OBJECTIVETo study the differences in a special region (SR) corresponding to five internal organs between the young and the elderly and to verify the effectiveness of a developed system for objectifying research in colour inspections of Chinese medicine (CICM).

METHODSAn image acquisition device imitating daylight to meet the requirement of CICM was designed. Image processing software based on CICM theory was developed. A total of 83 normal people were sampled and assigned to two groups. The first group (Group I) included 30 people with an average age of 24±2, and the second group (Group II) included 53 people with an average age of 74±4. After image processing, the chromaticity of 10 SRs corresponding to five internal organs was calculated. R, G, and B represent the chromaticity of color red, green, and blue, L indicates color brightness, whereas a and b denote red and yellow respectively. The difference between the young and the elderly was analyzed.

RESULTS(1) The chromaticity of each SR corresponding to five organs was obtained. The average R, G, B, L, a, and b of the sample were 194.4, 147.6, 119.3, 65.2, 15.5, and 22.3, respectively. (2) The R, G, B, and L of the young were greater than those of the elderly, but the a and b of the young were less than those of the elderly. (3) A statistically significant difference in each SR was found between the young and the elderly (P <0.05). The total differences for the Lung (Fei), Heart (Xin), Liver (Gan), Spleen (Pi), and Kidney (Shen) were 50% (3/6), 66.7% (4/6), 66.7% (4/6), 83.3% (5/6), and 91.7% (33/36), respectively. However, the Kidney SR had the greatest statistical discrepancy.

CONCLUSIONThe old Chinese saying that human Kidney deficiency worsens with age was verified by the results. The objectifying system used to examine CICM was effective. Thus, this system may be used as a basis for further research.

Aged ; Color ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Organ Specificity ; Probability ; Young Adult

This study was aimed to establish a stable animal model of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to provide theoretical and experimental basis for understanding the development of LVH. The abdominal aorta of male Wistar rats (80-100 g) was constricted to a diameter of 0.55 mm between the branches of the celiac and anterior mesenteric arteries. Echocardiography using a linear phased array probe was performed as well as pathological examination and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement at 3, 4 and 6 weeks after abdominal aortic constriction (AAC). The results showed that the acute mortality rate (within 24 h) of this modified rat model was 8%. Animals who underwent AAC demonstrated significantly increased interventricular septal (IVS), LV posterior wall (LVPWd), LV mass index (LVMI), cross-sectional area (CSA) of myocytes, and perivascular fibrosis; the ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), and cardiac output (CO) were consistently lower at each time point after AAC. Notably, differences in these parameters between AAC group and sham group were significant by 3 weeks and reached peaks at 4th week. Following AAC, the plasma BNP was gradually elevated compared with the sham group at 3rd and 6th week. It was concluded that this modified AAC model can develop LVH, both stably and safely, by week four post-surgery; echocardiography is able to assess changes in chamber dimensions and systolic properties accurately in rats with LVH.

Objective To determine the effects of different doses of cisatracurium on motor e-voked potential of neurosurgery operation.Methods Sixty patients,36 males and 24 females,aged 18 to 65 years,ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,scheduled for spinal surgery with motor evoked potential monitoring,were included and randomly assigned to three groups.A single dose of cisatra-curium besilate for injection was given by intravenous injection in 5 s after the induction of general an-esthesia,respectively 0.1 mg/kg (group A),0.1 5 mg/kg (group B)and 0.2 mg/kg (group C).Cas-cade Elite 32 channel monitor was used to monitor MEPs,the electrode was stimulated for once two minutes after given the muscle relaxant,and the leading time of the wave of MEPs was recorded. Cooper’s score was used to evaluate the intubation conditions.Results The appearance time of the wave of motor evoked potentials was significantly longer in group C [(39.60±1.79)min]than that in groups A [(20.10 ± 1.89 )min]and B [(20.50 ± 1.93 )min](P < 0.05 ).The intubation conditions was significantly better in group B (100%)and C (100%)than that in group A (65%)(P<0.05).Conclusion The shortest time to elicit waveform of MEPs using the dose of cisatracurium is 0.1 5 mg/kg at induction of general anesthesia,which is better for tracheal intubation.The dose 0.1 5 mg/kg of cisatracurim is recommended as the initial dose on neurosurgery operation with motor e-voked potential monitoring.

To improve the reliability and credibility of genotyping hepatitis E virus (HEV) and to explore the possibility of unifying standards of HEV genotyping by designing HEV universal primers for amplification of a long genomic fragment of different HEV genotypes. A set of universal primers (HEVuPrimer) was designed based on conserved regions determined by alignment analysis of 82 HEV strains with complete genome in GenBank. HEVuPrimer was compared with a set of previously used primers (MXJ primers) for their sequence-matching to different HEV strains and applied to amplify HEV genomic fragments from HEV reference strains with known different genotypes and clinical serum samples with anti-HEV-IgM by RT-nPCR. HEV genotyping based on the fragments amplified with HEVuPrimer was compared and validated with that based on HEV full genome and fragments obtained with MXJ primers. HEV genotyping by the phylogenetic analysis supplemented with the percent of nucleotide identity of the HEVuPrimer-determined fragments showed good correspondence with that based on HEV full-length genome. In addition, HEVuPrimer was much better than MXJ primers in matching sequences of HEV strains available from GenBank, and was able to amplify all the reference HEV strains with different genotypes. Among 124 samples with anti-HEV-IgM, 60 were positive for HEV RNA determined by a 644bp amplicon of RT-nPCR with the HEVuPrimenr. All the positive isolates belonged to HEV genotype 4 with nucleotide homology of 80.0%-99.9%, and could be further divided into 4 subgenotypes. Moreover, a novel subtype was identified with 6 HEV strains isolated very recently. The RT-nPCR using the HEVuPrimer and phylogenetic analysis of the amplified region provided strong evidences for its feasibility in HEV genetic classification. Our data have new implication for the consensus of genotype classification of HEV.
DNA Primers ; genetics ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genotype ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of gastric neurogenic tumors.

METHODSClinical data of 11 patients with gastric neurogenic tumors confirmed by pathology, operation and immunohistochemistry were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTSThere were 7 males and 4 females with a median age of 55.5 years. The main manifestations were gastrointestinal hemorrhage, abdominal pain, upper abdominal discomfort and anaemia. Nine patients underwent gastroscopy and only one case was confirmed by the examination. Two patients were diagnosed during operation. Eight patients were submitted to subtotal gastrectomy, three were partial gastrectomy. All patients were followed up, and perioperative death occurred in one patient because of respiratory failure, recurrence occurred in two patients. Other patients with long- term follow- up had a good prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSGastric neurogenic tumors have no specific clinical characteristics preoperatively, and the misdiagnosis rate is high. Once the diagnosis of gastric neurogenic tumors is made, an operation should be performed as early as possible.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) combined with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on left ventricular function and ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and investigate the possible mechanism.

METHODSThe experimental design consisted of 5 groups of rats, namely the sham, myocardial infarction (MI) model, MI with EPO treatment, MI with G-CSF treatment, and MI with EPO plus G-CSF treatment groups. Apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes was detected by TUNEL staining, and HE staining, Masson trichrome staining, scarlatinum staining, and VIII agent staining were used to evaluate the survival, scar collagen deposition, and angiogenic effects. The cardiac structure and function of the rats after the treatments were assessed by echocardiography and hemodynamic examination.

RESULTSEchocardiography indicated that LVEF and FS were improved in all the intervention groups 7 days after MI, and the rats in EPO plus G-CSF treatment group showed the most obvious reduction of LVESD and LVESV (P<0.01). On day 28 after MI, all the intervention groups showed improvements in LVEF, FS, LVESD, LVEDD, LVESV and LVEDV, which were especially obvious in the combined treatment group; the interventions, especially the combined treatment, also resulted in decreased LVEDP and increased LVSP and +dP/dtmax. On day 1 after MI, the number of apoptotic cells was significantly greater in the MI model group than in EPO and G-CSF groups, and was the fewest in the combined treatment group (P<0.01). On day 28, the number of new vessels increased and the scar and collagen deposition reduced in the EPO and G-CSF groups, and these changes were more obvious in the combined treatment group.

CONCLUSIONSEPO combined with G-CSF can prevent left ventricular remodeling and improve cardiac systolic and diastolic functions by inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis, reducing tissue collagen deposition and inducing neovascularisation.

Animals ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Erythropoietin ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; therapeutic use ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Ventricular Function, Left ; physiology ; Ventricular Remodeling ; drug effects

Objective To evaluate the change of treatment gap of epilepsy after intervention in rural areas of China.Method Six months after being stopped from the intervention project in 2004,using the same method as the first survey at the baseline,a door-to-door epidemiological survey was conducted again in 5 rural areas where the intervention measures had been carried out for about 3 years.Results Three hundred and twenty cases of epilepsy were diagnosed in the total sample population,yielding a prevalence rate of 0.62% and the prevalence of active epilepsy 0.44%.The prevalence and the active prevalence of epilepsy in the survey in 2000 were 0.70% and 0.46% respectively.Of the people with epilepsy,39.1% were treated regularly which increased about 14% than that in the baseline survey (24.8%).The treatment gap for active epilepsy was 49.8%,which decreased by 12.8% than that in the first survey (62.6%). Conclusion The treatment gap of epilepsy in the demonstration areas has decreased remarkably,proving that the intervention measures used in the study are effective and feasible in rural areas of China.

OBJECTIVETo set up three-dimensional reconstruction of acetabulum bone structure from CT scanned image in computer with software of CAD and study quantitatively the morphologic features of the acetabulum.

METHODSThrough the process of CT scanning, and edge recording of the CT image, we made use of CAD software and Unigraphics software to reconstruct the 40 normal acetabulum bones for the radius of acetabulum (R), minimum thickness of medial wall of acetabulum (L), depth of Harris fossa (D) and maximum opening rim width in cross-sectional plane (W).

RESULTSThe average R was 30.48 +/- 2.05 mm. The average L was 2.35 +/- 1.13 mm. The average D was 5.71 +/- 1.21 mm. The average W was 63.06 +/- 2.05 mm. There was a linear relationship between the R and the W, but no correlation between the R, the L and the D.

CONCLUSIONSThere was a significance linear relationship between the R and the W in normal adult acetabulum. However no correlation between the R, the L and the D.

Acetabulum ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; Adult ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Pelvimetry ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo study the epidemiology of genotyping Yersinia pestis isolated in the fulminant epidemics of human plague in Qinghai province in 2004.

METHODSPrimer pairs targeting the twenty-three different identified regions (DFRs) were designed to detect the presence or deletion of each DFR in 13 strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from the fulminant epidemic of human plague in Qinghai province in 2004.

RESULTSThere were 4 genomovars, i.e. Genomovar 8, 10, 15 and 16 in the 13 strains of Yersinia pestis identified. The genomovar of all the strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from Nangqian county was Genomovar 10. Among the two strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from Wulan county, the genomovar of one strain was Genomovar 8 and the other was Genomovar 10. The genomovars of all the strains of Yersinia pestis isolated from Qilian, Qumalai and Chengduo county belonged to Genomovar 16.

CONCLUSIONIt was demonstrated that the genotyping of Yersinia pestis appeared to be a powerful tool for investigating human plague epidemics.

China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Genotype ; Humans ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Plague ; epidemiology ; Yersinia pestis ; genetics ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of familial gastric cancer and to improve the treatment outcome.

METHODSClinical data of 67 patients with familial gastric cancer and 820 patients with sporadic gastric cancer in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from 1995 to 2005 were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSCompared to sporadic gastric cancer, the percentage of familial gastric cancer patients less than 45 years old was higher (34.3% vs. 14.6%). Early gastric cancer(23.9% vs. 13.8%), diffuse gastric cancer(79.1% vs. 29.0%), and lymph node metastasis (91.0% vs. 70.9%) were more common in patients with familial cancer(P<0.05). The 5-year survival rate of familial gastric cancer patients was lower than that of patients with sporadic gastric cancer(20.5% vs. 45.1%)(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFamilial gastric cancer has characteristics of younger onset age, advanced disease staging, higher positive lymph node ratio and poorer prognosis. Therefore, early diagnosis should be emphasized in the management of familial gastric cancer.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedigree ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Rate