Sensitivity of Sniffer Dogs for a Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

Background: The diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease (PD) remain complex, which is especially problematic for nonmovement disorder experts. A test is required to establish a diagnosis of PD with improved accuracy and reproducibility.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of tests using sniffer dogs to diagnose PD.

A Practical Assessment of the Disinfectant Efficacy of UV Light with and without Ozone Using a Novel Transfer Hatch in a Research Animal Facility.

Most in vivo animal research and breeding using mice and rats in China takes place in facilities under barrier conditions. Items being moved across the barrier are typically disinfected using UV radiation in a transfer hatch. However, the time periods necessary for this disinfection technique are inefficient, and disinfection is frequently incomplete, especially if concealed surfaces are present.

Effectiveness of treatment of bedding and feces of laboratory animal with ozone.

Background: The incineration and burying of the soiled bedding of laboratory animals, as well as using detergents to treat their feces, is hazardous to the environment. This highlights the need for an alternative, environmentally friendly solution for the treatment of the waste of laboratory animal facilities. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of ozone disinfection of the soiled bedding and feces of laboratory animals.

Phytosterols in hull-less pumpkin seed oil, rich in ∆-phytosterols, ameliorate benign prostatic hyperplasia by lowing 5α-reductase and regulating balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis in rats.

Background: Pumpkin seed oil is widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in elder men. However, its active components and mechanism have remained to be elucidated.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the active components of pumpkin seed oil and its mechanism against BPH.

Portable pulsed xenon ultraviolet light disinfection in a teaching hospital animal laboratory in China.

An animal laboratory in a teaching hospital is a possible cause of cross infection. We aimed to assess the infection control in our animal laboratory and evaluate the disinfectant effects of a portable pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) machine. Samples were taken from the surface of research tables, other high touch places, such as doorknobs, weighing scales, and handles of trolleys, and from air in the barrier system pre- and post-manual cleaning and post-PX-UV disinfection.

Evaluation of a pulsed xenon ultraviolet light device for reduction of pathogens with biofilm-forming ability and impact on environmental bioburden in clinical laboratories.

Background: Biofilm-forming organisms can persist on surfaces in hospital clinical laboratories and potentially lead to nosocomial infections. Therefore, effective decontamination procedures are essential for reducing infections. In this study, we investigated an alternative to often ineffective manual cleaning methods, a pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) light device.

Peri-operative application of intra-aortic balloon pumping reduced in-hospital mortality of patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Background: There are few reports of peri-operative application of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and different grades of left ventricular dysfunction. This study aimed to analyze the early outcomes of peri-operative application of IABP in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) among patients with CAD and left ventricular dysfunction, and to provide a clinical basis for the peri-operative use of IABP.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 612 patients who received CABG in the General Hospital of People's Liberation Army between May 1995 and June 2014.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Lambl's Excrescence on the Aortic Valve.

Our objective is to summarize our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of Lambl's excrescence (LE) on the aortic valve. Methods: The clinical data of 25 patients with LE admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to December 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 17 males and 8 females, with the mean age of 55.

[Robotic surgery versus conventional open chest surgery for heart tumor: a propensity score matching analysis].

Objective: To compare conventional open chest surgery and robotic surgery for their efficacy, short?term outcomes and patient selection in the treatment of heart tumors. Method The clinical data were collected from 225 patients (a total of 228 operations) who underwent cardiac neoplasm resection in our hospital between January, 1993 and April, 2016. A propensity score matching (PSM) was established according to the vital baseline data of the patients receiving conventional open chest surgery (n=125) and robotic surgery (n=60) after screening.

Effects of Surgical Ventricular Restoration on Left Ventricular Shape, Size, and Function for Left Ventricular Anterior Aneurysm.

Background: Surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) has been performed to treat left ventricular (LV) aneurysm. However, there is limited analysis of changes in LV shape. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in LV shape induced by SVR and the effects of SVR on LV size and function for LV aneurysm.

Interaction of Src and Alpha-V Integrin Regulates Fibroblast Migration and Modulates Lung Fibrosis in A Preclinical Model of Lung Fibrosis.

Src kinase is known to regulate fibroblast migration. However, the contribution of integrin and Src kinase interaction to lung fibrosis has not been mechanistically investigated. Our data demonstrate that integrin alpha v (αV) recruited Src kinase and that leads to subsequent Src activation in fibroblasts plated on fibrotic matrix, osteopontin.

Optimal Timing of Surgical Revascularization for Myocardial Infarction and Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

Background: The optimal timing of surgical revascularization for patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and impaired left ventricular function is not well established. This study aimed to examine the timing of surgical revascularization after STEMI in patients with ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) by comparing early and late results.

Methods: From January 2003 to December 2013, there were 2276 patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in our institution.

[Long-term outcomes of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged over 75 years].

Objective: To investigate the long-term outcomes of off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) in patients aged over 75 years and analyze the risk factors affecting the outcomes of the procedure.

Methods: Clinical data were reviewed for 97 consecutive patients aged 75 years or above receiving OPCAB at our center between November, 2000 and November, 2013. The perioperative data including length of ICU stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, incidence of postoperative complications and mortality rate of the patients were analyzed.

Tristetraprolin Down-Regulation Contributes to Persistent TNF-Alpha Expression Induced by Cigarette Smoke Extract through a Post-Transcriptional Mechanism.

Rationale: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a potent pro-inflammatory mediator and its expression is up-regulated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tristetraprolin (TTP) is implicated in regulation of TNF-α expression; however, whether TTP is involved in cigarette smoke-induced TNF-α expression has not been determined.

Methods: TTP expression was examined by western blot analysis in murine alveolar macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells challenged without or with cigarette smoke extract (CSE).

Echocardiographic Follow-up of Robotic Mitral Valve Repair for Mitral Regurgitation due to Degenerative Disease.

Background: Mitral valve (MV) repair can now be carried out through small incisions with the use of robotic assistance. Previous reports have demonstrated the excellent clinical result of robotic MV repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). However, there has been limited information regarding the echocardiographic follow-up of these patients.

Obesity and novel cardiovascular markers in a population without diabetes and cardiovascular disease in China.

Objective: To investigate associations of novel cardiovascular markers with obesity in a general population.

Methods: A total of 9361 individuals without diabetes or cardiovascular disease were studied between 2009 and 2012 in China. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), pulse pressure, and central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) were assessed according to body mass index (BMI) levels and different BMI/metabolic syndrome (MetS) combinations.

[Surgical ventricular restoration versus isolated coronary artery bypass grafting for left ventricular aneurysm: comparison of mid- to long-term outcomes].

Objective: To compare the mid- to long-term outcomes of patients receiving isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) versus surgical ventricular restoration (SVR) plus CABG for left ventricular aneurysms.

Methods: The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed in 205 patients with left ventricular aneurysms admitted to our hospital between January, 1997 and December, 2012, including 115 patients receiving SVR plus CABG and 90 undergoing isolated CABG. By matching preoperative echocardiographic parameters including aneurysm size, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI) and EuroSCORE risk factors, 32 patients receiving SVR plus CABG and another 32 with isolated CABG were enrolled in this study.

[Different approaches to revascularization for complex coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction: analysis of perioperative outcomes].

Objective: To compare the perioperative outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for treatment of complex coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Methdos: The clinical data of 966 patients admitted to our hospital from January 2003 to December 2013 with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction ≤50%) were retrospectively reviewed. Among the patients, 386 underwent CABG and 580 received PCI.

Establishment of a chronic left ventricular aneurysm model in rabbit.

Objectives: To establish a cost-effective and reproducible procedure for induction of chronic left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) in rabbits.

Methods: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was induced in 35 rabbits via concomitant ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and the circumflex (Cx) branch at the middle portion. Development of AMI was confirmed by ST segment elevation and akinesis of the occluded area.

[Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in robotic perimembranous ventricular septal defect repair].

Objective: To explore the role of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in robotic perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted with intraoperative TEE data of 18 consecutive patients who underwent robotic perimembranous VSD repair from January 2009 to August 2012. (1) Before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), TEE was performed to document the anatomic types, numbers, and the size of VSD.