Clinical assessment of chronic prostatitis based on infrared imaging technology / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the characteristic changes in the infrared thermogram of chronic prostatitis (CP) patients and find some evidence for the auxiliary diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation of the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty CP patients and 20 healthy male volunteers were included in this clinical trial. The infrared thermograms of the subjects were compared between the two groups for characteristic changes. The values obtained were used for the auxiliary diagnosis and therapeutic evaluation of the disease.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the healthy males in the same age group, the CP patients showed extremely significant abnormal changes in the average temperature value in the hypogastrium (H), pubis (P), scrotum (S), and groin (G) (P < 0.01). The average H temperature value of the CP patients was correlated negatively with the CP symptom index (CPSI) (P < 0.01, Pearsons correlation coefficient = -0.519), while the S temperature positively with CPSI (P < 0.01, Pearsons correlation coefficient = 0.446). In addition to the H value, the P, S, and G values were all correlated in different degrees with CPSI (P < 0.01), which the S value exhibited the most significantly negative correlation (Pearson's correlation coefficient = -0.898).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There are some characteristic changes in the hypogastrium temperature of CP patients in the infrared thermogram, which has a potential application value for the auxiliary diagnosis, symptom assessment, and therapeutic evaluation of CP.</p>

Decreasing effect of electro-acupuncture at Sanyin points on inflammatory cytokines in autoimmune prostatitis rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the changes of inflammatory cytokines in autoimmune prostatitis (AIP) rats treated by electro-acupuncture (EA) at Sanyin points.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We selected 40 Wistar male rats in this study, 10 as normal controls, and the other 30 made AIP models by intradermal injection of protein purification liquid from the prostate of allogeneic male rats with dual immune adjuvant. Then we randomly divided the AIP models into a model, a Cernilton control and an EA group of equal number, the latter two groups treated by Cernilton enema and EA, respectively. After 15 days of treatment, all the animals were sacrificed for detection of the levels of TNF-alpha, iNOS, MDA and T-AOC in the prostate tissue.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal controls, the model rats showed significantly elevated TNF-alpha expression ([15.31 +/- 1.36] vs [32.20 +/- 1.65] pg/ml, P < 0.01), iNOS activity ([0.81 +/- 0.33] vs [1.25 +/- 0.23] U/ml, P < 0.01) and MDA content ([0.66 +/- 0.14] vs [0.91 +/- 0.21] nmol/ml, P < 0.05), but markedly reduced T-AOC activity ([1.56 +/- 0.16] vs [1.11 +/- 0.15] U/ml, P < 0.01). In comparison with the model group, the EA group exhibited significantly reduced levels of TNF-alpha ([17.32 +/- 2.69 ] pg/ml, P < 0.01), iNOS ([0.98 +/- 0.5 ] U/ml, P < 0.05) and MDA ([0.70 +/- 0.20] nmol/ml, P < 0.05), but remarkably increased level of T-AOC ([1.44 +/- 0.26] U/ml, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electro-acupuncture at Sanyin points can protect the prostate tissue from morphological damage and reduce inflammatory reaction by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, vascular permeability and inflammatory cell infiltration and increasing the activity of the antioxidant defense system.</p>

Meta-analysis of needle-knife treatment on cervical spondylosis / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the efficacy of cervical spondylosis by needle-knife treatment according to the correlated literature of RCT,to compare advantages of needle-knife treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Randomized Controlled Trials about needle-knife treatment of cervical spondylosis were indexed from Chinese HowNet (CNKI) and Wanfang (WF) from 2000 to 2012, then were analyzed the efficacy by Review Manager 5.1 software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 13 RCT literatures and 1 419 patients were included. The methods of included studies were poor in quality evaluation because of large sample and multi-center RCT studies was lacked, randomization method was not accurate enough, diagnostic criteria and efficacy evaluation were various, only four studies described long-term efficacy, most of the literature didn't describe the adverse event and fall off,all studies did not use the blind method. The Meta analysis outcome showed overall efficiency of needle-knife therapy was better than acupuncture and traction. Needle-knife therapy compared with Acupuncture, the total RR = 0.19, 95% confidence interval was (0.15, 0.24), P < 0.000.01. Compared with traction therapy the total RR = 1.30, 95% confidence intervalwas (1.18,1.42), P < 0.00001.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with acupuncture therapy,the overall effectiveness of needle-knife therapy is higher;compared with traction therapy, although,needle-knife therapy has a high overall effectiveness, but because of the loss of total sample size, the outcome RCT researches to confirm.</p>

Flow simulation of normal pulmonary artery branches based on CT image / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the hemodynamics of the pulmonary artery (PA) in pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>With combined clinical hemodynamic measurements and CT data, the 3D model of PA and its branches was reconstructed to obtain the real 3D geometric structure of PA and its branches. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was carried out for the reconstructed 3D geometric model of the PA and its branches with Womersley velocity as main pulmonary entrance conditions; then hemodynamic parameters of the PA and its branches in cardiac cycle were calculated and the changes of flow field, pressure, wall shear stress (WSS) at different times, and its impact on physiological processes were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Simulation showed that the pressure of the main PA and the branches of the left and right PA was higher in the systolic period than that in the diastolic period; especially, the that of right PA and its interlobular artery was significantly higher than that of the left. The blood flow velocity of the main PA and its branches of right and left PA was significant different, the velocity was much higher at the distal of the right PA than that at the left. High WSS field formed at the proximal of the right PA before the branches during the systolic.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The right PA at the proximal and lower lobe artery are affected by much larger pressure and change firstly, so the change of morphological and functional of theses segments will be have more important value to prompt existence of the early PAH.</p>