ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Smoking is an important cause of cardiovascular disease, its definite mechanism in inducing cardiovascular disease is still unclear, and whether there is linear correlation between the amount of cigarette smoking and cardiovascular risk still needs to be investigated.OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between cigarette smoking and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.DESIGN: A retrospective investigation and comparative study.SETTING: The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 500 consecutive patients, who underwent coronary angiography for suspected or known coronary atherosclerosis, were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2004 to April 2005. The inclusive criteria included patients with history of chest pain and/or ischemic changes of electrocardiography (ECG), and those with suspected or known coronary artery disease by coronary angiography. Patients with spastic angina pectoris (acetylcholine-positive) were excluded. Patients with infectious processes within 2 weeks before catheterization, heart failure (Killip Class≥ 2 after acute myocardial infarction), hepatic dysfunction, vascular disease (aortitis should be treated with prednisolone), familial hypercholesterolemia, thyroid dysfunction, or adrenal dysfunction were also excluded. There were 370 males aged 42-76years with an average of (61±11) years and 130 females aged 45-75 years with an average of (61±12) years. There were no significant differences in the sex, age and general information among all the patients. This study was approved by the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and informed consent was obtained from each patient.METHODS: ① According to the smoking habit, 500 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease were divided into smoking group (n=254) and non-smoking group (n=246). ② All the patients received anthropometric measurements including body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Blood samples were drawn from every patient at admission to the detect the leukocyte counts in peripheral blood, including total leukocyte count, neutrophil count, eosinophil count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count and basophil count. ③ The severity of coronary atherosclerosis was defined by the Gensini score system, based on the hypothesis that the severity of coronary artery disease should be considered as a consequence of the functional significance of the vascular narrowing and the extent of the area perfused by the involved vessel or vessels. In this scoring system, a greater reduction of the lumen diameter was assigned a higher score than a distal lesion. ④The association of smoking amount with Gensini score, anthropometric measurements and leukocyte count were studies with the Spearman correlation analysis.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Results of BMI, SBP, DBP, leukocyte count and Gensini score; ② Results of the Spearman correlation analysis on the association of smoking amount with Gensini score, anthropometric measurements and leukocyte count.RESULTS: ① The total leukocyte count, neutrophil count, monocyte count in peripheral blood and Gensini score were significantly higher in the smoking group than in the non-smoking group.② The Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the amount of cigarette smoking was significantly associated with the total cigarettes smoked, total leukocyte count,neutrophil count, monocyte count and Gensini score (r=0.109, 0.100,0.135, 0.139, P ＜ 0.05-0.01).CONCLUSION: Smoking is significantly associated with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, and the inflammatory response may be part of the mechanisms underlying the association between coronary artery disease and cigarette smoking.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility of setting up practical course in community oral health education.Methods In the period of experimental teaching of Preventive Dentistry,the practical courses in community oral health education were offered to114 undergraduates who enrolled in 2003,2004 or 2005.And the teaching effectiveness was evaluated.Results About 70 percent of the students believed that the abilities of oral health education,integrating theory with practice,expressing and interpersonal communication would be trained through this practical teaching.94.74 percent of the students considered that it is necessary to practice course in community oral health education.Conclusion Practicing course in community oral health education will be good for improving the overall quality of undergraduates and promoting oral health education campaign of students'active participation,which has a feasibility.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To reform experimental course teaching methods of oral preventive medicine and elevate students ability of oral promotion and education.Methods:The reformed teaching methods was taken in Chongqing Medical University,The data were collected from 37 undergraduate dental students by the highly structured questionnaires.Then we assessed the effect and feasibility.Results:The innovation of teaching methods of oral preventive medicine obtained satisfactory achievement,the course upgraded the ability of oral health education for undergraduates.Conclusions:It was accorded with the trend of teaching innovation,and it was advantageous to increasing the comprehensive predisposition of undergraduate dental students.
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the mode and clinical implications of onset of spontaneous tosade de pointes in the congenital long QT syndrome. Methods We reviewed electrocardiograms (ECGs) of 55 patients with congenital QT syndrome for syncope. Documentation of the onset of tosade de pointes was available for 16 patients. All these patients had "definitive long QT syndrome" by accepted clinical and ECG criteria. Results One hundren and forty-nine runs of tosade de pointes were documented in 16 patients,of whom,there were 130 runs of pause-dependent tosade de pointes. Conclusion Our results show that the pause-dependent tosade de pointes,which has been recognized as a hallmark of tosade de pointes in the acquired long QT syndrome,plays a major role in the genesis of tosade de pointes in the congenital long QT syndrome.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Amplatzer septal occluder for transcatheter closure in patients with secundum atrial septal defect (ASD II).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients with clinically confirmed ASD II were recommended for transcatheter closure of ASD II.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>30 ASD II patients (20 females) underwent transcatheter closure at a median age of 18.4 years (5-55 years). Both the stretched diameters of ASDs and the sizes of the devices were from 18 to 34 mm (25 +/- 7 mm). The successful placement rate was 100%. The rest shunt documented by color Doppler, was immediately after implantation in 40% of patients, in 9.9% after 24 hours, and in 3.3% trace at 3 months. No serious complications were observed. There was improvement in symptoms and in cardiac size. Septal motion abnormalities normalized in all patients after 3 months follow-up.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Amplatzer septal occluder is a safe and effective device for transcatheter closure of ASD II. Long-term follow-up is still required before widespread clinical use can be recommended.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Septal Defects, Atrial , General Surgery , Surgical InstrumentsABSTRACT
Relationship between the doctors and patients is the most important and basic interpersonal relationship in the medical practice and it is also the ability for interns to be strengthened.During the process of clinical practice teaching in children's department of stomatology,we demand that demonstration teachers deal with the relationship between the teaching and patients.Interns should skillfully grasp the psychological behavior of children,learn the skills of communicating and disposaling interpersonal relationship,and cultivate the consciousness of satisfactory medical ethics,laws and legislation.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate cardiac troponin I (cTnⅠ) for detecting minor myocardial damage and evaluating the prognostic value in unstable angina (UA) Methods Serum cTnⅠ, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK MB) and a part in cardiac troponin T (cTnT) were measured in 106 (UA) and 44 stable angina (SA) patients as well as 68 cases with normal coronary angiography, 72 healthy subjects Relative risk factors and occurrence of heart events were analyzed Results 61 of 106 patients with UA had elevated cTnⅠ levels (57 5%), but 8 of 44 cases with SA had positive results (18 18%) Among them, only 3 cases had slightly elevated CK MB levels The incidences of heart events were significantly higher in patients with elevated cTnⅠ levels than in patients with normal one The higher cTnⅠ levels was and the more heart events occurred cTnT values was similarly found to be an indicator of increased risk of heart events Conclusion cTnⅠ is a higher sensitive and specific marker for assessing minor myocardial damage cTnⅠ is a strong independent indicator of risk stratification in UA
ABSTRACT
Seventy eight New Zealand rabbits were divided into 8 groups. NE, M, and control group were given norepinephrine (1mg/kg), methoxamine or saline, respectively. The other 5 groups were given regitine (R group), propranolol (P group), metaprolol (MP group), yohimbine (Y group) and prazosine (PR group) respectively before NE infusion.Myocardial injury was estimated with a semi-quantitative histological scoring system, and 11 intermediate metabolites in glycolysis and ATP, ADP, AMP, CP in myocardium were measured. Results showed that myocardial injury was observed in NE group (P