OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of auricular point sticking therapy for abnormal blink in children and the impact on the breakup time of tear film.

METHODSA total of 123 cases (246 eyes) with abnormal blink were randomly assigned into two groups, 62 cases (124 eyes) to an observation group, 61 cases (122 eyes) to a control group. The observation group received auricular point sticking therapy with western medicine; the treatment was given 6 d per week; the next day received no treatment and changed dressing. The auricular points were yan (LO), pingjianqian (TG), pingjianhou (AT), gan (CO), pi (CO), wei (CO). The western medicine pateints took 1 oral multivitamins tablets per day, and received sodium hyaluronate eye drops and tobramycin eye drops in turn, 3 times per day, 7 day as a course; treatment was lasting 3 courses. Patients in the control group only received western medicine. The blink frequency score and breakup time of tear film of children were observed, the curative effect of the two groups was compared.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the blink frequency score was lower significantly (<0.01), and lower significantly in subjects in the observation group compared to those in the control group (<0.01). After treatment, less than 10 s were 51 eyes (41.8%) and greater than 10 s (including 10 s) were 71 eyes (58.2%) in the 122 eyes from the control group; in the observation group, less than 10 s were 13 eyes (10.5%) and greater than 10 s (including 10 s) were 111 eyes (89.5%); there was significant difference between the two groups (<0.01). The effective rate of the observation group was 91.9% (114/124), which was higher than the control group 65.6% (80/122); the difference was statistically significant (<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe efficacy of auricular point sticking therapy combine western medicine is better in treating children with abnormal blink compared to western medicine by reducing the breakup time of tear film. This suggests that reduction of tear film stability is one of the main reasons which causes frequent eye blink, and breakup time of tear film can be used as the testing standard.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Deubiquitinating Enzyme CYLD ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplastic Syndromes, Hereditary ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Skin Neoplasms ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics ; Young Adult

Actinomycosis ; complications ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Papilloma ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; microbiology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) for infantile hydrocephalus. METHODS: Retrospectively reviewed the 17 infantile hydrocephalus cases who were treated with ETV between July 2009 and June 2013. The study includes 17 patients (4 Han and 13 Hui) between the ages of 51 and 337 days. Five cases with encephalitis history and 2 cases with cerebral hemorrhage, with the remaining 10 cases congenital hydrocephalus. ETVs were performed for all patients with 1 case failing because the severe ventricle inflammatory adhesion, excessive exudation, and vague basilar artery. RESULTS: Among the 16 successful cases 7 cases improved remarkably : heads and ventricles reduced and cerebral cortexes thickening morphologically. The ventricles of the remaining cases were unchanged. CONCLUSION: The ethnic minority account for the majority of the patients in this study. ETV is effective for infantile obstructive hydrocephalus.
Basilar Artery ; Cerebral Cortex ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Encephalitis ; Head ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Infant ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventriculostomy*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the digit ratio of men who have sex with men (MSM), and the relationship between digit ratio and the partner types of MSM.

METHODSParticipants were required from Yunnan Rainbow Sky, a community organization that specialized in HIV testing, intervention and counseling services for MSM between December 2014 and April 2015. Inclusion criteria of MSM as the following: more than 18 years old; men who have had sex with men; HIV test was negative. Exclusion criteria were as this: those who couldn't attend the research due to disability. Eventually, there were 115 MSM participated in the research. According to the nationality, we adopted 1:1 matched case-control study, and we selected 115 men as control group. According to the partner number of MSM, the MSM were divided into two groups. One group was fixed partner and another was multi-partner. We used a questionnaire to collect the demographic characteristics, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, sexual behaviors during nearly 6 months, sexual orientation, the places where looked for sex partners, sex roles, drug use, preventive services etc. Then, the physical measurements were used to measure the length from second to the fifth finger in MSM group and control group. The results were expressed as nD. The chi-square test was used to compare the demographic differences between MSM group and the control group, and the T-test was used to compare the digit ratio between two groups.

RESULTSAmong 115 MSM, there were 26% (30/115) MSM who had a fixed partner, and there were 74% (85/115) MSM who had multi-partner. The mean values of digit ratio of MSM presented a trend as 2D:3D < 2D:4D < 3D:4D < 2D:5D < 4D:5D < 3D:5D. The right 2D:4D and 2D:5D of MSM were 0.957 7 ± 0.048 1 and 1.229 8 ± 0.083 4, and the mean value was significasntly higher than control group (0.941 4 ± 0.038 0 and 1.204 1 ± 0.069 5, t values were 2.84, 2.54 and P values were 0.005, 0.012). The right 2D:4D of the fixed partner group and multi-partner group among MSM were 0.962 2 ± 0.051 0 and 0.956 1 ± 0.047 3, respectively, and the mean values were significantly higher than control group (t values were 2.98, 2.83; P values were 0.027, 0.015).

CONCLUSIONThe proportion of multi-partner MSM was higher, so MSM at a high risk of being HIV infected. Right 2D:4D could be used as a biomarker of the MSM in Kunming, but couldn't reflect the features of MSM whether he has a fixed partner or has several partners.

Case-Control Studies ; China ; Fingers ; anatomy & histology ; HIV Infections ; Homosexuality, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Risk-Taking ; Sexual Partners ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo investigate the quality of life of cleft lip and/or palate children's parents and discuss the factors to provide the oretical basis for improving the quality of life of these parents and promoting the healthy growth of children with cleft lip and/or palate.

METHODSA total of 115 parents whose children had cleft lip and/or palate surgery treatment were selected as the experiment group, and another 198 parents (with healthy children having a similar age with those in the experiment group) as the control group. The experiment group was divided into three subgroups according to different types of cleft lip and/or palate: cleft Lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), cleft lip and palate (CLP). The experiment group and the control group were both divided into four subgroups according to age: 0-1, 1-3, 3-6 years old, and more than 6 years old. The experiment group and the control group were both divided into three subgroups according to education: junior middle school and the following, high school and technical secondary school, junior college degree or above. The GQOLI-74 scale was selected to assess the experiment group and the control group. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze data.

RESULTS1) The experiment group had no significant difference with the control group in terms of the overall score and the scores of various children ages. 2) The scores of every item had no significant difference in CL, CP, CLP subgroup (P > 0.05). 3) The quality of life scores and scores of psychological function dimension and social function dimension of parents with 3-6 years old patients were obviously lower than those of parents with more than 6 years old patients (P<0.05). The scores of social function dimension of parents with 0-1, 1-3, 3-6 years old patients were obviously lower than those of parents with more than 6 years old patients (P < 0.05). The other items had no significant difference. 4) The scores of material life dimension and social function dimension of parents with junior college degree or above were higher than those of parents with junior middle school degree and the following (P < 0.05). The scores of social function dimension of parents with high school and technical secondary school degree were higher than those of parents with junior middle school degree and the following (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONNo difference was observed in the quality of life between cleft lip and/or palate children's parents and normal group. The parents with the low age children with cleft lip and/or palate and low-levels of education need more help and support to improve quality of life.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cleft Lip ; psychology ; Cleft Palate ; psychology ; Humans ; Infant ; Quality of Life ; Social Adjustment ; Software

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy and psychological consultation for parents of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP) and to provide a scientific basis of clinical-psychological treatment options.

METHODSSixty-six subjects with children with CLP participated in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to a test group (n = 33) and a control group (n = 33). The test group was treated with hypnotic and musical relaxation therapy; the control group were subjected to psychological consultation. Anxiety and depression states were evaluated by using a self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and a self-rating depression scale (SDS) before and after treatment was administered.

RESULTS1) The test group demonstrated a significant decrease in SAS and SDS scores (t = 2.855, P < 0.01; t = 2.777, P < 0.01). The control group showed a significant decrease in the SAS score (t = 1.831, P < 0.05) but failed to show a significant change in the depression score (t = 0.909, P > 0.05). 2) The test group yielded a higher percentage of remission indicated by the SDS scores than the control group (test group = 75.76%; control group = 60.61%; P < 0.05). The test group also displayed a higher percentage of remission indicated by the SAS scores than the control group (test group = 78.79%, test group = 69.70%; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHypnotic and musical relaxation therapy can more effectively reduce the scores of the anxiety and depression states of the parents of patients with cleft lip and/or palate than psychological consultation.

Anxiety ; psychology ; therapy ; Child ; Cleft Lip ; psychology ; Cleft Palate ; psychology ; Depression ; psychology ; therapy ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Music ; Parents ; psychology ; Relaxation Therapy ; methods ; Self-Assessment

OBJECTIVEThis study investigated the role and mechanism of calcineurin (CaN)-nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway in the myoblast apoptosis induced by cyclic tensile strain.

METHODSMyoblasts were cultured using an in vitro-mechanical stimulation model and imposed with tension for different hours with a multi-channel cell stress loading system. Cyclosporine (CsA) was used as CaN inhibitor to clarify the role of CaN in the apoptosis induced by cyclic stress. Hochest 33258 staining and flow cytometry detection were performed to detect the apoptotic cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted to detect the mRNA expression of CaN and NFAT. Protein levels of NFAT3 were evaluated by Western blot.

RESULTSThe apoptosis rate increased with the extension of loading time. The mRNA expression of the CaN subunits, CnA and CnB, and the protein levels of NFAT3 also increased. When the myoblasts were incubated with CsA, the apoptosis rate decreased, the mRNA expression of CnA and NFAT3 significantly decreased, and the NFAT3 protein expression levels became significantly lower than those of the groups without CsA.

CONCLUSIONContinuous cyclic tensile stress can induce myoblast apoptosis. The CaN-NFAT signaling pathway may be involved in the cyclic stretch-induced apoptosis of myoblasts.

Apoptosis ; Calcineurin ; genetics ; Cyclosporine ; Flow Cytometry ; Myoblasts ; physiology ; NFATC Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Signal Transduction ; T-Lymphocytes

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedigree ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEThe term "premature thelarche" refers to isolated breast development before 8 years of age in female, without any other signs of sexual maturation, while "gynecomastia" is the presence of breast tissue in males. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of premature thelarche and gynecomastia in Chinese infants and toddlers, identify the potential risk factors, and explore the influence of early breast development on physical growth, mental development and psychomotor development.

METHODA total of 1 510 full term and healthy children at the age of 0-48 months were sampled by stratified cluster random sampling method from 8 provinces from 2011-2012. Weight, height and breast development were assessed by senior primary pediatricians, while Bayley Scale of Infant Development-I (BSID-I) was used to measure the mental developmental index (MDI) and psychomotor developmental index (PDI) for children aged 2-30 months. Social-demographic Questionnaires were completed by the caregivers.

RESULTThe combined prevalence of premature thelarche and gynecomastia was 1.6% (23/1 475), girls 2.2% (15/695), boys 1.0% (8/780), all within 2 years of age. The birth weight, feeding patterns in first 4 months, delivery mode, weaning time and social economic status were not significantly associated with the breast development. However, lower father's education level (OR = 3.632, 95%CI = 1.565-8.432) as well as smoking mother (OR = 18.960, 95%CI = 1.590-226.304) were significantly related to breast development even after adjusting for potential confounders. Lower weight (-0.479 ± 0.648 vs. 0.005 ± 0.987, P < 0.05) and height (-0.602 ± 1.042 vs. 0.008 ± 0.986, P < 0.05) Z score were found in breast development group, even after adjusting for age, gender and father' education level. Neither mental development (t = -0.082, P > 0.05) nor psychomotor development (t = 1.054, P > 0.05) was associated with breast development.

CONCLUSIONWe showed a similar prevalence of premature thelarche with the data reported in similar studies reported from other countries. Among the 0-48 months old infants and toddlers, Father's education level and smoking mother were both related to breast development. Breast development was significantly associated with physical growth, but had no correlation with the mental or psychomotor development.

African Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Breast ; growth & development ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Gynecomastia ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Puberty, Precocious ; epidemiology ; etiology