Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; therapeutic use ; Coronary Vessels ; pathology ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color ; Electrocardiography ; Erythema ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; complications ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy

Objective The empirical validity of the National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) has rarely been studied. This is one of the first studies comparing NMLE and annual assess-ment scores. This study provided the criterion-related validity evidence for the NMLE. The NMLE can be used to test the abilities and skills of physicians. Method We evaluated the test 163 residents in 12 medical school-affiliated hospitals who had finished their first year of tralning and had taken the NMLE and an annual skills assessment. We used Pearson correlations to estimate the relationship be-tween NMLE scores and annual assessment scores. Results A total of 163 residents met inclusion requirements. Correlations between NMLE scores and annual assessment scores ranged from 0.300 to 0.843. Conclusions The criterion-related validity of NMLE was high, so it can be use to evaluate the residents clinical competence indeed.

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of arthroscopic synovectomy for tuberculous synovitis of the knee. Methods Ten patients with tuberculous synovitis received arthroscopic biopsy and synovectomy. Postoperatively, isoniazid was injected into the articular cavity, and systemic antituberculosis drugs were administrated. Results These patients received continuous passive motion (CPM) from the second postoperative day. In 9 patients, the flexion ranges of the knee were improved from 90??5? before the surgery to 120??14? after the surgery, and the extension limit of the knee, from 20??3? before the surgery to 5??1? after the surgery, with statistical significant differences ( t =6.9 and 6.3, respectively; P

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke ; complications ; Urinary Retention ; drug therapy ; therapy

Objective: To evaluate 2D CDUS ultrasound in estimating lesions of carotid and femoral arteries in diabetes mellitus. Methods: Forty patients were divided into 3 groups by age. We detected their carotid and femoral arteries using two dimensional and PW Doppler ultrasonography. The lesions degree were assessed according to U B 6 classification. Results: Higher incidence and more serious degree of arteries lesions occurred in diabetes mellitus than those in control group ( P 40 years old than in group ≤40 years old in diabetes mellitus ( P

Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

Objective To observe the effect of chronic variable stress on the forced swimming test of rats,and investigate its preliminary mechanism.Methods First a mark was given to each Wistar rat by forced swimming test.12 Wistar rats which had similar scores were selected and divided into control group and model group averagely.The behavior changes of rats were induced in the forced swimming test by chronic stress and the plasma cortisol level was analyzed through radioimmunoassay(RIA) methods.The changes of hippocampus CA3 structure were observed with microscope.Results Compared with control group,chronic variable stress increased immobility time,reduced climbing time evidently and enhanced the weight of adrenal gland and the level of plasma cortisol(P

Objective:It has been found that serum CXCL16 concentration in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are significantly higher than those in osteoarthritis (OA) and normal subjects, and are positively correlated with disease activity and bone erosion.However, how is CXCL16 involved in the pathogenesis of RA is unclear.To evaluate the expression of CXCL16 and its receptor CXCR6 in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to explore the role of CXCL16 in the proliferation of RA-FLS.Methods: FLS were isolated from knee synovial tissues obtained from 8 patients of RA, 7 osteoarthritis (OA) and 3 normal controls.The diagnosis of RA was in line with the 1987 American Rheumatology Association (ACR) RA classification criteria, osteoarthritis met the 1996 ACR revised knee osteoarthritis classification criteria.Control synovium were obtained from trauma caused knee joint injury in healthy individuals who required surgery.Human knee FLS were cultured by tissue explants adherent method.FLS between passages 3 and 5 were used in the experiment.Expression of CXCL16 and its receptor CXCR6 were performed in Western blot analysis.FLS proliferation follo-wing stimulation with TNF-α and different concentrations of CXCL16 was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8).Expression of phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) in RA-FLS stimulated by CXCL16 was quantified by Western blot.Different concentrations of recombinant human CXCL16 were added to the culture medium of RA-FLS.After 48 h culture, supernantants were collected, and TNF-α, IL-6, RANKL and MMP3 in culture supernatants of RA-FLS were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) operated following the kit instructions.Results: Expression of CXCL16 and CXCR6 in RA-FLS was significantly higher than that of OA and controls (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between OA-FLS and control FLS.Proliferation of RA-FLS was markedly up-regulated after stimulation of CXCL16 (P <0.05).In the case of the CXCL16 stimulated OA-FLS and control FLS, the FLS proliferation remained basically unchanged.Expression of phosphorylated AKT in RA-FLS increased remarkably in condition of CXCL16 (50,100, 200 μg/L) stimulation.The levels of IL-6 and RANKL in culture supernatants of RA-FLS were obviously increased under CXCL16 (200 μg/L) stimulation, while TNF-α and MMP-3 levels in the culture supernatants remained unchanged after CXCL16 (200 μg/L) stimulation.Conclusion: This study shows that the expression of CXCL16 and its receptor was highly elevated in RA-FLS.Recombinant CXCL16 promoted RA-FLS proliferation and activation in vitro.All these indicate that CXCL16 play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA, anti-CXCL16 treatment may help to relieve inflammation and bone damage of RA patients.However, due to the limitations of this study, the role of CXCL16 and its receptors in RA-FLS remains to be elucidated by further research.

Objective To investigate the effect of CXCL16 on the development of murine collageninduced arthritis (CIA). Methods CXCL16 mRNA of the involved synovium and serum CXCL16 protein were determined respectively by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in murine collagen-induced arthritis. The proliferation of lymphocytes from murine spleen and the level of RANKL mRNA, stimulated by CXCL16 at different concentrations (0,100, 200, 400, 800 ng/ml), was detected respectively by CCK-8 and RT-PCR, then the level of IL-2 and IFN-γ in culture supernatant was detected by ELISA. Comparisons between groups were tested by t test and one-way ANOVA analysis. Results The serum CXCL16 [(127± 10) vs (72±8) pg/ml, P＜0.05] and synovial CXCL16 mRNA (0.214±0.007 vs 0.375±0.009, P＜0.01) in CIA were all significantly higher than those in normal controls. The proliferation of CXCL16 (200, 400, 800 ng/ml) in CIA mouse lymphocytes, was significantly higher than that of CXCL16 (0 ng/ml) (0.51±0.06, 0.56±0.05, 0.55±0.04, (0.41±0.04, P＜0.05). And CXCL16 on the CIA stimulated lymphocyte proliferation was significantly higher than controls on normal lymphocytes (P＜0.05). Compared with blank control group, the expression of IL-2, IFN-γ and RANKL mRNA of CIA CXCL16 (400, 800 ng/ml) groups was higher significantly (P＜0.01). Conclusion CXCL16 plays an important role in the development of murine CIA by activating lymphocytes.

Objective To detect D-Dimer in the blood of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to investigate its clinical significance in RA. Methods Blood samples were obtained from 58 patients with RA,18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 15 patients with ankylosing spondylitis, 11 patients with osteoarthritis, and 20 patients with other connective tissue diseases. The presence of thrombotic diseases was excluded in all patients. The presence of D-Dimer in the blood was examined by immunoturbidimetry. The following clinical and laboratory data were collected: disease activity index DAS28, rheumatoid factor (RF),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Mann-Whitney U test, t-test ,Spearman correlation were used for statistical analysis. Results ① The prevalence of high level D-Dimer in RA patients was higher than that of the control group (82.6％ vs 21.9％, P＜0.01). The titer of D-Dimer in RA was significantly higher than that of the control group [(1.76±1.57) vs (0.32±0.25) mg/L, P＜0.01]. ②DAS28 was higher in RA patients with positive D-Dimer than those with negative D-Dimer (5.4±1.0 vs 4.4±0.8,P＜0.01). The values of ESR, CRP and RF in RA patients with positive D-Dimer were significantly higher than those in patients with negative D-Dimer (P＜0.05). ③ There was positive correlation between D-Dimer and DAS28 (r=0.406, P＜0.05), ESR (r=0.355, P＜0.01), and RF (r=0.319, P＜0.05). Conclusion The level of D-Dimer in the blood of RA patients is significantly higher than other rheumatic diseases, and is positively correlated with disease activities. The results indicated that the activation of coagulation-fibrinolytic systems may play a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.