ABSTRACT
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been used as an investigational drug for patients with moderate to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There have been concerns of potential harms from side effects of the drug. We present a case of a 38-year-old male who was started on HCQ for COVID-19 pneumonia. He was referred for evaluation of myoclonus of all extremities, which resolved after discontinuation of HCQ. The involuntary movements were first reported after the initiation of HCQ, persisted despite improvement in inflammatory and radiologic parameters and eventually resolved after HCQ discontinuation. This supports a possible causality related to adverse drug reactions from HCQ that have not been commonly reported.
ABSTRACT
A bioassay method for inhibiting platelet aggregation in vitro was established to quantify the pharmacological effects of Compound Danshen Tablets and support its quality control. The inhibition of platelet aggregation in rabbit plasma in vitro by Compound Danshen Tablets was used as the experimental system. The titer was calculated by using the method of dose-response parallel lines. As a result, a bioassay for the inhibition of platelet aggregation in vitro by Compound Danshen Tablets was established. Linearity was good in the concentration range of 0.128 g·mL-1 to 0.205 g·mL-1, and the titer of standard Compound Danshen tablets was 7 659 U·g-1 according to the titer definition. This in vitro assay was simple, reliable, reproducible and convenient. The activity of Compound Danshen Tablets in inhibiting platelet aggregation was quantified by potency assay and the quality of different batches was evaluated. The method can be applied for the quality control of Compound Danshen Tablets.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to explore the structural and functional characteristics of the neural network of resting-state brain activities in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. Resting state fMRI scanning was performed on 10 clinically diagnosed aMCI patients and 10 healthy volunteers, and the difference in the resting-state brain activities between aMCI patients and healthy volunteers was compared using the brain function network regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis method. Results of the ReHo analysis of aMCI patients and healthy volunteers revealed that the ReHo value significantly increased in the posterior cingulate gyrus region, medial frontal lobe, medial cortex of the prefrontal lobe, and part of the parietal lobe. Compared with the normal elderlies, ReHo decreased in aMCI patients in the left temporal lobe (middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus), left parahippocampal gyrus, occipital lobe, lingual gyrus, precuneus, and other regions while ReHo increased in regions of the right frontal lobe (inferior frontal gyrus), left superior temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus (frontal lobe), right thalamus, left fusiform gyrus, and other regions. In the resting state, there may be regional abnormalities in brain functional areas in aMCI patients, which may be associated with cognitive impairment.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Aged , Brain/physiology , Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain Mapping , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Cognitive Dysfunction/diagnostic imaging , Neural Pathways/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Background and Objective of the Study @#Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) affects 4-5 people per 100,000 population. Because of its key feature - sudden intense facial pain, immediate and long-term treatment is warranted. The newly validated Penn Facial Pain Scale (PFPS) is of great value for assessment of how trigeminal pain and its treatment affect our patients’ lives. This study translated the PFPS to a Filipino version which can be used with ease in our setting. @*Methodology Study Design Validity Study Methods @#Forward translation was carried out by an expert. The initial output was sent to 10 Neurologists for content and face validity. The experts rated each item’s relevance and through item level content validity index, items which scored >0.80 were accepted and those that scored lower were subjected to discussion by the investigators. The revised questionnaire was then administered to 8 TN patients for face validity. The fi nal output was back translated and compared to the original PFPS. Results Content and face validity as assessed by 10 neurologists showed that all questions were relevant. Some words were edited according to their suggestions. Eight TN patients voluntarily answered the edited version of the questionnaire for face validity and cognitive debriefi ng. No further changes were made to the edited questionnaire which was then back translated. The back translation was found to be similar to the original PFPS.@*Conclusion@#The Filipino version is similar to the original PFPS and can be used in evaluation of TN. A Phase 2 reliability study should be ideally done prior to utilization in clinical setting.
Subject(s)
Trigeminal Neuralgia , Facial Pain , Pain MeasurementABSTRACT
Objective @#To explore the effects of mouth floor approach intubation in the treatment of jaw fracture combined with skull base injury.@*Methods @#From Jan. 2014 to Oct. 2015, 7 cases of jaw fracture combined with skull base injury were selected from Medical center of Stomatology, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (FSTCM). All cases were treated with mouth floor approach intubation, because they were not suitable to be given the oral or nasal intubation anesthesia. @*Results @#All the patients healed well after operation, and there was no tube accident or other complications.@*Conclusions@# For patients of jaw fracture combined with skull base injury, the mouth floor approach intubation could be recommended as a supplementary choice for traditional intubation methods.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To express a multi-copy specific epitope recombinant protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with immuno-reactivity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Multi-copy genes with a specific epitope of HSV-1-glycoprotein G 112-127 were constructed by DNA recombination and cloned in E. coli JM109 pGEM-5Zf. The positive recombinants were determined by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The recombinants with 4, 8, 16 and 32 copies of gG 112-127 were obtained. The 8-copy recombinant was expressed by 17.5%, mainly as inclusion body. And it reacted with antiserum HSV-1, but not with antiserum HSV-2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The HSV-1-gG112-127 recombinant could be used to distinguish HSV-1 and HSV-2 in ELISA.</p>