Left ventricular regional and global diastolic function assessed using Quantitative Tissue velocity Imaging in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Objectives The study was performed to assess the left ventricular (LV) regional and global diastolic function、left ventricular wall motion features in patients with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by Quantitative Tissue Velocity Imaging (QTVI). Methods 42 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 36 age-matched normal subjects underwent QTVI study. Off-line LV regional muscular tissue velocity Imaging along LV apical long-axis view were obtained. Regional diastolic function was assessed in using peak tissue velocities of LV regional muscular tissue during early diastole (Ve)and LA contraction (Va), Ve/Va ratio, derived from Tissue Velocity Imaging. Global diastolic function was reflected by isovolumic relaxation time(IRT) and mitral valve peak flow velocity ( E/A ) calculated with pulsed wave doppler. The end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness (ⅣSt) was measured by conventional 2 - dimension echocardiography. Results ① Ve、 Va、 Ve/Va in the segments of hypertrophic interventricular septum (IVS) reduced wlhile E/A ratio significantly reduced and IRT markedly prolonged in HCM patients than in normal subjects。 ② Ve、 Ve/Va were significant reduced in the segments of hypertrophic interventricular septum compared with other LV segments in HCM patients . ③ There was a correlation between Ve/Va and E/A in HCM patients with abnormal E/A ratio (r = 0. 70). ④ There was a negative correlation between Ve/Va and ⅣSt in non -obstruction HCM patients (B group , r = -0.61 ) Conclusions QTVI offers a newer method in clinical practice which has a higher sensibility and accuracy in evaluating the LV regional and global diastolic function in HCM patients .

Synthetically quantitative evaluation function of characteristic parameters on CO_2 arc welding process

The statistical probability and their variation regularity of the measurable characteristic parameters in the CO 2 arc welding droplet short circuiting transfer process have been studied. The statistical analysis shows that the sensitivity of each characteristic parameter with regard to the variation of the short circuiting transfer process is different. The sensitivity of 4 kinds among these characteristic parameters is more intense than that of the short circuiting transfer frequency. In order to take account of the synthetic influence of these characteristic parameters, by means of the characteristic parameters synthetic value, a quantitative evaluation function is built up to describe and evaluate the short circuiting transfer process of CO 2 arc welding in real time. The testing shows that the evaluation function can give a suitable synthetic valuation for the short circuiting transfer process with a variety of welding variables.

Main Reasons Causing Chinese Agricultural Crisis in 1959-1961： Quantitative Test on Yifu Lin＇s Hypothesis

The traditional explanation was found to be inconsistent with the empirical evidence that mainly caused the agricultural crisis in 1959-1961, so Yifu Lin tried to explain this catastrophe through using Game Theory based on ＂one-shot game＂. This paper tested the hypothesis through quantitative test. The results showed that system factors mainly resulted in low productivity, and the natural disaster should not be ignored.

Detecting the nerve function of fibril in patients with cervicalspondylotic radiculopathy using quantitative sensory testing

BACKGROUND: Pain and sensory disability are greatly affected by subjective factors, there are no quantitative indexes to evaluate cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(CSR). The judgment on clinical body examination and chief complaint always causes nonobjective results with great individual differences. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) can be used to judge the nerve function of fibril. The application of QST for the quantitative evaluation of peripheral nervous system disease needs to be further studied. OBJECTIVE: The cold-thermal sensation and pain of patients with CSR are quantitatively analyzed by using QST technology in order to evaluate the nerve function of fibril in patients with CSR. DESIGN: Case-control observation. SETTING: Pain Center of Beijing Hospital of Ministry of Health. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty patients with CSR, including 8 males and 12 females, aged from 33 to 70 years, who received treatment between January and April 2005 in Pain Center of Beijing Hospital of Ministry of Health were involved in CSR group. All the involved patients presented symptoms in unilateral upper extremity (left side 10 patients, right side 10 patients). They did not undergo physical therapy or nerve block therapy in 1 week before examination. Eight non-CSR patients who received treatment in Pain Center concurrently were involved in the control group (2 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, 4 with osteoarthrosis of knee joint and 2 with lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion), and another 12 healthy volunteers were involved. Four non-CSR patients and 12 healthy volunteers, 8 male and 12 female, were aged from 23 to 75 years. The informed consents were obtained from all the involved subjects. METHODS: The volar thresholds of cold sensation, thermal sensation, cryalgesia of thenar eminence of both upper extremities of all the subjects were examined separately by limit method with type TSA-Ⅱ temperature sensation analysator made by Medco Company (Israel). The subjects were pre-examined to be familiar with the method for sensory discrimination and affirmation. Thenar eminence vola of bilateral upper extremities were detected. The infrared detector of a semiconductor was contacted with skin. The infrared detector could be used to heat and cool skin. A group of cold-heat water circulation device was given electric current to produce temperature gradient, which was higher or lower than skin temperature. The initial temperature of infrared detector was 32 ℃, stimulation temperature was increased or decreased progressively at 1 ℃/s, and temperature change range was 0 to 50 ℃. In the first step, subjects pressed down the button to stop the stimulation when the temperature of infrared detector was decreased progressively until the subjects felt, and the threshold of cold sensation was obtained; In the second step, the threshold of thermal sensation was obtained when the temperature of infrared detector was increased progressively until the subjects felt; In the third step, the threshold of cryalgesia was obtained when the temperature of infrared detector was decreased progressively until subjects felt; and in the fourth step, the threshold of thermalgesia was obtained when the temperature of infrared detector was increased progressively until subjects felt. Each step was conducted 4 times and the mean threshold was obtained. Before each measurement, the temperature was made to rebound to the initial temperature and kept for 10 s. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The thresholds of cold sensation, thermal sensation and cryalgesia, thermalgesia of thenar eminence vola of bilateral upper extremities of all the subjects. RESULTS: Twenty patients with CSR and 20 healthy subjects participated in the final results. ① In the CSR group, the threshold of cold sensation of affected side was lower than that of intact side [(29.00±1.26) ℃ vs.(30.00±1.06) ℃, P < 0.05], and the threshold of thermal sensation of affected side was higher than that of intact side [(35.04±0.87) ℃ vs. (34.14±0.99) ℃, P < 0.05]. There were no significant differences in the thresholds of cold and thermal sensation between affected side and intact side (P > 0.05). ②In the CSR group, the difference of threshold of cold sensation, thermal sensation, cryalgesia and thermalgesia between affected side and intact side was (-1.01±0.57), (0.89±0.39), (2.49±1.10) and (-1.62±0.86) ℃, respectively , the absolute value of which was higher than that of control group, respectively [(0.04±0.28),(0.05±0.26),(0.28±1.79),(0.17±1.10) ℃,P < 0.01]. In the CSR group, the threshold of cold sensation and thermalgesia of affected side was lower than that of intact side, respectively; and the threshold of thermal sensation and cryalgesia of affected side was higher than that of intact side, respectively. CONCLUSION: The superficial sensation of affected extremity of patients with CSR is lessened as compared with that of intact extremity. There are dysfunctions of small myelinated fiber (Aδ fiber) and demyelinated fiber (C fiber) in the affected-side extremity. QST, as a mean for quantitatively evaluating the function of Aδ fiber and C fiber, plays an objective evaluative role in the diagnosis and therapeutic effect observation of CSR.

Quantitative Green's function estimates for lattice quasi-periodic Schrodinger operators

In this paper,we establish quantitative Green’s function estimates for some higher-dimensional lattice quasi-periodic(QP)Schrodinger operators.The resonances in the estimates can be described via a pair of symmetric zeros of certain functions,and the estimates apply to the sub-exponential-type non-resonance conditions.As the application of quantitative Green’s function estimates,we prove both the arithmetic version of Anderson localization and the finite volume version of(1/2-)-Holder continuity of the integrated density of states(IDS)for such QP Schrodinger operators.This gives an affirmative answer to Bourgain’s problem in Bourgain(2000).

Effect of electroacupuncture on the mRNA and protein expression of Rho-A and Rho-associated kinase Ⅱ in spinal cord injury rats

Electroacupuncture is beneficial for the recovery of spinal cord injury, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. The Rho/Rho-associated kinase（ROCK） signaling pathway regulates the actin cytoskeleton by controlling the adhesive and migratory behaviors of cells that could inhibit neurite regrowth after neural injury and consequently hinder the recovery from spinal cord injury. Therefore, we hypothesized electroacupuncture could affect the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway to promote the recovery of spinal cord injury. In our experiments, the spinal cord injury in adult Sprague-Dawley rats was caused by an impact device. Those rats were subjected to electroacupuncture at Yaoyangguan（GV3）, Dazhui（GV14）, Zusanli（ST36） and Ciliao（BL32） and/or monosialoganglioside treatment. Behavioral scores revealed that the hindlimb motor functions improved with those treatments. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence in situ hybridization and western blot assay showed that electroacupuncture suppressed the m RNA and protein expression of Rho-A and Rho-associated kinase Ⅱ（ROCKⅡ） of injured spinal cord. Although monosialoganglioside promoted the recovery of hindlimb motor function, monosialoganglioside did not affect the expression of Rho-A and ROCKⅡ. However, electroacupuncture combined with monosialoganglioside did not further improve the motor function or suppress the expression of Rho-A and ROCKⅡ. Our data suggested that the electroacupuncture could specifically inhibit the activation of the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway thus partially contributing to the repair of injured spinal cord. Monosialoganglioside could promote the motor function but did not suppress expression of Rho A and ROCKⅡ. There was no synergistic effect of electroacupuncture combined with monosialoganglioside.

From bed to bench: Which attitude towards the laboratoryliver tests should health care practitioners strike?

There is a general consensus in re-interpreting the so-called liver function tests in the light of novel discoveries. At the same time, recent evidence favours the use of different laboratory data to assess liver damage, fibrosis or regenerative process, but this point is not always shared. Actually, balancing the need for diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and therapy response of liver disease with a good cost/benefit ratio is very difficult. New tests are probably not needed but the aim should be for better utilization of existing tests to contain the increasing cost of health care.