[Efficacy comparison of zero-profile intervertebral fusion and stand-alone interbody cage combined with cage-titanium plate construct in treatment of two-segment skip cervical spondylosis].

Objective: To investigate the difference in clinical efficacy between zero-profile interbody fusion (ROI-C) and stand-alone interbody cage combined with cage-titanium plate construct for patient with two-segment skipped cervical spondylosis who received the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgical strategies. Methods: The clinical data of 62 patients with two-segment skipped cervical spondylosis who underwent surgical treatment in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2017 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, included 38 males and 24 females, aged (53.3±8.5) years. Thirty-three cases were treated with ROI-C (ROI-C group), and 29 cases with stand-alone interbody cage combined with cage-titanium plate construct (cage+titanium plate group). The following parameters, including operation time, intraoperative blood loss, dysphagia Bazaz grade, Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, neck disability index (NDI), average intervertebral height of operated segments, C2-7 Cobb angle, and related complications, were compared between the two groups. Results: The patients were followed up for (28±5) months (16-34 months). The operation time of ROI-C group was (127.6±34.2) min, which was shorter than that in cage+titanium plate group [(157.1±43.9) min, P=0.004]. The scores of JOA and VAS in both ROI-C group and cage+titanium plate group were significantly improved 3 months after operation when compared with those before operation, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (all P>0.05). The average intervertebral space height of fusion segment in ROI-C group was (6.02±1.03) mm before operation, it was improved to (8.38±1.47) mm at 3 months after operation, (8.16±1.40) mm at 12 months after operation, and it was (6.24±1.05) mm, (8.58±1.18) mm and (7.87±0.73) mm in cage+titanium plate group, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups at each time point (all P>0.05). The Cobb angle of cervical vertebrae in ROI-C group was 10.5°±6.8° before operation, improved to 19.2°±9.0° at 3 months after operation, 18.2°±5.8° at 12 months after operation, and it was 10.9°±4.6°, 18.5°±7.8°, 17.1°±5.2° in cage+titanium plate group, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups at each time point (all P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative dysphagia was 9.1%(3/33) in the ROI-C group and 37.9%(11/29) in the cage+titanium plate group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.007). Conclusions: Both ROI-C and stand-alone interbody cage combined with cage-titanium plate construct can achieve good results for two-segment skipped cervical spondylosis. However, ROI-C is more advantageous in shortening the operation time and reducing early postoperative dysphagia.

[An approach to the research of medical history : The publication of Index of Research on the History of Medicine in Chinese(1900s-2019)].

This paper introduced the content of the Index of Research on the History of Medicine in Chinese (1900s-2019), explained the compilation methods and their features and followed with comprehensive comments. The paper clarified the importance of this book for history research and the possible influence it might bring to practical research for medical history, with historical research method. It was found that the book failed to offer page numbers for some monographs, failed to sort alphabetically by authors' last names, and failed to compile chronologically according to the year of publication. However, this book integrated the research results of physicians, scientists, and historians in a variety of areas and fields, presented the century-old development of Chinese medical history and enabled readers to review the overall development trends of medicine. It might be helpful for readers to develop their own research proposals and methods by making use of this book with its databases.

Cardiac hormones eliminate some human squamous lung carcinomas in athymic mice.

BACKGROUND: Four cardiac hormones synthesized by the same gene, i.e. atrial natriuretic peptide, vessel dilator, long acting natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide, have anticancer effects in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: These cardiac hormones were infused subcutaneously for 28 days with weekly fresh hormones at 0.3 nM kg(-1) body weight in athymic mice bearing human squamous cell carcinomas. RESULTS: Vessel dilator, atrial natriuretic peptide and kaliuretic peptide each eliminated one in six (17%) of the human squamous cell lung carcinomas. Long-acting natriuretic peptide, although it did not eliminate any of the human squamous cell lung carcinomas did decrease the volume of one carcinoma to only 2% (P < 0.0001) of the untreated carcinomas. The squamous cell lung carcinomas that were not eliminated, with the exception of the one LANP-treated tumour that decreased to only 2% of the volume of the untreated cancers, grew rapidly but their growth velocity compared to controls decreased by 76%, 40%, 38% and 25% in the vessel dilator, atrial natriuretic peptide, kaliuretic peptide and long-acting natriuretic peptide groups respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Three of four cardiac hormones synthesized by the atrial natriuretic peptide gene can eliminate human squamous cell lung carcinomas in athymic mice when treated subcutaneously for 4 weeks. The 4th cardiac hormone, i.e. long-acting natriuretic peptide, decreased the volume of one squamous cell lung carcinoma to 2% of that of untreated animals, suggesting that it, too, has beneficial effects on squamous cell lung cancers.

Histological evaluation of direct pulp capping with a self-etching adhesive and calcium hydroxide on human pulp tissue.

AIM: To evaluate human pulp tissue response following direct pulp capping with a self-etching adhesive: Clearfil SE BOND (SB). METHODOLOGY: Forty-five sound teeth from 20 subjects were used. Forty-one teeth had their pulp mechanically exposed at the base of a Class 1 cavity preparation and were divided into two groups: group 1, teeth were capped with SB (n = 21), and group 2, with calcium hydroxide cement (CH) (n = 20). Four teeth were maintained intact as an untreated control group. After 7, 30 and 90 days, respectively, 15 teeth were extracted and processed for light microscopic examination. Pulp healing and bacterial microleakage were assessed by haematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome and Brown and Brenn stain techniques. The data were analysed statistically by using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: After the 7-day observation period, the inflammatory reaction in the SB group was slight and significantly less severe than that of the CH group (P < 0.05). After the 30- and 90-day observation periods, the inflammatory reaction was slight in both groups, but specimens with dentine bridge formation in the SB group were significantly less common than those in the CH group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Clearfil SB had good biocompatibility with human pulp tissue, but its ability to induce reparative dentine was significantly lower than that of calcium hydroxide.

[The protective effect of optimized target delineation in intensity modulated radiation therapy on swallowing function in patients with different TNM staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of optimized target delineation in intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) on swallowing function in patients with different TNM staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Method:Fifty patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into 25 cases of experimental group and 25 cases of control group by random number table and received IMRT treatment. Patients in control group only received routine delineation of target areas, the patients in experimental group were given the delineation of the relevant parts of the swallowing on the basis of the control group.And then, the degree of dysphagia, xerostomia, weight loss, and quality of life were assessed in the two groups of patients during and after IMRT.Result:There was no significant change in the degree of dysphagia in stage Ⅱ patients during radiotherapy, but the degree of dysphagia in stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ patients increased with the increase of radiotherapy time. After the end of radiotherapy, there was no significant change in the degree of dysphagia in the control group of patients. Compared with the 0th week after the end of radiotherapy, the stage Ⅱ patients in experimental group showed significant improvement in week 12(P<0.05), while the stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ patients showed significant improvement in week 24 after radiotherapy(P<0.05). The degree of xerostomia of two groups of patients continued to increase with varying degrees during and after IMRT(P<0.05 or P<0.01). The weight of the two groups of patients during radiotherapy continued to decrease with the increase of radiotherapy time,and gradually recovered after the end of radiotherapy.And in the experimental group, the weight loss was significantly lower in week 12 and week 24 than in the control group (P<0.05). During radiotherapy, the quality of life scores of the two groups became lower and lower with the increase of radiotherapy time compared with the 0th week of radiotherapy. After the end of radiotherapy, the quality of life began to gradually improve, and in week 24 after the end of radiotherapy, the quality of life of the experimental group of patients was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion:During radiotherapy of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the structural organs associated with swallowing function are given individualized target delineation can reduce the occurring of dysphagia due to radiotherapy and improve the quality of life of patients after radiotherapy.

Saúde Cardiovascular e Fibrilação ou Flutter Atrial: Um Estudo Transversal do ELSA-Brasil / Cardiovascular Health and Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter: A Cross-Sectional Study from ELSA-Brasil

Resumo Fundamento A associação entre o status de saúde cardiovascular ideal ( ideal cardiovascular health ( ICVH) e diagnóstico de fibrilação ou flutter atrial (FFA) foi menos estudado em comparação a outras doenças cardiovasculares. Objetivos Analisar a associação entre o diagnóstico de FFA e métricas e escores de ICVH no Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto (ELSA-Brasil). Métodos Este estudo analisou dados de 13141 participantes com dados completos. Os traçados eletrocardiográficos foram codificados de acordo com o Sistema de Minnesota, em um centro de leitura centralizado. As métricas do ICVH (dieta, atividade física, índice de massa corporal, tabagismo, glicemia de jeju, e colesterol total) e escores do ICVH foram calculados conforme proposto pela American Heart Association . Modelos de regressão logística bruta e ajustada foram construídos para analisar associações de métricas e escores do ICVH com diagnóstico de FFA. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em 0,05. Resultados A idade mediana da amostra foi de 55 anos, e 54,4% eram mulheres. Nos modelos ajustados, os escores de ICVH não apresentaram associação significativa com diagnóstico de FFA prevalente [odds ratio (OR):0,96; intervalo de confiança de 95% (IC95%):0,80-1,16; p=0,70). Perfis de pressão arterial ideal (OR:0,33; IC95%:0,1-0,74; p=0,007) e colesterol total ideal (OR:1,88; IC95%:1,19-2,98; p=0,007) foram significativamente associados com o diagnóstico de FFA. Conclusões Não foram identificadas associações significativas entre escores de ICVH global e diagnóstico de FFA após ajuste multivariado em nossas análises, devido, ao menos em parte, às associações antagônicas da FFA com métricas de pressão arterial e de colesterol total do ICVH. Nossos resultados sugerem que estimar a prevenção da FFA por meio de escore de ICVH global pode não ser adequado, e as métricas do ICVH devem ser consideradas separadamente.

Abstract Background The association between ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) status and atrial fibrillation or flutter (AFF) diagnosis has been less studied compared to other cardiovascular diseases. Objective To analyze the association between AFF diagnosis and ICVH metrics and scores in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Methods This study analyzed data from 13,141 participants with complete data. Electrocardiographic tracings were coded according to the Minnesota Coding System, in a centralized reading center. ICVH metrics (diet, physical activity, body mass index, smoking, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and total cholesterol) and scores were calculated as proposed by the American Heart Association. Crude and adjusted binary logistic regression models were built to analyze the association of ICVH metrics and scores with AFF diagnosis. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results The sample had a median age of 55 years and 54.4% were women. In adjusted models, ICVH scores were not significantly associated with prevalent AFF diagnosis (odds ratio [OR]:0.96; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]:0.80-1.16; p=0.70). Ideal blood pressure (OR:0.33; 95% CI:0.15-0.74; p=0.007) and total cholesterol (OR:1.88; 95% CI:1.19-2.98; p=0.007) profiles were significantly associated with AFF diagnosis. Conclusions No significant associations were identified between global ICVH scores and AFF diagnosis after multivariable adjustment in our analyses, at least partially due to the antagonistic associations of AFF with blood pressure and total cholesterol ICVH metrics. Our results suggest that estimating the prevention of AFF burden using global ICVH scores may not be adequate, and ICVH metrics should be considered in separate.

Pneumococcal pyomyositis.

Pyomyositis is most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus. A 25-month-old child developed infection of the biceps brachialis muscle caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The child had no underlying immune or anatomic defect.

Detection of IgA antibody to EBV membrane antigen using Staphylococcus aureus preabsorbed sera is closely associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The presence of IgA antibody to membrane antigen (MA) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was tested in sera from 48 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, 40 patients with tumors other than NPC and 46 normal individuals. The sera were preabsorbed with Staphylococcus aureus (SPA) (strain no. 1800) prior to their use in the indirect immunofluorescence test. One hundred percent of the NPC patients had the IgA/MA antibody with a GMT of 1:141. In patients with tumors other than NPC or normal individuals, IgA/MA antibodies were not detectable. The IgA/MA antibodies have been demonstrated in 6 NPC patients lacking detectable antibody levels in the indirect immunofluorescence test using nonabsorbed sera. Our data indicate that preabsorbtion of sera with SPA renders the diagnostic test significantly more sensitive for the detection of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma and can be used for trials on the prognosis of patients.

Influence of operating parameters on surface properties of RF glow discharge oxygen plasma treated TiO2/PET film for biomedical application.

In this paper, a thin transparent titania (TiO2) film was coated on the surface of flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film using the sol-gel method. The surface properties of the obtained TiO2/PET film were further improved by RF glow discharge oxygen plasma as a function of exposure time and discharge power. The changes in hydrophilicity of TiO2/PET films were analyzed by contact angle measurements and surface energy. The influence of plasma on the surface of the TiO2/PET films was analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) as well as the change in chemical state and composition that were investigated by X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS). The cytotoxicity of the TiO2/PET films was analyzed using human osteoblast cells and the bacterial eradication behaviors of TiO2/PET films were also evaluated against Staphylococcus bacteria. It was found that the surface roughness and incorporation of oxygen containing polar functional groups of the plasma treated TiO2/PET films increased substantially as compared to the untreated one. Moreover the increased concentration of Ti(3+) on the surface of plasma treated TiO2/PET films was due to the transformation of chemical states (Ti(4+)→Ti(3+)). These morphological and chemical changes are responsible for enhanced hydrophilicity of the TiO2/PET films. Furthermore, the plasma treated TiO2/PET film exhibited no citotoxicity against osteoblast cells and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus bacteria which can find application in manufacturing of biomedical devices.

[The therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on HIV patients].

OBJECTIVE: To study the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on HIV patients. METHODS: We adopted the combined Chinese medicinal herbs for treatment, its chief component is to enhance human immunity and the complementary part is suited for lightening the clinical synptoms. The clinical aspects, the CD4, CD8 lymphocyte numbers and the plasma viral load of the patients were compared before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Of 28 patients exemined, they all had different degrees of body weight increasing, averagely increased 5.4 kg after treatment. 7 cases having a long-time fever, 4 cases of diarrhea, 2 cases of large scale skin ulcer and 1 case of skin rash all had their synptoms disappeared ofter one month treatment. 10 cases, who had lymph nodes enlargement, after treated five months with Chinese medicinal herbs, 3 of them the swelling lymph nodes disappeared, 7 of them the lymph nodes diminished or decreased in number. CD4 lymphocytes increased in 42.9% and 50.0% patients and viral load decreased in 71.4% and 80.0% patients after two months and five months treatment with Chinese medicinal herbs respectively. Taking clinical symptoms and laboratory indexs into consideration, the total effective rate of Chinese medicinal herbs reached 94.0%. CONCLUSION: The Chinese medicinal herbs can obviously improve the clinical symptoms, increase CD4 lymphocytes and decrease serum viral load of the HIV patients, thus provides evidence that the Chinese medicinal herbs can be used for control of HIV infection and treatment of AIDS patients.

[Establishment of hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies to HIV-gp41 and HCV-NS3].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the monoclonal antibodies of HIV and HCV for developing serological diagnostic method. METHODS: The antigens of HIV gp41 and HCV NS3 expressed from bacteria were mixed to immunize BALB/c mice. The hybridoma cell lines were obtained by fusing SP2/0 myeloma cells with spleen cells from immunized mice. RESULTS: Four hybridoma cell lines secreting specific antibodies against gp41 of HIV and six hybridoma cell lines secreting antibodies to NS3 of HCV were obtained. ELISA sandwich method for detection of viral antigens with McAbs was developed. CONCLUSION: A quick and convenient method for obtaining McAbs was developed using mixture of different antigens for immunizition of mice. The monoclonal antibodies had high senusitivity and were stably secreted by hybridoma cell lines. This technique is worthy to be popularized.

[Early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using recombinant antigens expressed in bacteria].

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was developed by using recombinant purified early antigens, EA-D and EA-R to detect IgA antibodies in sera from nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC) patients. 30 sera from NPC patients and 49 sera from normal persons were detected by the developed ELISA. The serum positive rate and antibody titer were compared with immunoenzymatic method(IE) on slide with Raji cells mears. ELISA is more sensitive and specific. The serum positive rate of NPC patients was increased from 70% by IE to 100% by ELISA and 77% of the serum antibody titer reached > or = 1:200. The results show that the expressed recombinant p138 and p54 antigens are effective for detection of EA/IgA antibody in sera from NPC patients and ELISA will be a sensitive, specific and convenient method for early diagnosis of NPC.

[The purification and application of Epstein-Barr virus gp125].

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) virion capsid antigen (VCA) gp125 as a diagnostic antigen was expressed in infected cells by recombinant vaccinia virus. The presence of IgA antibody to VCA of EBV was tested by ELISA in sera from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and normal individuals. The ELISA consisted of three steps involving test serum, mouse monoclonal antibody to human IgA and rabbit anti-mouse IgG. The antibody titers of sera determined by this way correlated well with those by IF. The GMT by ELISA was 12 times higher than that by IF. Furthermore, efforts to develop gold-conjugated immunosorbent assay (GCISA), which is a more sensitive assay for measuring IgA antibody to VCA, has met with initial results.