Objective:To retrieve, evaluate and summarize the best evidence for the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia.Methods:A systematic search was conducted in Chinese and English databases and subject-specific professional websites for clinical decisions, best practices, guidelines, systematic reviews, expert consensuses and evidence summaries on the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to March 31, 2024. The included literatures were screened, quality-evaluated, and evidence was extracted and summarized.Results:A total of 16 articles were included, including three clinical decisions, four guidelines, four expert consensuses, four evidence summaries and one systematic review. A total of 28 pieces of evidence were summarized from eight aspects, namely, swallowing function screening, nutritional risk screening, feeding management, oral medication management, water drinking management, oral care, aspiration management, and training and education.Conclusions:This study systematically summarizes the best evidence for the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia, providing scientific guidance and strategic support for the improvement of patients' long-term quality of life.

Objective:To retrieve, evaluate and summarize the best evidence for the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia.Methods:A systematic search was conducted in Chinese and English databases and subject-specific professional websites for clinical decisions, best practices, guidelines, systematic reviews, expert consensuses and evidence summaries on the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to March 31, 2024. The included literatures were screened, quality-evaluated, and evidence was extracted and summarized.Results:A total of 16 articles were included, including three clinical decisions, four guidelines, four expert consensuses, four evidence summaries and one systematic review. A total of 28 pieces of evidence were summarized from eight aspects, namely, swallowing function screening, nutritional risk screening, feeding management, oral medication management, water drinking management, oral care, aspiration management, and training and education.Conclusions:This study systematically summarizes the best evidence for the management of oral intake in stroke patients with dysphagia, providing scientific guidance and strategic support for the improvement of patients' long-term quality of life.

Objective To observe the effect of acupoint application of Chinese medicine on preventing constipation after stroke. Methods By means of randomized, double-blind, controlled study design, 96 patients of yang-syndrome stroke were randomly divided into observation group and control group, 48 cases in each group. Both groups were given conventional treatment for stroke and routine nursing for preventing constipation, and additionally, the control group was given acupoint application of placebo while the observation group was given acupoint application of self-made umbilical paste of Radix et Rhizoma Rhei(Dahuang) and Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao). The incidence of constipation, frequency of laxative usage and adverse reactions of the two groups were observed. Results (1) The incidence of constipation of the observation group was lower than the control group on treatment day 7 and 14 , the difference being statistical significant(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).(2)On treatment day 7 and 14, the Bristol scores of stool properties of observation group were increased compared with those before treatment(P < 0.05), but the changes of scores in the control group were insignificant(P > 0.05). The observation group had better effect on improving stool properties(P < 0.05).(3) The frequency of use of laxatives was reduced in the observation group compared with the control group, the difference being significant(P<0.05).(4) The incidence of adverse reaction was 6.25%in the control group and was 8.333%in the observation group, the difference being insignificant (P>0.05). The adverse reaction of both groups was mild, and had no effect on the accomplishment of the treatment. Conclusion Acupoint application of Chinese medicine is effective and safe on preventing constipation after stroke, showing good prospects for clinical application.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer stem cell is an important reason for the invasion and recurrence of prostatic carcinoma. However, separation efficiency of prostate cancer stem cells is very low.OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficient method for isolating and identifying the prostate cancer stem cells from human prostatic carcinoma cell lines PC-3 and LNCap. METHODS: Prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and LNCap were cultured in serum free medium (SFM) and serum supplemented medium (SSM), respectively. The percentage of prostate cancer stem cells from different medium was detected by flow cytometry through markers CD133 and CD44, and the properties of prostate cancer stem cells were preliminarily identified using inducing differentiation experiments.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: PC-3 and LNCap formed sphere cells in SFM, which can be induced into adherent cells after culture in SSM. Higher percentage of CD44+/CD133+cells was obtained from LNCap cells (1.71%; 0.73%) than PC-3 cells (0.59%; 0.32%) in both SFM and SSM. The number of CD44+/CD133+ LNCap cells was more than PC-3 using both methods (P < 0.05), but the efficiency of SFM and SSM had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). However, the culture cycle was longer and number of obtained cells was less by SFM culture, directly influencing functional determination of prostate cancer stem cells. Compared with suspension culture method with SFM, SSM is more convenient and effective in isolating prostate cancer stem cells from LNCap cells.

AIM:To investigate the production and activation of caspase-3 in primary rat renal proximal tubule cells in response to tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and the implication of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the process. METHODS:Isolated rat renal proximal tubule cells (PTCs) from male adult Sprague Dawley rats were treated with TNF-α according to the indicated time courses. A specific NF-κB inhibitor,Bay11-7082,was used alone or as a pretreatment for 1 h followed by exposure to TNF-α for 24 h.The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3,caspase-3,I-κBα,phosphorylated I-κBα,and GAPDH were detected by Western blotting using specific antibodies. RESULTS:The protein level of cleaved caspase-3 relative to caspase-3 was significantly increased in the presence of TNF-α for 6 h,12 h,and 24 h. Protein levels of caspase-3 were significantly decreased by 12 h and returned to baseline by 24 h in the presence of TNF-α. Treatment with Bay11-7082 for 25 h alone or pretreatment with Bay11-7082 for 1 h followed by addition of TNF-α for 24 h caused a remarkable reduction in both cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 as compared to control and TNF-α treated groups. An increase in phosphorylated I-κBα was observed from 15 min to 60 min after treatment with TNF-α at a dose of 10 μg/L in PTCs. CONCLUSION:NF-κB is not only associated with the activation of caspase-3 but also the production of caspase-3 in primary rat renal proximal tubule cells in response to TNF-α.

BACKGROUND: Differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into cardiomyocytes in vitro has been studied in great detail in the world. However, much of what is currently known about cardiomyocyte differentiation from ES cells has been learned from studies on mouse in China, few studies are on human ES cells.OB JECTIVE: To investigate the differentiation effcacy of human ES cells into functional cardiomycytes with the human H14 ES cell line.DESIGN: Suspending method was used to form pseudo-embryo proper of human ES cells so as to observe ratio of pseudo-embryo proper with rhythmic contraction and expression of specific gene of myocardium in various differentiated phases.SETTING: Molecular Biology Laboratory of Stanley Ho Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.MATERIALS: Human ES cell line H14 was obtained from WiCell Research Institute (Wisconsin, USA) with a license agreement.METHODS: The experiments were carried out in the Molecular Biology Laboratory of Stanley Ho Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, the Chinese University of Hong Kong from August to December of 2006.The H14 ES cell colony was used to form embryoid bodies (EBs) by using suspending method. Four days later,pseudo-embryo proper was cultured in gelatin-coating 6-well culture plate (5-10 embryo proper/well) and spontaneously differentiated into moving pseudo-embryo proper. Rhythmic contraction was observed under microscope and RT-PCR was used to detect expression of special genes of myocardium.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ratio of pseudo-embryo proper with rhythmic contraction and expression of specific gene of myocardium in various differentiated phasesRESULTS: Spontaneously contracting cells appeared as cluster and were identified in approximately 2% of EBs at differentiation day 8 and increased to as many as 10% of the EBs by day 16. The beating rate of contracting cells arranged at 70-100 beats per minute. RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that cells isolated from spontaneous beating areas within the EB expressed the cardiac transcription factors GATA-4 and Nkx2.5, cardiac progenitor gene Isl-1 and cardiomyocyte marker gene α-MHC.CONCLUSION: This is the first time to report human ES cells can effectively differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes in China.

AIM: To investigate the association between HBV infection and HLA-DPB1 gene in population of Guangzhou Chinese. METHODS: 58 unrelated patients (test positive of HbsAg,HBeAg,HbcAb) and 75 unrelated healthy control individuals were typed by sequencing based typing (SBT) method in their HLA-DPB1 gene. RESULTS: The phenotype frequencies of HLA-DPB1 alleles of patients and control have no significant difference. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that there is no association between HLA-DPB1 gene and HBV infection.