[The correlation between gastric bubble size and laryngopharyngeal reflux pattern in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease].

Objective: To investigate the correlation between gastric bubble size and laryngopharyngeal reflux pattern in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease(LPRD). Methods: A total of 52 LPRD patients who underwent Dx-pH monitoring and anteroposterior chest radiography at the same time from February 2016 to November 2018 were retrospectively studied. Patients were devided into three position-related groups according to the Ryan score of upright and supine: isolated upright reflux(IUR), isolated supine reflux(ISR) and bipositional reflux(BR) groups. In addition, 13 healthy volunteers with negative pH monitoring were selected as the control group. Gastric bubble size and pH monitoring data among the four groups were compared. SPSS 24.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: In all the 52 patients, 35 cases (67.3%) were classified as IUR, 9 cases (17.3%) as ISR, and 8 cases (15.4%) as BR. The height of gastric bubbles in the four groups were: IUR (26±14) mm, ISR (9±8) mm, BR (20±13) mm, control (17±15) mm, and statistical difference was found among the four groups(P=0.004). Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons found that IUR group had statistical difference between ISR group and control group (P=0.001, P=0.034 respectively). There was no statistical difference of gastric bubble width and area among the four groups(P=0.340, P=0.186 respectively). The ROC curve of the gastric bubble height with isolated upright and supine reflux patterns was obtained, and the optimal cutoff value of the gastric bubble height was 11 mm. Accordingly, we divided the patiens into two groups with high and low gastric bubble. LPRD reflux pattern distribution was significantly different between the two groups(P<0.001). The comparison of reflux parameters in pH monitoring also showed that the supine reflux parameters in the lower group were significantly higher than those in the higher group, and the upright reflux parameters in the higher group were significantly higher than those in the lower group(P<0.001). Conclusions: The height of gastric bubble is significantly correlated with the reflux patterns in LPRD patients. The gastric bubble of patients with IUR is significantly higher than that of patients with ISR. Taking 11 mm as the cutoff value, patients with higher gastric bubble are more prone to upright laryngopharyngeal reflux, while those with lower gastric bubble are more prone to supine laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Optical property study of FePt-C nanocomposite thin film for heat-assisted magnetic recording.

Optical properties of the FePt-C nanocomposite thin film that was synthesized by sputtering with MgO/NiTa underlayer on glass substrate have been determined by an approach combining spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmission over the wavelength range of 380 - 1700 nm. It was observed that the refractive index is larger than the extinction coefficient, indicating that free electron absorption is not the dominant optical transition in the FePt-C thin film. Compared with FePt thin film, the FePt-C thin film has smaller optical constants, which lead to better optical performance including smaller optical spot on recording media and higher transducer efficiency for heat assisted magnetic recording.

[Ryan index for detection of laryngopharyngeal reflux diseases].

Objective: To explore the utility of pharyngeal pH monitoring which positive standard is Ryan index in diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. Methods: In a retrospective study, clinical data of 590 patients who had symptoms laryngopharyngeal reflux disease from February 2016 to March 2017 were analyzed. All patients were received electronic laryngoscopy, assessment of reflux symptom index(RSI) and reflux finding score(RFS), and pharyngeal pH monitoring. SPSS 19.0 software was used to analyze the date. Results: There were 94 patients whose Ryan index were positive(15.93%). Among the 94 patients, 70 were positive during upright, 12 during supine and 12 during both upright and supine. There were 40 patients(6.78%)with pH decline events related to symptoms, while those Ryan index were normal. There were 536(90.85%), 417(70.68%), 233(39.49%) and 117(19.83%) patients with pH<6.5, pH<6.0, pH<5.5 and pH<5.0 events respectively. The positive rate of RSI, RFS, RSI and RFS, RSI or RFS were 44.24%, 16.78%, 7.12%, 53.90% respectively. The RFS score in Ryan index positive group was higher than that in Ryan index negative group[(8.2±2.4) vs (4.0±2.9), u=5.424, P<0.05], while the RSI score in Ryan index positive group was not statistically different from that in Ryan index negative group[(11.3±6.2) vs (12.7±5.8), t=1.247, P=0.167]. Conclusions: Pharyngeal pH monitoring is an objective and non-invasive method which can reflect laryngopharyngeal reflux directly. However, with the Ryan index as a criterion for the diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, partial patients may be missed. Further studies are needed to obtain more accurate and objective laryngopharyngeal pH statistical index for diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Ultrasound-guided internal radiotherapy using yttrium-90-glass microspheres for liver malignancies.

UNLABELLED: Treatment of liver malignancies, in particular hepatocellular carcinoma, remains a serious problem because of the difficulty of delivering adequate therapeutic agents to the lesions while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. In an attempt to overcome this obstacle, intratumoral injection of 90Y, a beta-emitter, was performed. METHODS: Twenty-seven hepatocellular carcinomas and six liver metastases were studied, most of which had failed other therapeutic modalities. Guided by ultrasound, 90Y-glass microspheres (GMS) were carefully injected into predetermined tumor sites. The procedure was repeated at 3--4-wk intervals where indicated. Echographic, clinical and laboratory follow-up was conducted at regular intervals. RESULTS: Twelve to 32 mo after treatment, 27 patients were still alive, with dramatic improvement of their clinical condition: 90.6% of the tumor foci became smaller, with echogenic or blood flow changes on liver sonograms. Serum titers of alpha-FP in 10 of 13 patients returned to normal levels. Repeat biopsy in nine patients showed complete tumor destruction in eight. Six patients died of either end-stage disease or wide dispersion of the tumor. CONCLUSION: The intratumoral administration of 90Y-GMS under ultrasound guidance yielded a higher cure rate for liver malignancy with no severe side effects. The higher radiation dosage delivered by injected 90Y to the periphery of the lesions (up to 28,215-75,720 cGy) was thought to account for the successful outcome. These results show that intratumoral radionuclide injection is feasible for treatment of malignant lesions inside the body.

Determination of trace amounts of vanadium with a new reagent [1-(3-methoxysalicylidene-amino)-8-hydroxy-3,6-naphthalene disulfonic acid, disodium salt] by fluorescence quenching method.

A fluorescence quenching method is described for the determination of trace amounts of vanadium(V) based on the formation of a complex in acidic medium with a new reagent [1(3-methoxysalicylideneamino)-8-hydroxy-3,6-naphthalene disulfonic acid, disodium salt]. The fluorescence emission is measured at 415 nm (wavelength of excitation 360 nm), and the experimental variables and interferences in this determination have been studied. The detection limit is 12.5 ng/ml and linear range is between 50 and 600 ng/ml. The method has been applied to determine trace vanadium(V) in steel and cast iron.

Determination of sub-ng ml levels of mercury in water by electrolytic deposition and electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometry.

The determination of trace mercury in water samples by electrolytic deposition and electrothermal atomic-absorption spectrophotometry is described. Traces of mercury in water are preconcentrated by electrolytic reduction and deposition on a platinum wire cathode, which is then put into a graphite cup for direct atomization and measurement. The method is sensitive and simple, with a detection limit of 0.04 ng/ml. Almost all the metal ions commonly found in water samples can be tolerated, because of the selective deposition at controlled potential.

Carbohydrate epitopes are responsible for antibody cross-reactivity in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice.

Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies can be eluted from western blots of T. cruzi antigens and thereby are fractionated on the basis of the electrophoretic mobility of the antigens to which they bind. Antibodies fractionated by these methods can bind antigens with electrophoretic mobility different from those antigens from which they are eluted. Such antibodies thus are considered cross-reactive. Studies in which the target antigens are reacted with sodium periodate to destroy carbohydrate epitopes prior to exposure to the eluted antibodies revealed that antibodies are produced that bind to both carbohydrate and noncarbohydrate epitopes on western blots, but that most of the cross-reactive antibodies are directed toward carbohydrate moieties.

[A study on the pulmonary amine imaging in asthmatic patients and guinea pig asthma models].

Scintigraphic technique (SPECT) with intravenous injection of 131I-HIPDM was used to study pulmonary amine imaging in asthmatic patients and Guinea pig animal models. The results showed that the patients and animals had similar characteristic changes of amine imaging: the amine scanning pictures were not well-distributed, pulmonary amine uptake was significantly decreased but the clearance speed significantly increased as compared with those in healthy controls (P < 0.05-0.01). The only difference between the patients and the animals was that the amine imaging parameters in animals during remission recovered practically to normal, while that in patients during remission did not. The mechanism and clinical significance of the above changes were discussed.

[Effects of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate on ischemia-reperfusion-induced brain injury in Mongolian gerbil].

Brain injury in Mongolian gerbil (Merisones unguiculatus) was induced by occluding bilateral common carotid arteries for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 5 or 30 min. Oxygen free radicals in brain tissue were measured by electron spin resonance (ESR) technique, malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by fluorescence spectrometry, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was measured by nitrite kit. Oxygen free radicals and MDA were not significantly increased, but activities of T-SOD and Mn-SOD were decreased after 60 min of cerebral ischemia. The free radicals were increased at 5-min reperfusion, and then reduced to the level of ischemia group after 30-min reperfusion. MDA was increased remarkably after reperfusion of 30 min, whereas the activity of SOD continued to decrease. Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC), i.v. 5-100 mg.kg-1 15 min before occlusion, decreased the production of MDA and increased the activities of T-SOD and Mn-SOD. The formation of oxygen free radicals was depressed by i.v. DTC 50 mg.kg-1. The result suggested that the protective effects of DTC on ischemia-reperfusion-induced brain injury might be induced by scavenging the oxygen free radicals, increasing the Mn-SOD activity and decreasing the production of MDA.