Objective To investigate the influence of a multifaceted stroke telehome-care (THC) on extremities function, activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods A total of 52 stroke survivors in department of neurology were randomized to the THC intervention or usual care. The patients in the control group received conventional care, while those in the intervention group were additionally given a THC program over 3 months. The THC intervention includes motor imagery and adaptive strategies. Data collection was undertaken using the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment Scale (FMA), the Barthel Index (BI), the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Results At baseline, the scores of FMA, BI, and SIS in the intervention group were 53.62 ± 23.52, 54.04 ± 17.44, 179.96 ± 28.51, and while the scores of the control group were 50.96 ± 19.52, 49.46 ± 15.09, 169.23 ± 28.48. There were no pre-existing differences on any scale between the two groups (t=0.443, 1.012, 1.358, P > 0.05). At 3 months, the scores of FMA, BI, SIS in the control group were 53.54 ± 17.45, 50.77 ± 14.47, 76.19 ± 27.78, and were significantly lower than 78.38 ± 12.54, 74.62 ± 11.22, 228.54±22.63 in the THC group (t=5.895, 6.641, 7.449,P<0.01). At 6 months, the scores of FMA, BI, SIS in the control group were 57.88±17.89, 59.08±13.85, 183.92±26.56, and were significantly lower than 90.58 ± 9.60, 86.54 ± 9.88, 252.19 ± 20.10 in the THC group (t=8.211, 8.233, 10.451, P < 0.01). Conclusions A telehome-care program that provide distance training and education of disabled persons resulted in greater improvements in physical functioning, ADL and quality of life.

Purpose:The value of color doppler ultrasonography( CDUS) in monitoring hemodynamic changes was investigated in patients with hyperdynamic circulatory state before and during 730 days after orthotopic liver transplantation.Materials and Methods:83 cases of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were examined by CDUS to assess the hemodynamic changes of portal vein,hepatic artery,splenic artery and longitudinal diameter of the spleen ( LDS).Results:(1) Portal flow velocity ( PFV) was significantly lower in pre-OLT but higher than controls (P < 0.05 ) during 730 days after OLT.Resistance index of the hepatic artery ( HARI) in pre-OLT and within 7 days- after OLT was significantly higher (P<0.05).(2) Resistance index of splenic artery ( SARI) was also significantly higher in pre-OLT (P < 0.05 ).LDS was significantly higher after OLT than in both pre-OLT phase and controls(P<0.05).Conclusions: In early stage after OLT,HARI changed from high to low value and so did PFV,which kept the stability of hepatic blood flow.In late stage,high PFV and large spleen improved,but could not back to normal.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of scoliosis among primary and middle school students in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into scoliosis control among children and adolescents. Methods: Grade 4 to 6 primary school students and grade 1 to 3 junior high school students were recruited using a stratified cluster sampling method in Jiaxing City in 2019. Participants' demographic characteristics, dietary habits and nutritional status, physical activity, learning environments, reading and writing habits were collected using questionnaires. Scoliosis was screened through general examinations, forward bend test and scoliometer, and scoliosis was diagnosed with whole-spine X-ray scans in an erect position. The prevalence of scoliosis was descriptively analyzed among primary and middle school students. Results: A total of 8 026 primary and middle school students were included, 7 304 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 91.00%. The respondents included 3 667 primary school students (50.21%) and 3 637 junior high school students (49.79%), and included 3 776 boys (51.70%) and 3 528 girls (48.30%). There were 659 participants with initial screening positive for scoliosis (9.02%), and the percentages of positive initial screening of thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbar scoliosis were 2.93%, 4.56% and 4.56%, respectively. A higher percentage of positive initial screening of scoliosis was diagnosed among participants living in Pinghu City (10.45%), junior high school students (11.74%), girls (11.96%), students with a medical history of anemia (22.44%), students with less than 3 days of moderate-intensity physical activity in the past week (9.46%), students with less than 3 days of walking duration of over 10 minutes in the past week (10.18%), students with daily sitting duration of 5 hours and more in the past week (10.74%), students with their class seats exchanged every semester or month (10.28%), students with daily reading and writing duration of 3 hours and more after school (10.93%) and students with less than 10 cm distance from the chest at reading or writing to the edge of the table (9.67%) (all P<0.05). A total of 218 students received whole-spine X-ray scans in an erect position, 132 participants were definitively diagnosed as scoliosis (60.55%), and the estimated prevalence of scoliosis was 5.46%. Conclusion The percentage of positive initial screening of scoliosis was 9.02% among primary and middle school students in Jiaxing City. Gender, stage of learning, nutritional status, exercise frequency and habits of reading and writing may be factors affecting the development of scoliosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in treatment efficacy evaluation of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.MethodsFifteen patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis underwent MRI of thigh were included.Scores of MRI signal intensity of the diseased muscle of every patient were compared before and after treatment and the correlation between serum creatinkinase (CK) level and muscle strength grade were also compared.Correlations between muscle strength grade and MRI score,as well as muscle strength grade and creatinkinase level were analyzed.Comparisons between groups were tested by t test,and the relationship between muscle strength and clinical data was analyzed by Pearson's correlation analysis.ResultsThe signal score of MRI was counted before and after therapy(2.37±0.62,1.30±0.28,respectively,P＜0.05),and CK level[(3841±3175),(549±338) U/L,respectively,P＜0.05] and muscle strength (15.1 ±2.4,18.1 ±0.9,respectively,P＜0.05) were assessed at the same time.Muscle strength grade was associated with signal score of MRI and serum CK level,there was a strong correlation between muscle strength grade and signal score of MRI(r=-0.890,P＜0.05 ).ConclusionMRI may be a useful tool for clinical efficacy evaluation in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Stress cardiomyopathy is an atypical myocardial disease induced by emotional or physical stress, with the characteristic of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, transient imaging and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes. Sudden cardiac death can occur in severe cases. Clinical symptoms are likely to appear on acute myocardial infarction, but the exact pathological mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we perform a systematic review of the literature on the clinical manifestations, epidemiological characteristics, ECG, imaging and laboratory tests of stress cardiomyopathy, in order to provide the values for forensic pathology diagnosis.
Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Stress, Psychological ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/physiopathology*

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical experience of endoscopic repair for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea in our department in the last 4 years. METHOD: Clinical data of 16 patients with CSF rhinorrhea who underwent nasal endoscopic repair was analyzed retrospectively. The effect of etiology, image data, location of CSF leaks and surgical techniques on treatment were discussed. RESULT: Among the 16 patients, 10 were diagnosed with spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea, 2 were diagnosed with traumatic CSF rhinorrhea, 3 were diagnosed with CSF rhinorrhea after catching cold and 1 was diagnosed with meningo-encephalocele in with CSF rhinorrhea. The leak was located by CT scan in 11 cases, by MRI in 7 cases. The common locations of the defect were the frontal sinus (3 cases), cribriform roof (3 cases), sphenoid sinus (6 cases) and the nasal cavity top (4 cases). All the cases were successfully cured after the first nasal endoscopic repair with autologous materials. None of patients had a reoccurrence during 10 to 42 months follow-up time. CONCLUSION The application of CT and MRC before surgery which could make an accurate diagnosis of the location and the size of the defect. The correct selection of repair materials, processing planting bed around the leakage and complete contacting leakage with graft bed are the key points to the successful surgery of CSF rhinorrhea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea ; surgery ; Child ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Failure ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the effects of early hemofiltration combined with traditional Chinese medicine on nasal feeding on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients. Methods Seventy four patients were divided into traditional Chinese medicine group (group A, 35 cases) and traditional Chinese medicine+hemofiltration group (group B, 39 cases). In group A, patients were given a serious of procedure including fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, fluid resuscitation, inhi-bition of pancreatic secretion, antibiotic prophylaxis, parenteral nutrition and traditional Chinese medicine on nasal feeding;In group B, patients received continuous veno-venous hemofiltration treatment(also called Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy,CRRT) in addition to the procedures receiving by group A. On admission and the first, 3rd, 7th days post-treatment, the scores of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHEⅡ), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were recorded. Length of hospital stay, local and systematic complications, surgical inter-vention, mortality and hospitalization expenses were compared between two groups. Results On admission, no statistical significance was seen in the hematocrit, white blood cell count, lactic acid dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, blood glu-cose, APACHEⅡscore, Ranson’s score and classification of etiology between these two groups (P>0.05). But APACHEⅡ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 were decreased significantly in group B than in group A, after the first, 3rd, 7th days post-treatment (P＜0.05). Compared with group A, the length of hospital stay, local complications, systemic complications, surgical interven-tion, mortality and hospitalization expense were lower in group B. Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine on nasal feed-ing combined with early hemofiltration could effectively reduce complications, incidence of organ dysfunction and could im-prove the prognosis of SAP patients.

Objective To study the efficacy of rituximab in the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and its underlying mechanism. Methods A 38-year-old female with PV presented with refractory, painful oral ulcers and erosions. Since she was poorly responsive to prednisone 80 mg daily, intravenous ritu-ximab of 500 mg once a week was given for successive 3 weeks followed by 5 successive days of intra-venous gamma globulin at a dose of 400 mg/kg per day, and a total of two treatment sessions were conducted. ELISA was used to detect the serum titer of anti-Dsg3 antibodies and their IgG subtypes (IgG1 and IgG4) as well as serum level of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10). Results Three months after the end of two treatment sessions, the symptom was obviously improved, and lesions subsided; alter another 1 month, clinical symptom fully disappeared. During the 1-year follow-up, no lesions recurred. The anti-Dsg3 antibody titer was 253.33 U/mL before treatment, plateaued at 250 U/mL within 4 weeks after the initial infusion, decreased till 3 months after the withdrawal, and reached 26.06 U/mL 7 months after the withdrawal, and remained within normal range till the time of this writing. The serum titer of IgGl subclass of anti-Dsg3 antibodies dropped dramatically fight after the first infusion, but that of IgG4 subclass remained at a high level at early stage of medication, began to decline until 3 months after the with-drawal, and finally reached the normal range following clinical remission. Also, serum level of IFN-garnma and IL-10 correlated with the severity of PV. Conclusions Combined rituximab is effective for the control of PV, likely by eliminating Dsg3-specific antibodies, especially IgG4 subclass of them.

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy differences between acupoint catgut embedding and Kuntai capsule for perimenopausal syndrome, so as to provide an effective treatment method for perimenopausal syndrome.

METHODSThirty-three cases in the embedding group were treated with acupoint catgut embedding at back-shu points and front-mu points of liver, spleen and kidney combined with syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation, ten days per times; the Kuntai group was treated with oral administration of Kuntai capsule, 4 capsules each time, three times per day. The Kupperman index (KI) was observed in the two groups before treatment after 10 days, 30 days and 60 days of treatment, respectively; the efficacy was evaluated according to the ratio of KI.

RESULTSAfter the treatment, as treatment proceeded, the score of KI and ratio of KI were gradually reduced in two groups; the score of KI and ratio of KI in the embedding group after 10 days of treatment was lower than those in the Kuntai group (both P<0.05); after 10 days of treatment, the total effective rate was 36.4% (12/33) in the embedding group, which was superior to 3.0% (1/33) in the Kuntai group (P<0.05); however, after 30 days and 60 days of treatment, the differences of each index between two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONBoth the acupoint catgut embedding and Kuntai capsule could reduce the score of KI and improve clinical symptoms, and the acupoint catgut embedding has certain advantage on the early stage of treatment.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; Adult ; Catgut ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Perimenopause ; physiology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To isolate and culture sweat gland epithelial cells in vitro,and to study the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on intracellular flee calcium concentration ([Ca~(2+)]i) of cultured sweat gland epithelial cells.Methods Sweat glands epithelial cells were collected by enzymatic digestion.After ACh was added to the primary and first passage cells,[Ca~(2+)]i was examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and the Ca~(2+) sensitive dye Fura 3/AM.Results The primary and first passage epithe- lial cells grew well.After ACh was added,opening of the calcium channel and significant [Ca~(2+)]i increase were observed when the primary and first passage cells were incubated with high concentration of calcium (2 mmol/L);no significant [Ca~(2+)]i increase was observed in those cultured without calcium.Conclusion Upon stimulation with ACh,calcium channels of cultured primary and first passage sweat gland epithelial cells would open,influx of extracellular Ca~(2+) occurred,which resulted in an increase of [Ca~(2+)]i.Extracellular bound calcium was therefore converted into intracellular free calcium.