Evaluation of the impact of passive smoke on arterial elasticity via echo-tracking technology in a rabbit model.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the elasticity of the abdominal aorta in passively smoking rabbits using echo-tracking technology and pathologic examination.

Methods: Fifty-four male New Zealand White rabbits were randomly divided into a passive smoking group and a normal control group. The elasticity indicators for the abdominal aorta of the rabbits were measured by means of echo tracking, which was performed before and 1, 2, and 3 months after passive smoking.

[Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of testicular epidermoid cyst with MRI].

Objective: To investigate the MRI characteristics and differential diagnosis of testicular epidermoid cyst.

Methods: The MRI imaging features of 7 testicular epidermoid cyst cases were retrospectively analyzed and compared with that of testicular seminoma. All cases were examined by contrast-enhanced MRI scans.

Macular measurements using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in Chinese myopic children.

Purpose: To evaluate the macular thickness/volume in Chinese myopic children using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and assess its correlation with spherical equivalent refraction (SER), axial length (AL), sex, and age.

Methods: A total of 194 eyes from 194 children (aged 6-17 years old) with emmetropia (-0.5 diopters [D] < SER ≤ 0.

[Macular thickness in unilateral amblyopia as measured by optical coherence tomography: a meta analysis].

Objective: To offer a clue for the etiology of amblyopia by systematically comparing the macular thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) between the amblyopic eye and the fellow normal eye in patients with unilateral amblyopia.

Methods: Databases including Wanfang, PubMed and others were searched, and data were extracted after quality assessment, then the Meta analysis was performed by the RevMan 5.02 software.

Expression of multidrug resistance proteins in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.

Chemotherapy is commonly used for the treatment of breast cancer. However, the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, often mediated by multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms, is a common occurrence. The present study examined the expression of several MDR-related proteins (MRPs) in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of the breast, and assessed their association with clinicopathological variables and their prognostic significance.

Effects of different antihypertensive drugs on blood pressure variability in patients with ischemic stroke.

Objective: Blood pressure variation is one of the factors that affects the risk of stroke recurrence and prognosis. This study investigates the effects of calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers on blood pressure variability in severe ischemic stroke patients.

Patients And Methods: The clinical data of 24 patients with ischemic stroke in our intensive care unit were analyzed, and received amlodipine or metoprolol for more than 14 days with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Phosphatase and tension homolog overexpression in insulin resistant diabetic adipose tissue.

Objective: To investigate the expression of phosphatase and tension homolog (PTEN) in adipose tissue of KKAy diabetic mice, a mouse model of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: KKAy diabetic mice were fed with high fat diet for 4 weeks. After blood glucose met the criteria of diabetes (over 16.

Inhibition of autophagy via activation of PI3K/Akt pathway contributes to the protection of ginsenoside Rb1 against neuronal death caused by ischemic insults.

Lethal autophagy is a pathway leading to neuronal death caused by transient global ischemia. In this study, we examined the effect of Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) on ischemia/reperfusion-induced autophagic neuronal death and investigated the role of PI3K/Akt. Ischemic neuronal death in vitro was induced by using oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in SH-SY5Y cells, and transient global ischemia was produced by using two vessels occlusion in rats.

[Transnasal endoscopic choanal plasty for repairing congenital choanal atresia].

Objective: To observe the effect of transnasal endoscopic choanal plasty for repairing congenital choanal atresia.

Method: A retrospective analysis of 15 patients with choanal atresia in Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2006 to September 2012 was made. All the 15 patients accepted electronic nasopharyngoscope examination and CT scanning of the paranasl sinus.

A bioelectrical impedance phase angle measuring system for assessment of nutritional status.

Bioelectrical impedance phase angle has been recommended as a tool to assess nutrition state, but there are no measuring devices have been specially designed for hospital residents. In this study, a system was established for the measurement of bioelectrical impedance phase angle. The electrical composition, calculation method and measuring method of this system are presented in this paper.

Genome-wide association study identifies three susceptibility loci for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the Chinese population.

To identify genetic markers for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 993 individuals with LSCC (cases) and 1,995 cancer-free controls from Chinese populations. The most promising variants (association P < 1 × 10(-5)) were then replicated in 3 independent sets including 2,398 cases and 2,804 controls, among which we identified 3 new susceptibility loci at 11q12 (rs174549), 6p21 (rs2857595) and 12q24 (rs10492336). The minor alleles of each of these loci showed protective effects, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.

Application of HTB-SiHa cells transfected with a recombinant plasmid for external quality assessment of Chlamydia trachomatis PCR.

Background: The participation of laboratories in external quality assessment (EQA) programs is required for the quality assurance of nucleic acid amplification of Chlamydia trachomatis. This study aimed to construct a new quality control (QC) material applicated in EQA of C. trachomatis PCR.

Smoking and major depressive disorder in Chinese women.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors that contribute to smoking in female patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the clinical features in depressed smokers.

Methods: We examined the smoking status and clinical features in 6120 Han Chinese women with MDD (DSM-IV) between 30 and 60 years of age across China. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between clinical features of MDD and smoking status and between risk factors for MDD and smoking status.

Genome-wide analysis of multi-ancestry cohorts identifies new loci influencing intraocular pressure and susceptibility to glaucoma.

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is an important risk factor in developing glaucoma, and variability in IOP might herald glaucomatous development or progression. We report the results of a genome-wide association study meta-analysis of 18 population cohorts from the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium (IGGC), comprising 35,296 multi-ancestry participants for IOP. We confirm genetic association of known loci for IOP and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and identify four new IOP-associated loci located on chromosome 3q25.

Ambra1 modulates starvation-induced autophagy through AMPK signaling pathway in cardiomyocytes.

Recent research has revealed a role for Ambra1, an autophagy-related gene-related (ATG) protein, in the autophagic pro-survival response, and Ambra1 has been shown to regulate Beclin1 and Beclin1-dependent autophagy in embryonic stem cells and cancer cells. However, whether Ambra1 plays an important role in the autophagy pathway in cardiomyocytes is unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that Ambra1 is an important regulator of autophagy and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Subtypes of major depression: latent class analysis in depressed Han Chinese women.

Background: Despite substantial research, uncertainty remains about the clinical and etiological heterogeneity of major depression (MD). Can meaningful and valid subtypes be identified and would they be stable cross-culturally?

Method: Symptoms at their lifetime worst depressive episode were assessed at structured psychiatric interview in 6008 women of Han Chinese descent, age ⩾ 30 years, with recurrent DSM-IV MD. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed in Mplus.

Use of antipsychotics in the treatment of depressive disorders.

There is a long history of using antipsychotic medications in the treatment of depressive disorders. Atypical antipsychotics, which have fewer side effects than traditional antipsychotics, have been used as monotherapy or adjunctively with antidepressants to treat depressive disorders with or without psychotic symptoms. The antidepressant effect of atypical antipsychotics involves regulation of monoamine, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), cortisol, and neurotrophic factors.

Obstructive sialadenitis of a transplanted submandibular gland: chronic inflammation secondary to ductal obstruction.

Aims: To determine the pathological basis and clinical features of obstructive sialadenitis in transplanted submandibular glands (SMGs).

Methods: A total of 161 patients (174 eyes) with keratoconjunctivitis sicca underwent microvascular SMG transplantation. Patients were followed up at approximately 1 and 4 months and annually thereafter.

Genome-wide linkage study suggests a susceptibility locus for isolated bilateral microtia on 4p15.32-4p16.2.

Microtia is a congenital deformity where the external ear is underdeveloped. Genetic investigations have identified many susceptibility genes of microtia-related syndromes. However, no causal genes were reported for isolated microtia, the main form of microtia.

The influence of education on Chinese version of Montreal cognitive assessment in detecting amnesic mild cognitive impairment among older people in a Beijing rural community.

To assess the influence of education on the performance of Chinese version of Montreal cognitive assessment (C-MoCA) in relation to the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) in detecting amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) among rural-dwelling older people C-MoCA and MMSE was administered and diagnostic interviews were conducted among community-dwelling elderly in two villages in Beijing. The performance of C-MoCA and MMSE in detecting aMCI was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Effect size of education on variations in C-MoCA scores was estimated with general linear model.

[The high risk factors of allergen sensitization among 518 children with allergic rhinitis symptoms].

Objective: To study the high risk factors of allergen sensitization among 1-16 years old children with allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms.

Methods: Medical history was collected from 518 children with AR symptoms aged 1 to 16 years old between April 2011 and November 2012, including five aspects:basic information, disease characteristics, associated with other allergic diseases, growth and development history and genetic history and so on. The allergens were determined by UniCAP 100 system.

Vortex-assisted magnetic dispersive solid-phase microextraction for rapid screening and recognition of dicofol residues in tea products.

A simple and rapid vortex-assisted magnetic dispersive solid-phase microextraction (VAMDSME) method coupled with gas chromatography-electronic capture detection was developed for rapid screening and selective recognition of dicofol in tea products. The magnetic molecularly imprinted microspheres (mag-MIMs) synthesised by aqueous suspension polymerisation using dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) as a dummy template showed high selectivity and affinity to dicofol in aqueous solution and were successfully applied as special adsorbents of VAMDSME for rapid isolation of dicofol from complex tea matrix. Good linearity was obtained in a range of 0.

The effects of wenxin keli on left ventricular ejection fraction and brain natriuretic Peptide in patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective. To evaluate the beneficial and adverse effects of Wenxin Keli (WXKL), either alone or in combination with Western medicine, on the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the treatment of heart failure (HF). Methods.