ObjectiveTo investigate the application of surface electromyography (sEMG) in patients with lumbar disc herniation. Methods44 patients with chronic lumbar disc herniation were divided into mild pain group (group A) and moderate to severe pain group (group B) according to their scores of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Their sEMG at erector spinae and gastrocnemius were collected, and the average EMG (AEMG), slope of median frequency (MFs) were analyzed. ResultsCompared with those in the healthy side, AEMG of erector spinae and gastrocnemius reduced significantly (P<0.05) in affected side in both groups, while the MFs (absolute value) increased (P<0.05). Compared with those in group A, the MFs (absolute value) in affected side significantly increased in group B (P<0.05). The ratio of healthy/affected side of AEMG increased in group B (P<0.05), but the ratio of MFs was no significantly difference between 2 groups (P>0.05). ConclusionSurface EMG, of both the erector spinae and gastrocnemius, can be used as a non-invasive tool in detecting neuromuscular function of lumbar and lower limb in patients with lumbar disc herniation. The sEMG imbalance may respond with the severity of pain.

Objective To explore the quadriceps muscles function in patients with unilateral knee injury.Methods 23 unilateral knee injured patients with joint dysfuntion were assessed with isometric EMG activity of vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis obliques (VMO) and rectus femoris(RF) of both thighs during three 5-s maximal isometric voluntary contractions at a knee joint angle of 30° (0° - full knee extension), and the torque were recorded at same time. Results The average amplitude (AEMG), mean power frequency (MPF), and median frequency (MF) of VL, VMO and RF in affected knees were significantly lower than those in unaffected knees（P＜0.01）, as well as the torque（P＜0.01）. In the unaffected side, the AEMG, MPF of VL were higher than VMO and RF（P＜0.05）, and RF than VMO（P＜0.05）. In the affected side, the AEMG, MPF of RF are higher than VMO and VL（P＜0.05）, and VL than VMO（P＜0.05）. Conclusion sEMG can provide quantitative measurements of muscle function. The isometric strength and neuromuscular activation lever are lower in affected limb, RF may be affected less than VL and VMO in knee injured patients with knee dysfunction.

Objective A resistin binding peptide (RBP) was selected by phage display in our previous work. Studies had shown that RBP could antagonize the role of resistin on the lipid metabolism and endocrine function of adipose tissue, but whether RBP affects the insulin secretion of pancreatic cells is still unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of RBP on basal insulin secretion in RINm5F insulinoma cells. Methods The cell viability was measured by 3-[4,5-dimethyhhiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetra-zolium bromide (MTT) cytotoxicity assay. The supernatants were assayed for insulin content by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Reverse transcriptase-PCR assay and Western blotting were used to determine the expression of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) involved in insulin secretion. Cytosolic Ca2+, the trigger of insulin exocytosis, was analyzed with the fluorescent probe FURA-3/AM. Results RBP did no effect on the cell viability with a concentration of 10-8-10-12mol/L of 2 hours intervention. But it stimulated basal insulin secretion of RINm5F cells, accompanied by up-regulated increased expression of GLUT2 and elevated concentration of cytosolic Ca2+. Conclusion RBP could stimulate basal insulin secretion without affecting the cell viability.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop the career growth scale for nurses (CGSN) and evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: This study was conducted in four phases: (1) creating a pool of potential items through a qualitative design; (2) developing a preliminary scale using a modified two-round Delphi process; (3) refining the preliminary scale to finalize the scale using a cross-sectional survey; and (4) evaluating the psychometric properties of the final scale using another cross-sectional survey. A sample of 858 registered nurses from 12 general hospitals was recruited for this study. Results: The final scale consisted of 17 items categorized into three factors: career goal progress, professional ability and attribute improvement, and career promotion and prestige increase. The three factors accounted for 75.4% of the observed variance in career growth. The overall Cronbach's α was .96, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was .92. The content validity index was .97. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable model fitness. Conclusions These results showed that the CGSN has good psychometric properties and can be used to evaluate specific career growth among nurses. This new instrument can further help nurse managers and clinical nurses themselves assess career growth and identify unsatisfactory aspects of growth, thereby designing tailored training programs and evaluating the effectiveness of such interventions.

Objective To investigate the expression of E-cadherin(ECD)and uPA in laryngeal cancer and evaluate their clinical value in prognosis.Methods ECD and uPA were determined by immunohistochemistry of Envision methods in carcinoma tissues of 51 patients of laryngeal carcinoma.All patients were followed and the prognostic factors were analyzed.Results Among 51 patients'tumor tissues,24(47.1%)were negative expression of ECD,and 26(51.0%)were positive uPA immunoreaction was observed.There were four subgroups of patterns of ECD and uPA expression:14(27.1 %)ECD-positive/uPA-negative,13(25.5%)ECD-negative/uPA-negative,11(21.6%)ECD-positive/uPA-positive,and 13(25.5%)ECD-negative /uPA-positive.The tumor tissues with ECD-negative and uPA-positive expression were significant associated with lymph nodes metastasis(X~2=5.545,5.79,P=0.019,0.016 respectively).Patients with ECD-negative expression had a shorter survival than the patients with ECD positive expression but no statistic difference(X~2=2.534,P＞0.05).Patients with uPA-positive expression had a significantly shorter survival time than those with uPA-negative expression(X~2=6.259,P＜0.05).There was a difference for the median survival time between the patients with uPA-negative/ECD-positive and the patients with uPA-positive/ECD-negative in laryngeal cancer tissue(X~2=6.559,P=0.01),and the survival curves between these two groups was also statistically significant difference.Multivariate analysis of Cox revealed that clinical stage and ECD/uPA(P=0.009,0.007 respectively)were two independent prognostic factors.Conclusions The combination analysis of uPA and ECD immunohistochemical expression in the laryngeal cancer tissue may be useful for predicting tumor metastatic risks and patient's prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the quality of the embryos, clinical outcomes and birth defects resulting from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment using sperms of different origins and parameters.

METHODSA total of 980 ICSI-ET (embryo-transfer) cycles were divided into 4 groups, namely normal sperm or mild oligozoospermia group (group A), severe oligozoospermia group (group B), epididymal aspirates group (group C) and testicular biopsies group (group D). The cleavage rate, embryo quality, fertilization rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and rates of birth defects were compared between the groups.

RESULTSThe fertilization rate, cleavage rate and good-quality embryo rate were not significantly different among the 4 groups (P>0.05), and the embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were significantly higher in group C than in groups A and B (P<0.05). Groups A, B and C showed no significant differences in the rates of birth defects (P>0.05), and no birth defects occurred in group D.

CONCLUSIONSSperms of different parameters and origins used in ICSI treatment can achieve similar fertilization rate, good-quality embryo rate and delivery rate. The embryo implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate of epididymal sperm group are higher than those of ejaculated groups, possibly due to the younger age of the patients and a greater number of oocytes retrieved in group C than in groups A and B.

Congenital Abnormalities ; etiology ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; adverse effects ; Spermatozoa ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effect and safety of bronchoscopic cryosurgery in children with lower airway stenosis caused by granulation and fiber hyperplasia.

METHODTwenty-two patients had undergone bronchoscopic examination and cryosurgery, 18 patients with atelectasis caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, 2 patients with endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB), 1 patient with atelectasis caused by granulation tissue after bronchial foreign body, and 1 case who had severe dyspnea, with tracheal stenosis after long-term endotracheal intubation during surgery for heart disease. All the patients under went bronchoscopic cryosurgery for several times, 1 case with severe tracheal stenosis was operated by electric coagulation before cryosurgery. Before and after the treatment, all the patients were evaluated based on clinical symptoms, tracheal lumen by bronchoscopy, chest CT for atelectasis and pulmonary function for tracheal stenosis.

RESULTThe patients were treated with cryosurgery for 1-4 times. Sixteen cases were markedly improved, clinical symptoms disappeared completely, no granulation and fiber hyperplasia were found during bronchoscopy, and all the atelectasis were cured. After the treatment, the bronchial lumen diameter of the patient with tracheal stenosis was increased from 2 mm to about 5 mm, the tidal volume increased from 3.0 ml/kg to 8.8 ml/kg. Five cases were effectively improved, the clinical symptoms also disappeared, during bronchoscopy and bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL), no granulation and fiber hyperplasia were found, but some distal bronchial tubes were atresia or narrowed, the lumen was patent, the atelectasis recovered partially. In 1 case the treatment was ineffective, as the clinical symptoms and granulation disappeared, but because almost all distal bronchi were atresia or narrow, the lumen was not patent during BAL, there was no change on chest CT. The total effective rate was 21/22 (95.5%). No severe complications occurred during and after the procedures. All the patient were followed up for 1 - 12 months, no case had recurrence.

CONCLUSIONTreatment with bronchoscopic cryosurgery is a safe and effective methods to tracheal stenosis caused by granulation tissue and fiber hyperplasia in children.

Bronchial Diseases ; etiology ; surgery ; Bronchoscopy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cicatrix ; complications ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Cryosurgery ; Female ; Granuloma ; complications ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; etiology ; surgery ; Male ; Tracheal Stenosis ; etiology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) through bronchoscopy in diagnosis and treatment of accidental inhalation of liquid and powdery foreign bodies in children.

METHODTwenty-one cases of accidental inhalation were classified into the following 4 groups according to the materials inhaled: 3 cases inhaled the lipidic material; 2 cases inhaled chemical material; 15 cases inhaled hydrosoluble materials; 1 case inhaled powdery material. Eighteen cases were hospitalized within 3 days after the accidents, which included 16 cases treated within 1 day in hospital. And 3 cases were hospitalized 3 days after the accident. After hospitalization, all patients were immediately treated with direct aspiration and lavage clearance method through bronchoscopy. The inhaled foreign materials were cleared as soon as possible, which reduced the absorption, stimulation and infection of respiratory mucosa. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by endoscopic findings, clinical manifestation, laboratory examination and chest imaging. At the same time, decision was made on the second BAL and the prognosis was estimated.

RESULTTwenty-one cases had dyspnea of certain degree. The bronchial mucous membrane of all the 21 cases showed hyperemia, edema and exudate attached. Lavage fluid looked like broth and contained much of the inhaled material. After two to five times treatment, 18 cases were cured (86%), but 3 cases died (14%). One of these 3 cases fell into an oil well, 1 into mosquito repellent solution, another into manure pit. The patients who could not survive had severe airway obstruction, which was difficult to clean and made the problem deteriorated progressively. One of the patients was sent to a hospital 3 days after the accident and another case developed fungal infection, pneumothorax and finally respiratory failure.

CONCLUSIONBAL through bronchoscopy is necessary for children who accidentally inhaled liquid and powdery materials. This treatment is safe and effective in diagnosis and treatment of such problems in children. The effect of treatment is influenced by types of inhaled material, the time of lavage clearance through bronchoscopy, and certain complications, such as infection etc.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoscopy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Inhalation Exposure ; Male ; Powders

Objective To explore the influence factors of help-seeking behavior in people with subjective memory complaints (SMCs).Methods A total of 305 eligible SMCs people were recruited and investigated with illness perception questionnaire-memory (IPQ-M),GDS-15,Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE),auditory verbal learning test(AVLT).Subjects were comprised of two groups:help-seeking group(n=44) and non-help-seeking group(n=261).Results The ratio of SMCs people for help-seeking was very low,only accounted for 14.4％.The ratio for going to hospital to see a specialist memory clinic accounted for only 2.0％.Logistic regression analysis showed 6 related factors were prime motivators for help-seeking behavior,which were symptom (OR=1.455),treatment control (OR=2.456),emotional representation (OR=2.268),accepting dementia education (OR=1.576),lacking of blood supply to the brain(OR=1.115),not using brain(OR=2.079).Three causal attributions were obstructive factors for help-seeking behavior,which were loneliness (OR=0.253),aging (OR=0.450),and chance or bad luck (OR=0.374).Conclusion Illness perception-memory in subjects with SMCs had some prediction for help-seeking behavior.Community nurses should attach importance to illness perception-memory of SMCs people and help them promote help-seeking,so as to facilitate earlv screening,identification and prevention of dementia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze pathological characteristics of organs recovered during forensic autopsy submitted by legal medicine experts. METHODS: From Baoji city, 358 cases of forensic autopsy specimens from a series of routine exams were collected. And histopathological diagnoses were reviewed. RESULTS: Majority of the 358 cases were young men. The major causes of death were trauma, sudden death and poisoning. The cause of death was determined with histology in 250 cases. No typical histological changes were noted in 101 cases. The tissue autolysis and decomposition were present in 7 cases. The major pathological diagnosis was cardiovascular disease, followed by diseases in respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems. CONCLUSION Forensic autopsy with its professional characteristics, is different from regular autopsy. When diagnosing cause of death by histopathological examination, pathologists should collaborate with legal medicine experts to know the details of the cases, circumstances surrounding the death, and specific forensic pathological characteristics.
Anxiety ; Autolysis ; Autopsy ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cause of Death ; China ; Cooperative Behavior ; Death, Sudden ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Pathology ; Humans ; Interprofessional Relations ; Male