OBJECTIVETo explore the procedures of dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography (DICC) and their application in the diagnosis and classification of venous erectile dysfunction (VED).

METHODSThis study included 103 ED patients, aged 20 to 43 years, highly suspected of VED, with disease courses of 4 months to 6 years. DICC was performed and analyses were made on the results, especially the parameters of flow-to-maintain (FTM) and pressure decay (PD) in the corpus cavernosum.

RESULTSBased on the parameters of FTM and PD, 21 of the patients were normal, 5 were suspected of VED, 39 had mild VED, 25 had moderate VED, and 13 had severe VED. Penile subcutaneous hematoma was found in 4 of the patients, all recovered after 3 to 5 days, with no other complications.

CONCLUSIONDICC is a reliable, safe and minimally invasive method for the diagnosis and classification of VED.

Diagnostic Techniques, Urological ; adverse effects ; Hematoma ; etiology ; Humans ; Impotence, Vasculogenic ; classification ; diagnosis ; Male ; Penile Diseases ; etiology ; Penis ; blood supply ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography ; Veins

Objective To explore the influence of inhaled glucocorticosteroid on ?-glutamylcysteine synthetase(?-GCS) in inflammatory cell of sputum in children with asthma.Methods Twenty-two asthmatic children were divided into 2 groups according to treatment.The children who were treated by inhaled budesonide combined with salbutamol were due to group A and the others inhaling salbutamol only were due to group B,the healthy children were acted as healthy control group(group C).The glutation(GSH),total GSH and the activity of ?-GCS in sputum were measured respectively;Expression of ?-GCS in inflammatory cell of sputum were detected by immunohistochemistry;the expression of ?-GCS heavy chain(?-GCS-h) mRNA were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results 1.The total GSH[(1.08?0.14) ?mol/L] and oxidized glutathione(GSSG)[(0.37?0.09) ?mol/L] were decreased in sputum of group A of post-treatment compared with pre-treatment(Pa

Adult ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; adverse effects ; Chemical Industry ; Female ; Humans ; Insecticides ; adverse effects ; Male ; Maximum Allowable Concentration ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; adverse effects ; Phosphorus Compounds ; adverse effects ; Sulfides ; adverse effects

BACKGROUNDCathepsin S and its endogenous inhibitor cystatin C are implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, especially in the plaque destabilization and rupture leading to acute coronary syndrome. However, whether circulating cathepsin S and cystatin C also change in association with coronary plaque morphology is unknown yet.

METHODSWe recruited 98 patients with unstable angina (UA, n = 6) or stable angina (SA, n = 2) who had a segmental stenosis resulting in > 20% and < 70% diameter reduction in one major coronary artery on coronary angiography. Thirty-one healthy subjects served as controls. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was used to evaluate plaque morphology. Plasma cathepsin S and cystatin C were measured as well.

RESULTSAt the culprit lesion site, plaque area ((7.85 +/- 2.83) mm(2) vs (6.53 +/- 2.92) mm(2), P = 0.027), plaque burden ((60.92 +/- 11.04)% vs (53.87 +/- 17.52)%, P = 0.025), remodeling index (0.93 +/- 0.16 vs 0.86 +/- 0.10, P = 0.004) and eccentricity index (0.74 +/- 0.17 vs 0.66 +/- 0.21, P = 0.038) were bigger in UA group than in SA group. Plasma cathepsin S and cystatin C were significantly higher in patients than in controls (P < 0.01). Plasma cathepsin S was higher in UA group ((0.411 +/- 0.121) nmol/L) than in SA group ((0.355 +/- 0.099) nmol/L, P = 0.007), so did the plasma cystatin C ((0.95 +/- 0.23) mg/L in UA group, (0.84 +/- 0.22) mg/L in SA group; P = 0.009). Plasma cathepsin S positively correlated with remodeling index (r = 0.402, P = 0.002) and eccentricity index (r = 0.441, P = 0.001), and plasma cystatin C positively correlated with plaque area (r = 0.467, P < 0.001) and plaque burden (r = 0.395, P = 0.003) in UA group but not in SA group.

CONCLUSIONSPlasma cathepsin S and cystatin C increased significantly in UA patients. In angina patients, higher plasma cathepsin S may suggest the presence of vulnerable plaque, and higher plasma cystatin C may be a clue for larger atherosclerotic coronary plaque.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cathepsins ; blood ; Coronary Artery Disease ; blood ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Cystatin C ; blood ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography, Interventional ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the status of dental caries in the human of Tang dynasty.

METHODSAll teeth in 62 human skulls of Tang dynasty excavated from the Chang'an county in Xi'an city were examined and analyzed by statistics. The difference of prevalence in different group including age, sex and tooth position was tested with Chi-square test.

RESULTSThe prevalence of dental caries was 62.9%. And there were 92 caries teeth, which was 14.6% of the whole teeth. The root caries (33.3%) was more than the occlusal caries (28.7%). The most frequent recorded caries were the third molar, followed by the second molar, then the first molar. There was no significant difference between male and female.

CONCLUSIONSThe dental caries was popular in human of Tang dynasty, but the prevalence lowers than the modern people. And with the human evolution and the improvement of the social productivity, the prevalence of dental caries was gradually ascending.

Adult ; Archaeology ; China ; epidemiology ; DMF Index ; Dental Caries ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this registry is to collect data on percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed in various provinces in mainland China in 2005.

METHODSQuestionnaires were send to all hospitals in China and data on PCI, PCI case numbers and type of stents were collected.

RESULTS(1) PCI is available in 754 hospitals among the 30 provinces and there are more than 50 hospitals performing PCI in 4 provinces: Shandong (70), Beijing (60), Guangdong (60) and Shanghai (50); (2) A total of 95 912 PCIs were performed among the 30 provinces and about 50% of these procedures were finished in five provinces (Beijing: 20%, Shanghai: 8.9%, Shandong: 7.6%, Liaoning: 6.1% and Shanxi 6.0%; (3) PCI numbers were more 1000 in 7 hospitals, between 500 - 999 in 13 hospitals, between 300 - 499 in 41 hospitals, between 100 - 299 in 149 hospitals and less than 100 in more than 50% of all hospitals; (4) In several regions with higher GDP such as Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Guangdong Province, Shandong Province and Hainan Province, the rate of PCI/total population is significantly lower than other regions with comparable GDP and there is a potential for higher PCI numbers in the future; (5)Around 60% stents implanted were drug eluting stents.

CONCLUSIONPCI procedures is popular in mainland China now, especially in regions with higher GDP. Around 60% implanted stents were drug eluting stents.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; statistics & numerical data ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Humans ; Registries ; statistics & numerical data ; Stents

OBJECTIVETo describe the current situation and explore risk factors to irregularly antipulmonary tuberculosis(TB) drugs taking in smear positive TB patients.

METHODSFour out of the forty counties in Chongqing were randomly sampled according to the levels of social and economic development. Totally, 405 new patients with smear positive tuberculosis were systematically sampled and a household survey was carried out. A multiple logistic regression model was fitted to explore the risk factors to irregularly anti-TB drugs taking.

RESULTSOf valid 401 cases, 50 (12.47%) did not take their drugs regularly and the top 3 reasons for irregular drugs taking were: (1) Adverse effects; (2)Economic hardship; (3) Stopped taking drugs when symptom disappeared. Results from multiple logistic regression analysis showed that factors as: self-perceived economical burden, awareness on TB before being infected and awareness on the fact that if anti-TB drugs can be stopped if the symptoms disappeared, were statistically significant to irregularly drugs taking.

CONCLUSIONStrengthening health education program and alleviation of economical burden might serve as two effective measures for regularly drugs taking among TB patients.

Antitubercular Agents ; administration & dosage ; China ; Humans ; Patient Compliance ; Risk Factors ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; drug therapy

BACKGROUNDMany studies have examined gender related differences in the presenting symptoms, management and prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Much data are available from industrialized countries, in which ACS is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, but relatively little information has been obtained from China, where an epidemic of cardiovascular disease is starting to emerge. The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in clinical practice in a national Chinese sample.

METHODSA total of 12 medical teaching hospitals participated in CRACE. Data collection began in 2001 and continued until 2004, 1301 patients with ACS were enrolled into the study. We compared the clinical demographics, different therapies and outcomes in hospitals between female and male patients with ACS.

RESULTSPatients had an average age of 63.13 years (ranging from 27 to 93 years) and 318 female and 983 male subjects were enrolled. Female subjects were older than male patients (67.23 years vs 61.80 years, P < 0.0001). The incidence of angina, heart failure, diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the female group was higher than in male group (73.6% vs 62.3%, P < 0.0001; 8.2% vs 5.7%, P = 0.031; 30.8% vs 18.6%, P < 0.0001 and 66.4% vs 56.8%, P = 0.001 respectively), but the incidence of smoking was less in the female group than in the male group (6.6% vs 66.2%, P < 0.0001). More male patients presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared with female patients (48.5% vs 39%, P = 0.002). With the exception of beta-blocker administration, no differences were found among medications including aspirin, ACEI, lipid lowering agents and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) between female and male patients presenting with ACS in hospitals. Compared with male patients with non-ST-segment elevation (NSTE) ACS, female subjects were more prone to receive beta-blockers (75.1% vs 63.4%, P = 0.001). Among STEMI and NSTE-ACS patients, fewer female subjects received reperfusion therapy compared with male subjects (37.1% vs 26.8%, P = 0.013 for STEMI; 53.6% vs 37.2 %, P < 0.0001 for NSTE-ACS). Recurrent angina was more often seen in the female group of patients with the whole spectrum of ACS (25% vs 14.5%, P = 0.005 for STEMI; 29.4% vs 20.2%, P = 0.001 for NSTE-ACS) as was true for patients with congestive heart failure. There was no significant difference in in-hospital death rates between the two groups with ACS (5.6% vs 7.1%, P = 0.2 for STEMI, and 2.1% vs 1.4%, P = 0.738 for NSTE-ACS).

CONCLUSIONSFemale patients with ACS were older than male subjects and thus more often had concomitant diseases but less often had a history of smoking. They less often received reperfusion therapies and more often had higher in-hospital recurrent angina. However, there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the female and male patients.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Coronary Disease ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; epidemiology ; Registries ; Sex Characteristics

BACKGROUNDAntithrombotic and antiplatelet therapies have been proposed to treat non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS), yet limited information is available about their applications from a multicenter "real-world" clinical procedure, especially in China. This study was undertaken to characterize the use of antithrombotic and antiplatelet agents in relation to the risk levels of the NSTEACS patients who were enrolled in Sino-Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACEs) registry study.

METHODSWe analyzed the data from 618 Chinese NSTEACS patients stratified into low-(n = 151), intermediate-(n = 233), and high-risk groups (n = 234) based on GRACE risk scores. The baseline characteristics, clinical presentations, antithrombotic and antiplatelet agents were recorded and compared among the three groups.

RESULTSThe administration rates of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) (86.08%) and thienopyridines (85.92%) were higher whereas the administration rate of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (1.78%) was much lower than those reported previously. Meanwhile, within the first 24 hours of admission, the use of heparin/LMWHs in the high-risk group was more than that in the intermediate- and low-risk groups (73.50% vs 63.09% vs 55.63%, P = 0.001). Furthermore, the combination of antithrombotic and antiplatelet medications showed no significant differences in all groups.

CONCLUSIONSIn the "real world" practice of China, the antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapies on NSTEACS are well adherent to the current guidelines except for several gaps, such as the very low use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor. Moreover, these antithrombotic and antiplatelet treatments usually tend to be underused for the high-risk ones.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Aged ; Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; Female ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Pyridines ; therapeutic use ; Registries ; Risk Assessment

OBJECTIVETo study the preparation of recombinant house dust mite group 1 allergen vaccine (chitosan-pVAX1-Derp1 nanoparticles, pVAX1-Derp1/CS) and to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of intranasally given chitosan-pVAX1-Derp1 nanoparticles on mouse model with allergic rhinitis (AR).

METHODSThe chitosan-pVAX1-Derp1 nanoparticles was prepared by complex coacervation, and its nature was identified and analysed. A total of 40 BALB/c rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the normal group (group A), the AR model group (group B), the chitosan (CS) prevention group (group C), the pVAX1-Derp1 prevention group (group D), and the pVAX1-Derp1/CS prevention group (group E). The nasal cavity of rats in the group B, C, D and E were dripped with phosphate buffered saline (20 µl), CS (20 µl), pVAX1-Der p1 (20 µl), pVAX1-Derp1/CS nanoparticles (20 µl) on the first day and day 8, once daily. Rats in the latter 4 group were sensitized with Der p1 and Al(OH)3 in day 15 and day 22, and challenged with Der p1 to establish AR model from day 36 to day 43, while rats in group A were treated with PBS. Then the level of cytokines in serum was assayed by ELISA, inflammatory reactions in nasal mucosa were analyzed by haematoxylin and eosin staining.

RESULTSpVAX1-Derp1/CS nanoparticles was successfully constructed, the mean grain size of pVAX1-Derp1/CS was (205.3 ± 12.8) nm, and the zeta potential was (30.5 ± 5.6) mV. In nasal mucosa tissue, group B and C showed significant allergic inflammation, while group D and E showed lighter allergic inflammation. Compared with the group B, the group D and E could effectively reduced serum IgE level and IL-4 level [group B: (120.0 ± 8.8) ng/ml, (248.7 ± 10.6) pg/ml; group D: (109.6 ± 14.5) ng/ml, (192.5 ± 10.2) pg/ml; group E: (88.1 ± 8.3) ng/ml, (165.7 ± 9.7) pg/ml; IgE: t value were 3.5, 6.9, all P < 0.01; IL-4: t value were 10.0, 15.2, all P < 0.01], and increased IFN-γ level [group B: (709.0 ± 26.5) pg/ml; group D: (856.3 ± 37.4) pg/ml; group E: (904.8 ± 37.7) pg/ml; t value were 8.2, 10.8, all P < 0.01)]. IL-10 level of group D [(129.9 ± 16.1) pg/ml] and E [(107.1 ± 11.8) pg/ml] was lower than IL-10 level of group B [(160.6 ± 24.2) pg/ml]. The difference were significantly (t value were 2.9, 5.5, all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSChitosan can effectively encapsulate pVAX1-Derp 1 and inhibit nuclease degradation of the plasmid, the DNA vaccine has some preventive effect on AR animal model by nasal immunization.

Administration, Intranasal ; Animals ; Antigens, Dermatophagoides ; immunology ; Chitosan ; administration & dosage ; Cytokines ; blood ; Immunization ; methods ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nanoparticles ; administration & dosage ; Nasal Mucosa ; immunology ; Plasmids ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; prevention & control ; Vaccines, DNA ; genetics ; immunology