Objective To investigate the correlation between plasma NT-proBNP and the severity of coronary artery disease. Methods One hundred and eighty five subjects were divided into three groups:83 patients in acute coronary syndromes group, 62 patients in stable angina pectoris group and 40 healthy subjects in normal group. The plasma NT-proBNP concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . The plasma NT-proBNP levels of acute coronary syndrome patients and stable angina patients were analyzed. Furthermore, the coronary syndrome patients were divided into three groups according to the result of angiography:single vessel group, dual-vessel group and multiple-vessel group. The relationship of plasma NT-proBNP levels with the severity of coronary artery disease was analyzed. Results (1) In the group of acute coronary syndromes, the plasma NT-proBNP concentrations were obviously higher than the stable angina pectoris group and normal group (P<0.01) . (2) In the groups of coronary heart disease, the plasma NT-proBNP concentrations of the multiple-vesel group were obviously higher than the single vessel group and the dual-vessel group (P<0.01) . The plasma NT-proBNP concentrations of dual-vessel group were obviously higher than the single vessel group (P<0.01) . (3) The plasma NT-proBNP levels and the severity of coronary lesions were positively correlated (rs=-0.796, P<0.01) . Conclusion The plasma NT-proBNP levels is closely related to the severity of coronary artery disease.

Objective: To explore the action mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) in improving the gastric motility of rats with diabetic gastroparesis (DGP). Methods: Forty-eight healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into four groups: a normal group (group A), a model group (group B), a group of EA at acupoints (group C), and a group of EA at non-acupoints (group D), 12 rats in each group. The animal model of DGP was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) plus high glucose and fat diet. The blood glucose, urine glucose and gastric emptying rate (GER) were observed. The content of insulin (INS) in serum and ghrelin in gastric antrum tissue were detected by enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA). The expression of growth hormone secretagogue receptor mRNA (GHSR mRNA) in gastric antrum tissue was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results:Compared with group A, blood glucose and urine glucose increased significantly (P<0.01), GER, content of serum insulin, the content of ghrelin and expression of GHSR mRNA in gastric antrum tissue decreased significantly (P<0.05 orP<0.01) in group B. Compared with group B, blood glucose and urine glucose decreased significantly (P<0.05), GER, the content of insulin in serum, the content of ghrelin and expression of GHSR mRNA in gastric antrum tissue increased significantly (P<0.05 orP<0.01) in group C. Conclusion: EA at acupoints can down-regulate the content of blood and urine sugar, and promote gastric emptying, which is possibly related to the regulation of serum insulin, and the expressions of ghrelin and GHSR mRNA in gastric antrum.

Objective To observe the clinical effect and comfortable degree of the mode of super hair removal. Methods The mode of super hair removal was used to depilate the hair nearby the hair line, cheeks, upper lip, beard, ventrum, areola of breast, axillary cavity, extremities, bikini area and so on. The total number of sites was 1 000. Some sites that were especially susceptible to pain, for example, upper lip and buccal region, were smeared with compound lidocaine cream for 1 hour at least before treatment. Results Hairs in the areas of extremities, ventrum, back and axillary cavity generally needed 4 to 5 times to eradicate, and the patients had no evident discomfortableness; hairs near to the upper lip and lower mandible generally needed 5 to 7 times to reach the effect which the patient was content, and anesthetics was indispensable, or the patients would present discomfortableness. Conclusions The mode of super hair removal is more effective, quicker and more comfortable in comparison with conventional methods. Therefore, it deserves to be spread.

OBJECTIVETo study effects of a combined regime of auricular-plaster and body acupuncture in treatment of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type and make a preliminary revelation of the mechanism.

METHODSNinety-two patients were randomly divided into 2 groups, the treatment group (n = 56) received the combined regime of auricular-plaster and body acupuncture, and the control group (n = 36) received treatment with body acupuncture. Clinical symptoms and signs, therapeutic effect and some indexes about vertebrobasilar hema-kinetics and hema-rheology were investigated before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe treatment group was better than the control group in the clinical overall effective rate (89.29%) and the clinically control rate (17. 85%), and in improving the following indexes, including dizziness and headache, the vertebrobasilar volume and rate of blood flow etab and IR (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSA combined regime of auricular-plaster and body acupuncture ameliorates not only main signs but also some indexes about vertebrobasilar hema-kinetics and hema-rheology. This treatment is an effective therapy for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type both in Malaysia and in China.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Headache ; Humans ; Spondylosis ; therapy ; Vertebral Artery

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of half circle external fixation for the treatment of open tibial fractures.

METHODSFrom March 2005 to March 2011, 94 patients with open tibiofibula fractures were treated by closed manipulative or Kirschner-wire poking reduction with half circle groove external fixation including 63 males and 31 females with an average age of 39 years old ranging from 17 to 65 years old. Among these patients, 5 cases were cross shaped fractures, 19 were oblique form and spiral fractures, 70 cases were comminuted fractures. According to the fracture Gustilo classification, 49 cases were type IIIA, 45 were type IIIB. The incidence of wound infection, fracture healing time were observed. The function was evaluated according to the Johner-Wruhs standard.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up for 14 to 63 months (averaged 29 months). The wound healing time was from 16 to 39 weeks (means 21.4 weeks). No fracture nonunion, osteomyelitis and calf compartment syndrome occurred. The wounds of 81 cases were healed at the first period,deep wound infection occurred in 2 cases. According to the function Johner-Wruhs evaluation criteria:the result was excellent in 52 cases, good in 37 cases, fair in 5 cases.

CONCLUSIONClosed manipulative or Kirschner-wire poking reduction and half circle groove external fixation can reduce the infection rate of open tibiofibula fractures. For open tibiofibula comminuted fractures, after the half circle groove external fixation for 3 to 6 weeks, a middle Kirschner-wire was removed according to fracture end healing situation to make fixation dynamic and promote fracture healing.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Wires ; External Fixators ; Female ; Fracture Fixation ; instrumentation ; Fractures, Comminuted ; surgery ; Fractures, Open ; surgery ; Fractures, Ununited ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tibial Fractures ; surgery ; Young Adult

Portal hypertension (PH) was defined as an increase in portal pressure caused by various etiologies. The formation of portosystemic collateral circulation was a compensatory form of PH. Gastrointestinal varices were one of the clinical manifestations of PH, and which clould be broadly divided into esophageal varices (EV), gastric varices (GV) and ectopic varices (EcV). At present, it is found that EcV has difficulty in diagnosis, large amount of bleeding, difficulty in hemostasis and poor prognosis. So far, the study of EcV is very limited. There was no guideline and expert consensus on EcV treatment. This review will focus on the epidemiological features of EcV and the research status of endoscopic treatment.

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

METHODSUrine samples from 100 patients suspected of having bladder cancer were collected before cystoscopy for immediate urine cytology and FISH analysis. The criteria for FISH abnormality were determined by evaluating the urine specimens from 20 subjects without urogenital neoplasm.

RESULTSThe overall sensitivity of cytology and FISH was 43.2% and 82.4%, and their specificity was 92.3% and 88.5%, with diagnostic concordance rate of 56.0% and 84.0%, respectively. The differences between FISH and cytology showed statistical significance in the sensitivity, diagnostic concordance rate, non-muscle-invasive cancer and primary cancer.

CONCLUSIONThe sensitivity and efficiency of FISH in the detection of bladder cancer are superior to those of cytology, especially for prophase cancer.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; diagnosis ; Cytodiagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Urine ; cytology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed at developing a set of data groups (DGs) to be employed as reusable building blocks for the construction of the eight most common clinical documents used in China's general hospitals in order to achieve their structural and semantic standardization. METHODS: The Diagnostics knowledge framework, the related approaches taken from the Health Level Seven (HL7), the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), and the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and 1,487 original clinical records were considered together to form the DG architecture and data sets. The internal structure, content, and semantics of each DG were then defined by mapping each DG data set to a corresponding Clinical Document Architecture data element and matching each DG data set to the metadata in the Chinese National Health Data Dictionary. By using the DGs as reusable building blocks, standardized structures and semantics regarding the clinical documents for semantic interoperability were able to be constructed. RESULTS: Altogether, 5 header DGs, 48 section DGs, and 17 entry DGs were developed. Several issues regarding the DGs, including their internal structure, identifiers, data set names, definitions, length and format, data types, and value sets, were further defined. Standardized structures and semantics regarding the eight clinical documents were structured by the DGs. CONCLUSIONS: This approach of constructing clinical document standards using DGs is a feasible standard-driven solution useful in preparing documents possessing semantic interoperability among the disparate information systems in China. These standards need to be validated and refined through further study.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Delivery of Health Care ; Electronic Health Records ; Health Level Seven ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Semantics

Early stage diabetic nephropathy is characterized by elevated glomerular filtration. Recent studies have identified high-glucose induced p38 MAPK (p38) over-activation in mesangial cells. Mesangial hypocontractility is the major underlying mechanism, however, no ameliorating agents are currently available. We investigated the protective effects of emodin on high-glucose induced mesangial cell hypocontractility. Mesangial cells were cultured under normal (5.6 mM) and high glucose (30 mM) conditions. Emodin was administrated at doses of 50 mg/l and 100 mg/l. Angiotension II stimulated cell surface reductions were measured to evaluate cell contractility. p38 activity was detected using Western blotting. To further explore the possible mechanism of emodin, expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) was measured and its specific inhibitor, gw9662, was administrated. Our results showed: (1) high-glucose resulted in a 280% increase in p38 activity associated with significant impairment of mesangial contractility; (2) emodin treatment dose-dependently inhibited high-glucose induced p38 over-activation (a 40% decrease for 50 mg/l emodin and a 73% decrease for 100 mg/l emodin), and mesangial hypocontractility was ameriolated by emodin; (3) both the PPARgamma mRNA and protein levels were elevated after emodin treatment; (4) inhibition of PPARgamma using gw9662 effectively blocked the ameliorating effects of emodin on high-glucose induced p38 over-activation and mesangial hypocontractility. Emodin effectively ameliorated p38 over-activation and hypocontractility in high-glucose induced mesangial cells, possibly via activation of PPARgamma.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cell Physiological Phenomena/drug effects ; Emodin/*pharmacology ; Gene Expression/drug effects ; Glucose/*metabolism ; Mesangial Cells/cytology/*drug effects ; PPAR gamma/genetics/*metabolism ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/*pharmacology ; Rats ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/*metabolism

Animals ; Disease Progression ; Dopaminergic Neurons ; physiology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; blood ; Hydroxyl Radical ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Male ; Oxidopamine ; Parkinsonian Disorders ; blood ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley