Objective To explore the clinical characteristics, treatment and prevention of radiation encephalopathy induced by radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods The clinical materials of 16 patients with radiation encephalopathy after radiotherapy were analyzed retrospectively. After these definite diagnoses, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and such medications as neurotrophic agent, vasodilator and vitamin were given to the patients, and hormone and dehydration therapy were also employed at the early stage. Results Eleven patients showed the symptoms after the first time radiotherapy and 5 showed the symptoms after the second time radiotherapy; these symptoms included headache, dizzy, poor memory, hypophrenia and psychologic changes. Temporal lobe lesions were found, including 5 with bilateral temporal lesions. All 16 patients were followed up, among which 15 were still alive and 1 died of pulmonary infections; 7 had poor living quality with severe symptoms. Conclusion No good treatment can be given to patients with radiation encephalopathy after radiotherapy with poor prognosis. Setting effective preventive measures according to various related factors is the key to the prevention and treatment of radiation encephalopathy induced by radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

This paper makes a comparison between the traditional endoscope system and the active robotic endoscope system, discusses the human intestine-working conditions of the robotic endoscope system in detail and its design requirements. An active robotic endoscope system based on earthworn-locomotion principles is proposed here and besides, its structure and locomotion mechanism are analyzed. A new method of human intestinal intervention is brought out and it can prevent the robotic endoscope guided by a cone-shaped guide pipe from being jammed or damaged.
Biomimetics ; instrumentation ; Endoscopes, Gastrointestinal ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; methods ; Equipment Design ; Humans ; Intestinal Diseases ; diagnosis ; Miniaturization ; Robotics ; instrumentation

Objective:To standardize the naming of organ at risk (OAR) and target area during cervical cancer radiotherapy based on AAPM TG-263.Methods:After self-programming of Matlab software to implement the reading and resolution of radiotherapy structure files, the naming of each substructure was automatically output, recorded and restored. After naming all substructures, the structure names were classified by keywords. According to TG-263, a standard naming conversion table of OAR and target area was developed, and the classified structure names were standardized through procedures. Finally, the standardized named radiotherapy structure files were output and imported into the treatment planning system (TPS).Results:The radiation structure of 144 patients with cervical cancer was successfully transformed and displayed correctly in TPS. Before the transformation, the naming of OAR and target area lacked of uniform norms and standards, and the naming of the same structure significantly differed. After the transformation, 43 naming methods of OAR and 74 naming methods of the target area were unified into 20 and 8 naming methods, which were more convenient for staff understanding and communication.Conclusion:The standardization of cervical cancer radiotherapy structure naming can reduce the inconsistency of naming and provide reference for the standardized naming of pelvic tumors.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the radiological parameters of the conservatively in treating distal radius fracture and investigate whether the final re-displacement can be predicted after primary reduction.

METHODSFrom January 2013 to June 2014,212 patients with distal radial fracture conservatively were treated in our hospital, 107 patients of them were excluded because of their incomplete radiological parameters;the remaining 105 patients were available for radiological were assessed after injury, there were 56 male patients and 49 female patients in this study, the average age of the patients was 51 years old (ranged from 22 to 80 years). According to AO classification, there were 47 cases of type A2 and C1, and 58 cases of type A3, C2, C3. All patients were treated by closed reduction and below-elbow cast immobilization for 4 to 6 weeks. All patients were followed up for 3 to 6 months (means 4.5 months) by X-ray, all fractures were healed. Standard AP and lateral radiographic examination was conducted before reduction and after reduction and bony consolidation,the dorsal angulation and the radial angle were measured at each time point. The linear regression was used for the analysis to find out whether the final re-displacement can be predicted after primary reduction.

RESULTSAmong 105 patients,the significant correlations were found for the dorsal angulation between the reduction time and the end time (r = 0.82) and for the radial angulation between the reduction time and end time (r = 0.85).

CONCLUSIONThe dorsal angulation and the radial angulation after complete healing can be predicted from linear the regression functions. Due to the possibility of predicting the end result, whether the fracture should receive further conservative treatment or surgical treatment can be decided immediately.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Radiography ; Radius Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression characteristics of the gene of coiled-coil domain-containing protein 70 (Ccdc70) in the mouse testis and its potential role in spermatogenesis.

METHODSUsing expression profile microarray, we screened the mouse testis-specific gene Ccdc70, studied its expression characteristics in the mouse testis by RT-PCR, real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry, followed by bioinformatic analysis of the Ccdc70 protein.

RESULTSThe Ccdc70 gene was expressed highly in the testis but lowly in the epididymis of the mice. The Ccdc70 protein was expressed mainly in the spermatocytes and round spermatids of the testis and in the epithelial cells of the epididymis. Bioinformatic analysis showed a structural domain in the Ccdc70 protein, which was highly conserved in mammalian evolution.

CONCLUSIONThe Ccdc70 gene is highly expressed in the mouse testis and mainly in the spermatocytes, round spermatids, and epididymal epithelial cells, which indicates that it is involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm maturation.

Animals ; Computational Biology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Male ; Mice ; Proteins ; genetics ; Spermatogenesis ; genetics ; Testis ; metabolism

As diagnostic techniques have advanced, primary aldosteronism (PA) has emerged as the most common cause of secondary hypertension. The excess of aldosterone caused by PA resulted in not only cardiovascular complications, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, and heart failure, but also cerebrovascular complications, such as stroke and transient ischemic attack. Moreover, PA is associated more closely with these conditions than is essential hypertension. In this review, we present up-to-date findings on the association between PA and cerebrovascular diseases.
Aldosterone ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cerebrovascular Disorders* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Heart Failure ; Hyperaldosteronism* ; Hypertension ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Myocardial Infarction ; Stroke

Objective To investigate the change of the basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) leve in human detrusor muscle(DM)in bladder outlet obstruction(BOO)due to benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)and its implication.Methods Fifty-four patients with BPH were divided into two groups:the obstructive DM stability and instability groups;and 15 men with bladder tumor who underwent operation in the same period were enrolled in the control group.The bFGF mRNA level in DM was measured by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and the bFGF protein level was measured by immunohistochemical staining method.Results The bFGF-mRNA expression level of bladder smooth muscle cells was significantly lower in the control group than that in the obstructive DM stability and instability groups(all P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between the obstructive DM stability and instability groups(P＞0.05). Conclusions The expression level of bFGF mRNA in bladder DM is elevated in BOO due to BPH,but there is little or no correlation between the increased expression of bFGF mRNA and detrusor muscle instability.

Background::Pre-operative assessment with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful for assessing the risk of local recurrence (LR) and survival in rectal cancer. However, few studies have explored the clinical importance of the morphology of the anterior mesorectum, especially in patients with anterior cancer. Hence, the study aimed to investigate the impact of the morphology of the anterior mesorectum on LR in patients with primary rectal cancer.Methods::A retrospective study was performed on 176 patients who underwent neoadjuvant treatment and curative-intent surgery. Patients were divided into two groups according to the morphology of the anterior mesorectum on sagittal MRI: (1) linear type: the anterior mesorectum was thin and linear; and (2) triangular type: the anterior mesorectum was thick and had a unique triangular shape. Clinicopathological and LR data were compared between patients with linear type anterior mesorectal morphology and patients with triangular type anterior mesorectal morphology.Results::Morphometric analysis showed that 90 (51.1%) patients had linear type anterior mesorectal morphology, while 86 (48.9%) had triangular type anterior mesorectal morphology. Compared to triangular type anterior mesorectal morphology, linear type anterior mesorectal morphology was more common in females and was associated with a higher risk of circumferential resection margin involvement measured by MRI (35.6% [32/90] vs. 16.3% [14/86], P = 0.004) and a higher 5-year LR rate (12.2% vs. 3.5%, P = 0.030). In addition, the combination of linear type anterior mesorectal morphology and anterior tumors was confirmed as an independent risk factor for LR (odds ratio = 4.283, P = 0.014). Conclusions::The classification established in this study was a simple way to describe morphological characteristics of the anterior mesorectum. The combination of linear type anterior mesorectal morphology and anterior tumors was an independent risk factor for LR and may act as a tool to assist with LR risk stratification and treatment selection.

Objective:To explore the expression and clinical significance of miR-143 in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) .Methods:Tumor samples and adjacent tissues from 52 patients with PTC were obtained from Jan. 1st, 2018 to Mar. 31st, 2018 in Thyroid Surgery Department of the Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University. Quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the expression of miR-143 in those subjects. In addition, the relationship between the expression levels of miR-143 and the clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed.Results:RT-qPCR indicated that the expression of miR-143 was down-regulated in PTC, which was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues ( t=-21.39, 95% CI: 18.20-15.07, P<0.001) . Low expression of miR-143 was related to the number of lymph node metastasis ≥3 in central compartment ( t=10.13, P=0.012) and lateral neck lymph node metastasis ( t=-4.67, P<0.001) . Conclusion:Downregulation of miR-143 in PTC is linked to the metastasis of PTC and may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

OBJECTIVETo determine the applicability of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for rapid detection of aneuploidies in prenatal diagnosis.

METHODSA total of 561 prenatal samples were analyzed in parallel by MLPA and traditional karyotyping. Another 20 clinical samples with known common chromosome abnormalities were also determined by MLPA to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of MLPA. The results obtained from MLPA were compared with that from traditional karyotyping.

RESULTSThe results were available within 48 h. A total of 38 aneuploidies were identified by MLPA, including 20 cases of trisomy 21, 10 cases of trisomy 18, 1 case of trisomy 13, 4 cases of Turner syndrome, 1 case of Klinefelter syndrome, 1 case of 47, XYY trisomy and 1 case of 48,XYY, +18. MLPA was able to detect all the expected aneuploidies with 100% accuracy. The results obtained from MLPA agreed with traditional karyotyping. Among 561 prenatal samples, the results of 550 samples were concordant with those of karyotyping, and the coincidence rate of MLPA was 98.04%.

CONCLUSIONMLPA is a rapid, simple and reliable method for detection of the most common chromosome aneuploidies in prenatal diagnosis. MLPA is a valuable tool in prenatal clinical practice.

Adult ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosome Disorders ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Young Adult