ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Objective: A common problem with antithyroid drugs (ATD) treatment in patients with Graves' disease (GD) is the high recurrence rate after drug withdrawal. Identifying risk factors for recurrence is crucial in clinical practice. We hereby prospectively analyze risk factors for the recurrence of GD in patients treated with ATD in southern China. Subjects and methods: Patients who were newly diagnosed with GD and aged > 18 years were treated with ATD for 18 months and followed up for 1 year after ATD withdrawal. Recurrence of GD during follow-up was assessed. All data were analyzed by Cox regression with P values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 127 Graves' hyperthyroidism patients were included. During an average follow-up of 25.7 (standard deviation = 8.7) months, 55 (43%) had a recurrence within 1 year after withdraw of anti-thyroid drugs. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the significant association remained for the presence of insomnia (hazard ratio (HR) 2.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-5.88), greater goiter size (HR 3.34, 95% CI 1.11-10.07), higher thyrotrophin receptor antibody (TRAb) titer (HR 2.66, 95% CI 1.12-6.31) and a higher maintenance dose of methimazole (MMI) (HR 2.14, 95% CI 1.14-4.00). Conclusions: Besides conventional risk factors (i.e., goiter size, TRAb and maintenance MMI dose) for recurrent GD after ATD withdraw, insomnia was associated with a 3-fold risk of recurrence. Further clinical trials investigating the beneficial effect of improving sleep quality on prognosis of GD are warranted.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To reveal the effect of foods with different natures on cold or hot syndrome and gastrointestinal bacterial community structure in mice.@*METHODS@#Forty-five 6-week-old male ICR Kunming mice of clean grade were divided into 5 groups, 9 per group, including the control (CK), hot nature herbs (HM), Hong Qu glutinous rice wine (RW), tea rice wine (TW), and cold nature herbs (CM) groups. Distilled water or corresponding herbs were administered to mice (0.01 mL/g body weight) in the 5 groups by gastric infusion respectively, once daily for 28 d. Appearance, behavior, and serum biochemical indicators, including 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), noradrenaline (NE), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), the hot nature index, as well as the gastrointestinal bacterial community structure were analyzed in all groups after treatment.@*RESULTS@#After supplementation for 28 d, CM and TW mice showed different degrees of cold syndrome, and HM and RW mice showed different degrees of hot syndrome. Compared with the HM and RW mice, the TSH, NE, cAMP levels and hot nature indices in the CM and TW mice were significantly decreased and 5-HT and cGMP levels were significantly increased (P<0.05). There was no obvious change in appearance or behavior in CK mice. Results of clustering analysis showed that the gastrointestinal bacterial community structures were highly similar in TW and CM mice as well as in RW and HM mice, and that they were from the same branch, respectively, when the distance was 0.02. The key microbes associated with cold syndrome were Lachnospiraceae uncultured, Lactococcus, etc., and the key microbes associated with hot syndrome were S24-7 norank, Ruminococcaceae uncultured, etc. CONCLUSION: The interventions with different nature foods could change cold or hot syndrome in mice, leading to changes in gastrointestinal bacterial community structure.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the change pattern of olfactory function in chronic rhinosinusitis [CRS] with olfactory dysfunction after endoscopic sinus surgery [ESS], and its association with inspection scores
Study Design: Observational study
Place and Duration of Study: Second Hospital of Shandong University, China, from December 2014 to January 2016
Methodology: Thirty-four CRS with nasal polyps [CRSwNP] patients and 14 CRS without nasal polyps [CRSsNP] patients were evaluated preoperatively by Tand T olfactory test, olfactory VAS test, SNOT-20 score and Lund-Mackay CT score. Outcomes were re-evaluated at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively
Results: Both olfactory and SNOT-20 scores showed significant improvement within 6 months in both CRSwNP and CRSsNP groups. Patients with anosmia in Tand T test showed the largest degree of improvement. No significant recovery of olfactory dysfunction was observed at 1 month and 3 months in CRSsNP groups postoperative. In CRSwNP, the olfactory scores were correlated with the CT scores significantly [r=0.649, p<0.001; r=0.625, p<0.001]. However, no correlation was found between the SNOT-20 score and olfactory score preoperatively
Conclusion: Our study has confirmed that the therapeutic effects of ESS on olfactory function last for up to 6 months, particularly in patients with CRSwNP. Although the therapeutic effects plateaued at 3 months postoperatively, the olfactory function continues to recover between 3 and 6 months
ABSTRACT
In order to study the microstructure characteristics of normal lunate bones,eight fresh cadaver normal lunates were scanned with micro-computed tomography.High-resolution images of the micro-structure of normal lunates were obtained and we analyzed the nutrient foramina.Then nine regions of interest (ROI) were chosen in the central sagittal plane so that we could obtain the parameters of trabecular bones of ROIs.The distal lamellar-like compact structure had statistically significant differences when it was compared with the ROIs in the volar and dorsal ends of the distal cortex.The difference of diameter between the volar and dorsal foramina was significant (P＜0.05).However,there was no significant difference regarding the number.The trabecular bones of the volar and dorsal distal ends had lower intensity than those of the distal central subchondral bone plate.The diameters of the nutrient foramina on the volar cortex were larger than those on the dorsal.This research provided more detailed information about microstructure of normal lunate and the nutrient foramina on cortex,and a reference for further study about diseased lunate.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation and consistency between thromboelastography(TEG) and routine coagulation tests, and to evaluate the value of the two methods in determining the blood coagulation of patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The TEG, routine coagulation tests and platelet counts of 182 patients from the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) and Department of Gastroenterology in our hospital from January to September 2014 were performed and analyzed retrospectively for their correlation, Kappa identity test analysis and chi-square test, and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of both methods in the patients with bleeding were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The TEG R time and PT, R time and APTT showed a linear dependence (P<0.01). The relationship between the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA and Fibrinogen showed a linear dependence (P<0.001). And the relationship between the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA and the platelet count were in a linear dependent way (P<0.001). The Kappa values of the TEG R time with PT and APTT were 0.038 (P>0.05) and 0.061 (P>0.05), respectively. The chi-square test values of the TEG R time with PT and APTT were 35.309 (P<0.001) and 15.848 (P<0.001), respectively. The Fibrinogen and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value had statistical significance (P<0.001), with a Kappa value of 0.323, 0.288 and 0.427, respectively. The chi-square test values between Fibrinogen and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value were not statistically significant, with X2=1.091 (P=0.296), X2=1.361 (P=0.243), X2=0.108 (P=0.742). The Kappa values of the platelet count and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value were 0.379, 0.208 and 0.352, respectively, which were also statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The chi-square test values between the platelet count and the TEG K value, α-Angle, MA value showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.001), with X2=37.5, X2=37.23, X2=26.630. The diagnostic sensitivity of the two methods for the patients with bleeding was less than 50%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There was a significant correlation between some TEG parameters and routine coagulation tests, but the consistency is weak. Moreover, the diagnostic sensitivity of two methods in the patients with bleeding is low. It was concluded that the TEG cannot replace the conventional coagulation tests, and the preferable method remains uncertain which could reflect the risk of bleeding.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Blood Coagulation , Fibrinogen , Hemorrhage , Hemostatics , Platelet Count , Retrospective Studies , ThrombelastographyABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the correlation between plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) ,central aortic systolic pres-sure with the degree of coronary artery lesion .Methods One hundred and fifty patients with coronary artery disease ,positive coro-nary angiographic results and without heart failure in the cardiological department of this hospital from March to June 2011 were selected and divided into the hypertension group (n=90) and the non-hypertension group(n=60) according to the blood pressure . The plasma BNP before angiography was detected by ELISA .The coronary lesion vessels and clinical scores were assessed after an-giography .The central aortic pressure before angiography was measured by the noninvasive measurement method and the diastolic blood pressure(DBP) ,systolic blood pressure(SBP) and pulse pressure(PP)were recorded .The correlation between PP and BNP was analyzed by Logistic regression .Results The plasma BNP concentration in the hypertension group was significantly higher than that in the non-hypertension group(P<0 .05) .The SBP level in 2 vessels ,3 vessels was significantly higher than that in the momal coronary group(P<0 .05) ,the PP in 3 vessels was significantly higher than that in the momal coronary group (P<0 .05) . The BNP level in 3 vessels ,2 vessels and single vessel of coronary artery lesion was significantly higher than that in the normal cor-onary artery group(P<0 .05) .The Logistic regression analysis on the PP influencing factors found that PP was closely related with the number of coronary artery lesion vessels ,lesion score ,LVEF and BNP ;the multiple correlation coefficient between PP with the number of coronary artery lesion vessels ,lesion score and BPN was 0 .91 ,its linear model was PP=0 .543 lesion vessels number +0 .656 lesion score + 0 .864 BNP .Conclusion PP of the central aortic pressure is a risk factor for the development and progress of coronary artery stenosis occurrence .BNP may be used as a plasma marker of the degree of coronary artery stenosis .
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes in the myocardial expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) protein and its association with myocardial edema in rats with severe burns.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight healthy adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=6) and burn injury group with third degree burn of 30% total body surface area, and the latter group was further divided into 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h groups. The changes of myocardial water content were investigated by dry-wet weight methods. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the changes in AQP1 expression at different time points after sever burns.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The myocardial water content and AQP1 expression increased significantly 2 h after the burn injury, reaching the peak levels at 12 h and remaining higher than the normal level at 48 h. A significant positive correlation was found between myocardial water content and AQP1 expression in the rats (r=0.868, P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The severity of myocardial edema after severe burn is correlated to the expression level of AQPl protein, suggesting the important role of AQPl protein in pathological progression of myocardial edema.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Male , Rats , Aquaporin 1 , Genetics , Metabolism , Burns , Metabolism , Pathology , Edema , Metabolism , Myocardium , Metabolism , Pathology , Random Allocation , Rats, WistarABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes in the expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP-1) in edematous small intestinal tissues of rats after severe burn and the effect of early enteral feeding on its expression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety normal adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=6), burn model group (n=42, with 30% TBSA III degrees) and early feeding group (n=42). Dry weight method, ELSIA and immunohistochemistry were used to observe and detect the water content and expression of AQP-1 in the intestinal tissue at 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after the burns.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the burn model group, the water content in the intestinal tissue increased at 4 h after the injury, reaching the peak level at 48 h; AQP-1 expression decreased at 8 h after severe burn and reached the lowest level at 48 h. AQP-1 expression level showed a significant inverse correlation to the water content (P<0.01). Compared with the burn model group, the rats in the early feeding group showed increased AQP-l expression and lessened edema in the small intestines, also demonstrating an inverse correlation between water content and AQP-l expression (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Intestinal AQP-1 expression gradually decreased and edema worsened in rats early after severe burn, reaching the lowest or the peak levels 48 h after the injury with an inverse correlation between them. Early enteral feeding can increase the expression of AQP-l in the small intestine to ameliorate the intestinal edema in rats with severe burn injury.</p>