Validation of the Chinese version of ureteral stent symptom questionnaire / 中华全科医师杂志

Objectives:To validate the Chinese version of the Ureteral Stent Symptoms Questionnaire(Chinese-USSQ) in patients with an indwelling ureteral stent.Methods:The original USSQ was translated into Chinese and linguistically validated following the cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life measures.A total of 83 patients (cases) with indwelling ureteral stent and 90 healthy subjects (controls) were asked to complete the Chinese-USSQ as well as European Quality of Life Visual Analogue scale(EQ-VAS)(for both genders), the International Prostate Symptom Scale (IPSS) (for male), and Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (for female). Patients were evaluated at weeks 1 and 4 after stent placement and at week 4 after removal. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were analyzed.Results:The Chinese version of USSQ include 43 items, which addressed various domains of health(6 sections) covering urinary symptoms, pain, general health, work performance and sexual matters with additional problems. A total of 78 patients(45 males and 33 females) and 90 controls (41 males and 49 females)were included for analysis. Internal consistencies (Cronbach′s α coefficients: 0.60-0.78) and test-retest reliability (Spearman correlation coefficient: 0.69-0.91) were satisfactory for urinary symptom, body pain, general health, and work performance domains. Most USSQ domains showed moderate correlations with each other. The convergent validity determined by correlation between other instruments and corresponding USSQ domain was satisfactory. At week 4 it was moderate for the urinary symptoms index compared to the IPSS in men(Spearman correlation coefficient>0.60), for the urinalry symptoms index compared to the UDI-6 score in women(Spearman correlation coefficient 0.52).Sensitivity to change and discriminant validity were also good in most domains ( P<0.01). Only a small proportion of the study population had an active sexual life with the stent in situ, which limited its analysis. Only 1(1.3%) and 6(7.7%) patients had an active sex life at week 1 and 4 after stent placement; meanwhile, 34(43.6%) patents were sexually active at week 4 after stent removal. Conclusion:The Chinese version of the USSQ is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for Chinese patients with a indwelling ureteral stent in the clinical and research settings.

Effects of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the treatment of medullary sponge kidney with calculi / 中华外科杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the effects of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in the treatment of medullary sponge kidney with calculi.@*Methods@#A total of 77 patients (91 renal units) of medullary sponge kidney with calculi (MSK group) and 77 patients (77 renal units) with common kidney stone (control group) received PNL at Department of Urology in Peking University People′s Hospital from September 2006 to February 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The MSK group included 33 males and 44 females with a mean age of (42.1±13.2) years, the mean stone burden was (3.9±1.8) cm. The control group included 36 males and 41 females with a mean age of (45.3±13.0) years, the mean stone burden was (3.6±1.5) cm. The numbers of tracts, the time of operation, the drop of hemoglobin, the change of creatine, the time of hospitalization, the stone free rate and major complications were compared between the two groups. The measurement data and numeration data were compared with t test and χ2 test.@*Results@#There were no significant differences in sex, age, preoperative urinary tract infection, stone type, and stone burden between the two groups (all P>0.05). The proportion of bilateral renal calculus in MSK group was higher (18.2% vs. 0, χ2=15.400, P=0.000). There were 159 percutaneous channels were established in MSK group while 90 percutaneous channels were established in control group. Compared with the control group, the operation time ((88.1±37.5) minutes vs. (68.5±30.1) minutes, t=3.543, P=0.000) and hospitalization time ((15.1±8.3) days vs. (10.1±3.6) days, t=4.816, P=0.000) were longer, the creatinine level increased ((101.2±62.6) μmol/L vs. (71.3±23.6) μmol/L, t=3.777, P=0.000), the rate of stone free decreased (27.5% vs. 83.1%, χ2=51.840, P=0.000) and the rate of complications increased (29.9% vs. 11.7%, χ2=8.114, P=0.004) in MSK group. There was no statistically difference in hemoglobin drop ((12.5±13.2) g/L vs. (13.0±10.9) g/L, t=-0.260, P=0.795).@*Conclusions@#Using PNL for patients of MSK with calculi has a lower stone free rate and a higher complications. It is an effective method for patients of MSK with large and complex calculi.

Risk factor analysis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome in type 2 diabetics after percutaneous nephrolithotomy / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To evaluate the risk factors of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in the patients with type 2 diabetes diagnosed with kidney stone after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).Methods:In this study,461 patients with type 2 diabetes who received PCNL in Peking Uni-versity People’s Hospital from June 2006 to December 2015 were reviewed.There were 281 males and 180 females with an average age of 57 years were included,of whom,137 were diagnosed with SIRS after PCNL.The demographic data,clinical features,and test results were compared between the patients with SIRS and without SIRS,trying to identify the correlation between their clinical characters and the occur-rence of SIRS.Results:The SIRS was significantly correlated with the patients’preoperative white blood cell counting (×109 /L)[7.76 (4.00 -17.96)vs.6.31 (2.00 -17.40),P <0.001 ],preopera-tional blood glucose level (mmol /L)[7.30 (3.08 -19.90)vs.6.40 (3.42 -16.78),P <0.001], operative time (min)[75 (20 -270)vs.60 (20 -200),P <0.001 ],length of stay (d)[12 (2 -46)vs.11 (3 -29),P =0.019],staghorn stones [38.8% (33 /85)vs.27.7% (104 /376),P =0.042],and preoperational urinary tract infection [36.8% (50 /136)vs.26.6% (81 /304),P =0.032].There was no significant correlation between the SIRS and the patients’age,body mass index, preoperative hemoglobin level,preoperative serum creatinine,and transfusion.In multivariate analysis, abnormal preoperative white blood cell counting (OR =3.194,95% CI:1.531 -6.666,P =0.002), operative time longer than 60 min (OR =1.635,95% CI:1.088 -2.456,P =0.018),and preopera-tional blood glucose level higher than normal 7.1 mmol /L were significantly correlated with the presence of SIRS.Conclusion:The high level of preoperational blood glucose,abnormal preoperative white blood cell counting,and long operative time were significantly correlated with the presence of SIRS in patients with type 2 diabetes after PCNL.

A new impulse noise filter based on pulse coupled neural network / 生物医学工程学杂志

This paper presents a new impulse noise filter based on pulse coupled neural networks according to the apparent difference of gray value between noised pixels and the pixels around them. Comparing with the state-of-the-art denoised PCNN filter, the step by step modifying algorithm based on PCNN also, the new PCNN filter suggested in this paper costs less computation and less execution time. At the same time this new PCNN filter has been compared with other nonlinear filters, such as median filter, the stack filter based on omnidirectional structural elements constrains, the Omnidirectional morphology Open-Closing maximum filter (OOCmax) and the Omnidirectional morphology Close-Opening minimum (OCOmin) filter. The results of simulation shows that this algorithm is superior to standard median filter, the state-of-the-art PCNN filter, the maximal, minimal morphological filter with omnidirectional structuring elements, and the optimal stack filter based on omnidirectional structural elements constrains in the aspect of the impulse noise removal. What is more important is that this algorithm can keep the details of images more effectively.

Investigation on resources of medicinal plants Pedicularis L. in Gansu Province / 中草药

Object To investigate the resource of Pedicularis L distributed in Gansu Province to provide data for their exploitation Methods Field investigation, sample collecting and literature review are carried out Results There are 24 medicinal plants (including subspecies, varieties and forms) of Pedicularis L in this province In addition, their distribution, habitat and medicinal value were suggested, and a taxonomic key was compiled Conclusion Resource of this genus in Gansu Province was rather abundant and may be rationally exploited