Objective To explore the effective disinfection and management measures of standby aspirators. Methods Randomly sampled 17 standby aspirators in our hospital and examined whether their liquid storage bottles and covers were contaminated by pathogens.According to the situation,we developed appropriate measures to intervene.4 months after intervention,we sampled 17 standby aspirators which were tested again. Results 82.4% liquid storage bottles and 88.2% covers were contaminated. While the contamination rate after intervention was zero.The pathogens found were mainly Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and other opportunistic pathogens.Conclusions To strengthen the disinfection management of standby aspirators can control the contamination of standby aspirators.

Objective To observe the effect of tongue-drawing at lateral position in nasogastric intubation for senile patients with conscious disorders. Methods One hundred senile patients with conscious disorders were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 50 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were given routine nasogastric intubation while those in the observation group were given nasogastric intubation by tongue drawing at the lateral position. The two groups were compared in terms of success rate of intubation, the rate of adverse reactions and intubation effects. Result Compared with the control group, the observation group showed significantly higher in one-time intubation success rate , comfort rate and lower rate of adverse reaction (all P<0.01). Conclusions The nasogastric intubation by tongue-drawing at lateral position is superior to the routine intubation. It can improve the success rate of one-time intubation, decrease the rate of adverse reactions and relieve the pains of patients.

AIM:Activin A,a member of transforming growth factor superfamily,is the negative regulator factor in liver regeneration. In this study,the effects of extract of Ginkgo Biloba on hepatic fibrosis and the expression of Activin A in rats with cirrhosis were investigated. METHODS:The experiment was performed at in the Central Laboratory of Wuhan First Hospital from September 2005 to December 2006. ①Thirty-six male SD rats of(160?20) g were randomized into 3 groups:control group,model group and treatment group. ② Except the rats in the control group,others were intraperitoneally injected with 500 mL/L CCl4 for 8 weeks to establish models of hepatic fibrosis. Meanwhile,the extract treatment group was infused with the extract of Ginkgo Biloba(Chinese drugs preparation laboratory of Wuhan First Hospital,detected by Hubeu Wushi Medicine Industry Co.,Ltd. No. 02-391) daily for 8 weeks. ③After administration,all anesthetized rats were sacrificed. Blood samples were collected for the determination of liver function biochemical indexes. Liver tissue samples were used for histopathological examinations. The expression of Activin A was determined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. RESULTS:All 36 rats were involved in the final analysis. ①The liver function in extract treatment group was significantly improved compared with that in model group. ②The grade of fibrosis in extract treatment group were remarkably lower than that in model group under light microscope. ③The positive staining of Activin A in treatment group was significantly reduced compared with model group. ④The expression of Activin A mRNA in extract treatment group was significantly reduced compared with model group. CONCLUSION:Extract of Ginkgo Biloba can effectively decrease the expression of Activin A in rats with hepatic fibrosis caused by CCl4,and lessen the degree of hepatic fibrosis.

Objective To determine the diagnostic value of fractional exhaled nitric (FeNO) measurement in diagnosis of bronchial asthma. Methods The patients with unkown-cause respiratory symptoms including wheezing, cough, and breathlessness were enrolled from August to September in 2008. FeNO was measured by nitric oxide analyzer (NIOX; Aerocrine AB; Solna, Sweden). Bronchial challenge test (BCT) or bronchodilator test was defined as golden standard for asthma diagnosis. The value of FeNO was assessed and the optimal operating point of FeNO testing was determined by the means of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results A total of 101 patients were enrolled, in which 48 cases were diagnosed as asthma by positive yield in BCT (in 38 cases) or bronchodilator test (in 10 cases). The severity of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) judged by BCT was mild in 15 cases, moderate in 15 cases and severe in 8 cases. The levels of FeNO of asthma group were higher than those of non-asthma group [(68.19±43.00) pph vs (19.52±10.60) ppb, P < 0.05]. A linear correlation of FeNO with lnPD20 FEV1 was revealed in the cases with AHR. Area under ROC curve was 0.9. The optimal diagnostic cutoff point was 36.5 ppb which was capable of differentiating asthma and non-asthma with sensitivity of 92.7%, specificity of 83.3%, positive predictive value of 79.17% , negative predictive value of 94.34% and accuracy of 87.13%. Conclusion FeNO test may be helpful in the diagnosis of asthma with high sensitivity and specificity.

Objective To investigate the effects of Sulfotanshinone Sodium Injection (SSI) on neuropathic pain in rats.Methods One hundred and eight adult male Wistar rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n =36 each):sham operation group (group S) ; chronic constrictive injury (CCI)group; group SSI.The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 10% chloral hydrate 350 mg/kg.In groups CCI and SSI,4 ligatures were placed on the right sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 silk thread according to the method described by Bennett et al.In group S,the right sciatic nerves were exposed,but not ligated.In group SSI,SSI 25 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day starting from the end of operation until one day before the animals were sacrificed,while the rats received the equal volume of normal saline (5 ml/kg) instead of SSI in groups S and CCI.Twelve animals in each group were chosen at 1 day before operation and 3,7 and 14 days after CCI (T1-4) to measure mechanical paw withdrawal threshold to yon Frey stimuli (MWT) and paw withdrawal latency to thermal nociceptive stimulus (TWL).Six rats in each group were sacrificed at T2-4 after measurement of pain threshold,and their lumbar segnents (L4-6) of the spinal cord were immediately removed for determination of Bcl2 and caspase-3 expression in spinal dorsal horn (by immune-histochemistry),and MDA content and SOD activity (by spectrophotometry) in spinal cord.Results Compared with group S,PWT was significantly decreased,PWL was shortened,the expression of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 was up-regulated,MDA content was increased and SOD activity was decreased at T2-4 in groups CCI and SSI (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group CNP,PWT was significantly increased,PWL was prolonged,the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated,the expression of caspase-3 was downregulated,MDA content was decreased and SOD activity was increased at T2-4 in group SSI (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion SSI can mitigate neuropathic pain in rats and inhibition of oxidative stress in spinal cord tissues and reduction of apoptosis in spinal dorsal horn neurons are involved in the mechanism.

Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetornidine on the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in the spinal cord in rats with neuropathic pain (NP).Methods One hundred and eight male Wistar rats,aged 6-8 weeks,weighing 180-220 g,were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n =36 each):sham operation group (group S),NP group and dexmedetomidine group (group D).NP was induced by chronic constrictive injury in anesthetized rats.Sciatic nerve was exposed and 4 loose ligatures were placed on the sciatic nerve at 1 mm intervals with 4-0 silk thread.In group S,the right sciatic nerves were exposed,but not ligated.Dexmedetomidine 50 μg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day from the onset of operation to one day before the rats were sacrificed in group D,while the equal volume of normal saline was injected in groups S and NP.Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal pain threshold (TPT) were measured on the day before operation (T0) and 3,7,and 14 days after operation (T1-3).After measurement of pain threshold at T1,T2 and T3 after operation,the L4-6 segments of the spinal cord were removed for determination of the expres-sion of TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA (by RT-PCR) and the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in spinal dorsal horn (by immuno-histochemistry).Results Compared with group S,MWT and TPT were significantly decreased and the expression of TLR4,NF-κB and TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA was up-regulated after operation in groups NP and D (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group NP,TPT and MWT were significantly increased and the expression of TLR4,NF-κB,TLR4 mRNA and NF-κB mRNA was significantly down-regulated after operation in group D (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which dexmedetomidine attenuates NP in rats is related to inhibition of the expression of TLR4 and NF-κB in rat spinal cord.

Objective To investigate the effect of cerebral ischemic preconditioning (IP) on the expressions of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and its receptor Tie-2 mRNA in cerebral ischemia in rats.Methods Ninety-nine Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups:sham operation (n =9),non-ischemic preconditioning (NIP) (n =45),and IP (n =45).The latter two groups were redivided into 5 subgroups:ischemia-reperfusion 1,3,7,14,and 21 days (n =9 in each group).A model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was induced by the intraluminal suture method for focal IP (ischemia for 10 minutes and restoring perfusion).Infarct volume was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium staining.The expression levels of Ang-1/Tie-2 mRNA were detected by in situ hybridization.Results The infarct volumes in the 1 -,3-,and 7-day subgroups of the IP group were significantly smaller than those in the relative subgroups of the NIP group (all P＜ 0.05).The expression of Ang-1 mRNA in the 3- and 7-day subgroups of the IP group and the expression of Tie-2 mRNA in the 1-,3-,and 7-day subgroups of the NIP group were upregulated significantly (all P ＜ 0.05).The infarct volume in the 3-day subgroup of the IP group was reduced most significantly (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of Ang-1 mRNA in the 7-day subgroup was upregulated significantly,and the peak expression of its receptor Tie-2 mRNA appeared at day 3 after IP and continued to day 7.Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression levels of Ang-1/Tie-2 mRNA were significantly negatively correlated with infarct volume (P ＜0.01).Conclusions The expression of Ang-1/Tie-2 mRNA in the IP group was upregulated within the time window of ischemic tolerance (1 - 7 days after preconditioning),in which Ang-1 may mainly act on the later stage of the cerebral ischemic tolerance.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of opportunistic infections in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients.Methods A comprehensive retrospective chart review study was conducted of 603 AIDS patients with different opportunistic infections in a special hospital authorized for AIDS patients.Results In all 603 patients,327 cases (54.2％) were infected with Pneumocystisjiroveci,251 cases (41.6％) were infected with fungus and 210 cases (34.8％) were infected with mycobacterium.Totally 367 cases (60.9％) had only one pathogen and 236 cases (39.1％) were co-infected with more than one pathogen.A total of 390 cases (64.7％) had a single site of infection with the respiratory tract being most frequently involved (271 cases,69.5％),and 213 cases (35.3％) had more than one infected site.The most common coinfected sites were oropharynx and respiratory tract (111 cases,52.1％).Conclusions AIDS patients are usually coinfected with multiple pathogenic organisms and multi-systems involved.Most of the opportunistic infections can be cured by timely diagnosis and effective treatment to prolong life and improve the quality of life of AIDS patients.

ObjectiveToinvestigatetherolesofbrain-derivedneurotrophicfactor(BDNF)and tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) in ischemic postconditioning. Methods Wistar rats w ere randomly assigned to three groups:a sham operation (9 rats), an ischemic postconditioning, and an ischemia-reperfusion group. According to the reperfusion time, the latter 2 groups w ere redivided into 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h subgroups (9 rats in each subgroups). A middle cerebral artery occluded by suture method for a cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model. Triphenyl tetrazolium staining w as used to detect infarct volume (P=4). Immunohisto-chemical staining w as used to detect the expression levels of BDNF and TrkB proteins (P=5). Results The infarct volumes in the ischemic postconditioning group w ere reduced significantly compared w ith those in the ischemia-reperfusion group (6 h:143.3 ±8.7 mm3 vs.166.8 ±7.5 mm3, t=4.104, P=0.006;12 h:151.7 ±7.8 mm3 vs.171.6 ±9.1 mm3, t=3.314, P=0.016; 24 h: 159.2 ±9.3 mm3 vs.177.1 ± 7.6 mm3, t=3.000, P=0.024;48 h:166.9 ±9.6 mm3 vs.184.9 ±9.0 mm3, t=2.732, P=0.034;72 h:172.0 ±9.1 mm3 vs.198.1 ±8.2 mm3, t=2.640, P=0.039), and the positive cel numbers of BDNF (6 h:23.98 ±4.07 vs.18.63 ±2.5, t=2.479, P=0.038;12 h:27.64 ±3.18 vs.22.01 ±3.14, t=2.817, P=0.023;24 h:34.82 ±4.17 vs.28.46 ±4.05, t=2.446, P=0.040; 48 h:34.30 ±3.27 vs.26.29 ± 3.26, t=3.872, P=0.005;72 h:28.77 ±3.53 vs.23.64 ±3.54, t=2.297, P=0.051) and TrkB (6 h:33.83 ±3.90 vs.21.51 ±3.86, t=5.012, P<0.001; 12 h:38.59 ±4.84 vs.23.41 ±3.67, t=5.586, P<0.001;24 h:46.07 ±3.06 vs.28.78 ±3.61, t=8.169, P<0.001; 48 h:47.90 ±3.30 vs.29.51 ± 3.81, t=8.160, P<0.001; 72 h:42.78 ±4.07 vs.27.46 ±3.19, t=6.623, P<0.001) per high-pow er field at each time point in the ischemic postconditioning group w ere significantly more than those in the ischemia-reperfusion group. Conclusions Ischemic postconditioning upregulates the expressions levels of BDNF and TrkB proteins after ischemia-reperfusion and reduces cerebral infarct volumes. BDNF/TrkB may play an important neuroprotective effect in ischemic postconditioning.

Objective To evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on lung ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats.Methods Ninety-six healthy SPF male Wistar rats,weighing 250-350 g,aged 8-12 weeks,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =24 each):sham operation group (S group),I/R group,low dose dexmedetomidine group (DL group) and high dose dexmedetomidine group (DH group).In DL and DH groups,dexmedetomidine 100 and 500 μg· kg-1 · d-1 were injected intraperitoneally once a day for 2 consecutive days,while the equal volume of normal saline was given in S and I/R groups.Lung·I/R was induced by clamping the left hilum of lung for 45 min followed by reperfusion at 30 min after administration on 2nd day.At 45 min of ischemia,and 60 and 120 min of reperfusion,6 rats were sacrificed,and lungswere removed for determination of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-a) content and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung tissues.The percentage of damaged alveolar in lung tissues was detected at 120 min of reperfusion.Another 6 rats were lavaged and the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was colleted for determination of the total protein concentrations.Results Compared with S group,the TNF-α content,MPO activity,percentage of damaged alveolar,and total protein concentrations in BALF were significantly increased in I/R,DL and DH groups.Compared with I/R group,the TNF-α content,MPO activity,percentage of damaged alveolar,and total protein concentrations in BALF were significantly decreased in DL and DH groups.Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can alleviate the lung I/R injury in rats,and the mechanism is related to inhibiton of the inflammatory responses.