Experimental study on the immunosuppressive effects of gui zhi tang

In this paper the immunosuppressive effects of Gui Zhi Tang (a famous Chinese medicine) on the murine immune functions are reported. Varying dosages of Gui Zhi Tang administrated orally, i.p. and i.m. were able to inhibit the amounts of PFC, SRFC and the DTH response induced by BSA and the proliferation response of murine spleen cells to Con A and LPS. Further studies showed that Gui Zhi Tang had the inhibitory effect on Interleukin-2 production of murine spleen cells, which might be one of the mechanisms leading to the immunosuppressive effects of Gui Zhi Tang.     

切开复位内固定治疗Gartland Ⅲ型肱骨髁上骨折

目的探讨切开复位内固定治疗Gartland Ⅲ型肱骨髁上骨折的疗效。方法1999年10月-2005年4月，对62例平均年龄7．5岁的患儿，应用切开复位克氏针固定治疗Gartland Ⅲ型肱骨髁上骨折。其中伸直尺偏型41例，伸直桡偏型18例，伸直中间型3例；无伴发血管、神经损伤和筋膜室间隔综合征。闭合性骨折47例，开放性骨折15例。结果术后56例获得随访，随访时间为6～15个月，平均11．5个月。所有骨折均获得愈合。根据Flynn标准进行疗效评价，其中优22例（占39．3％），良21例（37．5％），可9例（16．1％），差4例（7．1％）。伤后8h内手术的优良率为89．7％，伤后8h后手术的优良率为63．0％。直接手术治疗的优良率为90．1％，曾接受手法复位的优良率为67．7％。结论切开复位内固定治疗Gartland Ⅲ型肱骨髁上骨折可取得满意的疗效，是安全、有效的治疗方法。     

Impact of a specialized outpatient heart failure follow-up program on hospitalization frequency and functional status of patients with advanced heart failure.

BACKGROUND: High rates of morbidity and mortality are observed in patients with advanced heart failure (AHF). AHF is now considered the most costly syndrome in cardiology owing to the substantial economic burden associated with hospitalizations for acute decompensation. A management program that involves specialized follow-up by a multidisciplinary team has been suggested as a desirable strategy for improving outcomes for these patients. ObjectivE: To evaluate the impact of a specialized outpatient heart failure (HF) follow-up program for patients with AHF on frequency and duration of hospitalization for HF and functional status. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 167 consecutive patients with AHF who were referred to the outpatient HF follow-up program in our institution between January and November 2002, of whom 147 followed for > or =30 days were included in the analysis. In addition to demographic and baseline clinical characteristics, HF medication and NYHA functional class, the number and duration of hospitalizations for HF during the previous 12 months were recorded and compared at the time of referral and after a follow-up period of 6.5+/-3 months. RESULTS: Of the 147 patients analyzed (aged 60.8+/-13 years; 79% male; left ventricular ejection fraction 27+/-11%), 67% were in NYHA functional class III, 20% in class II and 13% in class IV at the time of referral. There was a significant improvement in functional class during the mean follow-up period: 55% of the patients were in class III, 37% in class II, 5% in class I and 3% in class IV (p<0.0001). The proportion of patients on beta-blockers or spironolactone increased from 33% and 51% at the time of referral to 69% and 71% respectively after referral (p<0.0001). In the 12 months before referral, 39% of the patients had been hospitalized for acute decompensation of HF (87 hospitalizations - mean 7.2/month) versus 13% of the patients during the mean follow-up period (25 hospitalizations - 3.8/month, p<0.0001). No significant differences were found in the proportion of patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, digoxin or diuretics, or in the mean duration of hospitalization before and after referral. ConclusioN: The specialized follow-up of patients with AHF by a team with expertise in HF resulted in significant therapeutic optimization. Increased use of beta-blockers and spironolactone was associated with significant improvement in functional capacity and significant reduction in hospitalizations.     

Stress cardiomyopathy in thromboembolic arterial disease.

Apical ballooning is a novel clinical entity reported in different contexts of physical and psychological stress, which is more common in middle-aged women. Of unknown etiology, the syndrome is characterized by a sudden and transient dilatation of the left ventricular apex in the absence of obstructive atherosclerotic coronary disease or evidence of myocardial necrosis, with total late recovery of ventricular function. The authors report the case of a 53-year-old woman who was admitted to the emergency room with left arm ischemia and low cardiac output, requiring ventilatory support. Left catheterization showed typical medial and apical myocardial dysfunction, with normal coronary arteries. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a thrombus attached to the lower face of the aortic arch, which probably explained the thromboembolism of the arm but was unlikely to be the cause of the left ventricular dysfunction since there were no enzymatic or electrocardiographic signs of myocardial necrosis and normal wall motion was fully recovered.     

Modulation of arterial stiffness with intensive competitive training.

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise training has been associated with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, improving arterial compliance, possibly related to a positive impact on the endothelium. The effects of competitive aerobic exercise are not so well documented. This prompted us to evaluate the possible modulation of arterial properties in a group of athletes and their response to the aging process. METHODS: 423 healthy males were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 212 of whom were competitive athletes and 211 were controls. All underwent carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) evaluation, and casual blood pressure and other relevant anthropometric data were evaluated. RESULTS: To control the effects of age, each group was divided into two subgroups with an age cut-point of 20 years. PWV was 6.3 +/- 0.9 m/s (athletes) vs. 7.0 +/- 1.0 m/s (controls) for ages <20 years, and 7.6 +/- 1.2 m/s (athletes) vs. 8.1 +/- 0.9 m/s (controls) for ages >20 years, with statistically significant differences in both comparisons. A linear regression model with logarithmic tendency analysis with age as the independent determinant of PWV revealed a different progression of age-related deterioration of aortic compliance between the two groups (athletes and controls). CONCLUSIONS: Our data documented better compliance indices in competition athletes compared with controls, which may reflect optimization of endothelial function. This improvement was age-dependent, being less pronounced as the athletes grow older, which could be due partially to sustained stretching effects on the arterial walls in long-term competitors.     

Estimation of salt intake by urinary sodium excretion in a Portuguese adult population and its relationship to arterial stiffness.

BACKGROUND: Portugal has one of the highest mortality rates from stroke, a high prevalence of hypertension and probably a high salt intake level. AIM: To evaluate Portuguese salt intake levels and their relationship to blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a sample of four different adult populations living in northern Portugal. METHODS: A cross-sectional study evaluating 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium (24 h UNa+), potassium and creatinine, blood pressure (BP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) as an index of aortic stiffness in adult populations of sustained hypertensives (HT), relatives of patients with previous stroke (Fam), university students (US) and factory workers (FW), in the context of their usual dietary habits. RESULTS: We evaluated a total of 426 subjects, mean age 50 +/- 22 years, 56% female, BMI 27.9+/-5.1, BP 159/92 mmHg, PWV 10.4+/-2.2 m/s, who showed mean 24h UNa+ of 202 +/- 64 mmol/d, corresponding to a daily salt intake of 12.3 g (ranging from 5.2 to 24.8). The four groups were: HT: n = 245, 49 +/- 18 years, 92% of those selected, 69% treated, BP 163/94 mmHg, PWV 11.9 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 212 mmol/d, i.e. 12.4 g/d of salt); Fam: n = 38, 64 +/- 20 years, 57 % of those selected, BP 144/88 mmHg, PWV 10.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 194 mmol/d, i.e. 11.1 g/d of salt; US: n = 82, 22 +/- 3 years, 57% of those selected, BP 124/77 mmHg, PWV 8.7 m/s, 24h UNa+ 199 mmol/d, i.e. 11.3 g/d of salt; FW: n = 61, 39 9 years, 47% of those selected, BP 129/79 mmHg, PWV 9.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 221 mmol/d, i.e. 12.9 g/d of salt. The ratio of urinary sodium/potassium excretion (1.9 (0.4) was significantly higher in HT than the other three groups. In the 426 subjects, 24h UNa+ correlated significantly (p < 0.01) with systolic BP (r = 0.209) and with PWV (r=0.256) after adjustment for age and BP. Multivariate analysis showed that BP, age and 24h UNa+ correlated independently with PWV taken as a dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: Four different Portuguese populations showed similarly high mean daily salt intake levels, almost double those recommended by the WHO. Overall, high urinary sodium excretion correlated consistently with high BP levels and appeared to be an independent determining factor of arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that Portugal in general has a high salt intake diet, and urgent measures are required to restrict salt consumption in order to prevent and treat hypertensive disease and to reduce overall cardiovascular risk and events.     

TUVP手术时间对血红蛋白及电解质的影响

目的 了解经尿道前列腺汽化电切手术时间对血红蛋白及血清电解质的影响。方法 对64例经尿道前列腺汽化电切术患按手术时间分组，观察手术前后血红蛋白及血清电解质的变化。结果 手术时间对血清电解质的降低有的影响，对血红蛋白降低的影响不显。结论 减少TUR综合征的关键是要操作熟练，缩短手术时间及手术中注意止血。     

矢状缝早闭(舟状头)全颅成形术

目的探讨治疗矢状缝早闭(舟状头)畸形的手术方法。方法采用David“‖”形颅缝重建法(6例)、旋转骨瓣截骨法(2例)、梅花颅骨瓣头颅盖成型法(3例)等术式对舟状头进行矫治。结果11例患儿均治愈,外形满意。结论1~3个月舟状头宜采用简单的David“‖”形颅缝重建法进行治疗,3个月以上的患儿可选用浮动颅骨瓣头颅成型术、梅花瓣法颅骨瓣头颅盖成型术等方法进行治疗。     

截骨矫形"∩"形钉内固定治疗关节畸形55例

目的探讨肘、膝、踝关节内外翻畸形的治疗方式。方法对55例8～16岁的关节内、外翻畸形患儿(肘关节30例，膝15例，踝10例)，采用肘外侧切口，踝、膝内外侧切口，截骨矫形，1枚或2枚“∩”形钉内崮定治疗，术后石膏托外固定4周，结果随访50例，随访时间3～24个月，截骨均达到骨性愈合，无一例发生感染，内固定松动临床疗效优48例(96％)，良2例(4％)。结论用“∩”形钉作为截骨矫形内固定材料．具有操作简单、损伤小、效果好的优点。     

大鼠自体异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植的实验研究

目的　探讨自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植技术在创面修复中的应用。　方法　 30只大鼠随机配成 15对后 ,分成细胞悬液移植组 (A组 ,10对 )和细胞膜片移植组 (B组 ,5对 )。取每只大鼠全厚皮 ,分离表皮细胞 ,并根据配对情况按 1∶1的细胞比例混合 ,体外常规培养。 4d后收获A组混合细胞悬液 ,14d后收获B组混合细胞膜片。将此细胞悬液和膜片分别转移至A、B组相应供体大鼠的去全厚皮创面。随后A组每对大鼠的创面交叉覆盖配对方的异体全厚皮 ;B组创面覆盖胶原膜及“优妥”敷料。比较移植后 2～ 3周两组的创面修复情况。　结果　术后 2～ 3周 ,A组创面大多愈合 ,表面光滑 ,与皮下连接紧密。术后第 5天 ,B组创面部分细胞膜片脱落 ,部分成活 ,膜片成活的创面后期再次出现小创面 ,经久不愈。　结论　自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植是一种可行的、体内构建皮肤、修复创面的方法。