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Objective:To compare the effect of age and gender on mastication efficiency between healthy volunteers and dysphagic stroke survivors and to document any correlation of mastication efficiency with mandible movements.Methods:Thirty-two stroke survivors with dysphagia and 84 healthy volunteers were asked to chew two-color gum. Their chewing efficiency was indicated by the degree of color mixing after chewing (SDHue). The SDHue value was evaluated using ViewGum software. The healthy volunteers were further divided into an age 20-40 years group, a 41-60 years group and an over-60 group. The SDHue values were compared among the 3 groups. The SDHue values were correlated with clinical mandibule movement scores.Results:Among the healthy volunteers, those older than 60 years had significantly higher SDHue values on average than those between 20 and 40 years. However, no significant gender difference was observed. The dysphagic stroke survivors had, on average, significantly higher SDHue results than the healthy volunteers, and those results were positively correlated with their mandible movement scores.Conclusions:Mastication efficiency tends to be age-related but not gender-related. Among those with post-stroke dysphagia mandible movement is positively correlated with mastication efficiency.
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Objective:Using ultrasound imaging technology to evaluate the contraction characteristics of diaphragm in patients with chronic low back pain.Methods:Twenty nine patients with chronic low back pain and 26 healthy persons recruited from the rehabilitation department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from November 2019 to April 2020 were selected and divided into the low back pain (LBP) group and the healthy control group. The thickness of the diaphragm (Tdi) of the subjects during deep breathing was evaluated by portable color Doppler ultrasound equipment under different body positions. The subjects were required to perform maximum inspiration for total lung capacity (TLC) and expiration for functional residual capacity (FRC) in the supine and standing position, respectively. The end-inspiratory diaphragm thickness (TdiTLC) and end-expiratory diaphragm thickness (TdiFRC) were recorded, and the diaphragmatic thickening fraction (DTF) was calculated. The general data of subjects with lower back pain and the correlation between Oswestry Dysfunction Index (ODI) and diaphragm function were analyzed; The diaphragm function of healthy control group and LBP group were compared; The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of Tdi and DTF in the diagnosis of lower back pain were analyzed.Results:ODI lifting score was negatively correlated with standing TdiTLC ( r=-0.50, P<0.01). In intra-group comparison, the TdiTLC and TdiFRC values of healthy subjects in standing position were increased compared with those in supine position ( t=6.115, 7.314, all P<0.001); In standing position, TdiTCL and TdiFRC values in LBP group were increased compared with those in supine position ( t=2.834, 4.673, all P<0.01). In comparison between groups, TdiTLC values in supine and standing position of LBP group were significantly lower than those in healthy control group ( t=2.597, 3.338, all P<0.05); In standing position, TdiFRC of patients in LBP group was significantly lower than that of healthy control group ( t=2.098, P=0.041) and DTF value of patients in LBP group was significantly lower than that of healthy control group ( t=2.902, P=0.006). When TdiTCL≤3.3 mm in supine position was used to predict low back pain, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 78.6% and 53.8%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.661. When TdiTCL≤4.5 mm in standing position was used to predict low back pain, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 95.7% and 46.2%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.759. When DTF≤81.3% in standing position was used to predict low back pain, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 52.2% and 84.6%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.698. Conclusions:It is found in our study that the diaphragm contractile function of patients with lower back pain is worse than that of normal subjects, and the difference was significant in standing position. We suggest that the right-side ultrasound image acquisition in the patient′s standing position is helpful to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of the measurement results. TdiTCL≤4.5 mm or DTF≤81.3% in standing position can be used as one of the reference indexes for the combined diagnosis of chronic low back pain.
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Objective To analyze the effect of ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection on different pathologies of the shoulder retrospectively.Methods Clinical data were collected describing 75 patients with shoulder pain who received ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection and finished 3 month follow-ups in the rehabilitation clinic of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between April and September of 2017.The patients were divided into three groups based on their different injection sites:group 1 was injected at the subacromial bursa alone,group 2 was injected at both the subacromial bursa and the coracoid bursa,while group 3 was injected at the subacromial bursa and the long head of the tendon sheath of the biceps brachii.A shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI) was used to quantify the pain and disability of each patient before and after the injection.Results Significant improvement was observed in the average pain and disability scores of all groups at 1 week,1 month and 3 months after the injection.Moreover,significant and continuous improvement was observed in the average pain and disability scores of groups 1 and 3,as well as the average disability score of group 2 from right after the injection until the last follow-up.However,no significant differences were found in the average pain score between one and three months after the injection.There was no significant difference among the 3 groups in the average pain and disability scores before and immediately after the injection.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injection is effective and persistent for treating shoulder pain with different pathologies.
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In order to detect freezing of gait of Parkinson's patients automatically, a system based on inertial measurement unit to detect freezing of gait for Parkinson's patients is established. The two inertial measurement units are respectively fixed on the left and right ankles of the patient to be measured, the freezing index is calculated by windowed Fourier transform, the freezing threshold is calculated based on the freezing index during normal walking, and the freezing index and the freezing threshold are compared to complete the detection of freezing of gait. The experimental results show that the number of freezing of gait occurrences in Parkinson's patients is accurately detected, and it has high sensitivity and specificity, which can assist doctors to objectively assess the patient's condition.
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Humans , Diagnostic Equipment , Reference Standards , Gait Disorders, Neurologic , Diagnosis , Parkinson Disease , Sensitivity and Specificity , WalkingABSTRACT
Objective To explore the preventive effect of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) on aspiration pneumonia in patients with dysphagia.Methods The clinical data of 43 patients undertaking PEG was retrospectively collected and the incidence of aspiration pneumonia,microbiological examination of sputum and antibiotics use before and after PEG in all the patients were compared.Results After PEG,the incidence of aspiration pneumonia decreased significantly from 90.7％ to 53.5％ according to clinical diagnosis,from 70.4％ to 18.5％ according to the chest imaging.The use of β-lactamase inhibitor compound decreased significantly,but the detection rate of pseudomonas aeruginosa increased significantly compared with that before PEG.Conclusion PEG can decrease the incidence of aspiration and antibiotics use,and may increase the chances of pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in the lower respiratory tract.
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Objective To study the surface electromyographic signal characteristics of submental and infrahyoid muscles when swallowing in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) following radiotherapy.Methods Fifteen post-radiotherapy NPC patients with pharyngeal dysphagia confirmed by videofluoroscopie swallowing study (VFSS) were selected into the patient group,while another 15 healthy subjects were recruited into the healthy group.Surface electomyography (sEMG) was used to collect sEMG signals from submental muscles and infrahyoid muscles during both dry and 3 ml thick liquid swallowing,and sEMG duration,average amplitude and peak amplitude parameters were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with healthy subjects,the patient group showed significantly longer sEMG duration of submental muscles and infrahyoid muscles during dry swallowing and 3 ml thick liquid swallowing (P＜0.05).Moreover,significantly longer sEMG duration of submental muscles and infrahyoid muscles was observed when swallowing 3 ml thick liquid,compared with dry swallowing (P＜0.05).The average sEMG amplitude and peak amplitude of submental muscles and infrahyoid muscles of patients when dry swallowing and 3 ml thick liquid swallowing were both significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (P＜0.05).Conclusion Submental muscles and infrahyoid muscles manifested enhanced contractions during swallowing in NPC patients with dysphagia,which played a compensatory role after radiotherapy.
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Objective To explore the biomechanical characteristics of the pharynx in patients with aspiration after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Methods Clinical data on NPC patients with dysphagia admitted between July 2011 and June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed.Twenty-three patients were found who had received videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSSs) and whose pharyngeal pressure and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) relaxing were tested using high-resolution solid-state manometry (HRM).The cases were divided into an aspiration group and a non-aspiration group according to the VFSS results.Differences in biomechanical parameters between the 2 groups when taking food of different viscosity were compared.Results Patients with aspiration had significantly higher UES residual pressure when taking thick liquids (20.1± 14.3 mmHg) and paste (18.0± 14.3 mmHg) than patients not aspirating (9.3±9.2 mmHg and 7.2±8.9 mmHg for thick liquid and paste respectively).But no significant difference in average pharyngeal pressure between the two groups was observed.Conclusion Aspiration after radiotherapy may be correlated with increased UES residual pressure.
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Objective To explore the application value of Carbon Nanoparticles followed by microscale Methylthioninum Chloride in sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer.Methods Two hundred and eight breast cancer patients were selected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University during recent two years who performed sentinel lymph node biopsy.They were randomly divided into five groups according to different lymphatic tracer injected:Sequential group (A group,128 patients),Carbon Nanoparticles group (B group,44 patients) and Methylthioninum Chloride group (C group,36 patients).According to different Methylthioninum Chloride doses,sequential groups were randomly divided into low dose group (A1 group,48 patients),middle dose group (A2 group,42 patients),high dose group (A3 group,38 patients),If sentinel lymph nodes were negative no longer performed axillary lymph nodes dissection.Receive the five groups statistics of detection rate,the condition of lymphatic tracer,the incidence of local skin irritation and so on.Results (1) The detection rate of A,B and C three groups had no obvious difference.The incidence of lymphatic tracer dyed not ideal in B group was higher than A and B two groups,the incidence of local skin stimulation in C group was higher than A and B two groups.(2) A1,A2,A3,three groups had no difference of the detection rate and lymphatic tracer,but the incidence of local skin stimulation in A3 group is higher than A1,A2 two groups.3.5 groups of SLN detection rate had no relationship with patients' age,BMI,tumor size,tumor location,tumor molecular classification factors (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Carbon Nanoparticles followed by microscale Methyhhioninum Chloride detection rate was similar with two separate application,but can reduce the lymphatic vessels not developing situation when used Carbon Nanoparticles alone and reduce the local irritation caused by large dose of Methylthioninum Chloride,so it can be a good choice of SLNB in clinical.
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AIM:To explore the protective effects of atorvastatin on blood brain barrier (BBB) in cerebral is-chemia-reperfusion ( IR) injury and the potential mechanisms involved .METHODS: SD rats were divided into sham group, IR group and atorvastain group .Intraluminal suture method was used to establish cerebral IR model , and the ische-mic brain was reperfused for 72 h after the occlusion.The rats in atorvastatin group were administered with atorvastatin (20 mg? kg-1? d-1 ) by gavage once a day for 3 consecutive days after operation .At 72 h after reperfusion , neurological func-tion scores, the water content of the brain tissue , Evans blue (EB) content of ischemic hemisphere , the expression of tight junction ( TJ )-associated protein occludin and inflammation factor phosphatidylinositiol 3-kinase-p110 gamma ( PI3K-p110γ) were tested and analyzed .RESULTS: In IR group, the rats showed elevated neurological function scores ( P<0.01), brain tissue water content (P<0.01) and EB content (P<0.01), accompanied with the down-regulation of oc-cludin expression (P<0.01) and up-regulation of PI3K-p110γ(P<0.01) at 72 h after reperfusion.Compared with IR group, decreased brain edema (P<0.01) and EB leakage (P<0.01) were observed in atorvastatin group , accompanied with increased occludin expression (P<0.01) and decreased PI3K-p110γexpression (P<0.01).However, no statistical difference of the neurological function scores between the 2 groups was observed .CONCLUSION:Atorvastain attenuates cerebral IR injury , which may be associated with the inhibition of inflammatory reactions and the up -regulation of TJ-asso-ciated proteins to maintain the stability of BBB .
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Objective To evaluate the differences of clinical features,neuroimaging,angiography and laboratory findings between different stroke subtypes according to TOAST criteria in elderly patients.Methods 91 patients (aged ≥ 80 years) with acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively reviewed in Departement of Neurology from April 2009 to August 2010.Subtypes of ischemic stroke were analyzed according to the classification of TOAST.Risk factors,clinical manifestations,complications,prognosis,neuroimaging,cerebrovascular lesions,and laboratory findings of different TOAST subtypes were compared.Results Large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) (34/91) was the most common cause of acute ischemic stroke in elderly patients,and most criminal lesions (25/34) located at the intracranial arteries.In the LAA group,patients with intracranial (25/34) or extracranial (12/34) occlusive diseases were more than those in other groups.Patients with cardioembolism (CE) had lower lipid levels.In the CE group,patients with poor shortterm prognosis (7/15) were more than in the LAA or small-artery occlusion (SAO) group,and patients with severe cerebral edema (4/15) were more than those in other groups.In patients of the SAO group,complications occurred infrequently (4/20),and none had poor short-term prognosis.Conclusions There were some differences among different TOAST subtypes in clinical features,neuroimaging,cerebrovascular diseases,and laboratory findings.The clinical significance of our findings needs to be explored further.
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OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effect of Huaxia shallot preparation on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury induced by oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in vitro. METHODS: Ox-LDL was prepared and identified, and HUVECs were cultured. After 2-hour intervention of different drugs and 24-hour following intervention of Ox-LDL, the number of HUVECs was observed by phase contrast optical microscope and the activity of the HUVECs was observed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) technique. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and nitric oxide (NO) content were assayed by respective kit. The protein expressions and mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma(PPAR-gamma) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were measured by western blot technique and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Ox-LDL could increase the apoptosis rate of the HUVECs and decrease the NO release as compared with the blank control group (P<0.05). These effects induced by Ox-LDL were all significantly inhibited by Huaxia shallot preparation. It could up-regulate the protein expressions and mRNA levels of PPAR-gamma and eNOS significantly (P<0.05). Huaxia shallot preparation could decrease the apoptosis rate of the HUVECs. CONCLUSION: Ox-LDL may be involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis by injuring the endothelial cells directly and may cause the endothelial dysfunction. Huaxia shallot preparation can protect against Ox-LDL induced endothelial cell injury by up-regulating the protein expressions and mRNA levels of PPAR-gamma and eNOS. It suggests that Huaxia shallot preparation may play a role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.