The Impact of Directly Observed Therapy on Preventive Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Students in Dalian, China

Preventive treatment has an essential effect on latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)[purified protein derivative(PPD)induration≥15 mm].Between2010 and 2013,there were 6 tuberculosis(TB)outbreaks in the universities in Dalian,China.So far,in Dalian,the directly observed therapy(DOT)and

The effects of intravesical therapy with elemene in preventing postoperative recurrence of bladder cancer

To investigate the effects of intravesical therapy with elemene in preventing postoperative recurrence of superficial bladder cancer and its toxic and side effects.Methods This series included 123 patients with superficial bladder cancer (T1),consisting of transitional cell carcinoma GⅠ in 37 cases,GⅡ in 73 and GⅢ in 13.They all underwent surgical treatment.Postoperatively,they were randomly assigned to 2 groups;63 patients in elemene group received instillation of elemene (400 mg,once a week) 2 weeks after operation and 60 patients in mitomycin C (MMC) group received instillation of MMC (40 mg,once a week) 2 weeks after operation.The instillations were repeated for 6 weeks and thereafter monthly for 1 year.The recurrence rates,side effects,and NK cell activity before and after treatment were evaluated.Results The recurrence rate of elemene group (mean follow-up of 19.7 months) was 7.9% (5 cases),which was significantly lower than that (25.0%,15 cases) of MMC group (mean follow-up of 19.4 months;P<0.05).The side effect in elemene group (3.2%,2 cases) was significantly milder than that in MMC group (25.0%,15 cases)(P<0.05).In elemene group,the NK cell activity after treatment (28±2)% was significantly higher than that before treatment(20±2)%(P<0.05).Conclusion Instillation of elemene after operation is effective and safe in preventing postoperative recurrence of bladder cancer.8 refs.

Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: A Translational Clinical Challenge

Introduction: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a dysmetabolic medical condition resulting in the #1 cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) CT non-invasively identifies atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals. This translational study tested the hypothesis that clinically overtcardiovascular disease can be prevented in asymptomatic individuals in a medical clinic. Methods: Two hundred and six asymptomatic adults requested a CAC scan to identify subclinical heart disease. Individuals with a positive CAC score > 1 (n = 125) were prescribed targeted medical therapy to reverse their atherosclerosis. The goal was to achieve an LDL Cholesterol (LDL-C) ≤ 60 mg/dl. One hundred and ten individuals reached this goal (67 male, 43 female) receiving 10 mg/d of rosuvastatin and 10 mg/d of ezetimibe plus a low cholesterol diet. Other fifteen individuals with positive CAC scores did not achieve this LDL-C goal. Results: In the group following medical therapy and achieving an LDL-C ≤ 60 mg/dl, no cardiovascular events were observed during a maximum observation period of 5 years (mean observation time = 3.6 years). Based on previously published CVD outcome data in individuals with similar CAC scores, 12.6 cardiovascular events were expected. Two of fifteen individuals with positive CAC scores not following medical therapy had a cardiovascular event. None of the 81 individuals with a zero score had a cardiovascular event during follow-up. No adverse effects of therapy occurred. Conclusion: In a medical clinic, adult population with positive CAC scores and an LDL-C ≤ 60 mg/dl, targeted medical therapy prevented overt cardiovascular disease. These results should encourage other physicians to aggressively treat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in their clinic populations.

Preventing Heart Disease via Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring to Make a Definitive Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis

Purpose: Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the Western world. The purpose of this manuscript is to compare the benefits and deficiencies of coronary artery calcium scanning versus computer generated risk equations in identifying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. These two approaches provide significantly different cardiovascular risk assessments and often lead to therapeutic differences in recommendations from the physician to the patient. Methods: Pertinent medical literature is reviewed concerning both risk assessment approaches (i.e., coronary artery scanning and computer generated risk equations). The strengths and weaknesses of both approaches are discussed, and recommendations are provided based upon available data. Results: Cardiovascular risk equations are simple and readily obtained at no charge by physicians. However, their drawbacks are several, including non-applicability to specific populations, disagreements among different cardiovascular society risk equations, wide ranges of risk outputs (e.g., intermediate 10-year risk is between 5% and 20%), inability to definitively identify coronary artery plaques, and lack of definitive anatomical coronary disease. Alternatively, coronary artery calcium scanning costs approximately $100/scan (if not covered by insurance), requires time and effort by the patient, and exposes the patient to a minimal amount of radiation. However, coronary calcium scanning identifies specific atherosclerotic coronary disease and provides additional information about the anatomical location (i.e., coronary artery) of the atherosclerotic plaque. Conclusion: Based on the published literature, coronary artery calcium scanning is the preferred approach for identifying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although there are minor drawbacks, overall it provides superior clinical information compared with computer generated risk equations.

Prevention and therapy of hepatitis B

To review the achievements of the prevention and therapy of hepatitis B (HB) in China during the thirty years after the discovery of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1967 Data source Data come from an English language literature search using MEDLINE 1966-1999, especially 1982-1999, and Chinese language literature, published and unpublished, from the Chinese Health Administration Study selection After reviewing of the literature we select 14 articles to address our statement Data extraction Two observers independently evaluated the quality of the data materials obtaining from these articles Results Investigation of HBV vaccine development in China was almost simultaneously with the same kind of work in the international At least 200 million people have accepted the vaccination of HBV vaccine The vaccination of the HBV vaccine in China has decreased the prevalence of HBV infection no matter in urban cities or in rural area The protection against HBV infection can be maintained at least for 9-11 years Conclusions Vaccination of HBV vaccine in China is successful and has obtained great achievements in the prevention and therapy of HB

A dual-targeted multifunctional nanoformulation for potential prevention and therapy of Alzheimer’s disease

Antioxidation and adjustable treatment strategies are critical for the effective treatment of Alzheimer’s disease(AD).Here,we design a dual-targeted Prussian blue nanoformulation(PTCN)that can cross the blood-brain barrier and target amyloid beta aggregates further exert antioxidant effects.An adjustable gradient dosing strategy with PTCN is used for the first time to design the preventive and therapeutic trials based on the severity of oxidative stress at different AD stages.The results show that PTCN could effectively ameliorate AD-related pathological processes,improve the cognitive decline,and rescue hippocampal atrophy of APP/PS1 mice in both preventive and therapeutic trials.Altogether,PTCN provided here is a successful combination of three traditional biomaterials with good biosafety,which has broad prospects for the early prevention,mild remission,and late treatment of AD,and is expected to be developed into personalized therapeutic drugs and healthcare products for clinical AD in the future.