Decellularized porcine conjunctiva as an alternative substrate for tissue-engineered epithelialized conjunctiva

PurposeThe long-term success of visual rehabilitation in patients with severe conjunctival scarring is reliant on the reconstruction of the conjunctiva with a suitable substitute. The purpose of this study is the development and investigation of a re-epithelialized conjunctival substitute based on porcine decellularized conjunctiva (PDC).MethodsPDC was re-epithelialized either with pre-expanded human conjunctival epithelial cells (PDC + HCEC) or with a human conjunctival explant placed directly on PDC (PDC + HCEx). Histology and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate epithelial thickness, proliferation (Ki67), apoptosis (Caspase 3), goblet cells (MUC5AC), and progenitor cells (CK15, ΔNp63, ABCG2). The superior construct (PDC + HCEx) was transplanted into a conjunctival defect of a rabbit (n = 6). Lissamine green staining verified the epithelialization in vivo. Orbital tissue was exenterated on day 10 and processed for histological and immunohistochemical analysis to examine the engrafted PDC + HCEx. A human-specific antibody was used to detect the transplanted cells.ResultsFrom day-14 in vitro onward, a significantly thicker epithelium and greater number of cells expressing Ki67, CK15, ΔNp63, and ABCG2 were noted for PDC + HCEx versus PDC + HCEC. MUC5AC-positive cells were found only in PDC + HCEx. The PDC + HCEx-grafted rabbit conjunctivas were lissamine-negative during the evaluation period, indicating epithelial integrity. Engrafted PDC + HCEx showed preserved progenitor cell properties and an increased number of goblet cells comparable to those of native conjunctiva.ConclusionPlacing and culturing a human conjunctival explant directly on PDC (PDC + HCEx) enables the generation of a stable, stratified, goblet cell-rich construct that could provide a promising alternative conjunctival substitute for patients with extensive conjunctival stem and goblet cell loss.     

消化道恶性肿瘤住院患者的能量消耗研究

目的评估消化道恶性肿瘤患者的能量消耗，探讨最佳计算公式及能量消耗的影响因素。方法采用连续入组法，纳入2016年3月至2016年12月在陆军军医大学第一附属医院肿瘤科住院治疗患者，运用代谢车测定其静息代谢能量（REE），使用Harris-Benedict公式和30kcal/（kg·d） 公式预测患者的一日总能量消耗（TEE）。收集研究对象的相关指标如年龄、身高、体重、病程、原位癌部位、是否荷瘤等。结果共纳入26例患者，其中包括食管癌11例，胃癌8例，结直肠癌7例，73%的患者处于高代谢状态，约69%的患者处于肿瘤Ⅳ期；其中不同病程和原位癌位置与静息能量消耗有差异，差异具有统计学意义；用30kcal/（kg·d）×体重估算TEE可能并不适用于消瘦的消化道肿瘤患者。结论消化道恶性肿瘤患者大多存在营养不良且处于高代谢状态，在给消化道恶性肿瘤患者提供能量时应适当考虑病程长短、肿瘤分期以及肿瘤部位等因素。尽量使用代谢车估算恶性肿瘤患者的TEE，若没有代谢车条件时，对于能下床活动的消化道恶性肿瘤患者，体质指数（BMI）≥18.5kg/m2者推荐使用30kcal/（kg·d）×实际体重的方法估算TEE，BMI<18.5kg/m2者推荐使用30kcal/（kg·d）×标准体重的方法估算TEE。     

A Snapshot of the Guidelines on Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children

The main goal in the management of patients with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the preservation of kidney function by minimizing the risk of pyelonephritis. By defining and analyzing the risk factors for each patient depending on age, sex, grade of reflux, lower urinary tract dysfunction, anatomic abnormalities, and kidney status, it is possible to identify those patients with a potential risk of upper urinary tract infection and resulting renal scarring. This paper gives a brief overview of the European Association of Urology guidelines for the management and treatment of VUR in children. These guidelines are based on the best currently available knowledge and evidence.     

Loss of function,missense, and intronic variants in NOTCH1 confer different risks for left ventricular outflow tract obstructive heart defects in two European cohorts

Loss of function variants in NOTCH1 cause left ventricular outflow tract obstructive defects (LVOTO). However, the risk conferred by rare and noncoding variants in NOTCH1 for LVOTO remains largely uncharacterized. In a cohort of 49 families affected by hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe form of LVOTO, we discovered predicted loss of function NOTCH1 variants in 6% of individuals. Rare or low-frequency missense variants were found in 16% of families. To make a quantitative estimate of the genetic risk posed by variants in NOTCH1 for LVOTO, we studied associations of 400 coding and noncoding variants in NOTCH1 in 1,085 cases and 332,788 controls from the UK Biobank. Two rare intronic variants in strong linkage disequilibrium displayed significant association with risk for LVOTO amongst European-ancestry individuals. This result was replicated in an independent analysis of 210 cases and 68,762 controls of non-European and mixed ancestry. In conclusion, carrying rare predicted loss of function variants in NOTCH1 confer significant risk for LVOTO. In addition, the two intronic variants seem to be associated with an increased risk for these defects. Our approach demonstrates the utility of population-based data sets in quantifying the specific risk of individual variants for disease-related phenotypes.     

经皮肺动脉瓣植入术在肺动脉瓣反流患者中的临床应用

经皮肺动脉瓣植入术(PPVI)在我国作为一种新兴的技术,开展相对较晚,但随着我国医疗水平的不断提高以及临床对于右心室流出道梗阻的先天性心脏病患者术后出现重度肺动脉瓣反流的不断重视,PPVI在我国得到了飞速发展。近十几年来,欧美国家已在临床成熟应用PPVI,相对于传统外科手术而言其具有微创、可重复性、术后疗效好等优点。现对PPVI在肺动脉瓣反流患者中的临床应用进行叙述。