ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of behavior intervention through diets and exercises on blood glucose controlling in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to provide the basis for GDM therapy. MethodsA total of 116 patients with GDM diagnosed and treated in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between March 2011 and December 2012 were taken as our study objects, including 72 patients in the study group and 44 patients in the control group, based on their will. For patients in the study group, we carried out behavior interventions through diets and exercises, including dietary guidance, giving pamphlet and formulating exercise plan, while for patients in the control group, we only gave them oral guidance and publicity materials. The same questionnaire was used to collect all the patients' information. Follow-up was done once in every 3 days, and rechecking was performed 2 weeks later. The results of oral glucose tolerance test and the rate of pathoglycemia were compared in these groups before and after intervention. ResultsThe fasting blood glucose, 1- and 2-hour blood glucose were lowered after the behavior intervention in the study group (P<0.05), which were also significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). Fasting blood glucose, 1- and 2-hour pathoglycemia was significantly lower in the study group than that in the control group and that before intervention (P<0.05). ConclusionCombination of diets and exercises can control levels of blood glucose in GDM patients, and is an important therapy for GDM.
ObjectiveTo examine the differences between totally thoracoscopic surgery and median sternotomy in scope of trauma, postoperative recovery and postoperative complications. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 331 patients with cardiac myxoma in our hospital between January 2001 and November 2015. The patients were devided into 2 groups by the different methods of operation:a totally thoracoscopic surgery group including 196 patients with 71 males and 125 females at a mean age of 50 (42.00-57.50) years, and a median sternotomy group including 135 patients, with 53 males and 82 females at a mean age of 52 (38.00-61.00) years. The clinical records of the two groups were compared in scope of trauma, postoperative recovery, and postoperative complications. ResultsThere was shorter time in breathing machine and ICU time (P<0.001), and fewer volume in blood transfusion, blood loss (P<0.001) in the totally thoracoscopic surgery group. There was less pain and postoperative complications (P<0.001) in the totally thoracoscopic surgery group. The aortic clamp time in the totally thoracoscopic surgery group was not significantly different compared with that in the median sternotomy group (P=0.15) While cardiopulmonary bypass time was shorter in the median sternotomy group (P<0.001). ConclusionTotally thoracoscopic surgery is a safe and reliable method in treating cardiac myxoma. Our results suggest that totally thoracoscopic surgery has the advantage of fewer blood loss, blood transfusion, and postoperative complications compared with median sternotomy surgery. Totally thoracoscopic surgery leads to earlier recovery and less pain.
ObjectiveTo prepare of a novel functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS designed with linking the short functional motif of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) and to evaluate its biocompatibility so as to provide the experimental basis for in vivo studies on regeneration of degenerated nucleus pulposus tissue. MethodA functional self-assembling peptide RADA-KPSS was designed by linking the short functional motif of BMP-7 to the self-assembling peptide RADA16-I. And the novel functional self-assembling peptide RADKPS was finally prepared by isometric mixing RADA16-I with RADA-KPSS. The structure characteristic of the functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS was evaluated by general observation and atomic force microscopy. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated from 3-month-old New Zealand white rabbits and cultured. After the 3rd generation BMSCs were seeded on the peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS for 7 days, the cellular compatibility of RADKPS was evaluated through scanning electron microscopy assay, cellular fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide staining, and MTT assay. 1%RADKPS was injected into isolated intervertebral disc organs from 6-month-old New Zealand white rabbits, then the organs were cultured and the cellular activity of the intervertebral disc organs was observed. The blood compatibility of RADKPS was evaluated with hemolytic assay. After RADKPS was implanted into subcutaneous part of Kunming mice (aged 6-8 weeks) for 28 days, general observation and HE staining were carried out to evaluate the tissue compatibility. ResultsThe functional self-assembling peptide solution RADKPS presented a homogeneous transparent hydrogel-like. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the RADKPS could self-assemble into three-dimensional nanofiber hydrogel scaffolds; the fibre diameter was (25.68±4.62) nm, and the fibre length was (512.42±32.22) nm. After BMSCs cultured on RADKPS for 7 days, scanning electron microscopy showed that BMSCs adhered to the scaffolds. And cell viability was maintained over 90%. MTT assay revealed that RADKPS of 0.1%, 0.05%, and 0.025% could increase the proliferation of BMSCs. The result of hemolytic assay revealed that the hemolysis rates of the RADKPS solutions with different concentrations were less than 5%, indicating that it met the requirement of hemolytic assay standard for medical biomaterials. After subcutaneous implantation, no vesicle, erythema, and eschar formation around injection site were observed. Meanwhile, HE staining showed inflammatory cells infiltration (lymphocytes), substitution of hydrogel scaffold by fibrous tissue, and good tissue compatibility. ConclusionsThe novel functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS has good biocompatibility and biological reliability, which would be suitable for tissue engineering repair and regeneration of nucleus pulposus tissue.