Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; Codonopsis ; Excitatory Amino Acids ; metabolism ; Female ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Selenium ; pharmacology

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Female ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Male ; Microcirculation ; physiology ; Rats ; Splanchnic Circulation ; physiology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between serum testosterone levels and the plaque formation of the carotid artery in a population-based cohort of independently living healthy women above 60 years of age.

METHODSAnalysis of the healthy elders from a population-based cohort study in 9 communities of Beijing. Carotid intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques were determined ultrasonographically. Serum testosterone levels were measured by immunoassay. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThere was an inverse correlation between testosterone and plaque formation in old females (P < 0.01), while no association was found in males. Female with testosterone levels in the lowest quartile (< 0.49 nmol/L) had more risk of plaque formation (OR = 3.805, P < 0.01) after adjusted with age and other traditional factors of atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONTestosterone concentrations are negatively associated with carotid artery atherosclerosis in old women in Beijing, experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine the possible therapeutic role of testosterone in atherosclerosis.

Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; Carotid Arteries ; pathology ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Carotid Stenosis ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Testosterone ; blood

OBJECTIVETo introduce an arthroscopic technique in managing recurrent dislocation of the patella and its clinical results.

METHODSSixteen patients with recurrent patellar dislocation were reviewed, including 3 males and 13 females. The average age was 17.6 years old (ranged from 14 to 32 years). The patients suffering from patellar sub-luxation averaged 18.5 months (ranged from 6 to 23 months)before operation. These patients were treated with lateral patellar retinacular release outside the synovial bursa of knee joint and medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction using the semitendinosus tendon free autograft. The Lyshohm scores before and after operation were used to evaluate outcomes at the final follow-up.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 6 to 48 months, with an average of 12 months. There was no recurrence. The Q angle decreased from (16.4 ± 3.7)° to (10.1 ± 1.4)°; insall index decreased from 1.37 ± 0.25 to 1.28 ± 0.23; congruence angle decreased from (21.3 ± 2.6)° to (5.86 ± 2.23)°; Lysholm score improved from 76.1 ± 5.2 to 89.8 ± 4.1 at 6 months after operation.

CONCLUSIONCompared with conventional procedure, arthroscopic surgery for recurrent dislocation of the patella achieves excellent outcomes with minimum invasion.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Arthroscopy ; Bursa, Synovial ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; surgery ; Male ; Patellar Dislocation ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Patellar Ligament ; surgery ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To discuss clinical effects and indications of minimally invasive tension band technique in treatment of transverse patella fractures.Methods Thirty-eight patients with transverse patella fracture (close or slightly polluted open ones) were treated with minimally invasive tension band technique from July 1997 to June 2005 in our department.Twenty-six were fixated with percutaneous Kirschner wire tension hand and 12 with percutaneous cannulated screw tension band.The reduction,movement range and function of the knee were analyzed.Results Surgeries went on uneventfully.All the cases were followed up from six months to 6.5 years (average,32 months).Fracture healing time lasted from 6 to 12 weeks,averaging 7.7 weeks.No such compli- cations as traumatic arthritis occurred.Reduction was excellent in 21 cases,good in 11 and fair in six,with the good-to-excellent rate being 84.2%.All the affected knee joints could move in normal range.The functional re- covery was assessed as excellent in 34 cases and good in four.Conclusions Internal fixation with minimally invasive tension band technique is good for treatment of transverse patella fractures.It is chiefly fit for close or slightly polluted open fractures with limited wound,and can also be used for the comminuted fractures if the bone fragments are no more than three and the fracture site is suitable.

Objective To investigate the influential factors on the effectiveness of the first 131I ablation therapy on thyroid remnant and of 131I treatment on metastatic lesions in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. Methods Retrospectively,46 DTC cases (divided into complete-ablation group and incomplete-ablation group) of first 131I ablation were enrolled,and 40 DTC cases (divided into remission group and in-remission group) of consecutive 131I treatments on metastatic lesions were enrolled. Influential factors were analyzed (t-test,t'-test,x2-test,Fisher exact test) and logistic regression analysis was performed. Results For the first 131I ablation effectiveness,surgical method,remnant thyroid weight,thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level,interval between surgery and 131I ablation therapy,metastatic status were selected as influential factors (x2 = 5. 804,t' = - 5. 258,t' = 7. 376,x2 = 8. 867,x2 = 8. 615,all P ＜0. 05). After logistic regression analysis,formula was obtained as y = 3. 766 - 0. 947x1 ( remnant thyroid weight) -3. 149 x2 (lymph node metastasis) -3. 373 x3 (distant metastasis). For metastatic treatment effectiveness,remission rate of papillary DTC was higher than that of follicular DTC,remission rate of patients with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of distant metastasis,remission rate of total thyroidectomy was higher than that of other types of thyroidectomy ( Fisher exact test,x2 = 7. 278,P ＜ 0. 05 ). In remission group,serum TSH level was much higher and thyroglobulin (Tg) level was much lower before the first ablation therapy (t =4. 489,t' = -4.906,all P ＜0.01 ). After logistic regression analysis,formula was obtained as y = - 0. 363 + 0. 065 x4 ( TSH level) - 0. 250 x5 ( Tg level). Conclusions Influential factors of success rate of the first 131I ablation therapy included surgical method,remnant thyroid weight,TSH level,interval between surgery and 131I ablation therapy and metastatic status,while determinant factors were thyroid remnant weight,lymph node metastatic status and distant metastatic status. The influential factors of success rate of 131I treatment on metastatic lesions included pathological type,surgical method,metastatic status,TSH level and Tg level,while determinant factors were TSH level and Tg level before the first 131I ablation therapy.

Background The multipotent differentiation features of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a new option for cell replacement therapy of many clinical diseases.In ophthalmology,iPSCs are a good model in studying the pathogenic mechanism of degenerative ocular diseases.A better identification method for iPSCs is critical for analyzing the in vivo biological characteristics of iPSCs.Objective This study was to investigate the feasibility and stability of labeling iPSCs with quantum dots.Methods Human umbilical mesenchymal stromal cells-iPSC lines were cultured and amplified on matrigel,and the characteristics of iPSCs were evaluated by immunofluorescence.Different concentrations (5.0,7.5 and 10.0 nmol/L) of quantum dots with a CdSe/ZnS nuclear shell structure were used to label iPSCs after passaging and proliferation.The labeling outcome was observed with a three-dimensional deconvolution real-time live cells imaging system.The labeled iPSCs were subsequently cultivated,and then changes in fluorescence intensity were examined 7 days after the first and the second passaging of iPSCs.Results iPSCs were observed to grow in a clonal manner under the inverted microscope.The iPSC markers,OCT4 and Nanog,were detected by immunofluorescence.With increasing concentrations of quantum dots,the fluorescence intensities representing the levels of OCT4 and Nanog in iPSCs were gradually elevated,with optimal levels of fluorescence observed at a concentration of 10 nmol/L of quantum dots.The fluorescent labeling of OCT4 and Nanog in iPSCs remained and weakened gradually till day 7 even after the second passage.Conclusions Quantum dots labeling could be used to track iPSCs in a dose-independent manner.The fluorescent signal from the quantum dots labeling the iPSCs lasts 2 weeks at least.

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to investigate the feature of D(L)CO (Diffusion Lung Capacity for Carbon Monoxide) in CHF (left ventricular heart failure) patients, underlying pathophysiological mechanism and clinical significance.

METHODSWe retrospectively studied the D(L)CO, pulmonary ventilation function, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and related clinical information in severer HF patients.

RESULTSPeak VO2 severely decreased to 34 ± 7 percentage of predicted(%pred) and anaerobic threshold to 48 ± 11%pred in all patients. D(L)CO moderately decreased to 63 ± 12%pred and there were 25 patients lower than 80%pred. FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and TLC were 75 ± 14%pred, 71 ± 17%pred, 97 ± 11%pred, and 79 ± 13%pred, which indicated borderline or mild restrictive ventilatory dysfunction. The decrease of D(L)CO was more severe than those of TLC, FEV1 and FVC.

CONCLUSIONFor patients with severe CHF, cardiopulmonary exercise function is extremely limited, D(L)CO generally moderately declines and ventilation function is merely mildly limited. D(L)CO is the parameter for cardiopulmonary coupling, reflecting limitation of the cardiovascular dysfunction while without ventilatory limit.

Blood Gas Analysis ; Heart Failure ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy differences between fire needling technique of filiform needle at high stress points and regular acupuncture on chrondromalacia patellae so as to provide the better therapy for the treatment of this disease.

METHODSSixty cases of chrondromalacia patellae were randomized into a fire needling group (28 cases) and a routine acupuncture group (32 cases). In the fire needling group, 5 to 6 high stress points were localized according to the symptoms, palpation and imaging condition and were stimulated with fire needling technique of filiform needle. The treatment was given once every two days, 5 treatments made one session. In the routine acupuncture group, the regular acupuncture was applied at Dubi (ST 35), Xiguan (LR 7), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Zusanli (ST 36), etc. The treatment was given once every day, 5 treatments made one session. Lysholm score, VSA score, patella title angle (PTA) and lateral patella angle (LPA) of the affected knees before and after treatment, as well as the clinical efficacy after treatment were observed in the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, Lysholm score, VSA score, PTA and LPA were all improved apparently in the two groups (all P < 0.01). After the treatments, the improvements in Lysholm score, VSA score, PTA and LPA in the fire needling group were more obvious than those in the routine acupuncture group (all P < 0.05). The effective rate was 92.9% (26/28) in the fire needling group, better than 87.5% (28/32) in the routine acupuncture group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe fire needling technique of filiform needle at the high stress points relieves the clinical symptoms of chrondromalacia patellae and recovers the biodynamical structure of patellae.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Adult ; Chondromalacia Patellae ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the possible interactions among different impact factors possibly affecting the treatment efficacy of 131I in Graves′ disease (GD). Methods Six hundred and thirty two GD patients that had been treated by 131I, with or without antithyroid drugs (ATD), were included in this study. The impact factors were pre-defined as age (x1), sex (x2), mass of thyroid (x3), course of disease (x4), initial symptom (x5), condition of disease (x6), ATD treatment duration (x7), effective half life time (x8), maximum 131I uptake rate (x9), total dose of 131I (x10), dose of 131I per gram of thyroid (x11), TRAb (x12), TSI (x13), TgAb (x14), and thyroid microsomal antibody(TMAb) level(x15). Interactions among different impact factors were studied by t-test, χ2 test and multi-variant logistic regression. Results Age, mass of thyroid, ATD treatment duration, maximum 131I uptake rate, dose of 131I per gram of thyroid tissue and TSI level were identified as independent impact factors affecting the 131I treatment efficacy on GD (χ2=6.908, t=-4.063, χ2=13.558, t=-2.553, t=4.528, χ2=9.716, all P<0.05) by uni-variant and multi-variate analyses. Loglinear and general linear model analyses showed that there existed multiple multiplicative and additive interactions among the factors of age, mass of thyroid, ATD treatment duration and maximum 131I uptake rate (likelihood χ2=8.176, P>0.05; F=2.928, 1.992, 2.629, 2.215, all P<0.05), which indicated that the treatment efficacy with co-existing multiple factors was not equal to simple summation of single factors. Conclusions The interactions among multiple factors can cause indi-rect effect on 131I treatment, which might guide the prescription of 131I dosage for GD treatment.