Virtual morphometric method using seven cervical vertebrae for sex estimation on the Turkish population

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Sex estimation from skeletal remains is crucial for the estimation of the biological profile of an individual. Although the most commonly used bones for...     

黄芪甲苷对2型糖尿病小鼠肾脏增殖细胞核抗原表达的作用

目的 探讨黄芪甲苷(AS-Ⅳ)对2型糖尿病db/db小鼠的肾脏保护作用和对增生细胞核抗原(PCNA)的影响.方法 雄性db/db小鼠,随机分为db/db组和db/db+ AS-Ⅳ组,另以野生型(WT)小鼠作为对照组.AS-Ⅳ予1g·kg-1饲料喂食.第12周,检测各组小鼠体质量、血糖、肾质量、肌酐清除率和24 h尿白蛋白定量.PAS染色和电镜检测各组小鼠肾脏病理.免疫组织化学和Western blot检测肾组织PCNA的蛋白表达水平.结果 第12周时,db/db组小鼠体质量、血糖、肾质量、肌酐清除率明显高于WT组,但db/db+ AS-Ⅳ组与db/db组之间差异无统计学意义.db/db组小鼠24h尿白蛋白水平明显高于WT组,db/db+ AS-Ⅳ组小鼠24h尿白蛋白水平低于db/db组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).db/db组小鼠肾小球面积,肾小管面积,肾小球基底膜厚度和肾小管基底膜厚度均显著高于WT组,db/db+ AS-Ⅳ组上述指标明显低于db/db组(P＜0.05).免疫组织化学和Western blot结果显示db/db组小鼠肾组织PCNA的蛋白表达水平显著高于WT组,AS-Ⅳ可以明显降低PCNA的表达水平,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 AS-Ⅳ可能通过减少2型糖尿病小鼠肾脏内增生细胞核抗原的蛋白表达来延缓糖尿病肾病进程.     

Transbrachial coil occlusion of the large branch of an internal mammary artery coronary graft

Percutaneous transbrachial insertion of two complex coils into the intercostal branch of the left internal mammary artery resulted in the relief of severe angina in a 45-year-old man who had coronary artery bypass surgery 2 years before. The diagnosis of coronary artery steal was made clinically. This case illustrates the importance of recognizing coronary steal in patients who redevelop angina after coronary artery surgery with the use of an incompletely prepared left internal mammary artery as a conduit. Brachial or radial artery should be preferred to reach left internal mammary artery (LIMA) for cannulation easily. The preoperative angiographic imaging of LIMA is important to detect the side branches and their sizes. The patient was treated without the need for further surgery.     

Increased pleural fluid adenosine deaminase in brucellosis is difficult to differentiate from tuberculosis

Pleural involvement in brucellosis is very rare. Current knowledge on brucella pleuritis is limited to a few case studies, and pleural adenosine deaminase (ADA) in brucellosis has not been studied previously. We report the pleural fluid characteristics, including ADA, of two cases with brucella pleurisy. Analysis of the pleural fluids revealed exudative effusions with increased ADA level, decreased glucose concentration, and lymphocyte predominance. The similarity with tuberculous pleurisy was remarkable. We suggest that brucellosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis, especially in regions endemic for both diseases.     

无创通气在COPD合并Ⅱ型呼吸衰竭中的临床价值探讨

目的 探讨双水平正压通气(BiPAP)在慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)合并Ⅱ型呼吸表竭中的临床价值.方法 74例COPD合并Ⅱ型呼吸衰竭患者随机分为治疗纽和对照组各37例,两组均给予抗感染、应用糖皮质激素、支气管扩张剂和持续低流量氧疗等常规治疗,治疗组同时加用BiPAP呼吸机通气治疗,对照组给予双鼻导管吸氧治疗.结果 两组患者治疗后临床症状均有不同程度缓解,治疗组较对照组起效更快,疗效更好;血气分析均有显著改善,治疗组改善程度明显优于对照组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 BiPAP无刨通气治疗COPD合并Ⅱ型呼吸表竭无创伤.疗效确切,能迅速纠正缺氧和二氧化碳潴留,改善临床症状.缩短住院治疗时间,值得临床广泛应用.     

Impact of Huntington's across the entire disease spectrum: the phases and stages of disease from the patient perspective

Although Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive and behavioural disturbances, there has been little empirical data examining what patients are most concerned about throughout the different stages of disease, which can span many years. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were individually conducted with 31 people living with different stages of Huntington's, from pre-clinical gene carriers to advanced stage. We examined how often participants raised issues and concerns regarding the impact of Huntington's on everyday life. The Physical/functional theme hardly featured pre-clinically, but was strongly present from Stage 1, rose steadily and peaked at Stage 5. There were no significant changes between stages for the Emotional, Social, and Self themes that all featured across all stages, indicating that these issues were not raised more frequently over the course of the disease. Likewise, the more rarely mentioned Financial and Legal themes also remained similar across stages. However, the Cognitive theme only featured between Stages 1 and 4, and hardly at all pre-clinically and at Stage 5. These findings provide insight into patients' important and unique perspective and have implications for the management and development of interventions across the spectrum of HD stages.     

Complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with mental disorders in Turkey

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and the associated socio-demographic factors among patients with mental disorders in the Turkish community.MethodsOne thousand and twenty-seven patients with a diagnosis of mental disorders who were attending psychiatric outpatient clinics in five Turkish cities were interviewed. A survey questionnaire, which included questions on socio-demographic characteristics and CAM use, was administered face-to-face by psychiatrists.Results22.2% of patients with mental disorders were using some form of CAM in the Turkish community. CAM and medication concurrent users had a higher level of education and income compared to CAM users only or medicine users only (p < 0.001). The most common type of CAM used was herbal therapy (n = 146, 64%).ConclusionUse of CAM by patients with mental disorders should be investigated and taken into account by psychiatrists.     

Investigation of the Characteristics of HeartWare HVAD and Thoratec HeartMate II Under Steady and Pulsatile Flow Conditions

The aim of this study was to elucidate the dynamic characteristics of the Thoratec HeartMate II (HMII) and the HeartWare HVAD (HVAD) left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) under clinically representative in vitro operating conditions. The performance of the two LVADs were compared in a normothermic, human blood‐filled mock circulation model under conditions of steady (nonpulsatile) flow and under simulated physiologic conditions. These experiments were repeated using 5% dextrose in order to determine its suitability as a blood analog. Under steady flow conditions, for the HMII, approximately linear inverse LVAD differential pressure (H) versus flow (Q) relationships were observed with good correspondence between the results of blood and 5% dextrose under all conditions except at a pump speed of 9000 rpm. For the HVAD, the corresponding relationships were inverse curvilinear and with good correspondence between the blood‐derived and 5% dextrose‐derived relationships in the flow rate range of 2–6 L/min and at pump speeds up to 3000 rpm. Under pulsatile operating conditions, for each LVAD operating at a particular pump speed, an counterclockwise loop was inscribed in the HQ domain during a simulated cardiac cycle (HQ loop); this showed that there was a variable phase relationship between LVAD differential pressure and LVAD flow. For both the HMII and HVAD, increasing pump speed was associated with a right‐hand and upward shift of the HQ loop and simulation of impairment of left ventricular function was associated with a decrease in loop area. During clinical use, not only does the pressure differential across the LVAD and its flow rate vary continuously, but their phase relationship is variable. This behavior is inadequately described by the widely accepted representation of a plot of pressure differential versus flow derived under steady conditions. We conclude that the dynamic HQ loop is a more meaningful representation of clinical operating conditions than the widely accepted steady flow HQ curve.