Relationship between Dining Place, Iodine Source, and Iodine Nutrition in School-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Objective: This study assesses the impact of iodine-rich processed foods and dining places on the iodine nutritional status of children.

Methods: School-aged children (SAC) in seven provinces in China were selected by school-based multi-stage sampling. Urinary iodine, salt iodine, and thyroid volume (TVOL) were determined.

The role of costotransverse radical debridement, fusion and postural drainage in the surgical treatment of multisegmental thoracic spinal tuberculosis: a minimum 5-year follow-up.

Purpose: We present a retrospective study of patients with multilevel contiguous tuberculous spondylitis of thoracic region that underwent single-stage posterolateral debridement and fusion and following posterior instrumentation.

Methods: From June 2000 to March 2009, 870 consecutive spinal tubercular patients including 36 patients who were diagnosed and treated as multilevel contiguous thoracic spinal tuberculosis in our institution. Apart from five patients being treated conservatively, the 31 cases received surgery by single-stage posterolateral debridement, fusion, following posterior instrumentation and postural drainage.

Treatment of pediatric spinal tuberculosis abscess with percutaneous drainage and low-dose local antituberculous therapy: a preliminary report.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of computed tomography (CT) guidance using percutaneous catheter with low-dose drainage local chemotherapy (modified PCD) and antituberculous therapy (ATT) for the treatment of spinal tuberculosis in children.

Methods: Twenty-seven children suffering from spinal tuberculosis were treated with modified PCD and ATT in our institute from 2002 to 2012. We describe our treatment, which involves CT-guided percutaneous puncture and local chemotherapy (continuous low-dose (20 mL) irrigation).

Association of lifetime exposure to fluoride and cognitive functions in Chinese children: a pilot study.

Background: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on developmental fluoride neurotoxicity support the hypothesis that exposure to elevated concentrations of fluoride in water is neurotoxic during development.

Methods: We carried out a pilot study of 51 first-grade children in southern Sichuan, China, using the fluoride concentration in morning urine after an exposure-free night; fluoride in well-water source; and dental fluorosis status as indices of past fluoride exposure. We administered a battery of age-appropriate, relatively culture-independent tests that reflect different functional domains: the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-IV) digit span and block design; finger tapping and grooved pegboard.

Detection of human bocavirus in children with acute respiratory tract infections in Lanzhou and Nanjing, China.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalent characteristics of HBoV1 and its co-infection.

Methods: PCR was used to detect HBoV1-DNA (HBoV1) and other viruses. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to explore possibility of co-detected for related viruses.

The use of posterior vertebral column resection in the management of severe posttuberculous kyphosis: a retrospective study and literature review.

Purpose: We present a retrospective study of 15 cases with severe posttuberculous kyphosis of thoracolumbar region that underwent posterior vertebral column resection.

Methods: From 2004 to 2009, 15 consecutive patients with posttubercular kyphotic deformity underwent posterior vertebral resection osteotomy. Six subjects were females and nine were males with an average age of 35.

Reduction of prostate intrafractional motion from shortening the treatment time.

This study aims to quantify the reduction of the intrafractional motion when the prostate intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment time is shortened. Prostate intrafractional motion data recorded by the Calypso system for 105 patients was analyzed. Statistical distributions of the prostate displacements for the regular IMRT treatment and the first 1, 2, 3 and 5 min of the treatment were calculated and used for treatment margin estimation for all the selected patients.

The prevalence and risk factors of OAB in middle-aged and old people in China.

Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of associated risk factors of over active bladder (OAB) in people ≥40 years old in mainland of China.

Methods: A randomized community-based, cross-sectional study was performed on 10,160 residents (≥40 years old) in the mainland of China using a questionnaire. The overactive bladder symptom score (OABSS) was filled upon site.

Surgical management for thoracic spinal tuberculosis in the elderly: posterior only versus combined posterior and anterior approaches.

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of surgical management by posterior only and combined posterior and anterior approaches for thoracic spinal tuberculosis in the elderly.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Thirty-six cases of thoracic spinal tuberculosis treated by two different surgical procedures in our center from January 2004 to June 2009 were studied.

Two-stage surgical management using posterior instrumentation, anterior debridement and allografting for tuberculosis of the lower lumbar spine in children of elementary school age: minimum 3-year follow-up of 14 patients.

Purpose: Various surgical methods have been described for the management of lumbar tuberculous spondylitis in the literature. However, there were few reports on the two-stage surgical treatment of lumbar tuberculosis in children of elementary school age. We present a retrospective clinical study of 14 patients with lumbar and lumbosacral tuberculous spondylitis treated by two-stage surgery (first stage: posterior instrumentation; second stage: anterior debridement and allografting).

Uncertainties in IMRT dosimetry.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate some characteristics of the beam delivery system and their effects on the dose distribution of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and the results of patient-specific IMRT quality assurance (QA). These characteristics include the accelerator source distribution and multileaf collimator (MLC) geometry.

Methods: Monte Carlo dose calculations based on intensity maps that were built from the actual deliverable IMRT leaf sequences with and without considering the characteristics of the beam delivery system were performed in this study using in-house Monte Carlo software.

Gains from real-time tracking of prostate motion during external beam radiation therapy.

Purpose: To study the gains from real-time tracking of prostate motion and threshold-based intervention and the feasibility of margin reduction for external beam radiation therapy of prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Prostate intrafractional motion data from 775 randomly selected treatment fractions (105 prostate patients) were analyzed. Statistical distributions of prostate intrafractional displacement from baseline were used for treatment margin calculation together with other geometrical uncertainties for all patients and a subset of 7 patient who exhibited the largest intrafractional motion.

[Interspecies nuclear transfer using nonquiescent somatic cell].

It is the point at issue in intraspecies nuclear transfer whether quiescence is necessary for development of nuclear transfer reconstructed embryos. In the interspecies nuclear transfer, some reports have proved that quiescent cell is able to support preimplantation development of the interspecies reconstructed embryos. Are non-quiescent cells able to support preimplantation development of the interspecies reconstructed embryos? We used non-quiescent somatic cells from C57BL/6 mice and giant pandas as donors to transfer into enucleated rabbit oocytes.

Embryonic stem cells generated by nuclear transfer of human somatic nuclei into rabbit oocytes.

To solve the problem of immune incompatibility, nuclear transplantation has been envisaged as a means to produce cells or tissues for human autologous transplantation. Here we have derived embryonic stem cells by the transfer of human somatic nuclei into rabbit oocytes. The number of blastocysts that developed from the fused nuclear transfer was comparable among nuclear donors at ages of 5, 42, 52 and 60 years, and nuclear transfer (NT) embryonic stem cells (ntES cells) were subsequently derived from each of the four age groups.