Staphylococcal endarteritis in a renal arteriovenous fistula following nephrectomy.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
K Wang
Publications and source records attributed to K Wang.
[Increasing the availability of nicotinic acid in maize].
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Nicotinic Acids↗
A description of outpatient drug use in rural China: evidence of differences due to insurance coverage.
This paper describes the effects of health financing systems (insurance) on outpatient drug use in rural China. 1320 outpatients were interviewed (exit interview) in the randomly selected county, township and village health care facilities in five counties in three provinces of central China. The interview was face to face. Questions were asked by a trained interviewer and were answered by patient him/herself. The main finding was that health insurance appeared to influence drug use in outpatient services. The average number of drugs per visit was 2.56 and drug expenditures per visit was 16.9 yuan. Between insured and uninsured (out-of-pocket) groups, there were significant differences in the number of drugs and drug expenditures per visit. The insured had a lower number of drugs and a higher drug expenditure per visit than the uninsured, implying the use of more expensive drugs per visit than the uninsured. There were also significant differences in the number of drugs and drug expenditures per visit between the types of insurance. One third of the drugs were anti-infectives, most of which were penicillin, gentamycin, and sulfonamides. The results imply that uninsured patients do not receive the same care as the insured do even if they have the same needs. The fee-for-service financing for hospitals and health insurance have changed health providers' and consumers' behaviour and resulted in the increase of medical expenditure.
China↗
Gel electrophoresis of giant proteins: solubilization and silver-staining of titin and nebulin from single muscle fiber segments.
Giant proteins in the megadalton range (> 0.5 MDa) appear to play important structural and functional roles in striated muscle. Titin (approximately 3 MDa) is involved in the generation of resting tension and the assembly and stability of the sarcomere in skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues, while nebulin (approximately 0.7 MDa) is thought to regulate thin filament length in skeletal muscle. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-gel electrophoresis is an important tool in revealing the size, quantity and integrity of these giant proteins in muscle tissues. We report here a method for solubilizing, detecting and quantifying titin and nebulin from short segments of single fibers of the rabbit psoas muscle. Muscle proteins ranging from 15 kDa to 3 MDa were resolved on 3.3-12% gradient polyacrylamide gels that were silver-stained and quantitated by densitometry. Presoaking fiber segments in a low ionic strength pH 8.4 buffer enhances the amount of solubilized titin and nebulin. Solubilizing the presoaked fiber segments with SDS at 60 degrees C for 60 s maximizes the amount of intact titin; solubilizing at higher temperatures causes extensive degradation of titin. Detection sensitivity is sufficient to study titin and nebulin in fiber segments as short as 120 microns.
Animals↗
Comparison of self-expanding polyethylene terephthalate and metallic stents implanted in porcine iliac arteries.
PURPOSE: Comparison of the biocompatibility of self-expanding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) stents with self-expanding metallic stents (Wallstents). METHODS: Diameter- and length-matched PET stents and Wallstents were symmetrically implanted in the paired iliac arteries of 13 crossbred domestic swine. Stent deployment was studied angiographically and with intravascular ultrasound immediately after stent implantation. The angiographic stented lumen diameter was measured using quantitative vessel analysis before, immediately after stenting, and at 6-week follow-up. Cross-section histopathology and area morphometry were performed. RESULTS: Immediately poststenting, intravascular ultrasound revealed proximal dislocation of 5 of the 13 PET stents, whereas all metal stents were firmly embedded at the implantation site. At 6-week follow-up, three of the remaining PET stents were totally or subtotally occluded by organized thrombus, whereas all metal stents were patent. Compared with immediately poststenting, the angiographic lumen diameter within the five remaining PET stents was reduced by 30%, and that of the metallic stents was virtually unaltered (p < 0.02). This observation was confirmed by postmortem morphometry, wherein the PET-stented vessel segments a diameter stenosis of 40% was measured vs only 9% in the metallic stents (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: PET-stent deployment is difficult to control due to the lack of radiopacity of this stent. PET stents seem to be more thrombogenic and lead to significantly more neointimal proliferation than metallic stents.
Animals↗
Summer and winter patterns of seasonality in Chinese college students: a replication.
The goal of this study is to replicate an earlier epidemiological finding of seasonal changes in mood and behavior among Chinese medical students using an independent study population. Three hundred nineteen college students were surveyed with a Chinese version of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in Jining, China, during March of 1996. The frequency of seasonal patterns and prevalence rates of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) were estimated and compared with data from the medical student survey conducted in the same city. The mean Global Seasonality Score (GSS) of this college student sample was 9.9 +/- 4.9; 84% of the subjects reported some problems with the changing seasons. Summer difficulties were more prevalent than winter difficulties by a ratio of 1.9 to 1 (38.9% v 20.1%). The estimated rates of summer SAD and subsyndromal-SAD (s-SAD) were 7.5% and 11.9%, respectively, as compared with the corresponding winter figures of 5.6% and 6.3%. In addition, the prevalence estimates of winter pattern or winter SADs were higher in males than in females, but the corresponding summer figures showed no gender difference. Compared with the data from the medical student survey, this college student sample had a higher GSS (P < .01) but comparable summer to winter and female to male ratios for the prevalence of SADs (P > .05). These results replicate our previous findings that seasonal problems are common in China, but the predominant problems are summer difficulties rather than winter difficulties, and there is no female preponderance in the prevalence estimates of such problems. Both findings stand in contrast to most Western studies but are consistent with the only other published study performed in the Orient.
Adult↗
Chinese women: behaviors and attitudes toward breast cancer education and screening.
A study eliciting Chinese Women's Attitudes and behaviors toward breast cancer screening to identify and overcome barriers to providing access to health promotion information.
Adult↗
Membrane skeleton of skeletal muscle.
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Actins↗
The height regulation of a near-field scanning optical microscope probe tip.
A nonoptical detection of the optical fibre tip has been developed. By detecting the output signal from a tiny piezoelectric detector attached to the vibrating fibre tip, the distance between the fibre tip and the sample has been successfully controlled. The frequency responses of the system composed of tip, the dither and the detector have been studied. The difference between the shear-force detection and the tapping-mode detection is discussed. It is found that the shear force exerted on the tip reduces the vibration amplitude with an unvaried resonance frequency. However, in the tapping mode, the resonance frequency varies with the tip-sample distance as the force is exerted on the fibre tip only within a half period. This requires better adjustments for the tapping-mode detection.
Journal Article↗
A preliminary report on transplantation of microskin autografts overlaid with sheet allograft in the treatment of large burns.
The technique of transplantation of autologous microskin grafts (MG) with overlays of split-thickness skin allografts was used in the treatment of nine extensively burned patients. Preparation of MG includes: 1) mincing small pieces of split-thickness skin autografts into skin particles (SPs); 2) dispersing the SPs evenly on a piece of silk cloth; 3) transferring SPs to the dermal surface of an allograft sheet (20/1000 in.); 4) transplanting the allograft with SPs to the excised wound. The mean burn area (total/3 degrees, mean +/- SEM) of this group was 74.9 +/- 16.6/62.1 +/- 18.1% TBSA (range 40 to 94/28 to 90%). The mean age was 27 years (range 19 to 38). Early staged excisions followed immediately by MG applications were performed on 35 large body sites, including extremities, chests plus abdomens and backs. The mean area excised and grafted with MG was 41.7 +/- 11.0% TBSA (range 26 to 62%). The average time for complete healing was about six to seven weeks postgrafting. Eight patients survived; one died of overwhelming pulmonary infection 22 days postburn. Advantages of this technique are: 1) the great potential of MG to provide a large expansion ratio of 8:1 to 15:1, average greater than 10:1 in this series; 2) good maintenance of the healed graft to withstand trauma except in areas of repeated flexion; 3) ease of preparation and application with less cost compared to cultured epidermal sheet grafts; 4) prevention of infection in extremely large burns by providing continuous epidermal coverage following sheet allograft application.
Adult↗
Bispectral energies within electrocardiograms during ventricular fibrillation are correlated with defibrillation shock outcome.
We investigated whether the degree of phase coupling among orthogonal electrocardiograms during ventricular fibrillation (VF) was correlated with defibrillation shock outcome. We used cross bispectrum to estimate the degree of phase coupling. In dogs, VF was electrically induced and terminated with a defibrillation shock with a 50% probability of success. The defibrillation shock was delivered between the right ventricular apex and a subcutaneous patch electrode. Bispectra were integrated within 8.7-11.7, 8.7-11.7 Hz bandwidths and compared between those trials for which the defibrillation shocks were successful (206 trials, 49%) and unsuccessful (221 trials, 51%) in terminating VF. Results showed that between 200 and 1000 ms before defibrillation shock, unsuccessful trials had greater bispectral energy than successful trials (p<0.05). Although correlations between degree of phase coupling and shock outcome do not indicate causal relationship or predictability, they provide further evidence of the organization during fibrillation. We discuss the nonstationary wavelet hypothesis, previously proposed in the literature by other investigators, as one of the possible mechanisms to explain the correlation between bispectral energy and shock outcome.
Animals↗
Suppression of N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine generation by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine.
OBJECTIVE: Accumulated evidence suggests that N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), which is a dominant antigen of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), is generated in the peritoneal cavity of patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and that this process may be involved in the pathophysiology of the peritoneal injury found with CAPD treatment. Since CML is a sequential product of glycation and oxidation processes, CML generation could be suppressed by antioxidants. The aim of this in vitro study was to clarify the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, on CML generation from proteins under high glucose settings mimicking peritoneal dialysis solutions. DESIGN: Test proteins (bovine serum albumin/type I collagen) were incubated continuously for 16 weeks in glucose solutions (200 mmol/L) with or without NAC (2 mmol/L), and the generation time courses (8 and 16 weeks) of CML and furosine (the biomarker of the glycation products of the early Maillard reaction) were determined. RESULTS: In both proteins, furosine and CML were progressively generated in accordance with the duration of the incubation period. No apparent differences were found between solutions with and without NAC in furosine levels at the 8th and 16th weeks. However, the generation of CML was lower in the solution with NAC throughout the test periods. CONCLUSION: The results showed that NAC could suppress the generation of CML. This indicates the therapeutic potential of antioxidants for the glycoxidative stress-related peritoneal injury occurring during CAPD.
Acetylcysteine↗
Octreotide for arrest of peptic ulcer hemorrhage--a prospective, randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: A prospective, randomized controlled trial was performed over a 10-month period to evaluate the hemostatic effects of octreotide and ranitidine in 84 patients with active peptic ulcer bleeding or nonbleeding visible vessels at the ulcer bases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-two patients received octreotide 100 mcg bolus intravenously followed by 25 mcg/h intravenously for 1.4 +/- 0.6 days (mean +/- SD). The other 42 patients received ranitidine 100 mg intravenously every 12 h. The two groups were matched for sex, age, location of bleeders, endoscopic findings, shock, and initial hemoglobin. RESULTS: Hemostasis was obtained in 35 (83.3%) of the octreotide group, and 23 (54.8%) of the control group (p<0.01). Volume of blood transfused, numbers of patients receiving aggressive management (endoscopic hemostasis or operation), and hospital stay were significantly less in the octreotide group as compared with those of the controls (p<0.05, p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). No obvious side effect was found in the octreotide group. CONCLUSION: We suggest that octreotide is a safe and effective drug in arresting peptic ulcer hemorrhage. It may be used as the first-line therapy for a patient with massive peptic ulcer hemorrhage before he is transferred to a medical center.
Anti-Ulcer Agents↗
Can optimal acid suppression prevent rebleeding in peptic ulcer patients with a non-bleeding visible vessel: a preliminary report of a randomized comparative study.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The hypothesis that profound acid suppression might prevent clot lysis and thus benefit patients with a non-bleeding visible vessel has not been confirmed. Omeprazole can suppress gastric acid remarkably and may be beneficial for patients with peptic ulcer bleeding. METHODOLOGY: Fifty-two patients with a non-bleeding visible vessel at the ulcer base were enrolled and randomized into four groups (N = 13 in each group). In the cimetidine group, the patients received cimetidine 300 mg i.v. bolus followed by 300 mg i.v. every 6 hr during hospitalization. In the heater probe thermocoagulation + cimetidine group, the patients received heater probe thermocoagulation and cimetidine 300 mg i.v. bolus followed by 300 mg i.v. every 6 h during hospitalization. In the omeprazole q.d. group, the patients received omeprazole 40 mg i.v. bolus followed by 40 mg i.v. daily for two days. In the omeprazole q 12 h group, the patients received omeprazole 40 mg i.v. bolus followed by 40 mg i.v. every 12 h for two days. A 24 hr intragastric pH was recorded for every case. RESULTS: The mean 24 hr intragastric pH were higher in the omeprazole q.d. (mean 5.8) and the omeprazole q 12 h groups (mean 6.4) than in the cimetidine (mean 4.3) and the heater probe thermocoagulation + cimetidine groups (mean 4.9) (p < 0.05). Rebleeding occurred in 5, 2, 2 and 2 patients in the cimetidine, heater probe thermocoagulation + cimetidine, omeprazole q.d., and omeprazole q 12 h groups, respectively (p > 0.05). Volume of blood transfusion and number of days in hospital were not statistically different among the four groups. CONCLUSIONS: Omeprazole can remarkably suppress gastric acid when it is compared to that of the H2 receptor blocker. Patients with a non-bleeding visible vessel using omeprazole do not exhibit a decrease in the rebleeding rate as compared with those patients using cimetidine.
Anti-Ulcer Agents↗
Blindness and low vision in leprosy patients in Sichuan Province, China.
The acuity of vision of 2145 leprosy patients was examined. Twenty-six patients had bilateral blindness and 80 had diminution of vision bilaterally, according to WHO's standard. The vision disability rate was 4.94%. In addition, 136 patients (6.34%) had blindness or low vision involving one eye. The causes of blindness and low vision were leukoma and corneal ulcer.
Adult↗