Endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum: A case report / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Primary endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum is rare. Its pathogenesis is not clear and there is no standard treatment. One patient with endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the rectovaginal septum arising from deep infiltrative endometriosis was admitted to Qingdao Municipal Hospital. The patient presented with incessant menstruation and abdominal distension. She had bilateral ovarian endometriotic cystectomy 6 years ago. Imaging findings suggested a pelvic mass which might invade the rectovaginal septum. Pathological results of primary surgery confirmed endometrioid carcinoma of the pelvic mass arising from the rectovaginal septum. Then she had a comprehensive staged surgery. Postoperative chemotherapy was given 6 times. No recurrence or metastasis was found during the 2-year follow-up. The possibility of deep infiltrating endometriosis and its malignant transformation should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a new extragonadal pelvic lesion in a patient with a history of endometriosis, which would avoid misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.

Changes and health equity of low vision among children and adolescents in Chongqing during 2018 to 2021 / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand changes and health equity of low vision in children and adolescents in Chongqing, and to provide reference for student myopia prevention and control.@*Methods@#Using longitudinal studies, all school students in grades 1 to grade 12 in Chongqing were examined for visual acuity during 2018 to 2021, and the prevalence as well as changes of low vision were analyzed. In 2021, stratified random sampling was used to evaluate the health equity of uncorrected visual acuity and diopter(spherical equivalent, SE).@*Results@#The prevalence of low vision for children and adolescents in Chongqing from 2018 to 2021 was 54.12%, 58.17%, 60.03% and 58.20% respectively. Low vision showed an increasing trend in the first three years and decreased by 1.83% in 2021 as compared with 2020( χ 2 trend =13 870.45, P <0.01). The difference in the detection rate of poor vision among students in different grades was statistically significant( χ 2=17 396.36, 2 093.95, 771.87, P <0.01). From 2018 to 2021, the detection rate of low vision in girls was higher than that of boys( P <0.01). The Gini coefficient was 0.054 57 for uncorrected visual acuity in urban area, higher than in rural areas (0.035 94). Meanwhile, the Gini coefficient of urban and rural SE was 0.065 82, higher than the country (0.049 30). The results showed that myopia in children and adolescents was more uneven in urban areas.@*Conclusion@#The adjustment of myopia prevention and control strategies in the late stage of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic is related to the reduction of the detection rate of poor vision in children and adolescents in Chongqing. Low vision varied by grade and gender, suggesting tailored myopia prevention and control strategy. The detection rate of poor vision in cities is more uneven than in rural areas, and different myopia prevention and control measures need to be implemented according to regional characteristics.

Influencing factors of benign and malignant diagnosis in 317 cases of solitary pulmonary nodule treated with thoracoscopic resection / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the efficacy of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in the treatment of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) and related factors affecting the diagnosis of benign and malignant SPN.Methods:The clinical data and surgical conditions of 317 patients with SPN who were resected by VATS and diagnosed by pathology in Chaoyang Central Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.The patient′s surgical efficacy and corresponding imaging features were explored.Results:Of the 317 patients, 124 (39.1%) cases underwent uniportal VATS and 193(60.9%) cases underwent multi-portal-portal VATS, 195(61.5%) cases had lobectomy, 16(5.1%) cases had anatomical segmentectomy, and 106(33.4%) cases had wedge resection. The operation time of the whole group was 50 - 210 (146.5 ± 34.7) min, intraoperative blood loss was 10 - 180 (69.3 ± 31.5) ml, thoracic drainage tube retention time was 2 - 7 (3.7 ± 1.4) d, postoperative hospital stay was 3 - 21 (6.4 ± 1.8) d, and the complication rate was 1.0%(3/317). No perioperative death occurred. Among all the nodules, 98(31.0%) cases were benign nodules and 219(69.1%) cases were malignant. Multivariate analysis showed that maximum nodule diameter, lobulated sign, burr sign, vascular bundle sign and pleural sag sign were independent related factors for the diagnosis of benign and malignant nodules ( P<0.05). Conclusions:VATS has less trauma and fewer complications, which has important clinical value for the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant SPN. Nodule maximum diameter, lobulated sign, burr sign, vascular bundle sign, pleural pit sign are independent related factors that affect the diagnosis of benign and malignant SPN.

Evaluation of left ventricular rotation and twist in patients with constrictive pericarditis after pericardiectomy with speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the left ventricular rotation and twist in patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP) after pericardiectomy by using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), and observe its trend over time.Methods:A total of 29 patients with CP from Department of Medical Ultrasound, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from September 2014 to December 2017 underwent echocardiography 1 week before and 1 month, 6 months, 12 months after pericardiectomy. STE was performed to obtain peak values of basal and apical rotation and left ventricular twist. Twenty-nine healthy subjects were recruited as controls in the same period.Results:The left ventricu1ar apical rotation[before surgery(6.62±3.19)°, 1 month after surgery(7.07±4.02)°, 6 months after surgery(7.88±4.46)°, 12 months after surgery(7.85±4.51)°], the left ventricu1ar twist [before surgery(10.50±4.94)°, 1 month after surgery(9.42±5.40)°, 6 months after surgery(9.59±4.62)°, 12 months after surgery(9.70±4.45)°] were significantly lower in patients with CP than those in controls [(11.22±5.17)°, (16.35±5.21)°](all P<0.05); while basal rotation in patients with CP after surgery among different time points were all significantly lower than those in controls[1 month after surgery(-3.85±3.20)°, 6 months after surgery(-3.49±2.09)°, 12 months after surgery(-3.53±2.01)°; controls(-5.57±2.78)°] (all P<0.05), with no significant difference between patients with CP before surgery (-5.22±3.14)° and controls (-5.57±2.78)°( P>0.05). There were no significant differences in left ventricular twist, basal and apical rotation in CP groups before and after surgery among different time points (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Although the left ventricular global function of patients with CP in the long postoperative period seems "normal" , the left ventricular twist, basal and apical rotation are still significantly lower than those in controls. STE can be used to assess the changes of left ventricular twist and rotation in patients with CP long-term after pericardiectomy.

Contrast enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging of platelets in the inflammatory procession of atherosclerosis / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective@#To assess the role of activated platelets in the inflammatory procession of atherosclerosis(AS) by ultrasound molecular imaging.@*Methods@#Sixty ApoE-/- mice were fed with high fat diet to establish AS model as experimental group, and 40 C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal diet as control group. Biotin-avidin bridging method was used to construct platelet-targeted microbubbles with recombinant vWF-A1 domain (Mb-A1), microbubbles carrying monoclonal antibodies to VCAM-1 (Mb-VCAM1) and microbubbles carrying IgG monoclonal antibody (Mb-ctrl). In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to evaluate the ability of Mb-A1 to target platelets on vascular endothelial surface. Contrast enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging of proximal ascending aorta was performed with Mb-A1, Mb-VCAM1 and Mb-ctrl. The expression and distribution of platelets and monocytes/macrophages on the endothelium of ascending aorta of AS mice were observed and analyzed by immunofluorescence staining.@*Results@#①A large number of Mb-A1 adhering to the surface of activated platelets coated in Petri dishes were observed under fluoresce. ②After platelet immune-depletion in 30-week AS mice, the signal intensity of Mb-A1 decreased significantly in ascending aorta, while that of Mb-ctrl has no obvious change(P<0.05). ③In ApoE-/- mice, signals from platelet targeted microbubbles increased from 8 to 32 weeks of age in ApoE-/- mice, which coincided with the increase of signals from VCAM-1 targeted microbubbles(P<0.05). ④Activated platelets on the endothelial surface of ascending aorta increased progressively with age from 8 weeks, and partly overlapped with the distribution of monocytes/macrophages.@*Conclusions@#Platelets contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory mediator through the interaction with vascular endothelium.

Contrast enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging of platelets in the inflammatory procession of atherosclerosis / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To assess the role of activated platelets in the inflammatory procession of atherosclerosis(AS)by ultrasound molecular imaging.Methods Sixty ApoE-/-mice were fed with high fat diet to establish AS model as experimental group,and 40 C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal diet as control group.Biotin-avidin bridging method was used to construct platelet-targeted microbubbles with recombinant vWF-A1 domain (Mb-A1),microbubbles carrying monoclonal antibodies to VCAM-1 (Mb-VCAM1)and microbubbles carrying IgG monoclonal antibody(Mb-ctrl).In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to evaluate the ability of Mb-A1 to target platelets on vascular endothelial surface.Contrast enhanced ultrasound molecular imaging of proximal ascending aorta was performed with Mb-A1 ,Mb-VCAM1 and Mb-ctrl.The expression and distribution of platelets and monocytes/macrophages on the endothelium of ascending aorta of AS mice were observed and analyzed by immunofluorescence staining. Results ①A large number of Mb-A1 adhering to the surface of activated platelets coated in Petri dishes were observed under fluoresce.②After platelet immune-depletion in 30-week AS mice,the signal intensity of Mb-A1 decreased significantly in ascending aorta,while that of Mb-ctrl has no obvious change(P <0.05).③In ApoE-/-mice,signals from platelet targeted microbubbles increased from 8 to 32 weeks of age in ApoE-/-mice,which coincided with the increase of signals from VCAM-1 targeted microbubbles(P <0.05).④Activated platelets on the endothelial surface of ascending aorta increased progressively with age from 8 weeks,and partly overlapped with the distribution of monocytes/macrophages.Conclusions Platelets contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory mediator through the interaction with vascular endothelium.

Exploration of PBL and mini-CEX in the clinical probation teaching for medical students of eight-year program in hematology department / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective The study explored the feasibility of PBL teaching approach and mini-CEX scores evaluation method in hematology probation teaching practice. Methods 54 medical students of eight-year program were selected in the study and they were in hematology department of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital for clinical probation. The study compared PBL teaching approach with traditional training method, and used mini-CEX to evaluate the students' clinical competence. Results The performance of PBL teaching group is better than traditional teaching group in the aspect of inquiry skill, clinical diagnosis, therapy plan and humanistic care (P<0.05). There is no significant difference of basic knowledge, physical examination skill and clinical operational skills between these two groups. More than 85％of the students in PBL group are satisfied with the teacher in the aspect of participation, feedback, guidance, correction and assistance. Conclusion Through this teaching practice, the study provides new methods for improving the teaching of pre-internal clinical practice in hematology department.

Risk Factors for Mortality of Bloodstream Infections in Patients with Hematologic Diseases / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

[Objective] To explore the risk factors for mortality of bloodstream infections in the patients with hematologic diseases,so as to provide evidence for reasonable and effective application of treatments.[Methods] The clinical data of 242 cases of bloodstream infections who were hospitalized from Jan 2012 to Jun 2016 were analyzed retrospectively,then the analysis was performed for risk factors.The statistical analysis was processed by SPSS 19.0.[Results] A total of 266 strains of pathogens were isolated,including 99 strains of gram-positive bacteria,accounting for 37.2％,and 164 strains of gram-negative bacteria,accounting for 61.7％.Multivariate analysis showed that the significant independent risk factors for mortality were active states of hematologic diseases (P =0.007,OR =5.622,95％ CI 1.586 ～ 19.924),presentation with septic shock(P =0.007,OR =4.978,95％ CI 1.560 ～15.884),cardiac insufficiency (P =0.001,OR =11.878,95％ CI 2.760 ～ 51.120),level of albumin less than 35 g/L (P =0.036,OR =3.468,95％ CI 1.087 ～ 11.066),polymicrobial infection (P =0.010,OR =6.024,95％ CI 1.540 ～ 23.563),and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (P =0.001,OR =19.308,95％ CI 3.392 ～ 109.888)/Enterococcus (P =0.002,OR =15.266,95％ CI 2.817 ～82.728) infection.The survival curves show that the inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy group or presentation with any one of the independent risk factors had a lower probability of survival than the control group.[Conclusions] Bloodstream infections in patients may cause high mortality rate,so it is necessary that we use antibiotic reasonably and spare no effort to reduce the mortality rate by appropriate application of antimicrobial therapy and effective intervention of the risk factors.

Plasma D-dimer Can Effectively Predict the Prospective Occurrence of Ascites in Advanced Schistosomiasis Japonica Patients

China still has more than 30,000 patients of advanced schistosomiasis while new cases being reported consistently. D-dimer is a fibrin degradation product. As ascites being the dominating symptom in advanced schistosomiasis, the present study aimed to explore a prediction model of ascites with D-dimer and other clinical easy-achievable indicators. A case-control study nested in a prospective cohort was conducted in schistosomiasis-endemic area of southern China. A total of 291 patients of advanced schistosomiasis were first investigated in 2013 and further followed in 2014. Information on clinical history, physical examination, and abdominal ultrasonography, including the symptom of ascites was repeatedly collected. Result showed 44 patients having ascites. Most of the patients' ascites were confined in the kidney area with median area of 20 mm². The level of plasma D-dimer and pertinent liver function indicators were measured at the initial investigation in 2013. Compared with those without ascites, cases with ascites had significantly higher levels of D-dimer (0.71±2.44 μg/L vs 0.48±2.12 μg/L, P=0.005), as well ALB (44.5 vs 46.2, g/L) and Type IV collagen (50.04 vs 44.50 μg/L). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated a moderate predictive value of D-dimer by its own area under curve (AUC) of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.54–0.73) and the cutoff value as 0.81 μg/L. Dichotomized by the cutoff level, D-dimer along with other categorical variables generated a prediction model with AUC of 0.76 (95% CI: 0.68–0.89). Risks of patients with specific characteristics in the prediction model were summarized. Our study suggests that the plasma D-dimer level is a reliable predictor for incident ascites in advanced schistosomiasis japonica patients.

Effects of different group B streptococci strains on platelet activation / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To explore the ability of different group B streptococci ( GBS) strains on inducing platelet activation.METHODS:Six strains of GBS, separated from the septic patients with thrombocytopenia, were used as the inducers.Light transmission aggregometry was used to measure platelet aggregation.Scanning electron microscopy ( SEM) was performed to investigate the interaction of platelets with bacteria.The expression of platelet CD62P, Toll-like receptor 2 ( TLR2) and TLR4 was determined by flow cytometry and Western blotting.Furthermore, the activity of platelet TLR2 (or TLR4) was blocked by anti-TLR2 (or anti-TLR4) monoclonal antibody, and the platelet aggregation induced by GBS was detected.RESULTS:Only 3 of 6 GBS strains isolated from the septic patients induced platelet aggregation and up-regulated the expression of CD62P and TLR2 in the platelets (P<0.05), but not TLR4.Incubation with anti-TLR2 anti-body, but not anti-TLR4 antibody, significantly blocked platelet aggregation induced by GBS.CONCLUSION:Some GBS strains from the patients are able to trigger platelet activation in vitro, and platelet TLR2 may play an important role in the interaction between GBS and platelets.

Effects of drainageversusnondrainage after total knee arthroplasty：a randomized controlled trial / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Total knee arthroplasty had been generaly accepted as the final treatment plan, relieving pain and reconstructing function of knee joint. However, whether drainage tube can be used after replacement is stil controversial. OBJECTIVE:To compare the clinical effects of drainageversusnondrainage after primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty. METHODS:Total 102 patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty were randomly divided into 2 groups. In the drainagegroiup, a drainage tube was used. In the nondrainage group, drainage tube was not used. Total blood loss was calculated by recording the hemoglobin and hematocrit before operation and that after 1, 3, 7 days of operation. The pain visual analogue scale scores, arthrocele, ecchymosis, infection rate, and deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity were examined and analyzed postoperatively. Knee Society Scores were recorded at 1 year postoperatively. Above indexes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Total blood loss and blood transfusion rate were significantly higher in the drainage group than in the nondrainage group (P 0.05). (3) No significant difference in Knee Society Scores was detected between the two groups (P> 0.05). (4) Results indicated that the total blood loss and blood transfusion rate may decrease significantly in patients without wound drainage after total knee arthroplasty. Limb sweling and ecchymosis area were not increased. No significant difference in infection, deep venousthrombosis of lower extremity and knee function was detectable between the two groups. Thus, total knee arthroplasty without wound drainage is safe and does not have obvious adverse consequences.

Expression of OTUB1 in colon cancer and its clinical significance / 临床与实验病理学杂志

Purpose To investigate the expression of OTUB1 in colon cancer and the relationship between its expression and some clinicopathologic parameters. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical SP method were carried out in selected colon cancer and normal mucosa tissues. Results OTUB1 mRNA in colon cancer was 3. 5-fold higher than the normal mucosa. The expression of OTUB1 protein in the colon cancer was significantly higher than normal mucosa (P<0. 05). Moreover, its expression in normal tissues, adenoma and colon cancer showed a gradually increasing trend (P<0. 05). The higher expression of OTUB1 in colon cancer was related with tumor size, differentiation and lymph node metastasis. Conclusions OTUB1 may play an important role in co-lon cancer development.

Evaluation of left atrial functions in patients with constrictive pericarditis after pericardiectomy by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To evaluate the changes of left atrial (LA)functions in patients with constrictive pericarditis (CP)after pericardiectomy by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE).Methods A total of 41 patients with CP underwent echocardiography before and after pericardiectomy.The procedure was performed to obtain global LA longitudinal strain,the septal and lateral walls'longitudinal strain,including peak negative strain (NS),peak positive strain (PS),and total strain (TS),using speckle tracking echocardiography.Thirty-five healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. Results After pericardiectomy,global LA peak negative strain and total strain of CP increased significantly (P 0.05).And three components of LA longitudinal strain were still lower than normal (P <0.005).LA lateral wall's total strain,peak positive strain and peak negative strain improved apparently after pericardiectomy (P <0.005),only peak negative strain increased in LA septum (P < 0.01 ).Conclusions In the early postoperative period,LA reservoir and contractile function presented significant improvements,even notable in the lateral area when compared with septum.However,all three parts of LA function were still lower than normal.STE can regionally estimate LA functions in patients with CP after pericardiectomy.

Research on influence of different syringe types on quality control of syringe pump / 生物医学工程学杂志

To evaluate the influence of different brands of syringes on performance parameters and application quality of syringe pump, we carried out matching experiment of infusion/syringe pump analyzer Rigel Multi-Flo, made by ALK Co. in Sweden, for 3 different types of syringes to measure the flow rate, occlusion alarm pressure, occlusion time and bolus volume of 26 syringe pumps. Data of quality control were analyzed with statistical method. The results demonstrated that there were significant differences in the flow rate, occlusion alarm pressure, occlusion time and bolus volume (P<0. 01) between those of common syringes and original syringes. This study points out that the health care providers should select compatible syringes for syringe pumps, which provides evidence and guidance to assure the reasonable and safe application of syringe pumps in clinical practice.

The application of Hilbert-Huang transform in speech coding algorithm for cochlear implants / 中国医疗器械杂志

To enhance speech recognition in realistic listening environment, as well as tonal language and music perception, a new speech coding strategy based on Hilbert Huang transform was presented. Instantaneous frequency and instantaneous amplitude which reflect speech contents, speech rhythms and tones are derived from original speech signal through empirical mode decomposition and the Hilbert transform to synthesize stimulating pulses. The presented new speech coding algorithm, continuous interleaved sampling, and frequency amplitude modulation encoding strategies were simulated by Matlab and synthesized signals of 50 Mandarin speech test materials are correlation analyzed between original signals. Compared to other two strategies, the presented new strategy obtains the highest correlation coefficient between synthesized signal and that of original speech, which indicates it could keep more information of the original speech signal than other two strategies.

Evaluation of left ventricular rotation and twist by speckle tracking echocardiography in heart transplant recipients / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To evaluate the left ventricular rotation and twist in the cardiac allograft by speckle tracking echocardiography.Methods Twenty-six heart transplant recipients underwent echocardiographic studies at 1st,3rd,6th and 12th month after heart transplantation.Twenty-six healthy subjects served as controls.Parasternal basal and apical short-axis images of left ventricle were recorded and then were analyzed using EchoPAC software.The curves of basal and apical rotation and left ventricular twist were obtained,Peak values of basal and apical rotation and left ventricular twist were measured and then statistically analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (LVFS) between heart transplant recipients and controls (P ＞0.05).The left ventricular twist,apical rotation were significantly lower in heart transplant recipients at 1 st,3rd,6th and 12th month after surgery than those in controls (P ＜0.05) ;while basal rotation in heart transplant recipients had no significant difference when compared with controls (P ＞0.05).The left ventricular twist,apical and basal rotation in heart transplant recipients among 1 st,3rd,6th and 12th month after surgery had no significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Although the LVEF and LVFS of cardiac allograft seemed normal,the left ventricular twist,apical rotation were still significantly lower in heart transplant recipients than those in controls.Speckle tracking echocardiography can be used for accurate assessment of left ventricular twist in heart transplant recipients.

Comprehensive testing system for cardiorespiratory interaction research / 生物医学工程学杂志

To investigate the modulation effects of breathing movement on cardiovascular system and to study the physiological coupling relationship between respiration and cardiovascular system, we designed a comprehensive testing system for cardiorespiratory interaction research. This system, comprising three parts, i. e. physiological signal conditioning unit, data acquisition and USB medical isolation unit, and a PC based program, can acquire multiple physiological data such as respiratory flow, rib cage and abdomen movement, electrocardiograph, artery pulse wave, cardiac sounds, skin temperature, and electromyography simultaneously under certain experimental protocols. Furthermore this system can be used in research on short-term cardiovascular variability by paced breathing. Preliminary experiments showed that this system could accurately record rib cage and abdomen movement under very low breathing rate, using respiratory inductive plethysmography to acquire respiration signal in direct-current coupling mode. After calibration, this system can be used to estimate ventilation non-intrusively and correctly. The PC based program can generate audio and visual biofeedback signal, and guide the volunteers to perform a slow and regular breathing. An experiment on healthy volunteers showed that this system was able to guide the volunteers to do slow breathing effectively and simultaneously record multiple physiological data during the experiments. Signal processing techniques were used for off-line data analysis, such as non-invasive ventilation calibration, QRS complex wave detection, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia and pulse wave transit time calculation. The experiment result showed that the modulation effect on RR interval, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), pulse wave transit time (PWTT) by respiration would get stronger with the going of the slow and regular breathing.

Development of an automatic pneumatic tourniquet system that determines pressures in synchrony with systolic blood pressure / 中国医疗器械杂志

The correlation coefficients between arterial occlusion pressure and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, limb circumference, body mass etc were obtained through healthy volunteer experiments, in which tourniquet were applied on upper/lower extremities. The prediction equations were derived from the data of experiments by multiple regression analysis. Based on the microprocessor C8051F340, a new pneumatic tourniquet system that can determine tourniquet pressure in synchrony with systolic blood pressure was developed and verified the function and stability of designed system. Results showed that the pneumatic tourniquet which automatically adjusts occlusion pressure in accordance with systolic blood pressure could stop the flow of blood to get a bloodless field.

Development of an adaptive pneumatic tourniquet / 生物医学工程学杂志

A new adaptive pneumatic tourniquet was developed for limb operation and first-aid. The crucial hardware circuits of the adaptive pneumatic tourniquet were designed based on the microprocessor C8051F340 and blood pressure module CSN602, software was programmed and an experiment was carried out for verifying the system. Results showed that the prototype could measure accurately systolic blood pressure, heart rate and other relative parameters and the designed device could adjust tourniquet cuff's pressure through inflation and deflation according to systolic blood pressure and limb circumference. This designed system integrated the advantages of the adaptive pneumatic tourniquet, and could be used for controlling life-threatening extremity hemorrhage operation and maintaining a bloodless opeation field.

Usefulness of contrast echocardiography in diagnosing space-occupying lesions of the heart / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective To assess the usefulness of contrast echocardiography in differential diagnosing space-occupying lesions of the heart.Methods Contrast echocardiography was assessed for 38 patients of space-occupying lesion of the heart (SOLH).Contrast enhancement of SOLH was assessed visually,comparing with that in the adjacent myocardium:significant contrast enhancement,intensity higher than or equal to the adjacent myocardium; mild or partial contrast enhancement,intensity lower than the adjacent myocardium,or no contrast enhancement.Respectively,malignant tumors,benign tumors,and thrombus were diagnosed.Twenty-eight patients among the 38 cases had gold standard diagnosis.The consistency between visual assessment diagnosis and gold standards were compared with Kappa statistic.Results Visual semi-quantitative diagnosis of contrast echocardiography:thrombus,benign tumors and malignant tumors were diagnosed for 8,8 and 12 cases,separately.Except two highly vascular benign tumors (1rhabdomyoma and 1 paraganglioma) were misdiagnosed as malignant tumors,the rest 26 cases matched gold standard diagnosis.Quantitative analysis of contrast echocardiography,16 cases were suitable for quantitative an alysis,10 cases were diagnosed as benign tumors or thrombus (quantitative analysis could not differentiate the two),the rest 6 cases were diagnosed as malignant tumors.Quantitative analysis got the same 2 misdiagnosis as visual semi-quantitative diagnosis.Kappa value on visual semi-quantitative diagnosis of contrast echocardiography comparing with gold standard diagnosis was 0.892.Conclusions The characteristics of vascularity of SOLH can be accurately determined by the contrast enhancement level in diseased region through visual semi-quantitative analysis with contrast echocardiography.Contrast echocardiography can be mainly used in SOLH except thrombus that has been clearly diagnosed,especially for patients with on going or fore-past malignancy in other organs.