Factors affecting pre- and post-stenting computed tomography perfusion in patients with middle cerebral artery stenosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting pre- and post-stenting head computed tomography perfusion (CTP) in patients with middle cerebral artery stenosis. A total of 25 patients with severe middle cerebral artery stenosis were enrolled. CTP was performed prior to and following stenting.

Association between paraoxonase gene and stroke in the Han Chinese population.

Background: The human paraoxonase (PON) gene family has three isoforms: PON1, PON2 and PON3. These genes are implicated as potential risk factors of cerebrovascular disease and can prevent oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins and atherosclerosis. This study evaluated the association between the genetic variants of all three PON genes and the risks of total stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke in the Han Chinese population.

The efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab and daclizumab versus antithymocyte globulin during organ transplantation: a meta-analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab, antithymocyte globulin (ATG), and daclizumab for induction therapy in organ transplantation.

Methods: We searched PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases to identify randomized controlled trials that compared alemtzumab, ATG, and daclizumab for induction therapy in kidney as well as pancreas transplantation. According to the inclusion criteria, the collected data included general characteristics of the studies and their major outcomes.

Circulating MicroRNAs as potential risk biomarkers for hematoma enlargement after intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: MicroRNAs have recently been shown to regulate the downstream bioprocesses of intracerebral hemorrhage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miRNAs can be used as biomarkers to predict secondary hematoma enlargement (HE) in patients with ICH.

Methods: Consecutively, 79 ICH patients admitted within 6 h of symptom onset and 30 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study.

Incidence of and risk factors for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia in kidney transplant recipients: a cohort study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of immunosuppressants on the incidence of and risk factors for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in relative-donor kidney transplant recipients.

Material And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to determine the incidence of symptomatic BPH in kidney transplant recipients according to standard diagnostic criteria, the expression levels of keratinocyte growth factor, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and serum testosterone, and the CD4/CD8 ratio in T lymphocytes. Results.

The stigma of people with epilepsy is demonstrated at the internalized, interpersonal and institutional levels in a specific sociocultural context: findings from an ethnographic study in rural China.

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disease. One of its characteristics is that it can bring severe stigma for patients. At the same time as controlling the epileptic seizures, taking appropriate measures to reduce the stigma of epilepsy is an important aspect of any comprehensive intervention strategy.

Relationships between hemorrhage, angioarchitectural factors and collagen of arteriovenous malformations.

Objective: While associations between the angioarchitecture of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the brain and pathological features have been described, here we investigated the relationship between the angioarchitecture, the pathological features of the vessel wall, and hemorrhagic events.

Methods: The study was conducted on 43 patients: 16 with ruptured AVM (rAVM), 15 with non-ruptured AVM (nrAVM), 6 with craniocerebral trauma (control) and 6 with epilepsy (control). The diagnosis of AVM was confirmed by preoperative digital subtraction angiography.

A meta-analysis of bevacizumab alone and in combination with irinotecan in the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Combining bevacizumab with irinotecan is a new chemotherapy regimen for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Recent phase II trials suggest that this combined chemotherapy is beneficial to patients, but the subsequent adverse events may lead to treatment discontinuation. No comparison has yet demonstrated conclusively that the combined chemotherapy is more beneficial than single-agent chemotherapy.

A study of the imbalance in B cell-expressed nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1-induced ADP degradation in graft injury during acute antibody-mediated rejection.

Objective: To study the effects and mechanisms of the imbalance in B cell-expressed nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 1 (NTPDase 1)-induced ADP degradation on graft injury during acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR).

Methods: The acute AMR animal model was established in male NTPDase 1-wild-type Balb/c nude mice. The levels of NTPDase 1 in B cells and NTPDase1 mRNA in grafted skin, changes in platelet activation markers and average platelet velocities were determined by luciferin/luciferase enzymatic, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, flow cytometry and inverted microscope.

Serum amyloid A: A new potential serum marker correlated with the stage of breast cancer.

Previous studies reported that serum amyloid A (SAA) is elevated in patients with tumors, including breast cancer, compared to healthy controls. In addition, the levels of SAA increase gradually with tumor progression. In this study, we investigated the blood SAA level of breast cancer patients, and evaluated its potential as a serum biomarker for the early diagnosis of breast cancer and as a staging estimate.

Impact of depression, fatigue and disability on quality of life in Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis.

The aim of this work is to investigate and analyze the main factors that influence the quality of life (QOL) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The QOL (multiple sclerosis impact scale), disability (expanded disability status scale), fatigue (modified fatigue impact scale) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory) were assessed in 100 MS patients. Correlation analysis shows that QOL is positively correlated with disability status, fatigue and depression, i.

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein and β-glycerophosphate synergistically induce endothelial progenitor cell ossification.

Aim: To investigate the ability of ox-LDL to induce ossification of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vitro and explored whether oxidative stress, especially hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), participate in the ossific process.

Methods: Rat bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (BMEPCs) were cultured in endothelial growth medium supplemented with VEGF (40 ng/mL) and bFGF (10 ng/mL). The cells were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL, 5 μg/mL) and/or β-glycerophosphate (β-GP, 10 mmol/L).

Aspirin treatment increases the risk of cerebral microbleeds.

Background: The objective of the study was to determine the frequency of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) by using phasesensitive imaging in patients with previous transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke who were receiving aspirin treatment.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 300 outpatients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease: 150 had been receiving aspirin treatment for >1 year (patients), and 150 controls had not previously received aspirin. Cerebral microbleeds were defined by a trained observer (blinded to clinical details) according to results of T2-weighted, T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and phase-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Comparative proteome analysis of Helicobacter pylori clinical strains by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Objective: To investigate the pathogenic properties of Helicobacter pylori by comparing the proteome map of H. pylori clinical strains.

Methods: Two wild-type H.

VP22 enhances the expression of glucocerebrosidase in human Gaucher II fibroblast cells mediated by lentiviral vectors.

Gaucher disease is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder resulting in a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase (GC). Imiglucerase, a recombinant form of GC, has been successfully used in the treatment of Gaucher disease and has been shown to be a good potential candidate for gene therapy. However, its low transduction efficiency and short duration of expression have limited it as a gene therapy strategy.

Multiple intraoperative monitoring-assisted microneurosurgical treatment for anterior circulation cerebral aneurysm.

This study investigated the efficacy of multiple intraoperative monitoring techniques including indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and motor evoked potential (MEP) in the clinical outcome of microneurosurgical treatment for anterior circulation cerebral aneurysm. Fifty-two anterior circulation cerebral aneurysms (Hunt and Hess [H&H] grades 0, 1 or 2) from 45 Chinese in-patients were completely clipped. In one patient, ICGA directed neurosurgeons to readjust aneurysmal clips in order to eliminate a residual aneurysm and restore patency of a branching artery.

Glioma stem cells targeted by oncolytic virus carrying endostatin-angiostatin fusion gene and the expression of its exogenous gene in vitro.

The development of the cancer stem cell (CSCs) niche theory has provided a new target for the treatment of gliomas. Gene therapy using oncolytic viral vectors has shown great potential for the therapeutic targeting of CSCs. To explore whether a viral vector carrying an exogenous Endo-Angio fusion gene (VAE) can infect and kill glioma stem cells (GSCs), as well as inhibit their vascular niche in vitro, we have collected surgical specimens of human high-grade glioma (world health organization, WHO Classes III-VI) from which we isolated and cultured GSCs under conditions originally designed for the selective expansion of neural stem cells.

Preliminary study on changes in coagulation function and component transfusion time in patients with massive hemorrhage.

Introduction: To investigate the changes in coagulation function and component transfusion time in patients with massive hemorrhage.

Methods: Sixty-two patients with massive hemorrhage were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected from each patient when the blood loss reached 1000, 1500, 1700 and 2000 ml.

[Effects of electroacupuncture of different acupoint groups on sevoflurane anesthesia in patients undergoing resection of supratentorial tumors].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of different acupoint groups on the sevoflurane anesthetic requirement for resection of supratentorial tumors and the speed of post-operation recovery.

Methods: A total of 120 cases of supratentorial tumor resection patients were randomly and equally allocated into general anesthesia (GA) group, EA-proximal acupoints group (EA-PA group) and EA-distant acupoints group (EA-DA group). The supratentorial tumor patients were anesthetized with sevoflurane for surgery.

[Surgical treatment of giant intracranial arteriovenous malformations].

Objective: To review surgical outcomes in treating intracranial Giant arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). To find out the prognosis factors of surgical treatment.

Methods: We collected 46 consecutive cases of giant AVMs treated at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, reviewed the radiological and Spetzler-Martin grading.

[Effect of oxygen free radicals on bacterial translocation in rats with traumatic brain injury].

Objective: To investigate the effect of oxygen free radicals on intestinal mucosal barrier in traumatic brain injury rats.

Methods: A total of 64 health male Wistar rats were divided randomly into two groups: traumatic brain injury (TBI) (n=32); Control group with sham operation (n=32). Each group was divided into four subgroups at 6, 12, 24 and 48 h post-operation (n=8).

[Effect of electroacupuncture on Sevoflurane anesthesia in patients undergoing resection of supratentorial tumor].

Objective: To observe the supplementary analgesic effect of electroacupuncture and its influence on the maintenance of anesthesia and the speed of recovery of patients undergoing craniotomy.

Methods: Eighty cases of supratentorial tumor resection were randomly divided into group A and group S, 40 cases in each group. All the patients were anesthetized with 2% Sevoflurane.

[Clinical observation on acupuncture combined with nerve block for treatment of lumbar disc herniation].

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with nerve block for treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

Methods: Ninety cases of lumbar disc herniation were randomly divided into three groups: acupuncture combined with nerve block group, acupuncture group and nerve block group, 30 cases in each group. The acupuncture combined with nerve block group was treated with acupuncture combined with nerve block therapy, L2-L5 Jiaji (EX-B 2), Zhibian (BL 54), Huantiao (GB 30), Yanglingquan (GB 34) etc.

[The study of association between spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral amyloid angiopathy].

Objective: To get the general situation of the cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) incidence in spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (SICH) patients receiving surgical treatment in Chinese people.

Methods: During the period May 2008 and March 2009, 105 patients admitted to 30 hospitals throughout China for acute SICH were studied, including 68 male and 37 female mean aged (55 +/- 13). The patients were suffered from SICH proved by computed tomography scan (CT).