Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Objective To study the effect of methotrexate on the neointimal formation after arterial balloon injury. Methods Male rabbits were randomized into four groups: MTX 0.5 mg/kg per week, MTX 1.5 mg/kg per week, MTX 5 mg/kg per week and the control. Drugs were administered by intramuscular injection. Rabbit carotid arteries were harvested 2 and 4 weeks after injury. Results Histologically, the intimal areas were reduced significantly in MTX treated animals compared with the controls. The VSMC proliferation in injured vessels was identified by immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). In comparison, PCNA-positive cells in both intima and media were significantly reduced by treatment of MTX. But MTX did not enhance reendothelialization in the injured carotid arteries as determined by Evans blue stain.Conclusion Low dosage of MTX could attenuate neointimal formation after arterial injury by inhibiting VSMC proliferation.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Tiao Shen Ding Zhi (mind-regulating) needling method in treating anxious neurosis. Method Fifty-eight patients with anxious neurosis were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 29 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by Tiao Shen Ding Zhi needling method, while the control group was by conventional needling. The total effective rates of the two groups were observed. Result The total effective rate was 96.5% (28/29) in the treatment group versus 82.8% (24/29) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Tiao Shen Ding Zhi needling method can produce a higher total effective rate than conventional acupuncture in treating anxious neurosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Female ; Male ; Nasal Mucosa ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; metabolism ; pathology

The mechanism of spinal cord injury and repair therapy after nerve injury is currently a hotspot of neuroscience research.Duplicating animal models plays a key role in experimental therapeutics of spinal cord injury.This review systematically describes the progress in animal models for spinal cord injury including contusion, compression, transection, ischemic,distraction and chemical-mediated injury,which have been established at home and abroad.Based upon the aforementioned models,some applications in experimental therapeutics are simultaneously enumerated.All these information provides scientific guidance for the experimental novel drugs′screening.

Traumatic brain injury(TBI), also known as intracranial injury or head trauma, specifically refers to the brain tissue damage caused by trauma.Currently the mechanism of TBI and repair therapy after nerve injury become a hotspot in brain research.Duplicating animal models plays a significant role in promoting experimental therapeutics of TBI.This review systematically describes the progress in animal models for TBI including impact brain injury, nonimpact acceleration head injury and blast(explosion)wave-induced neurotrauma, which have been established at home and abroad.Based upon the aforementioned models, some relevant applications in experimental therapeutics are simultaneously enumerated.Hopefully all these information provides scientific guidance for the pharmacodynamic screening of potential neuroprotective drugs.

Objective To investigate the level of uncertainty of illness and social support state in patients with prediabetes,and to discuss the correlation between the two.Methods 243 cases with prediabetes were analyzed by Uncertainty in Illness Scale and Social Support Rating Scale.Results There was a middle uncertainty in the elderly patients with prediabetes.The objective support,sabjective support,social support utilization degree and social support score were negatively related to the complexity of uncertainty(r--0.419,-0.433,-0.390 and-0.421,respectively,all P＜ 0.05).Conclusions Medical staff should evaluate the uncertainty in illness in elderly patients with prediabetes and conduct nursing intervention accordingly,in order to reduce the uncertainty,increase social support,and ultimately improve the quality of life.

Objective To compare the perioperative outcomes and short-term efficacy of three-port extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (ELRP) and four-port ELRP.Methods Two hundred patients who had undergone ELRP for prostate cancer by a single surgeon from November 2010 to October 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.Among them,95 cases underwent three-port ELRP and 105 cases underwent four-port ELRP.On the basis of traditional four-port ELRP,three-port ELRP was characterized by the omission of the trocar on the inner side of right anterior superior iliac spine.The mean age was 66.8 ± 15.5 years,and mean total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) was 15.3 ± 12.4 μg/L.There were no significant differences including age,body mass index,tPSA,clinical stages,acceptance of neoadjuvant hormone therapy,history of transurethral resection of the prostate,history of diabetes mellitus between the 2 groups (P ＞ 0.05).Patients in three-port ELRP group had significantly smaller prostate volume than fourport group (35.6 ± 16.7 ml versus 42.2 ± 24.7 ml,P ＜ 0.05).The clinical factors as operative time,estimated blood loss,hospital stay,drainage tube keeping days,pathological Gleason scores,pathological stages,positive surgical margin rates,biochemical recurrence rates and urinary incontinence rates were compared between the 2 groups.Results The three-port group had significantly shorter operative time than the four-port group (81.0 ± 18.6 min versus 103.6 ±34.6 min),less estimated blood loss (102.6 ±75.8 ml versus 217.5 ± 182.9 ml),less positive surgical margin rates (13.7％ versus 27.6％).There were 9 patients having Gleason scores more than 7 in the three-port ELRP group and 29 patients in four-port ELRP group (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences of hospital stay,drainage tube keeping days,pathological stages between the 2 groups (P ＞ 0.05).Eighty-three cases in the three-port ELRP group (87.4％) were followed up for 5-19 months with the median time of 11 months.Ninety-two cases in fourport ELRP group (87.6％) were followed up for 17-52 months and the median time was 27 months.There were no significant differences of biochemical recurrence rates and urinary incontinence rates between the 2 groups(P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Compared to four-port ELRP,three-port ELRP can provide shorter operative time,less blood loss,better negative surgical margin rates,similar oncological control and recovery of postoperative continence.In experienced hands,three-port ELRP could be a feasible and effective option for localized prostate cancer.

Objective To evaluate the learning curve of three-port extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy(ELRP) and to minimize operative time and blood loss about this procedure.Methods From August 2013 to October 2014,the data from 95 consecutive patients,who had undergone three-port ELRP for prostate cancer,were retrospectively analyzed.The mean age was 65.9 ± 7.7 years,mean total PSA level was 15.4 ± 12.7 μg/L,and mean body mass index(BMI) was 24.8 ± 3.2 kg/m2.According to the number of procedures performed by the surgeon,all patients were classified into three chronologic groups,including group A (No.1-32),group B (No.33-64) and group C (No.65-95).There were no significant differences including age,BMI,tPSA,estimated prostate volume,clinical stages,history of neoadjuvant endocrine therapy,history of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) among group A,B and C (P ＞ 0.05).The operative outcomes analyzed were operative time,estimated blood loss,hospital stay,drainage tube indwelling days,pathological Gleason scores,pathological stages,positive surgical margin rates,biochemical recurrence rates and urinary incontinence rates.Among these 95 patients,the results of the first 32 cases were compared with those of the remaining 63 cases,the first 64 with the remaining 31.Results The average operative time in 95 patients was 81.0 ± 18.6 min.The sloping learning curve for this surgeon showed that the operative time for all 95 cases was strongly correlated with additional experience (| rs | =0.612,P＜0.01).Operative time,however,was not strongly correlated with the surgeon's experience in each group of A,B and C(P ＞0.05).Group A had longer operative time than that of Group B plus C(96.4 ± 11.3 min vs 73.2 ± 16.7 min,P ＜0.01).Group A plus B had longer operative time than that of group C (87.6 ± 17.2 min vs 67.5 ± 13.8 min,P ＜ 0.01).For all cases,the estimated blood loss was strongly correlated with additional experience (| rs | =0.677,P ＜ 0.01).Estimated blood loss was strongly correlated with the accumulation of experience for the initial 32 cases(| rs | =0.619,P ＜ 0.01).However,no strong correlation was observed over the next 63 cases.Group A had more blood loss than that of Group B plus C (158.7 ± 81.3 ml vs 74.1 ± 54.4 ml,P ＜ 0.01).Group A plus B had more blood loss than that of group C (125.5 ± 71.6 ml vs 55.3 ± 61.6 ml,P ＜ 0.01).But hospital stay,drainage tube keeping days were not strongly correlated with additional experience in each group(P ＞ 0.05).There were no significant correlation between the accumulation of experience and positive surgical margin rates,biochemical recurrence rates and urinary incontinence rates.Conclusion Our experience of three-port ELRP cases appears to be favorable with decreasing tendency in operative time,estimated blood loss with experience accumulation.Exposure to 32 surgeries,operative time and estimated blood loss reduced significantly,and after 64 cases operative time and estimated blood loss further reduced.

Objective To evaluate the clinical features and treatment of pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) in a duplex kidney. Methods From 1993 to 2010, 752 patients were diagnosed as PUJO in our hospital and 18 patients (2.4%) with PUJO in duplex kidneys. Three patients had obstruction in the complete duplicated systems and 15 in the incomplete duplicated systems. Five patients had obstruction of the upper moiety and 13 of the lower moiety. All of the 18 patients underwent B-ultrasonography, with 15 enhanced CT scan, 11 intravenous urography and 10 retrograde pyelography.All patients had serum creatinine test after admission and during the follow-up. Results Sixteen patients underwent operations and 2 patients were treated conservatively. Nine patients underwent pyeloplasty and 7 patients underwent heminephroureterectomy. Pathology shows derangement of the lamina muscularis at pelvi-ureteric junction and infiltration of inflammatory cells in mesenchymal. They were followed up from 6 months to 3 years with a mean of 24 months. The clinical symptoms of patients who underwent surgery were cured in all cases. B-ultrasound and IVU showed that hydronephrosis was obviously relieved and the levels of serum creatinine remained the same or decreased. The hydronephrosis and serum creatinine of patients who underwent conservative treatment remained stabilized. Conclusions PUJO in duplicated system is a rare condition. Careful preoperative evaluation is needed to reach the final diagnosis and retrograde pyelography has high specificity. Treatment should be individualized according to split and partial renal function.