ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the improvement of quality of life of patient with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) after knee joint cavity injection of hyaluronic acid.Methods Fifty KBD patients were selected in Yongshou County Shaanxi Province,and accepted knee joint cavity injection of hyaluronic acid (25 mg) for four times,one time a week.SF-36 health questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life of KBD patients,and the quality adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated after 2 months.Results The total score of the quality of life of KBD patients was improved from 38.81 ± 17.39 to 49.35 ± 17.95 after knee joint cavity injection of hyaluronic acid.The scores of physiological function (PF),body pain (BP),general health (GH),energy (VT),social function (SF) and mental health (MH) in the eight dimensions of SF-36 scale were 54.42 ± 21.25,47.42 ± 20.80,48.00 ± 26.12,61.05 ± 19.14,68.09 ± 28.73 and 68.74 ± 14.85,respectively,after the treatment,which were higher than those before the treatment (41.51 ± 22.11,27.63 ± 11.78,38.76 ± 25.14,51.97 ± 18.14,57.89 ± 30.95 and 56.95 ± 20.47,t =-3.942,-6.344,-2.494,-2.785,-2.819 and-4.245,all P ＜ 0.05).The QALYs of KBD patients increased 0.051 ± 0.044 with 2 months followed up.Conclusion The quality of life (PF,BP,GH,VT,SF and MH) of KBD patients could be significantly improved after knee joint cavity injection of hyaluronic acid.
ABSTRACT
Objective To know the actual level of hair lead levels in children of Xi'an. Methods Hair samples were collected from 203 children aged 7-13 years of an urban primary school and a suburban one during April-June, 2001. The hair lead levels were measured with flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results The geometric mean of hair lead levels of children in urban area was 4.69 ?g/g, while in suburban area it was 1.67 ?g/g. There was a significant difference between them (t=7.78, P=0.001). The younger group had a higher hair lead levels in urban area and suburban area. With age, hair lead levels showed a significant down trend. There was no significant difference had been seen between boys and girls living in the city, but the hair lead levels of rural boys(median 2.92 ?g/g) were higher than rural girls (median 1.52 ?g/g), P=0.02. Rate of high hair lead (13.2%)of urban children, based on the standard (≥10.0 ?g/g), was higher than rural children (1.2%) (?2=9.18, P=0.002). Conclusion The hair lead levels of the children living in urban districts are higher than that in the suburb area of Xi'an city. The rate of high hair lead of urban children was higher than that of the suburban children. The hair lead levels of children aged 7-13 years in Xi'an have showed a down trend with age. There is no significant difference between boys and girls in urban area, but the hair lead levels in suburban boys is higher than that of the suburban girls.