Effect of auricular acupuncture on oxygen consumption of boxing athletes

Boxing is an official sport at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the fast development of world-class high strength training and sport science has made a significant impact on scientific training. Boxing needs high cardio-respiratory function, speed, muscle strength, and anaerobic and intensive physical demands including weight control covering the grading of athlete's.     

Acute intracerebral haematomas: Assessment for possible underlying cause with MRI scanning

Forty-seven patients presenting with acute intracerebral haematomas between 1989 and 1992 were retrospectively examined to assess the role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in identifying any underlying lesion. None had any prior known intracerebral pathology. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were done on a 0.5 T unit. Ten patients with an average age of 35 years had angiographically occult vascular malformations (AOVM) found by MRI (one with biopsy confirmation). One of three cases of glioma, three of three cases with secondary tumour, one case of superior sagittal sinus thrombosis with haemorrhagic infarction, one of two cases of venous angioma and one case of arteriovenous malformation were detected by MRI. Progress computed tomography scans discovered two cases of glioma and angiography found a venous angioma and an arterial aneurysm, all undetected by MRI. It is concluded that MRI scanning is helpful in detecting underlying AOVM as a cause of intracerebral haemorrhage but its role in imaging haemorrhagic tumours remains unclear.     

婴儿腹部远心性脂肪萎缩症

本文综述了婴儿腹部远心性脂肪萎缩症的病因、病理、症状、治疗与预后。     

Photoepilation Results of Axillary Hair in Dark-Skinned Patients by IPL: A Comparison Between Different Wavelength and Pulse Width

BACKGROUND: Recently, intense pulsed light (IPL) sources have been shown to provide long-term hair removal. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the photo-epilatory effects of different wavelengths and pulse width application in the same IPL device and compared their efficiencies in Asian skin. METHODS: Twenty-eight Korean women were treated using hair removal (HR) (600-950 nm filter) and 27 using HR-D (645-950 nm filter) in the axillary area. Four treatments were carried out at intervals of 4 to 6 weeks; follow-ups were conducted 8 months after the last treatment. Mean energy settings were 14.9 6 2.0 J/cm2 for HR and 17.1 6 0.6 J/cm2 for HR-D. Longer pulse widths were applied in case of HR-D treatment. Hair counts and photographic evaluation of skin sites were made at baseline and at the last follow-up. Final overall evaluations were performed by patients and clinicians. RESULTS: Average clearances of 52.8% and 83.4% were achieved by HR and HR-D, respectively. No significant adverse effects were reported after HR-D treatment. One case each of hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation was reported for HR. CONCLUSION: An IPL source removing 45 nm of the emitted spectra and applying a longer pulse width was found to provide a safer and more effective means of photo-epilation in Asian patients.     

红细胞、内毒素对淋病患者粒细胞吞噬功能影响的实验研究

检测红细胞和内毒素对30例淋球菌感染（GI）患者变形核粒细胞（PMN）吞噬功能的影响。实验结果显示：GI患者PMN吞噬活性，红细胞促粒细胞吞噬活性（ERPN）均明显低于正常人（P＜0．05）。提示淋病发病机制可能与红细胞免疫功能降低有关。     

Comparing the association of cardiovascular nursing care with blood pressure and length of stay of in-patients with coronary artery disease in Wuhan,China

BackgroundCoronary artery disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Comorbidity-like hypertension has been among the major risks of coronary artery disease. Recent evidence identified multiple benefits of cardiovascular nursing care to coronary patients. However, little has been appraised on benefits regarding patients'' blood pressure control and length of hospitalisation.ObjectiveTo compare the association of cardiovascular nursing care delivered to coronary artery patients with patients'' blood pressure and length of stay.MethodsRecords based retrospective design was applied at a large teaching hospital in Wuhan, China. SPSS 21 version was used for data entry and analysis with univariate and multivariate logistic regression models for comparing study variables.ResultsOf 300 patients, 224 (74.7%) were known to be hypertensive and admitted with subnormal blood pressure. Cardiovascular nursing care like “assess to grade pain severity on 1–10 scale” and “counsel patient to cope with stress” were six and three times more likely to contribute improved patients'' blood pressure (AOR=5.8; 95%CI: 2.8–12.2, p=0.001) and (AOR=3.1; 95%CI: 1.2–7.8, p=0.015) respectively. No significant difference with length of stay (p>0.05).ConclusionThere is a possibility of coronary artery patients to recover with normal blood pressure following reception of evidence-based cardiovascular nursing care.     

Meta‐analysis in medicine: an introduction

Meta‐analysis, a complex statistical method which involves synthesis of data from relevant studies to devise an effect size or a conclusion, has increasingly been recognized and impacts on evidence‐based medicine, especially in the field of health science. Thanks to the advent and unmet need of evidence‐based medicine, since the first recordable publication of a meta‐analysis in 1904 addressing the effectiveness of typhoid vaccine, both the number and quality of meta‐analyses published relating to healthcare science have been on a steep rise. If properly conducted, based on answering relevant clinical questions, strict selection criteria of participating studies, appropriate analytical methods, and proper presentation of results, coupled with critical and faithful discussion on the strength and weakness of the analysis, meta‐analysis will definitely be an invaluable tool for clinicians and researchers in understanding epidemiology, justifying and refining hypotheses of various diseases, for medical practitioners to implement sound management decisions based on evidence‐based medicine, and ultimately, for policy‐makers to formulate cost‐efficient treatment strategies, guidelines and legislation. In this first paper of a mini‐series, the current trend of meta‐analysis publications in the medical literature, examples of important meta‐analyses relevant to rheumatology and the pros and cons of meta‐analysis, will be discussed. Important terminology related to meta‐analysis, the systematic ways to critically appraise, and finally the preferred methodology of conducting meta‐analysis will be covered in the subsequent three reviews of this mini‐series.