Objective To screen the optimized Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD);To verify it. Methods H2O2 was used to induce PC12 cell oxidative stress models. MTT method was used to determine the prevention effects of BYHWD at different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.5 mg/mL) on in vitro oxidative stress cell models to define the optimized concentration. Orthogonal design was used to divide BYHWD single medicine into decomposed BYHWD groups, control group (only with DMEM), normal group (without H2O2 and medicine processing), and model group, to investigate the protective effects on PC12 cells. Optimized BYHWD was screened to decide the compatibility ratio of each medicine. MTT was used to detect the cell survival rate in each group. Middle cerebral artery occlusion was used to replicate MACO rat models. SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, model group, BYHWD group and optimized BYHWD high-, medium-and low-dose groups. Each medication group was given relevant medicine for gavage. The screened results were verified. Results Compared with other decomposed BYHWD groups, the protective effects of the compatibility of Astragali Radix+Chuanxiong Rhizoma+Pheretima on PC12 cells was the best (P<0.05), which was nearly equaled to BYHWD. Compared with the model group, BYHWD and the optimized one could evidently reduce cerebral cortex infarction area and improve the impaired brain edema (P<0.05), and the medium-dose group was the best. Conclusion The optimized BYHWD ratio is:Astragali Radix:Chuanxiong Rhizoma:Pheretima=10:3:1.

OBJECTIVETo sum up the clinical experience in the reparation of burn wounds with different types of skin flaps in patients with severe electrical injury.

METHODSFree skin flap, axile island flap with vascular pedicle and muscular skin flap were employed to repair 64 wounds in 49 cases.

RESULTSSkin flap necrosis happened in 2 cases, congestion and necrosis at the edge of skin flaps in 4 cases, and complete survival of the skin flaps and primary healing of the wounds in the remaining cases.

CONCLUSIONReparation of wounds with proper skin flaps according to the degree of the electrical injury is effective and reliable, which might be beneficial to the prevention of necrobiosis and the infection in deep tissue.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Burns, Electric ; surgery ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Surgical Flaps

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical practice of laparoscopic rectopexy in the treatment of severe rectal prolapse.

METHODSFrom March 1998 to February 2007, 4 cases of complete rectal prolapse, including 1 male and 3 female,ranged 21-82 years old, were treated by laparoscopic rectopexy. In one case, the posterior wall of rectum was freed and elevated, and pre-rectal introcession was closed by silk suture, then the posterior wall was suspended and fixed on sacral promontory fascia, finally the sigmoid colon was fixed by sutures on the fascia of left psoas major. In other three cases, insertion of mesh was performed. Rectum was freed and elevated to the level of levalor ani. A sheet of T-shape polypropylene mesh was placed posterior to the rectum, whose lower margin was at the level of levator ani and wrapped around the rectum covering except the anterior wall. The free margin of the mesh was sutured on the muscular layer of rectum, then the mesh was put posterior to the rectum and fixed on the sacral promontory fascia by clipping to repair hernia. After that, the pelvic peritoneum was closed, and finally the sigmoid colon was fixed by sutures on the fascia of left psoas major.

RESULTSFour operation procedures were completed successfully. There was no conversion operation. The time was consumed 92.5 (80-100) min, and the bleeding amount was 6.5 (5-10) ml. No post-operative complications were found. Urine incontinence and encopresis were relieved. No recurrence and constipation was found after 2 months to 3 years follow up postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONLaparoscopic rectopexy is a safe, workable and effective procedure, which can reduce operative trauma and shorten hospitalization time.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Rectal Prolapse ; surgery ; Rectum ; surgery ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the bacterial flora and their drug resistance in hospitalized burn patients on tropical islands.

METHODSRetrospective study was carried out to analyze pathogenic microorganisms and their drug resistance characteristics in 392 burn patients hospitalized during 2000-2005.

RESULTS(1) Totally 671 strains of bacteria were isolated, among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aerobacter cloacae and Acinetobacter species were predominant, but the isolation rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was declining compared with that in 1990's. (2) The resistance rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem and cefepime was 32.2% and 36.7% , respectively, while that to other antibiotics was above 80%. (3) Among 141 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 89 strains (63.1%) of MRSA were isolated, and none of them were resistant to Vancomycin.

CONCLUSIONPseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aerobacter cloacae and Acinetobacter species were predominant in tropical islands. The species of the pathogens are changing . The drug resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are rather high.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Burns ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Tropical Climate ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the anatomical and morphological characteristics of the venous spaces involved in surgery via transsphenoidal approach to the cavernous sinus (CS).

METHODSTen fixed cadaver heads (six male, four female) with red and blue latex injected in the arteries and veins, respectively, were used to perform the transsphenoidal approach. The anterior wall of the sphenoidal sinus and the floor of sellar turcica were opened as much as possible to expose the dura mater at the sellar floor and the inferior wall of CS, and the location of the anterior and inferior intercavernous sinuses were observed carefully. All the spaces of CS were observed and measured. According to the observations, the venous spaces available for operation were identified and analyzed.

RESULTSIn all the cadaver heads, 4 anterior and 5 inferior intercavernous sinuses were found, with the former locating below the optic protuberance, while the latter situated at the turn of the sellar protuberance at the clival indentation. CS was subdivided into medial space, inferolateral space, and dorsolateral space.

CONCLUSIONSIn transsphenoidal approach, opening of anterior and inferior intercavernous sinus is liable to result in intra- and postoperative venous bleeding, and understanding of the location of the intercavernous sinus and appropriate utilization of these CS may help reduce intraoperative vascular and nerve injury.

Cadaver ; Cavernous Sinus ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Anatomic ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; Sphenoid Sinus ; anatomy & histology ; blood supply ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study the microanatomy of the perforating arteries in the superior space of the internal carotid artery visualized through a pterional approach.

METHODSTwelve (24 sides) perfused cadaver heads were dissected via the pterional approach, and the perforating arteries in the superior space of the internal carotid artery were studied under microscope. The diameter, course and distribution in the anterior perforated substance of the perforating arteries were recorded.

RESULTSAll the perforating arteries exposed lied on the side of the brain tissue. The carotid bifurcation on 8 sides had perforating arteries, and 11 sides showed medial lenticulostriate artery of the middle cerebral arteries, with short course and overlapped with another perforating arteries upon entry into the anterior perforated substance. On 4 sides, the medial lenticulostriate artery coincided with the perforating arteries in A1. All 24 sides showed middle lenticulostriate artery and lateral lenticulostriate artery of the middle cerebral arteries. Most of the lenticulostriate arteries originated from the anterior segment of the bifurcation of the middle cerebral arteries. The earlier bifurcation occurred in M1 of the middle cerebral arteries, the more perforating arteries originated. On 22 sides, the anterior cerebral arteries had perforating arteries with many branches, and fewer perforating arteries in a main artery were associated with greater diameter of them.

CONCLUSIONThe superior space of the internal carotid artery allows a space for operation, and in some cases, part of the medial leticulostriate arteries and A1 perforating arteries can be severed to obtain larger space for the operation.

Brain ; anatomy & histology ; blood supply ; surgery ; Cadaver ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microsurgery ; Neuroanatomy ; methods

OBJECTIVE To observe the influence of Du meridian-dredging method combined with dorsiflexion ankle foot or-thotics on walking ability in patients with hemiplegia.METHODS 121 ischemic stroke patients with hemiplegia were divided into the treatment group(n =61) and the control group(n =60) using random single blind control method.Conventional reha-bilitation trainings including Bobath technology and ankle-foot orthoses were given to patients in the control group,while those in the treatment group were further given meridian dredging massage.The treatment lasted for 8 weeks in total.Variation of parameters before and after treatment were compared including lower limb movement function score,the fastest walking veloc-ity measured over 10 meters,gait space,time parameters,as well as angle of knee flexion and extension during walk in two groups were compared.RESULTS Before the treatment,all parameters had no significant difference between two groups(P >0.05).After 8 weeks,there was a significant difference on all parameters of both groups(P <0.01),but the treatment group improved much more than the control group(P <0.05).CONCLUSION The meridian dredging massage with dorsiflexion an-kle foot orthotics can improve movement function and walking ability in patients with hemiplegia.

OBJECTIVETo describe an operative method for the repair of electric burn wound in the upper limbs with lateral intercostal perforator-based pedicled flap, and to observe its clinical effect.

METHODSIntercostal artery perforator-based pedicled abdominal flap with the blood supply originating from the lateral perforator branches of the 7th-10th intercostal arteries were used to repair the wounds of 6 patients with burn wounds in elbows, forearm, wrists and palms. The pedicles were (16. 0 cm x 12. 0 cm) - (9. 0 cm x 7.0 cm) in area, and the pedicles were severed 18 to 21 days after the operation. The survival and the appearance of the flaps were observed after operation.

RESULTSThe procedure was easy and safe, and there was reliable and adequate blood supply in the lateral intercostal perforator-based pedicled flap. All the flaps survived in 5 patients, except marginal necrosis (3.5 cm x 2. 0 cm) was found in the distal portion of flap because flap cutting exceeded the paraumbilical line. The appearance was satisfactory after operation.

CONCLUSIONThis flap is suitable for the repair of deep wounds in hands, forearms, and elbows.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arm Injuries ; surgery ; Burns, Electric ; surgery ; Child ; Hand Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Intercostal Muscles ; blood supply ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; blood supply ; Thoracic Arteries ; transplantation ; Upper Extremity ; injuries ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of particulate matters less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) on heart repolarization/depolarization and heart rate variability (HRV).

METHODSWe conducted a panel study for elderly subjects with heart disease in Beijing from 2007 to 2008. PM2.5 was measured at a fixed station for 20 h continuously each day while electrocardiogram (ECG) indexes of 42 subjects were also recorded repeatedly. Meteorological data was obtained from the China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System. A mixed linear regression model was used to estimate the associations between PM2.5 and the ECG indexes. The model was adjusted for age, body mass index, sex, day of the week and meteorology.

RESULTSSignificant adverse effects of PM2.5 on ECG indexes reflecting HRV were observed statistically and the strongest effect of PM2.5 on HRV was on lag 1 day in our study. However, there were no associations between PM2.5 and ECG indexes reflecting heart repolarization/depolarization. Additionally, the effects of PM2.5 on subjects with hypertension were larger than on the subjects without hypertension.

CONCLUSIONThis study showed ambient PM2.5 could affect cardiac autonomic function of the elderly people with heart disease, and subjects with hypertension appeared to be more susceptive to the autonomic dysfunction induced by PM2.5.

Aged ; Air Pollutants ; toxicity ; Electrocardiography ; Environmental Monitoring ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; physiopathology ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Heart Ventricles ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Particle Size

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prognostic factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with different metastatic status, and to improve the NPC management by multi-level refinement and stratification of M1 stage distant metastases.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 1016 NPC patients with distant metastases were retrospectively reviewed. The M1 stage distant metastases were subdivided into synchronous or metachronous metastases, metastatic sites (lung, bone, liver), number of metastatic organs (solitary, multiple) and number of metastases (solitary, multiple) subgroups to analyze the prognosis and survival of the patients.

RESULTSThe most frequently involved metastatic sites were bone (542, 53.3%), lung (420, 41.3%) and liver (302, 29.7%). There were solitary metastatic lesions in 164 patients (16.2%), synchronous metastases in 376 cases and metachronous metastases in 640 cases. The median overall survival of the whole group of 1016 NPC patients was 30.8 months since the time of diagnosis of metastasis. For the 376 patients in the synchronous metastasis group, the median survival was 23.3 months and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 74.2%, 27.6% and 18.5%, respectively. For the 640 patients in the metachronous metastases group, the median survival was 36.7 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 88.1%, 49.6% and 28.6%, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (all P < 0.001). Cox multivariate analysis indicated that the number of metastatic lesions, different metastatic sites and N stage at initial diagnosis were independent prognostic factors for patients with metachronous metastases (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSA theory of detailed multi-level metastasis (M1) stratification aiming at different distant metastasis status for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is proposed. To take appropriate individualized treatment scheme according to the prognosis and expected survival should be helpful to improving the diagnosis and treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Neoplasms ; pathology ; secondary ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; secondary ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Time Factors ; Young Adult