Background
Stroke is a major health issue in China.
Aims
We aimed to describe the management of patients admitted to hospitals in China with acute ischaemic stroke, and to determine whether there ...were any differences by age and gender.
Methods
Using a multicentre prospective hospital register across all eight major economic (geographic) regions in China, data on the socioeconomic characteristics, medical history, clinical features, and in‐hospital investigations, management, and outcomes were collected on consecutive patients with acute stroke due to cerebral ischaemia during a 5‐month period in 2006.
Results
Overall, traditional Chinese medicine and neuroprotectant use were remarkably high, with nearly 80% of patients receiving the former and >70% receiving the latter in hospital. Length of hospital stay was also long (median duration 16‐days). Multivariate analyses revealed no clinically important differences in management between the genders. For the age‐specific analyses, there were significant trends of decreasing use of thrombolysis (P=0·04), warfarin (P=0·01), corticosteroids (P=0·03), and lipid‐lowering therapy (P=0·001); however, more assisted feeding (P=0·004) and rising rates of disability and in‐hospital complications occurred with increasing age.
Conclusions
New information is provided regarding the current state of ischaemic stroke management in China. Notably, there is high use of traditional Chinese medicine and neuroprotectants and long lengths of hospital stay. Similar to many other countries, differences in stroke care and management by age and gender also exist to a small extent in China.
This study examines the role of IGF2/mannose 6-phosphate receptor (IGF2R) signaling in the signaling transduction regulation and cell apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells. However, it is difficult ...to recognize the distinct activation of IGF2 signaling without interfacing with IGFI receptor (IGF1R) after exposure to IGF2. Leu27IGF2, an analog of IGF2 that interacts selectively with the IGF2R, was used to specifically activate IGF2R signaling in this study. DNA fragmentation and TUNEL assay revealed that in contrast to IGF1 treatment preventing angiotensin II and AG1024-induced cell apoptosis, Leu27IGF2 appears to synergistically increase apoptosis in those cells. We further found cell apoptosis induction and an increase in the active form of caspase 3 in the treatment of cells with Leu27IGF2, but not IGF1. To detect the interaction between IGF2R and Galphaq using the immunoprecipitation assay, we found that IGF2R could directly interact with Galphaq and after treatment with Leu27IGF2 the binding ability of Galphaq to IGF2R had increased. This sequentially resulted in the phosphorylation of phospholipase C-beta, a key downstream modulator of Galphaq, on serine 537. Moreover, disruption of the Galphaq protein by small interferon RNA reduced the cell apoptosis induced by Leu27IGF2. Our findings demonstrate that IGF2R activation appears to induce cell apoptosis via Galphaq-deriving signaling cascades and its effect is completely different from IGF1R survival signaling.
Lodox/Statscan is a new digital X-ray machine with a low dose of radiation exposure that provides rapid, whole-body scans. In the setting of acute trauma management, the importance of image study is ...well recognized. Here, we report the accuracy of diagnoses made using Lodox/Statscan in patients with multiple injuries. We analyze the cost effectiveness, biohazard safety, and detection rate for treatment using the Lodox/Statscan and evaluate whether it is a viable alternative to the conventional trauma X-ray.
We retrospectively reviewed patients who received a Lodox/Statscan between November 2007 and January 2009. All patients who had received both a Lodox/Statscan and a computed tomographic (CT) scan were enrolled. The CT scan was used to make the final diagnosis. The detection rate for treatment, sensitivity, and specificity of the Lodox/Statscan in diagnosis was analyzed.
One hundred eighty-four patients were eligible for the study during the 15-month study period. The detection rates for treatment using the Lodox/Statscan for pneumothorax, pelvic fracture, cervical spine injury, and thoracic-lumbar spine injury were 95%, 96.0%, and 57.1%, and 100%, respectively.
In our series, the Lodox/Statscan provided similar quality images and conventional series to the CT scans. Although the Lodox/Statscan missed some injuries, most of the subsequent treatments were not changed. Overall, there were several advantages to using this system, including the short interval of study, low-radiation exposure, and low cost. The Lodox/Statscan could therefore be used as an alternative to the traditional trauma X-ray for evaluation of acute trauma patients.
The implementation of third-generation 1.1 GHz 64b microprocessor was discussed. It provided a MB on-chip, 4 GB/s off chip memory bandwidth and a 200 MHz JBUS interface that supported 1 to 4 ...processors. It was found that 90 M transistor chip was implemented in a 7-level metal copper 0.13 mu m CMOS process and dissipated 53 W at 1.3 V and 1.1 GHz.
In this forum, Marilyn Strathern and Jade S. Sasser review Adele Clarke
and Donna Haraway's edited volume Making Kin, Not Population:
Reconceiving Generations (Prickly Paradigm Press, 2018). ...Responses from
multiple authors featured in the book follow.