Replacing permuted block design with big stick design in stratified randomization.

The PBD (Permuted Block Design) is the most widely used randomization method in clinical trials due to its comparatively simplicity. However, greater selection bias may appear, especially in open-labeled trials, because the PBD requires absolute balance at the end of each block . The BSD(Big Stick Design) method is one of the MTI(Maximum Tolerated Imbalance) procedures, which can make the allocation process more unpredictable while maintaining the advantages the PBD.

The role of the maximal first derivative of the radial pulse wave (Rad dP/dtmax) in monitoring cardiac function.

Background: This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of the maximal first derivative of the radial pulse wave (Rad dP/dtmax) in monitoring cardiac function with different perioperative patients by researching the relationship between Rad dP/dtmax and cardiac output (CO).

Methods: Patients with non-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and open liver tumor resection (OLTR) were enrolled in this study (n=10). CO was measured using the thermodilution Swan-Ganz catheter method and Rad dP/dtmax was acquired by the analysis of patients' left radial artery pressure waveform through the PowerLab data acquisition device.

Locus coeruleus-CA1 projections are involved in chronic depressive stress-induced hippocampal vulnerability to transient global ischaemia.

Depression and transient ischaemic attack represent the common psychological and neurological diseases, respectively, and are tightly associated. However, studies of depression-affected ischaemic attack have been limited to epidemiological evidences, and the neural circuits underlying depression-modulated ischaemic injury remain unknown. Here, we find that chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and chronic footshock stress (CFS) exacerbate CA1 neuron loss and spatial learning/memory impairment after a short transient global ischaemia (TGI) attack in mice.

Sweet Sorghum Originated through Selection of , a Plant-Specific NAC Transcription Factor Gene.

Sorghum () is the fifth most popular crop worldwide and a C model plant. Domesticated sorghum comes in many forms, including sweet cultivars with juicy stems and grain sorghum with dry, pithy stems at maturity. The locus, which controls the pithy/juicy stem trait, was discovered over a century ago.

Cdk5 suppression blocks SIRT1 degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in Parkinson's disease models.

The NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a member of the sirtuin family, may have a neuroprotective effect in multiple neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Many studies have suggested that overexpression-induced or resveratrol-treated activation of SIRT1 could significantly ameliorate several neurodegenerative diseases in mouse models. However, the type of SIRT1, protein expression levels and underlying mechanisms remain unclear, especially in PD.

CDK5-mediated phosphorylation of Sirt2 contributes to depressive-like behavior induced by social defeat stress.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common, severe and recurrent psychiatric disorder worldwide; however, the underlying neuropathological mechanisms remain elusive. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) appear to play an essential role in depression. As the class III HDACs, Sirt1 and Sirt2 have attracted the most interest in the nervous system.

CDK5-mediated phosphorylation of XBP1s contributes to its nuclear translocation and activation in MPP-induced Parkinson's disease model.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Growing evidence indicates that endoplasmic reticulum stress is a hallmark of PD; however, its exact contribution to the disease process remains poorly understood. Here, we used molecular biology methods and RNA-Seq analysis to explored an unexpected role of spliced X-Box binding protein 1 (XBP1s) in the nervous system.

Impact of different analgesic depths and abdominal trauma of different severities on stress and recovery of rats undergoing total intravenous anesthesia.

A number of animal models have been developed to examine the pathophysiological consequences of surgical procedures, but anesthetic methods, monitoring, and management measures in these models are very different from those used in humans. This study was designed to create a rat model of abdominal surgery using anesthetic methods and perioperative treatment similar to those used in the clinic and to investigate the effects of different injury severities and depths of anesthesia and analgesia on surgical stress and postoperative recovery. Abdominal skin/muscle incision was compared with exploratory laparotomy in rats under propofol intravenous anesthesia, accompanied by perioperative measures such as oxygen inhalation, fluid infusion, warmth, blood gas analysis, and infection prevention.

[The significance, development and prospects of healthcare data integration in new drug clinical trials].

With the deployment of electronic medical records systems, more and more routine clinical data are recorded electronically, which become a potential data source for new drug clinical trials. In this paper, we summarized the opportunities, challenges, obstacles and the latest development in this field.

A meta-analysis: neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus primary surgery in ovarian carcinoma FIGO stageIII and IV.

Background: The purpose of the current study is to analyze the existing data comparing neoadjuvant chemotherapy with primary debulking surgery (PDS) in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: Patients with stage IIIC and IV ovarian cancer were identified from articles in Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE database (1989 to February 2013). Two authors independently extracted the data.

[Efficacy of modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the treatment of non-obese type 2 diabetes mellitus:one year follow-up].

Objective: To evaluate the one year effect of modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGP) in the treatment of non-obese type 2 diabetes and to investigate the reasonable indications for surgery.

Methods: Totally 72 patients diagnosed as type 2 diabetes underwent RYGP from May 2009 to June 2010. There were 45 male and 27 female patients, with an average age of (47 ± 10) years.

[Effect of intravenous lornoxicam at different doses on the immune function in patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy].

Objective: To investigate the effect of intravenous lornoxicam (LOR) at different doses given preoperatively on the immune function of patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH).

Methods: Forty-five patients undergoing TAH were randomly divided into 3 groups, namely NS group, L8 group and L16 group with intravenous injection of 4 ml saline, 8 mg LOR, and 16 mg LOR before the induction of anesthesia respectively. Venous blood samples were taken before anesthesia (T0), at 30 min during the operation (T1), at the end of the operation (T2), and at 24 h and 48 h after the operation (T3 and T4, respectively) to determine the serum levels of regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha (SDF-1alpha) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Implementation and experience of a web-based allocation system with Pocock and Simon's minimization methods.

Minimization is a type of dynamic randomization method that is recommended for use in clinical trials. However, partly due to its organizational complexity in implementation, the utilization of minimization is seldom reported. We developed a centralized random allocation system named "MagMin" using Pocock and Simon's minimization methods, which has been in use since 2006.

[Effect of controlled hypotension with different drugs combined with acute hypervolemic hemodilution on bleeding volume and gastrointestinal perfusion in nasal endoscopic surgery].

Objective: To investigate the effect of controlled hypotension using different drugs on gastrointestinal perfusion and bleeding volume in nasal endoscopic surgery.

Methods: Thirty ASA class I or II patients scheduled for nasal endoscopic surgery were randomized into three groups, including a routine general anesthesia group (group A) and two controlled hypotension groups (groups B and C). After anesthesia induction, anesthesia was maintained with 1%-2% isoflurane and vecuronium.

[Effect of different tidal volume ventilations on atelectasis in patients during general anesthesia by CT scan].

Objective: To investigate the effect of different tidal volume ventilations on the amount of atelectasis during general anesthesia.

Methods: Twenty adults, ASA physical status I and status II patients, who were scheduled for elective excision of intracranial lesion were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group TV (traditional tidal volume ventilation, 10 mL/kg) and Group LV (low tidal volume ventilation, 6 mL/kg). Atelectasis, as determined by CT and artery blood gas (ABG) analysis, was measured before the anesthesia, after the tracheal intubation, and at the end of the operation, respectively.

[Effect of mechanical ventilation with different tidal volumes on the respiratory function during general anesthesia].

Objective: To determine the effect of mechanical ventilation with different tidal volumes on the respiratory function during general anesthesia and to seek optimum way and parameters of mechanical ventilation during general anesthesia.

Methods: Forty ASA I-II patients scheduled for elective craniotomies in the supine position were included in this study. According to latin square design, the patients were randomly divided into 4 groups.

[Epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine by computerized infusion pump].

Objective: To explore the feasibility of epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine by computerized infusion pump.

Methods: Sixty patients scheduled for obstetric operation were divided into a continuous pump infusion group (Group A, n=30) and a conventional injection group (Group B, n=30). The initial doses of 0.

[Influences of perioperative metoprolol on hemodynamics and myocardial ischaemia in elderly patients undergoing noncardiac surgery].

Objective: To observe the influences of metoprolol on hemodynamics and myocardial ischaemia in elderly patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Methods: Thrity patients (60 approximately 75 years) undergoing elective noncardiac surgery were randomly divided into a metoprolol group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). In the metoprolol group, metoprolol (0.