Objective To explore the effects of coincident infection on treatment response and coronary artery lesion (CAL) outcome in children with Kawasaki disease(KD).Methods A retrospective study of 141 children diagnosed on KD between Jul.2005 and Dec.2006 were performed.Standardized clinical assessments,laboratory examinations microbiology test results plus treatment regimens were reviewed.CAL were visualized by using echocardiography.Infectious agents positive (INF+) and negative (INF-) groups were identified,and clinical assessments,laboratory and treatment data were analyzed.Results 1.Concurrent infections:41%(58/141) of children had one of above confirmed infection at KD diagnosis.2.Treatment response:the presence of infection did not alter the response to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG),with resolution of fever within 72 h in 85% (120/141) children after 1 dose of IVIG (2 g/kg) together with aspirin administration regardless of present or absent infection.3.CAL outcome:in total,56.0% (79/141) of children developed CAL at the time of diagnosis,involving dilatation (91.1%,72/79 cases) and aneurysm (8.9%,7/79 cases),and no giant aneurysm was found.Most CAL were recovered within 1 year after treatment.Incidence of aneurysm in INF+ group was significantly higher than that in INF-group (P=0.019).Conclusions Coincident infection would not affect on the clinical assessment,laboratory test results and treatment response to IVIG in children with KD,but would result in higher risk of serious CAL.Therefore,children with infection at diagnosis on KD will not only accept active treatment in acute phase,but also insist on convalescent care and follow-up visit.

OBJECTIVE To study the current infection control issues and discuss protocols of nosocomial infection management. METHODS Based on the characteristics and progresses of domestic and international nosocomial infection management,we analyzed the existing problems and countermeasures of some key issues. RESULTS Enhancing nosocomial infection objective-surveillance,the personnel construction,information technology,etc are the chief methods to improve the quality of nosocomial infection control. CONCLUSIONS Adopting some new measures to strengthen the nosocomial infection management is essential and important to the security of medical treatment.

Objective To investigate changes in CD_4~+ CD_(28)~(null)T cell numbers of peripheral blood and the expression of perforin in patients with coronary heart disease.Methods Sixty-eight patients with acute coronary syndromes,56 with stable angina and 65 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study.CD_4~+ CD_(28)~(null)T lymphocytes were measured by flow cytometric analysis.Results The numbers of CD_4~+ CD_(28)~(null)T lymphocytes in patients with acute coronary syndromes were higher than those in patients with stable angina and in the control subjects(11.6 % vs 2.84% and 0.59%,P

Objective:To choose the best vector for the expression of CS3 fimbriae. Methods: The CS3 operon was cloned into different plasmid vectors such as pUC19 and pTrc99A. The expression of CS3 was monitored by whole-cell ELISA and SDS-PAGE analysis. The assembly of CS3 fimbriae was detected with electron microscopy. Results:The expression level of CS3 fimbriae using plasmid pUC19 as carrying vector was the highest, and the insertion orientation of CS3 gene into the plasmid has a little effect on its expression level. The expression of CS3 fimbriae was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis and electron microscopy.Conclusions:The promotor of CS3 itself played the key role in the expression of CS3 fimbriae and the copy number of plasmid was the main factor to affect the expression level.

BACKGROUND:Studies about low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields interfering with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells proliferation and differentiation are many, but the Raman spectra of single stem cells irradiated in electromagnetic fields analyzed by surface Raman spectroscopy analysis are rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To compare the difference in Raman spectra of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with or with no irradiation of 3 000 Hz pulsed electromagnetic fields. METHODS:Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured and identified. Passage 3 cells were inoculated into 6-wel plates and divided into two groups:pulsed electromagnetic field irradiation group and blank control group. After cultured for 7 days, cells in the two groups were transferred to physiological saline, and 30 cells were randomly col ected from each group. Four Raman spectra were harvested from each celland the average relative intensity of Raman spectra was calculated and compared between two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were the same Raman peaks in the two groups, and the waveforms were basical y same in the two group based on the curve mapping by origin 7.0 software. The peak value in the irradiation group was decreased compared with the blank control group. Laser optical tweezers Raman spectroscopy can be applied to study the biochemical changes of a single stem cellat the molecular level. The Raman spectra of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells irradiated by 3 000 Hz pulsed electromagnetic fields differ from those without irradiation, and the peak also lowered after irradiation.

Background The pathological change of the anterior uveitis is the disruption of blood-aqueous barrier.Slit lamp examination appears to be limited for the evaluation of inflammatory response,and fluorescine angiography is an objective approach.However,there are few relative studies up to now in China.Objective Aim of this study was to observe the characteristics and assess the clinical applications of iris fluorescein angiography (IFA)in Chinese uveitis with brown iris.Methods Forty eyes of 40 normal subjects and 21 eyes of 13 patients with the anterior uveitis were collected in this study.IFA,slit-lamp examination and iris photograph were performed on the subjects.All individuals were informed consented at the initiation of this study.Results In normal eyes,fluorescence in iris vessels was blocked by the melanin pigment,but peripupillary weak fluorescent leakage was seen in the normal eyes with the age of ＞60 years old.The multiple patterns of fluorescence leakage were found in the patients suffered from uveitis of various etiologies although the negative slit-lamp finding,including the leakage of fluorescein around the pupillary margin and radial iris vessels in the eyes with mild diseases,transmitted fluorescence of regular iris vessels in the eyes with diffuse and local iris atrophy,and vascular tufts of the pupillary margin with coiled interwind tight clusters of thin vessels at the early phase in the eyes with dilated capillaries,microvascular anomalies and new vessel formation.The hyperfluorescence remained throughout the IFA duration.Conclusions IFA findings in uveitis vary depending on the topography,type and severity of inflammation.IFA has a good clinical applying value because of its objective assessment ability of the degree of the blood-aqueous barrier breakdown and iris neovascularization breakdown.It can exhibit the unvisible lesion under the slit-lamp and monitor the efficacy of medical theraphy in patients with active or quiescent uveitis.

BACKGROUNDThe effects of anxiety and depression on the recurrence of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) after circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CPVA) are not clear. Whether CPVA can alleviate the anxiety and depression symptoms of persistent AF patients is unknown.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty-four patients with persistent AF, of which 43 treated with CPVA (CPVA group) and 103 treated with anti-arrhythmics drugs (medicine group), were enrolled. The Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were assessed before and 12 months after treatment in all patients.

RESULTSThe scores of SAS (40.33 ± 7.90 vs. 49.76 ± 9.52, P < 0.01) and SDS (42.33 ± 8.73 vs. 48.17 ± 8.77, P < 0.01) decreased 12 months after CPVA. Over 12 months follow-up, AF relapsed in 17 patients in CPVA group. Compared with the data in the recurrent group (17 patients), the scores of SAS and SDS were significantly lower in the non-recurrent group (26 patients) at baseline. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed normal scores of SAS and SDS were the independent risk factors of AF recurrence after CPVA.

CONCLUSIONSAnxiety and depression increase the recurrence risk of persistent AF after CPVA. CPVA can ameliorate the anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with persistent AF.

Aged ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Anxiety ; complications ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; pathology ; psychology ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Depression ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Veins ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To determinate the prognostic value of etiology in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (CSHF).Methods Data of in-hospital patients with CSHF were investigated between 2000 and 2010 from 12 hospitals in Hubei province.All patients were followed up through telephone calls.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses were then used to explore the differences in the all-cause mortality,heart failure (HF) mortality and sudden cardiac death (SCD) among patients caused by different etiologies.Kaplan-Meier curve were then constructed and Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to select demographic and clinical variables in predicting the all-cause mortality,HF mortality and SCD in CSHF patients.Multivariate logistic models and ROC curve were developed with or without the cinfirmed etiology to assess the incremental additive information related to different etiologies.Results (1)Over the median 3 (2-4) years follow-up program,6453 (38.69％) patients died,including 5505 (33.00％) due to HF prognosis and 717 (4.30％) died of SCD.All-cause mortality rates accounted for 34.50％,54.30％,41.48％ and 15.76％,with HF mortality rates as 30.11％,44.95％,36.25％ and 13.10％.SCDs accounted 8.46％,8.45％,9.84％ and 1.05％ in patients with CHD,DCM,HHD and RHD,respectively.(2) Compared with RHD patients,the adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality were 1.554 (1.240 to 1.947;P＜0.001),1.405(1.119 to 1.764;P=0.003) and 1.315(1.147 to 1.467;P=0.005) while the adjusted HRs and 95％CIs for HF mortality were 1.458( 1.213-1.751 ;P＜0.001 ),1.763( 1.448-2.147;P＜0.001 ) and 1.281 ( 1.067-1.537; P=0.008),in patients with CHD,DCM and HHD,respectively.There were no significant differences in CHD (HR 3.345; 95％ CI,1.291 to 8.666; P=0.013 ) or HHD (HR 2.062; 95％CI,0.794 to 5.352; P=0.137 ),while only DCM ( HR 4.764; 95％CI,1.799 to 12.618;P=0.002) remained significant in SCD despite of the multivariate adjustment.(3) Etiology increased the sensitivity and specificity of predicting models for all-cause mortality(AUC 0.839,95％CI,0.832to 0.845 vs.0.776,95％CI,0.768 to 0.784) and HF mortality(AUC 0.814,95％CI,0.806 to 0.822 vs.0.796,95％CI,0.788 to 0.804) but not with SCD (AUC 0.777,95％CI,0.749 to 0.809 vs.0.747,95％CI,0.727 to 0.766).Conclusion CSHF due to CHD,DCM and HHD carried a worse prognosis than that of RHD.Different etiologies provided significant incremental prognostic information beyond readily available clinical variables for all-cause mortality and HF mortality.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and related factors of medicinal therapy in patients with chronic systolic heart failure (CSHF).Methods Data on in-hospital patients with CSHF were studied from 12 hospitals in Hubei province,in 2000 and 2010.Differences on gender and age were calculated and Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determinate the independent risk factors of all-cause mortality.Results (1) 16 681 patients were enrolled in this study.Among which,6453 died during the 5.82 ± 1.63 years of follow-up.The annual medical expenditure was larger in the survival group than in the dead ones (3.19 ± 0.65 vs.3.32 ± 0.57,P＜0.01).(2)The prevalence of Angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blocker increased along with age which accounted as 7.73％,7.35％,12.26％,14.29％,17.19％,19.87％ and 20.49％,respectively,in the ＜30,30-39,40-49,50-59,60-69,70-79 and ≥80-year groups.The distribution of digitalis,diuretics,β-receptor blocker,Angiorensin- converting enzyke inhibitors showed inversed U shape.(3)The annual medical expenditure increased as patients got older,with age groups ＜30,30-39,40-49,50-59,60-69 and 70-79 years old as 2.96 ± 0.70,3.09 ± 0.62,3.15 ± 0.58,3.30 ± 0.59 and 3.25 ±0.58,respectively (P＜0.01).It reduced to the same level as in the 50-59 year-old group.The distribution of annual medical expenditure showed similar pattern in males.However,the trends were only found in patients at 50-59,60-69,70-79 and ≥80 years-old groups in female.Conclusion More attention should be paid to medicinal therapy in patients with CSHF.Medicinal therapy shifted with age and gender,of which females had more adverse trend than in males.

OBJECTIVETo detect sperm plasma membrane integrity (PMI) of cigarette smoking infertile males using SYBR-14/ PI fluorescent staining and flow cytometry and investigate its clinical significance.

METHODSWe collected semen samples from 132 cigarette smoking infertile men and 70 normal fertile controls, the former divided into a heavy-smoker group (> 20 cigarettes a day, n = 68) and a light-smoker group (< or = 20 cigarettes a day, n = 64). We performed computer-assisted semen analysis of the semen samples, and determined sperm PMI by flow cytometry after rinsing with PBS and staining by SYBR-14/PI, the sperm with normal PMI indicated as the percentage of those emitting green fluorescence (SYBR-14+/PI- %), dead sperm as the percentage of those emitting red (SYBR-14-/PI+), and moribund sperm as the percentage of those emitting both green and red (SYBR-14+/PI+).

RESULTSBoth the heavy- and light-smoker groups showed significant differences in SYBR-14-/PI+ % and SYBR-14+/PI- % from the normal controls (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). SYBR-14+/PI- % was remarkably lower, while SYBR-14-/PI+ % markedly higher in the heavy-smoker than in the light-smoker group (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between SYBR-14+/PI- % and sperm motility (r = 0.938, P = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONSYBR-14/PI fluorescent staining and flow cytometry analysis could quickly and exactly detect sperm PMI. Cigarette smoking reduces sperm PMI and consequently sperm motility, which might be an important factor of male infertility.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cell Membrane ; pathology ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; pathology