Acupuncture for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD).@*METHODS@#A total of 84 patients with DSWPD were randomized into an observation group (42 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (42 cases, 3 cases dropped off). On the basis of sleep hygiene education, acupuncture was applied at Shenmai (BL 62), Zhaohai (KI 6), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) in the observation group, while placebo acupuncture was applied at the same acupoints in the control group. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks, once every other day, 3 times a week in the 1st to 4th weeks; once every 3 days, 2 times a week in the 5th to 8th weeks. Before and after treatment, the actigraphy (ACT) indexes of objective sleep (total time of stay in bed, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, the number of awakenings and the wake time after falling asleep) and plasma cortisol (CORT) level were observed; before and after treatment and in follow-up of 1, 3 months after treatment, the scores of morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), insomnia severity index (ISI), fatigue severity scale (FSS) and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) were observed in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the total sleep time was prolonged, the sleep efficiency was improved, the number of awakenings was reduced, and the wake time after falling asleep was shortened after treatment in the observation group (P<0.01, P<0.05), and those in the observation group after treatment were superior to the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared before treatment, the MEQ scores after treatment in both groups and in the follow-up of 1, 3 months after treatment in the observation group were increased (P<0.01), and the MEQ score of each time point after treatment in the observation group was higher than the control group (P<0.01). The scores of ISI, FSS and ESS after treatment, and the scores of ISI、ESS in follow-up of 1, 3 months after treatment in the observation group were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05), and in the observation group, the scores of ISI, FSS and ESS of each time point after treatment were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). After treatment, the plasma CORT level in the observation group was decreased compared with that before treatment and that in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture can improve the sleep and wake phase of patients with DSWPD, improve sleep quality and daytime function, and its mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of plasma CORT level.

Short-term effects of anti-VEGF drugs on macular perfusion in patients with diabetic macular edema / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To evaluate the effect of Conbercept or Aflibercept on macular perfusion status in patients with diabetic macular edema(DME), and the changes in foveal avascular zone(FAZ)areas and capillary density in macular regions were measured quantitatively by optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA).<p>METHODS: Twenty-six patients with DME received intravitreal injections of Conbercept or Alfibercept. The changes of FAZ areas, PERIM, AI, and macular vessel density in fovea of 300μm width(FD-300)were measured by OCTA in baseline 1, 7, and 30d after injection, and the effect of anti-VEGF drugs on blood circulation in macular area was analyzed. The best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central foveal thickness(CFT)were observed, the BCVA was converted to LogMAR. The changes of BCVA, CFT, FAZ, FD-300, PERIM, AI treated with anti-VEGF by methods repetitive measure analysis of variance on 1, 7, 30d after treatment were compared. Bonferroni was used to analyze the differences at different time points in pairwise comparison. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between changes in BCVA(LogMAR)and FAZ, CFT.<p>RESULTS: The FAZ area was 0.296±0.022mm² in baseline. After 1d drug injection, the FAZ increased to 0.339±0.024mm²(<i>P</i>=0.015). There was no significant difference in FAZ on the 7 and 30d after surgery(<i>P</i>=0.084, <i>P</i>=0.224). Compared with before treatment, BCVA and CFT decreased significantly, the anti-VEGF therapy was effective. The changes in PERIM, AI, and FD-300 did not reach significant level(<i>F</i>=2.598, <i>P</i>=0.059; <i>F</i>=0.438, <i>P</i>=0.726; <i>F</i>=0.594, <i>P</i>=0.621). The results of correlation analysis showed that BCVA(LogMAR)was positively correlated with FAZ and CFT(<i>r</i>=0.273, <i>P</i>=0.005; <i>r</i>=0.200, <i>P</i>=0.042)which had influence on BCVA.<p>CONCLUSION: With an increase in the avascular area of macular fovea was detected within 1d after intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drug in patients with DME, and decrease in the area of avascular area in macular fovea after 1wk, accompanied by improved visual acuity. The selected appropriate index of OCTA can provide a reliable means to measure retinal circulation.

Effects of intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs on retinal blood circulation / 中华眼底病杂志

Anti-VEGF therapies have been widely used in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion with macular edema and other retinal diseases. It have achieved remarkable treatment effect with relatively high safety, but there are still reports of adverse reactions in cardio-cerebral vessels and eyes. There are many methods to measure retinal blood flow. Although the principles of these methods are different, the results are different, and there is no uniform standard, it has been observed that anti-VEGF drugs may cause some changes in retinal vessel diameter, arterial blood flow velocity and blood flow parameters. Especially after multiple injections, the effect may be more obvious.

Transcriptional profiling of uterine leiomyoma rats treated by a traditional herb pair, Curcumae rhizoma and Sparganii rhizoma

The aim of this study was to elucidate the concise effects of a traditional herb pair, Curcumae rhizoma-Sparganii rhizoma (CRSR), on uterine leiomyoma (UL) by analyzing transcriptional profiling. The UL rat model was made by intramuscular injection of progesterone and gavage administration of diethylstilbestrol. From 11 weeks of the establishment of the model, rats of the UL+CRSR group were gavaged daily with CRSR (6.67 g/kg). The serum concentrations of progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) were determined by radioimmunoassay, the uterine index was measured by caliper measurement, and the pathological status was observed by hematoxylin and eosin stain. Gene expression profiling was checked by NimbleGen Rat Gene Expression Microarrays. The results indicated that the uterine mass of UL+CRSR rats was significantly shrunk and serum P and E2 levels significantly reduced compared to UL animals and nearly to the level of normal rats. Results of microarrays displayed the extensive inhibition of CRSR upon the expression of proliferation and deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM)-related genes, and significantly regulated a wide range of metabolism disorders. Furthermore, CRSR extensively regulated key pathways of the UL process, such as MAPK, PPAR, Notch, and TGF-β/Smad. Regulation of the crucial pathways for the UL process and ECM metabolism may be the underlying mechanisms of CRSR treatment. Further studies will provide clear clues for effectively treating UL with CRSR.

Safety and efficacy of percutaneous intervention for children with combined congenital heart abnormality solely guided by transthoracic echocardiography / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To investigate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous intervention of children with combined congenital heart abnormality solely guided by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) .@*Methods@#From September 2015 to June 2017, 21 children with combined congenital heart abnormality undergoing percutaneous interventional guided by TTE in Fuwai hospital were enrolled in our study, and the clinical data were retrospective analyzed. The atrial septal defect(ASD) closure, ventricular septal defect(VSD) closure, patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) closure or balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty were performed under the guidance of TTE. The procedural effect was evaluated by TTE after operation. The patients were followed up after discharged from the hospital.@*Results@#The age was (37.3±11.6) months, and there were 9 male and 12 female patients. There were 4 cases with ASD and VSD, 6 cases with VSD and PDA, 6 cases with ASD and PDA, 2 cases with VSD and pulmonary stenosis, 3 cases with ASD and pulmonary stenosis. The operations were successfully performed in all patients. No one required extra X ray guidance or open heart surgery. The operation time was (44.6±7.5)min. All patients did not require blood transfusion, inotropic support, and analgesia. There were no complications such as peripheral vascular injury and pericardialeffusion after the operation. The length of hospital stay time was (3.5±0.6) days. All patients were recovered well. The follow-up was (17.6±5.2) months, and post-procedural conduction disturbances, residual shunts, occlude fall off, thrombosis, and new onset of valvular regurgitation were not observed in these patients.@*Conclusion@#Percutaneous interventional of children with combined congenital heart abnormality solely guided by TTE is safe and effective, and the procedure can avoid the potential injuries of X ray and contrast agent.

Application of Pulmonary Vein Deployment Technique for Percutaneous Closure of Atrial Septal Defect Solely Under Echocardiography Guidance / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of pulmonary vein deployment technique for percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) solely under echocardiography guidance. Methods: A total of 38 ASD patients received pulmonary vein deployment in our hospital from 2012-10 to 2016-09 since the conventional method could not deliver the occluder to correct place. The patients were with the mean age at (16.0±15.6) years, body weight at (37.2±22.9) kg and ASD diameter at (17.1±4.2) mm. Operative effect was assessed by echocardiography. Follow-up study was conducted at 1, 3, 6, 12 months post-operation and at each year thereafter. Results: 37 patients were successfully finished pulmonary vein deployment for percutaneous closure of ASD solely under echocardiography guidance. One patient was successfully treated by a controlled steerable sheath. The mean operative time was (25.2±5.1) min and mean diameter of ASD occluder was (22.9±5.6) mm. 2 patients had trivial residual shunt at the early post-operative stage. No peripheral vascular injury, pulmonary vein and cardiac perforation occurred. All 38 patients were recovered and discharged. The average in-hospital time was (2.9±0.7) days. The patients were followed-up for (23.9±15.4) months, without complications of residual shunt, pericardial effusion, aortic regurgitation and pulmonary vein stenosis. Conclusion: Pulmonary vein deployment technique for percutaneous closure of ASD solely under echocardiography guidance was safe and effective; it can avoid radiation damage and provided a simple and practical method for ASD patients who failed to conventional method under echocardiography guidance.

Percutaneous induced thrombosis closure on small patent ductus arteriosus solely under echocardiography guidance / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of percutaneous induced thrombosis closure on small patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) solely under echocardiography guidance.Methods From June 2013 to September 2016,276 PDA patients were treated by femoral artery retrograde approach under echocardiography guidance.Twenty-five patients (14 boys,11 girls) among them with small PDA received percutaneous induced thrombosis closure because the delivery sheath could not pass PDA,with mean age (3.7 ± 1.6) years,mean body weight (16.6 ±5.4) kg and the mean diameter of the most narrow PDA was (1.3 ± 0.4) mm.All patients were assessed by transthoracic echocardiography,chest radiography and electrocardiography preoperatively.The intraoperative and postoperative effects were evaluated by echocardiography.Outpatient assessment was performed at 1,3,6 and 12 months after operation with electrocardiography and echocardiography,and yearly thereafter.Results Twenty-five patients were successfully treated with percutaneous induced thrombosis closure solely under echocardiography guidance.The mean operation time was (35.2 ± 6.1) minutes.The immediate residual shunt rates and 24 hours after operation were 28.0％ (7/25 cases) and 16.0％ (4/25 cases),respectively.All patients recovered and were discharged from hospital.The average hospitalization stay was (3.0 ± 0.6) days.The mean follow-up was (16.8 ± 12.3) months,residual shunt was observed in 2 patients (8.0％),and it decreased from 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm preoperatively to 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm postoperatively,respectively.All patients survived without peripheral vascular injury,cardiac perforation,PDA rupture or thrombembolia.Conclusions Percutaneous induced thrombosis closure of small PDA solely under echocardiography guidance is safe and effective.It can avoid occluder implantation and radiation injury.However,the residual shunt after operation needs following up closely.

Comparative Study Between Complete Ultrasound Guidance and Radiation Guidance in Percutaneous Balloon Pulmonary Valvuloplasty / 中国循环杂志

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound guidance for percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (PBPV) in comparison with conventional X-ray guidance.Methods:Our research included in 2 groups:Ultrasound group,n=102 patients with PBPV under ultrasound guidance in our hospital from 2013-03 to 2016-08 and X-ray group,n=280 patients with PBPV under traditional X-ray guidance in our hospital at the same period of time.Post-operative effect was evaluated by echocardiography and compared between 2 groups.Results:The patients' age,body weight,pulmonary artery diameter,immediate post-operative pulmonary transvalvular pressure gradient (PTPG),the in-hospital time and cost were similar between 2 groups,P＞0.05.The success rate of operation in Ultrasound group and X-ray group was 99.0％ vs 100％,P=0.267.In the ultrasound group,1 patient was converted to a conventional surgery due to right ventricular outflow tract muscle spasm after dilation.The operation time in X-ray group was longer than Ultrasound group,(38.9±9.2) min vs (34.6±10.0) min,P＜0.001.The X-ray exposure time was (3.9±1.2) min in X-ray group.The mean follow-up time was (25.5±13.2) months and PTPG in Ultrasound group and X-ray group were (16.2±4.3) mmHg and (15.3±4.5) mmHg,P=0.120.No serious complications as death,peripheral vascular injury,cardiac perforation and pericardial effusion occurred in either group.Conclusion:PBPV under complete ultrasound guidance may not only avoid radiation and contrast agent,but also keep the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive conventional percutaneous interventional treatment.

Comparative Study Between Complete Ultrasound Guidance and Radiation Guidance in Percutaneous Balloon Pulmonary Valvuloplasty / 中国循环杂志

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound guidance for percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (PBPV) in comparison with conventional X-ray guidance.Methods:Our research included in 2 groups:Ultrasound group,n=102 patients with PBPV under ultrasound guidance in our hospital from 2013-03 to 2016-08 and X-ray group,n=280 patients with PBPV under traditional X-ray guidance in our hospital at the same period of time.Post-operative effect was evaluated by echocardiography and compared between 2 groups.Results:The patients' age,body weight,pulmonary artery diameter,immediate post-operative pulmonary transvalvular pressure gradient (PTPG),the in-hospital time and cost were similar between 2 groups,P＞0.05.The success rate of operation in Ultrasound group and X-ray group was 99.0％ vs 100％,P=0.267.In the ultrasound group,1 patient was converted to a conventional surgery due to right ventricular outflow tract muscle spasm after dilation.The operation time in X-ray group was longer than Ultrasound group,(38.9±9.2) min vs (34.6±10.0) min,P＜0.001.The X-ray exposure time was (3.9±1.2) min in X-ray group.The mean follow-up time was (25.5±13.2) months and PTPG in Ultrasound group and X-ray group were (16.2±4.3) mmHg and (15.3±4.5) mmHg,P=0.120.No serious complications as death,peripheral vascular injury,cardiac perforation and pericardial effusion occurred in either group.Conclusion:PBPV under complete ultrasound guidance may not only avoid radiation and contrast agent,but also keep the safety and efficacy of minimally invasive conventional percutaneous interventional treatment.

Effect of micro - incision on corneal wavefront aberration and tear film in phacoemulsification / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AlM: To investigate the effect of endocapsular phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens (lOL) implantation with a 1. 8mm or 3. 0mm clear corneal incision on total root mean square ( RMS ) value of the cornea, corneal astigmatism, spherical aberration, coma, trefoil and tear film. METHODS:ln a prospective study, 156 age- related patients ( 196 eyes ) were randomly distributed into two groups. 1. 8mm-group comprised 94 eyes that had a silicone lOL inserted through a 1. 8mm sutureless clear corneal incision, while, 3. 0mm- group comprised 102 eyes through a 3. 0mm clear corneal incision. Postoperatively, the changes in the total RMS value of the cornea, corneal astigmatism, spherical aberration, coma, trefoil and tear film at 1wk, 1 and 3mo were determined respectively. RESULTS:ln both groups, postoperatively at 1wk,there were statistically significant differences ( P 0. 05 ) between two groups at 3mo postoperative. CONCLUSlON:This study confirms that incision size has strong impact on the corneal higher-order aberrations, especially, 3. 0mm incision caused significant differences in the total RMS value of cornea, corneal astigmatism, spherical aberration, coma, trefoil and tear film compared with 1. 8mm micro-incision, therefore, micro-incision is very beneficial for clinical use in phacoemulsification.

The estimation of higher order aberrations in children with anisometropic amblyopic / 生物医学工程学杂志

Higher order aberrations (HOAs) were measured in 54 anisometropic amblyopic children using the ZY-WAVE II aberrometer. The results were compared in normal fellow and amblyoic eyes which were determined by the corrected visual acuity. Between the normal eyes and anisometropic amblyopic eyes, no statistically significant difference were found in mean root square of total HOAs, total coma (TC), total spherical aberration (TSA), and the 5th root mean square (RMS5). There was no correlation among best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), HOAs, TC, TSA, and RMS5. There was some positively correlation between the degree of anisometropia and TC. HOAs increase with the increasing of the degree of anisometropic amblyopia. Lower order aberrations are the main refractive factors leading to amblyopia, and HOAs is related to anisometropia amblyopia. The study helps us understand the mechanism of amblyopia and make the further study.