Acute associations between air pollution on premature rupture of membranes in Hefei, China.

Numerous studies had focused on the association between air pollution and health outcomes in recent years. However, little evidence is available on associations between air pollutants and premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Therefore, we performed time-series analysis to evaluate the association between PROM and air pollution.

The Preliminary Outcome of Applying a Patient Transportation Management System for Non-Emergency Intra-Hospital Transportation of Patients.

In Taiwan, the safety of intra-hospital patient transportation (IHT) is an important issue of patient safety. However, the effects on the quality of patient transportation and the results of patient safety in applying informatics and communication technology were less discussed. The purpose of this study is aimed to understand the current status of IHT events through the patient transportation management system as a reference for further improving the IHT quality.

Modified Hand-Assisted Retroperitoneoscopic Living Donor Nephrectomy with a Mini-Open Muscle Splitting Gibson Incision.

Background: We aimed to confirm the advantages of a modified hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic living donor nephrectomy (HARPLDN) compared to the performance of standard retroperitoneoscopic living donor nephrectomy (RPLDN).

Methods: One hundred twenty-eight consecutive surgical cases were categorized into 2 groups, one receiving standard RPLDN (group 1) and one receiving modified HARPLDN (group 2). Perioperative factors of both groups were evaluated retrospectively, including donors' demographics, overall operating time, warm ischemia time (WIT), graft vessel length, blood loss, complications, pain visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, hospital stay, and matched recipients' perioperative outcomes.

Effective components of Chinese herbs reduce central nervous system function decline induced by iron overload.

Abnormally increased levels of iron in the brain trigger cascade amplification in Alzheimer's disease patients, resulting in neuronal death. This study investigated whether components extracted from the Chinese herbs epimedium herb, milkvetch root and kudzuvine root could relieve the abnormal expression of iron metabolism-related protein in Alzheimer's disease patients. An APPswe /PS1ΔE9 double transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease was used.

Neuroprotective effect of the active components of three Chinese herbs on brain iron load in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder and the most common cause of dementia. New treatments for AD are required due to its increasing prevalence in aging populations. The present study evaluated the effects of the active components of , and on learning and memory impairment, β-amyloid (Aβ) reduction and brain iron load in an APP/PS1 transgenic mouse model of AD.

Genealogical-based method for multiple ontology self-extension in MeSH.

During the last decade, the advent of Ontologies used for biomedical annotation has had a deep impact on life science. MeSH is a well-known Ontology for the purpose of indexing journal articles in PubMed, improving literature searching on multi-domain topics. Since the explosion of data growth in recent years, there are new terms, concepts that weed through the old and bring forth the new.

[Necessity of prophylactic contralateral nephroureterectomy in the renal transplantation patients with transitional cell carcinoma of unilateral upper urinary tract].

Objective: To discuss the necessity of prophylactic contralateral nephroureterectomy in renal transplantation patients with upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).

Methods: In our study 15 renal transplantation patients with upper urinary tract TCC were involved from Dec.2006 to May 2013.

Factors potentially affecting the function of kidney grafts.

Background: Donor and recipient risk factors on graft function have been well characterized. The contribution of demographic factors, such as age, gender, and other potential factors of donor and recipient at the time of transplantation on the function of a graft is much less well understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of factors such as age, gender, etc.

Trigonal-bipyramidal and square-pyramidal chromium-manganese chalcogenide clusters, [E2CrMn2(CO)n](2-) (E=S, Se, Te; n=9, 10): synthesis, electrochemistry, UV/Vis absorption, and computational studies.

The reactions of E powder (E=S, Se) with a mixture of Cr(CO)6 and Mn2(CO)10 in concentrated solutions of KOH/MeOH produced two new mixed Cr-Mn-carbonyl clusters, [E2CrMn2(CO)9](2-) (E=S, 1; Se, 2). Clusters 1 and 2 were isostructural with one another and each displayed a trigonal-bipyramidal structure, with the CrMn2 triangle axially capped by two μ3-E atoms. The analogous telluride cluster, [Te2CrMn2(CO)9](2-) (3), was obtained from the ring-closure of Te2Mn2 ring complex [Te2Mn2Cr2(CO)18](2-) (4).

[cDNA microarray-based screening of differentially expressed genes in macrophages in the spleen of patients with portal hypertension and hypersplenism].

Objective: To identify the differentially expressed genes associated with hypersplenism in patients with portal hypertension.

Methods: The total RNA were extracted from the macrophages isolated from normal spleen and the spleen of patients with portal hypertension and reversely transcribed to cDNA with the incorporation of fluorescent (cy3 and cy5)-labeled dCTP to prepare the hybridization probes. After hybridization of Biostar-H140s chip containing 14,112 spots of cDNAs with the prepared probes, the gene chip was scanned for fluorescence intensity to screen the differently expressed genes.

[Application of ICP-AES to the chemical speciation of heavy metals in flyash].

Chemical speciation of seven heavy metals of flyashes in incinerator was quantitatively tested using ICP-AES. Results showed that ICP-AES procedure could carry out quick, exact and high precision experiments. RSD ratio for most detected metals was lower than 3% while few metals present a comparatively high RSD when whose content was near the detection limits.

[Microscopic autofluorescence study of cardiac cancer and normal gastric tissues].

Objective: To investigate the microscopic autofluorescent characteristics of cardiac cancer and autofluorescence distribution in different layers of gastric tissues.

Methods: A double-channel laser scanning confocal microscopy with Argon ion laser (excitation wavelength 488 nm) and Helium-Neon laser (excitation wavelength 543 nm) were used to detect the autofluorescence emitted from 16 surgical specimens of cardiac cancer and corresponding normal gastric tissue. The autofluorescence image was analyzed between the cardiac cancer tissue and normal gastric tissue.

[Evaluation of sexual function in men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia].

Objective: To evaluate the degree of sexual dysfunction in an unselected population of men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) accompanied by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and to assess the correlation between sexual dysfunction and urinary symptoms and age.

Methods: A total of 88 men with symptomatic BPH were investigated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), Brief Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI), and the measurement of urinary flow rate, the total prostatic volume and serum testosterone. Regression analysis was used to determine the correlation among the variables.

Epstein-Barr virus in hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

Aim: In recent years, studies have suggested that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with HCC. The present study was to determine the prevalence of EBV in HCC patients, and whether EBV acted synergistically with hepatitis viruses in HCC carcinogenesis.

Methods: Liver tissue 115 HCC patients and 26 non-carcinoma patients were studied.