Improved leg wound healing with endoscopic saphenous vein harvest in coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a prospective randomized study in Asian population.

Objective: Conventional open saphenous vein harvest (OVH) for coronary artery bypass graft surgery is often associated with significant pain and morbidity. This study aims to determine whether endoscopic saphenous vein harvest (EVH) reduces leg wound morbidity and improves patient satisfaction as compared to OVH in Asian population.

Methods: Between March 2005 and June 2006, 120 patients who underwent isolated CABG were prospectively randomized into EVH (n = 60) and OVH (n = 60) groups.

[Effects of acupuncture combined with medicine on expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in the rat of endometriosis].

Objective: To probe into an effective method for treatment of endometriosis (EMs) and the mechanism.

Methods: Rat EMs model was established and they were randomly divided into a model group, an acup-moxibustion group, a TCM group, an acupuncture and medicine group, with a control group set. The acup-moxibustion group were treated with electroacupuncture at "Xuehai (SP 10)", "Sanyinjiao (SP 6)" and moxibustion at "Guanyuan (CV 4)"; the TCM group were treated with stomach perfusion of modified Mojie Tablet in normal saline; the acupuncture and medicine group were treated with the above two methods; both the control group and the model group were bound and treated with stomach perfusion of saline.

Clinicopathologic significance of mitotic arrest defective protein 2 overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Mitotic arrest defective protein 2 (MAD2) gene plays a central role in the mitotic checkpoint. Elevated MAD2 expression was observed in a number of human malignancies; its role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma is still not understood and is controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic significance of MAD2 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Micro-Raman spectra for gastritis and gastric ulcer tissues].

Micro-Raman spectroscopy was employed to identify gastritis tissues and gastric ulcer tissues. The primary spectral differences between the two types of samples include, for gastric ulcer tissues, (1) the intensity of the peak at 781 cm(-1) ascribed to cytosine decreases, while the peaks ascribed to adenine and thymine respectively at 793 and 823 cm(-1) become stronger; (2) the bands of amide I and amide III at 1654 and 1320-1270 cm(-1) respectively, characteristic of alpha-helix structural protein, lose their intensities, and the tryptophan band at 1332 cm(-1) and phenylalanine band at 1003 cm(-1) reduced significantly, while the tryptophan marker at 1554 cm(-1) up shiftes to 1556 cm(-1) with increasing intensity; (3) a blue shift of 1073 cm(-1) line, the characteristic Raman band of lipid, and a reduction in the ratio of 1303 cm(-1) assigned to in-phase CH2 twisting motion to 1268 cm(-1) from =CH in-plane deformation were observed; (4) statistic analysis shows that the ratio of Raman intensities at bands 1449 cm(-1) originating from CH2 group to 1660 cm(-1) from amide I provides a promising standard to distinguish the two tissues.

Pneumatic pump reduces leg wound complications in cardiac patients.

Leg wound complications at the site of vein harvest for coronary artery bypass graft, although infrequent, cause significant morbidity. Pneumatic pressure therapy is valuable in venous and lymphatic diseases, but its usefulness after leg vein harvest has not been determined. A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted on 200 patients, half of whom had sequential pneumatic leg pump therapy postoperatively.

Biatrial pacing to prevent atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass.

Between October 1999 and December 2000, 52 patients (37 male) undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were selected for overdrive biatrial pacing to determine its effectiveness in reducing atrial fibrillation. A pacing wire was attached to the right atrial appendage and another to the roof of the left atrium behind the aorta. The atria were paced continuously in AAI mode at a rate of 90 pulses per minute or 10 pulses above the underlying rate (maximum rate < 140/min) for 3 days.