Efficacy of cattle encephalon glycoside and ignotin in patients with acute cerebral infarction: a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study

Cattle encephalon glycoside and ignotin(CEGI)injection is a compound preparation formed by a combination of muscle extract from hea lthy rabbits and brain gangliosides from cattle,and it is generally used as a neuroprotectant in the treatment of central and peripheral nerve injuries.However,there is still a need for high-level clinical evidence from large samples to support the use of CEGI.We therefore carried out a prospective,multicenter,randomized,double-blind,parallel-group,placebo-controlled study in which we recruited 319 patients with acute cerebral infarction from 16 centers in China from October 2013 to May 2016.The patients were randomized at a 3:1 ratio into CEGI(n=239;155 male,84 female;61.2±9.2 years old)and placebo(n=80;46 male,34 female;63.2±8.28 years old)groups.All patients were given standard care once daily for 14 days,including a 200 mg aspirin enteric-coated tablet and 20 mg atorvastatin calcium,both taken orally,and intravenous infusion of 250–500 mL 0.9%sodium chloride containing 40 mg sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate.Based on conventional treatment,patients in the CEGI and placebo groups were given 12 mL CEGI or 12 mL sterile water,respectively,in an intravenous drip of 250 mL 0.9%sodium chloride(2 mL/min)once daily for 14 days.According to baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores,patients in the two groups were divided into mild and moderate subgroups.Based on the modified Rankin Scale results,the rate of patients with good outcomes in the CEGI group was higher than that in the placebo group,and the rate of disability in the CEGI group was lower than that in the placebo group on day 90 after treatment.In the CEGI group,neurological deficits were decreased on days 14 and 90 after treatment,as measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and the Barthel Index.Subgroup analysis revealed that CEGI led to more significant improvements in moderate stroke patients.No drug-related adverse events occurred in the CEGI or placebo groups.In conclusion,CEGI may be a safe and effective treatment for acute cerebral infarction patients,especially for moderate stroke patients.This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Peking University Third Hospital,China(approval No.2013-068-2)on May 20,2013,and registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration No.ChiCTR1800017937).

Association oftransforming growth factor-β1 gene variants with risk of coal workers'pneumoconiosis

Objective： The aim of this case-control study was to explore whether five tagging single nucleotide poly- morphisms （tSNPs） within the transforming growth factor-ill （TGF-fll） gene were involved in manifestation of inflammatory and fibrotic processes associated with coal workers pneumoconiosis （CWP）. Methods： The study included 508 CWP patients and 526 controls who were underground coal miners from Xuzhou Mining Business Group. Five tSNPs were selected from the HapMap and detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP） method. Results： The single SNP analysis showed that the genotype frequencies of SNP2 （rs1800470, ＋869T/C, extron 1） and SNP5 （rs11466345, intron 5） in CWP cases were significantly different from those in controls. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that SNP2 （rs1800470） CC genotype was associated with decreased risk of CWP （OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.32-0.78）, which was evident among subgroups of those never smoke （OR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.24-0.66）, cases with stage Ⅱ（OR = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.22-0.76） and exposure period （〈 28 y： OR = 0.54, 95%CI = 0.31-0.95; ≥ 28 y： OR = 0.52, 95%CI = 0.32-0.96）. However, the SNP5 （rs11466345） GG genotype was associated with an increased risk of CWP （OR = 2.5, 95%CI = 1.36-4.57）, and further stratification analysis showed that the risk of CWP was increased in both smoking and nonsmoking groups, shorter and longer exposure groups, while the risk of CWP was only increased in patients with stage I and Ⅱ. Conclusion： This study suggests that TGF-β1 polymorphisms may contribute to susceptibility of CWP.

Novel Apodized Fiber Bragg GratingApplied for Medical Sensors:Performance Investigation

Sensors play an important role in shaping and monitoring human health.Exploration of methods to use Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG)with enhanced sensitivity has attracted great interest in the field of medical research.In this paper,a novel apodization function is proposed and performance evaluation and optimization of the same have been made.A comparison was conducted between various existing apodization functions and the proposed one based on optical characteristics and sensor parameters.The results evince the implementation of the proposed apodization function for vital sign measurement.The optical characteristics considered for evaluation are Peak Resonance Reflectivity level,Side Lobes Reflectivity level and FullWidth HalfMaximum(FWHM).The proposed novel apodization novel function has better FWHM,which is narrower than the FWHM of uniform FBG.Sensor characteristics like a quality parameter,detection accuracy and sensitivity also show improvement.The proposed novel apodization function is demonstrated to have a better shift in wavelength in terms of temperature and pulse measurement than the existing functions.The sensitivity of the proposed apodized function is enhanced with a Poly-dimethylsiloxane coating of varying thickness,which is 6 times and 5.14 times greater than uniform Fiber Bragg grating and FBG with the proposed novel apodization function,respectively,enhancing its utilization in the field of medicine.