSFV antibody.
Antigens, Viral ; genetics ; immunology ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; metabolism ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVESTo study the correlation and effect of smoking on the semen quality of men.

METHODS61 men, non-smoker, who had one or more children as normal fertility control group and adult males attending the infertility clinic, including 110 non-smokers and 191 smokers, were recruited for the study. The smokers were divided into subgroups according to the amount and duration of smoking. Semen parameters(volume, sperm density, viability, motility and morphology) were examined and seminal plasma contents of Zn, Cu and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined.

RESULTSThe semen volume, pH, sperm density, viability and forward progression, as well as the seminal plasma contents of Zn, Cu and SOD were much lower in the medium, heavy and long-term smokers than in the non-smokers(P < 0.01). The sperm density, viability and forward progression, and the seminal plasma Zn, Cu and SOD levels were negatively correlation with the amount and duration of cigarette smoking(P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSThe effect of smoking on semen parameters of infertile men were dose-effect and time-effect relationship. Medium, heavy and long-term smoking adversely affected the semen quality in a population of men visiting the infertility clinic.

Humans ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; pathology ; Male ; Semen ; physiology ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVEThe present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations, surgical findings, pathologic types and treatment of cardiac tumor and to analyze the echocardiographic characteristics of the cases.

METHODSRecords of 19 patients with cardiac tumors confirmed by operations and pathology at Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital in Beijing, China between Jan, 1983 and Dec, 2003 were reviewed. Clinical and echocardiographic data of all patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe median age of patients was 7 +/- 5 years, ranging from 5 months to 14 years. There were 8 male and 11 female cases. The surgical findings revealed that 57.9% (11 cases) of cardiac tumors were found in left heart, 36.8% (7 cases) in right heart, 5.3% (1 case) in two ventricles. The pathological study revealed that 17 cases (89.5%) were diagnosed as primary cardiac benign tumors including myxoma in 10 cases (52.6%), rhabdomyoma in 4 cases (21.1%), fibroma in 2 cases (10.5%) and lipoma in 1 case (5.3%). Two cases were diagnosed (10.5%) as cardiac malignant tumors including a primary cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma and a metastatic epithelioid sarcoma. By using echocardiography 11 cases were diagnosed as myxomas and rhabdomyoma (11/19, 57.9%), 8 cases were diagnosed as space occupying lesions of the heart or myxoma (8/19, 42.1%).

CONCLUSIONSMyxomas are the most common heart tumors seen in infancy and childhood, followed in frequency by rhabdomyomas, fibromas and lipomas. Surgery is recommended for patients with refractory and severe clinical symptoms.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fibroma ; diagnostic imaging ; Heart Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Infant ; Lipoma ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Myxoma ; diagnostic imaging ; Rhabdomyoma ; diagnostic imaging

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possibility of using bioaugmentation as a strategy for remediating quinoline-contaminated soil.

METHODSMicroorganisms were introduced to the soil to assess the feasibility of enhancing the removal of quinoline from quinoline-contaminated soil. Slurry-phase reactor was used to investigate the bioremediation of quinoline-contaminated soil. HPLC (Hewlett-Packard model 5050 with an UV detector) was used for analysis of quinoline concentration.

RESULTSThe biodegradation rate of quinoline was increased through the introduction of Burkholderia pickettii. Quinoline, at a concentration of 1 mg/g soil, could be removed completely within 6 and 8 hours with and without combined effect of indigenous microbes, respectively. Although the indigenous microbes alone had no quinoline-degrading ability, they cooperated with the introduced quinoline-degrader to remove quinoline more quickly than the introduced microbes alone. Bioaugmentaion process was accelerated by the increase of inoculum size and bio-stimulation. The ratio of water to soil in slurry had no significant impact on bioremediation results.

CONCLUSIONBioaugmetation is an effective way for bioremediation of quinoline-contaminated soil.

Biodegradation, Environmental ; Bioreactors ; Burkholderia ; metabolism ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Quinolines ; Sewage ; Soil ; analysis ; Soil Microbiology ; Soil Pollutants

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the clinical features of carotid transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and the intracranial or extracranial angiostenosis. METHODS: Location and degree of stenosis of involved arteries were examined by the digital subtraction angiography in 52 patients with carotid TIA. RESULTS: Intracranial or extracranial vascular lesions of different degrees were revealed in 45 patients (86.5%), and 29 out of 45 (64.4%) had more than one site. Severe stenosis and occlusion occurred more frequently in TIA patients with short duration (less than 1 hour) and multiple attacks (more than twice). CONCLUSION Most patients with TIA of carotid systems have stenosis in intracranial or extracranial arteries. TIA with short duration and multiple attacks always accompany with severe stenosis or occlusion in intracranial or extracranial arteries. Digital subtraction angiography helps to identify the vascular etiology of TIA and provides the instruction of therapeutic regimen.
Adult ; Aged ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; Carotid Stenosis ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Cerebral Angiography ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged