Adult ; Bone Transplantation ; Fibula ; transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla ; surgery ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Zygoma ; transplantation

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of acute inhalational metallic nickel poisoning and its treatment effect.Methods Data including epidemiology,clinical features,laboratory tests,imaging examinations,therapy protocol as well as prognosis were collected and analyzed.Results Thoracic CT scan of all patients demonstrated as bilateral diffuse infiltration.Nickel concentration in both blood and urine were high in all patients and the concentration was positively associated with poisoning severity.All 4 patients received glucocorticoid treatment,2 of whom with acute respiratory distress syndrome were admitted to ICU to initiate mechanical ventilation and were given sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate.All patients survived to hospital discharge.Conclusions Acute inhalational metallic nickel poisoning is uncommon and early symptoms are inconclusive.The blood and urine nickel concentration is helpful to judge the severity of the disease.Pulmonary diffuse infiltration is the main clinical feature.Glucocorticoid,chelation therapy as well as symptomatic treatment are effective therapies to relief disease severity.

OBJECTIVETo detect the concentration of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in the serum of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury and evaluate its relation with the pathologic classification of the spinal cord injury.

METHODSMCP-1 concentration in the serum of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI), single spine compression and healthy subjects were detected by ELISA, respectively in the present study and the magnetic resonance imaging data of these patients were studied at the same time on a blind base.

RESULTSSerum level of MCP-1 in iSCI patients was 428 pg/ml +/- 11 pg/ml by ELISA, which was higher than both that of the patients with single spine compression and of controls, with the concentration of 184 pg/ml +/- 21 pg/ml and 124 pg/ml +/- 15 pg/ml, respectively. There was significant difference between any two groups (P < 0.01). iSCI patients with normal MRI showed a lower serum level of MCP-1 as 312 pg/ml+/- 30 pg/ml. Pathological classification of spinal cord edema and hematoma corresponded to 390 pg/ml +/- 16 pg/ml and 508 pg/ml+/- 24 pg/ml in the concentration of MCP-1.

CONCLUSIONSMCP-1 may induce secondary inflammatory response by recruiting inflammatory cells to the injury site and thus affect the prognosis of spinal cord injury.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Chemokine CCL2 ; blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; blood ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo develop the method and investigate the value of the application of multislice helical computed tomography (CT) in the maxillofacial distraction osteogenesis.

METHODSTwelve cases of maxillofacial distraction osteogenesis (3 in zygoma, 2 in maxilla, and 7 in mandible) were scanned by the multislice helical CT, then the reconstruction of three dimensional and fault image and the relative measurement were carried out to study the effect of distraction and osteogenesis.

RESULTSThe three dimensional image provided clear and high resolution stereoscopic view that the effect of distraction osteogenesis could be evaluated easily and exactly. The fault image could be set up in private computer by Mimics and the measurements, such as distance, thickness and density, could be performed as expected. The effect of 12 cases was satisfied, and the average distracted distance was 16.73 mm.

CONCLUSIONBasing on multislice helical CT scanning, the high resolution image reconstruction and relative measurement data could be obtained which could meet the need of clear and direct observation. Its application in the maxillofacial distraction osteogenesis is expecting and promising.

Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic advantage of the ratio of ligamentum flavum(LF) thickness to oblique canal diameter(TODR)measured on CT images in patients with lumbar canal stenosis. Methods Seventy-one patients underwent CT and MRI examinations respectively,and they were divided into two groups,the positive group and negative group,according to the presence or absence of dural sac notch caused by the LF on bilateral parasagittal MR images.Meanwhile,50 volunteers without any symptom in the lumbar region or legs were examined by CT.TODRs were measured at the L3—S1 levels of the inferior margin of the intervertebral disc on transverse CT images,respectively.The results were further analyzed with the positive findings on MR images,clinical symptoms and physical examination,so as to find out the statistical correlation between them.Results LF thickness was(3.01?0.72)mm and TODR was 0.19?0.04 in the negative group,(3.94?0.84)mm and 0.28+0.06 in the positive group,and(3.16? 0.85)mm and 0.19?0.04 in the control group.There was significant difference between positive group and negative group or control group for LF thickness(P0.24, the sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive value were 74.8%,89.6% and 73.6% respectively. Positive correlation existed between LF thickness or TODR and clinical symptom(r=0.72,0.86,P

Objective To discuss the technique and technique-related issues of percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP).Methods The study involved 69 vertebrae in 51 cases of painful osteoporotic vertebral compressive fractures.Under X-ray fluoroscopy monitoring,the fractured vertebral bodies were treated by kyphonplasty with inflatable balloon.The preoperative and postoperative vertebral height and Cobb angle in radiography were measured and analyzed.Results All patients tolerated the procedure well with dramatic pain relief within 72 hours after the procedure.No clinical complication was found.The loss heights of the anterior and mid portion of the vertebral body reduced from 15?4mm and 11?4mm preoperatively to 10? 4mm and 6?3mm postoperatively,respectively.Cobb angle corrected averagely from 22??6? preoperatively to 12??4?.There was significant difference between preoperative and postoperative measures (P

Objective This study was operated to investigate the association between urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and physical situations as hypertension and prehypertension among women.Methods Blood pressure,height,weight and waist circumference were measured and factors such as cigarette smoking,alcohol intake,family history of hypertension,were investigated.Blood glucose and lipid,serum uric acid,urinary albumin and urinary creatinine were tested on 1796 women aged ≥30 years living in the Jinchang district of Suzhou.Associations between UACR and hypertension as well as prehypertension were analyzed,by using ordinal multinomial logistic regression models.Results The mean levels of UACR were 15.54 (7.67,32.53),9.01 ( 5.45,18.06),7.13 (4.60,12.50 ) mg/g and the rates of higher UACR were 27.57％,13.42％,9.61％ in hypertensive,pre-hypertensive and normotensive subjects,respectively,with significant differences noticed among the three groups (P＜0.05).The average systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure appeared to be 125.3/80.9,128.8/82.7,130.8/84.0 and 135.1/85.9 mm Hg for participants with UACR in the first,second,third and fourth quartile,respectively.The risks of prehypertension or hypertension increased with increasing UACR levels.Dose-response relationship was seen between UACR and risks of prehypertension or hypertension.Multivariable adjusted odds ratios (95％CI) of prehypertension or hypertension in the upper quartiles of UACR were 1.32 ( 1.02,1.70),1.72 ( 1.32,2.24),and 2.37 (1.80,3.11 ),respectively,when compared with the lowest quartile.Conclusion Elevated UACR was associated with both hypertension and prehypertension among women.

A novel peptide, named BF2-X, was designed based on the structure-activity analysis of an analogue of Buforin II, named BF2-A. The BF2-X was a hybrid peptide containing the N-terminal residues 5 to 13 of BF2-A and three repeats of the C-terminal regular alpha-helical motif RLLR, and the residues 8 valine were replaced by leucine. The results of bioinformatics analysis had showed that compared with BF2-A, the helicity, positive charge, hydrophobicity rate and C-terminal amphipathy of BF2-X had remarkably enhanced. Both peptides showed a random coil structure in an aqueous solution, while displaying a typical alpha-helical structure in 50% trifluoroethanol solution (a membrane mimic condition). BF2-X exhibited higher alpha-helical contents than BF2-A in hydrophobic environment. BF2-X displayed potent antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. And BF2-X showed stronger antimicrobial activities against bacteria tested than parent peptide BF2-A. These results suggest that the alpha-helical content was directly correlated with the enhanced antibacterial activity. Both peptides had no hemolytic action on mouse erythrocyte.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Circular Dichroism ; Hemolysis ; drug effects ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Mice ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Proteins ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Adult ; Chorea ; etiology ; Circulatory Arrest, Deep Hypothermia Induced ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Endarterectomy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Embolism ; surgery