Influence of different surgical timing on outcome of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and the surgical techniques during early surgery for ruptured intracranial aneurysms.

AIM: This study aims to investigate the influence of different surgical timing on outcome of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and to explore the surgical techniques for ruptured intracranial aneurysms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The clinical data were from 327 cases. 304 cases of the surgical group were further assigned to early surgery (89 cases), intermediate surgery(164 cases) and delayed surgery(51 cases) according to the surgical timing. The other 23 cases were the nonsurgical group. The ultimate outcome of all cases was graded according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale. After the cases of the no-surgical group were re-assigned to different surgical subgroups according to the rebleeding time, the ultimate outcome was graded once more. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among the 3 groups' pre-operative clinical data. After re-assigning the cases of no-surgical group to the different surgical subgroups, there was no significant difference among the 3 groups' preooperative clinical data, while the ultimate outcome grades of early surgery (3.6 ± 1.8) and intermediate surgery (3.5 ± 2.2) were superior to that of delayed surgery (2.9 ± 2.8). CONCLUSION: This retrospective study has demonstrated that early surgery can not only prevent re-rupture of aneurysm to decrease mortality rate but also improve the ultimate outcome.

Isoliquiritigenin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of U87 human glioma cells in vitro.

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a member of the flavonoids, has been demonstrated to possess antitumor activity in various cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects of ISL on U87 glioma cells in vitro. As determined by MTT assay, ISL inhibited the proliferation of U87 cells in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. The results of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis suggested that ISL induced the apoptosis of the U87 cells and blocked cell cycle progression at the S and G2/M phases. Moreover, it was identified that ISL induced the apoptosis of the U87 cells in a caspase-dependent manner. Although treatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK efficiently blocked the ISL-induced caspase activation, it did not eliminate the ISL-induced cell death. Further examination using western blot analysis revealed that ISL upregulated p21/WAF1 and p27. These results indicate that cell cycle arrest and the caspase-mediated apoptosis pathway may participate in the antiproliferative activity of ISL in U87 cells by regulating the expression of specific molecules.

[Emissions of greenhouse gas and ammonia from the full process of sewage sludge composting and land application of compost].

There is a great uncertainty of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and nitrogen conservation from the full process of sludge composting and land application of compost in China due to the lack of emission data of GHG such as N2O and CH4 and ammonia (NH3). The purpose of this study is to get emission characteristics of GHGs and NH3 from the full process with on-site observation. Results showed that the total GHG emission factor from full process of the turning windrow (TW) system (eCO2/dry sludge, 196.21 kg x t(-1)) was 1.61 times higher of that from the ATP system. Among the full process, N2O was mostly from the land application of compost, whereas CH4 mainly resulted from the sludge composting. In the sludge composting of ATP, the GHG emission equivalence of the ATP (eCO2/dry sludge, 12.47 kg x t(-1) was much lower than that of the TW (eCO2/dry sludge, 86.84 kg x t(-1)). The total NH3 emission factor of the TW (NH3/dry sludge, 6.86 kg x t(-1)) was slightly higher than that of the ATP (NH3/dry sludge, 6.63 kg x t(-1)). NH3 was the major contributor of nitrogen loss in the full process. During the composting, the nitrogen loss as NH3 from both TW and ATP was nearly the same as 30% of TN loss from raw materials, and the N and C loss caused by N2O and CH4 were negligible. These results clearly showed that the ATP was a kind of environmentally friendly composting technology.

[Clinical observation on transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for treatment of functional dyspepsia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effects of transcutaneous electrical point stimulation and medication on functional dyspepsia. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty cases were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 125 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation and oral administration of placebo, transcutaneous electrical stimulated at Zusanli (ST 36), Liangmen (ST 21), Taichong (LR 3) etc. The control group was treated with oral administration of Mosapride citrate dispersible tablets, Domperidone and Omeprazole and the placebo treatment of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation, the stimulated position was 3-4 cm to the selected points of the observation group, the amount of the stimulation did not reach the treatment amount. The symptom score, the plasma motilin (MTL) concentration and the somatostatin (SS) concentration were observed before and after treatment of 3 courses. RESULTS: All symptom scores after treatment were lower than that before treatment in the two groups, the scores of the upper abdominal pain, acid regurgitation, belching and abdominal distention in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); the treatments of both two groups can increase the plasma MTL concentration and decrease the SS concentration (both P < 0.001), and the plasma MTL concentration in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01), and the SS concentration was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Transcutaneous electrical point stimulation can more reduce the symptoms of upper abdominal pain, acid regurgitation, belching and abdominal distention, etc. in the functional dyspepsia patients than medication treatment, and can increase the concentration of the plasma MTL and decrease the SS concentration, thus to improve the gastrointestinal motility.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of low energy He-Ne laser acupoint radiation on infantile cold].

OBJECTIVE: To search for an effective therapy for infantile cold. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-five cases were randomly divided into a laser group (n = 130) and a medication group (n = 125). The laser group were treated with lower energy He-Ne laser radiation at Tiantu (CV 22), Renying (ST 9), Dazhui (CV 14), Fengmen (BL 12), etc. and the medication group were treated mainly with oral administration of Amantadine tablets. The therapeutic effect was assessed after treatment of 5 days. RESULTS: The laser group in alleviation of cough, nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sputum sound were significantly better than the medication group (P < 0.001, P < 0.01); the cured rate was 68.5% in the laser group and 42.4% in the medication group, the former being better than the latter (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The low energy He-Ne laser acupoint radiation has a significant therapeutic effect on infantile cold.