盆腔器官脱垂患者盆底支持组织超微结构特征的研究

目的了解盆腔器官脱垂(pelvicorganprolapse,POP)患者盆底支持组织的超微结构特征。方法选择2004年7月至2004年8月于我院手术治疗的POP患者5例,同期因卵巢单纯囊肿行全子宫切除术的绝经后患者2例作为老年对照,宫颈癌手术治疗2例作为年轻对照。在光镜及透射电镜下观察子宫主韧带、阴道壁、肛提肌组织的超微结构特征。结果光镜下POP组标本中平滑肌弥漫性萎缩、变性、纤维化。阴道粘膜固有层广泛小血管周围炎,血管内皮肿胀。电镜下POP组平滑肌细胞共同超微结构特征为细胞膜结构不完整;胞核异染色质增多;线粒体呈基质型肿胀甚至消失。阴道粘膜固有层终末小动脉内皮肿胀,中膜平滑肌萎缩断裂,甚至消失。老年非脱垂组可见平滑肌萎缩,灶状纤维化,但平滑肌变性、血管病变不明显。年轻非脱垂组未见平滑肌萎缩变性及血管病变。同时发现POP组肛提肌中骨骼肌成分损伤不明显,而平滑肌成分出现损伤性改变。结论POP患者主要盆底支持组织如主韧带、阴道壁、肛提肌普遍存在平滑肌细胞不可逆损伤性超微结构改变,可造成盆底组织松弛、支持能力减弱,导致POP的发生。肛提肌中平滑肌成分与POP发生密切相关。     

基于关系模型的SARS传播链搜索与遍历

目的：通过对关系模型即二维表格形式存储传染性疾病的数据资料遍历，构造诸如SARS等传染性疾病的传播链和传播源。方法：采用循环队列和树型数据结构的深度优先遍历策略和程序设计技术，实现在二维表格关系模型上的传播链自动搜索与遍历。结果：在含有1000余条记录的主副表上搜索传播链需时45s，寻找某一患者传播源需时12s。结论：该技术在关系模型上进行传播链、传染源的搜索具有很好的算法时间复杂度，在流行病学调查分析方面具有很高的应用价值。     

中国血吸虫病流行现状分析

目的 分析近5年来中国血吸虫病流行趋势及疫情变化的特点。方法 收集血吸虫病流行历史资料及近年流行区疫情报告资料,比较分析1998年后全国血吸虫病流行趋势和疫情回升特点。结果 2003年底报告资料显示,与建国初期相比,全国流行省、县、乡镇分别减少了42％、40％和53％;血吸虫病估计病例数较建国初期减少了92.74％;钉螺面积减少了73.56％。但全国推算慢性血吸虫病例数徘徊在80万左右,急性感染报告数以年平均25％上升;1998年以来钉螺面积净增加31321.5万m~2,全国7省20个纵向监测点内,30％、70％和35％监测点的人群、耕牛和钉螺的感染率分别出现上升趋势。湖区5省中有38个达到血吸虫病传播控制和传播阻断标准县(市、区)疫情分别出现了明显的回升,湖南省6个非疫区(株洲市3个、长沙市2个、桃源县1个)新发现钉螺,长沙市桔子洲头等I6个洲滩均有钉螺,并发生急性感染;已阻断传播地区如上海、浙江、福建等省市也发现大面积钉螺。长江中下游沿江的大中城市相继发现感染性钉螺和新发病例。结论 近年来长江中下游地区局部血吸虫病流行区疫情回升明显,回升原因有环境生态变化、社会经济变化及预防控制力度变化等因素的影响。     

Some Consequences of being the Wrong Child: Effects of the Intergenerational Transmission of an Ideal‐Ego

In this paper the author considers a not uncommon group of patients seen in analytic work. These are people who present themselves for treatment because they feel that there is something ‘wrong with themselves’, and it is this belief about themselves that is their problem. They are usually people who have not achieved their potential in life; who may be dissatisfied in their relationships and/or with their level of success in their work. They often suffer from depression, symptoms of anxiety or psychosomatic complaints. In this way their belief in their sense of ‘wrongness’ is self‐confirming and to this extent they do have something wrong with them although the particular manifestations, of what is wrong, can vary considerably. However, it is what these people have in common, their fundamental belief in being ‘wrong’, which the author is going to address.     

Praziquantel treatment of school children from single and mixed infection foci of intestinal and urogenital schistosomiasis along the Senegal River Basin: monitoring treatment success and re-infection patterns

Following major water development schemes in the 1980s, schistosomiasis has become a serious parasitic disease of children living in the Senegal River Basin. Both urogenital (Schistosoma haematobium) and intestinal (Schistosoma mansoni) schistosomiasis can be highly prevalent in school-aged children, with many individuals infected with both parasites. In order to investigate the transmission and re-infection dynamics of both parasite species, single and mixed infection foci at three villages (Nder and Temeye; S. mansoni and S. haematobium foci and Guia; S. haematobium focus) were studied. In each focus infected children were identified and selected for a 12-month study involving two treatments with praziquantel (40 mg/kg) three weeks apart at the beginning of the study and again 6 months into the study. Urine and stool samples were examined for schistosome eggs before and at 6 weeks and 6 months after chemotherapy. Prevalence and intensity of infection were recorded for each child at each time point. Before treatment, in all three villages, the prevalence and intensity of infection was extremely high for both S. mansoni (79–100%) and S. haematobium (81–97%). With the first round of chemotherapy sufficient cure rates (CRs) of both species were achieved in all villages (38–96%) with high egg reduction rates (ERRs) (97–99%). The data show that high and rapid re-infection rates occur, especially for S. mansoni, within a six-month period following treatment. Re-infection must be highly linked to ecological and seasonal factors. The persistence of S. mansoni in Nder could raise concern as levels of infection intensity remain high (geometric mean intensity at baseline 653 epg changed to 705 epg at 12 months) after four rounds of chemotherapy. This phenomenon could be explained by extremely rapid re-infection dynamics or a sub-optimal efficacy of praziquantel against S. mansoni in this village. High intensities in mixed infections may influence disease epidemiology and control warranting further studies. The disease situation in the SRB must be monitored closely and new treatment regimes should be designed and implemented to control schistosomiasis in the school-age population.     

Amelioration of Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis in Rabbit by Topical Administration of Tacrolimus Proglycosome Nano-Vesicles

This work was aimed to improve the efficacy of tacrolimus in the treatment of endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) using propylene glycol modified lipid vesicles termed as proglycosome nano-vesicles (PNVs). PNVs were prepared by modified film hydration method. Experimental uveitis in rabbit eye was induced by an intravitreal injection of 20 μL of the endotoxin solution containing 100 ng of lipopolysaccharide endotoxin. In vivo efficacy of PNVs was determined by studying clinical symptoms of uveitis using slit lamp examination and by quantitatively measuring levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, leukocytes and total proteins in aqueous humor, 24 h after intravitreal injection of endotoxin. Comparison was made with healthy, untreated and tacrolimus solution treated eyes. PNVs developed were nano-sized, deformable and showed sustained release of tacrolimus over period of 12 h. In vivo results indicated statistically significant difference between the effects of PNVs in the treatment of EIU compared to tacrolimus. PNV treatment not only subsides clinical symptoms of uveitis but also prevented breakdown of blood aqueous barrier. Tacrolimus loaded PNVs are potential new topical treatment for uveitis.     

MERS coronavirus outbreak: Implications for emerging viral infections

In September 2012, a novel coronavirus was isolated from a patient who died in Saudi Arabia after presenting with acute respiratory distress and acute kidney injury. Analysis revealed the disease to be due to a novel virus which was named Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). There have been several MERS-CoV hospital outbreaks in KSA, continuing to the present day, and the disease has a mortality rate in excess of 35%. Since 2012, the World Health Organization has been informed of 2220 laboratory-confirmed cases resulting in at least 790 deaths. Cases have since arisen in 27 countries, including an outbreak in the Republic of Korea in 2015 in which 36 people died, but more than 80% of cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia.. Human-to-human transmission of MERS-CoV, particularly in healthcare settings, initially caused a ‘media panic’, however human-to-human transmission appears to require close contact and thus far the virus has not achieved epidemic potential. Zoonotic transmission is of significant importance and evidence is growing implicating the dromedary camel as the major animal host in spread of disease to humans. MERS-CoV is now included on the WHO list of priority blueprint diseases for which there which is an urgent need for accelerated research and development as they have the potential to cause a public health emergency while there is an absence of efficacious drugs and/or vaccines. In this review we highlight epidemiological, clinical, and infection control aspects of MERS-CoV as informed by the Saudi experience. Attention is given to recommended treatments and progress towards vaccine development.     

The emergence of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 078 in piglets in the Czech Republic clusters with Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 078 isolates from Germany,Japan and Taiwan

Clostridium difficile is a major nosocomial pathogen in humans with an increasing incidence in the community. The “one-health” approach of research is needed to investigate possible reservoirs of C. difficile and route of its transmission. The objective of this study is to investigate the occurrence of C. difficile in pigs in the Czech Republic with characterisation of the isolates to determine their genetic relatedness to C. difficile isolates from European and Asian pigs. A total of 198 pig faeces samples from 23 farms were investigated and of those 57 samples (55 piglets, 2 sows) from 11 farms were confirmed as C. difficile positive. The majority of C. difficile isolates belonged to the sequence type 11 and clade 5. The predominant ribotypes were 078 (n = 23), 078-variant (n = 5), 033 (n = 10) followed by RTs 150 (n = 7), 011 (n = 5), 045 (n = 4), 126, 014, 002 (n = 1, each). All isolates were susceptible to metronidazole, vancomycin and tetracycline. Isolates of RTs 150 and 078-variant were moxifloxacin resistant (MIC≥32 mg/L) and carried the amino acid substitution Thr82Ile in the GyrA. A multi-locus variable number tandem-repeats analysis (MLVA) revealed a clonal relatedness of isolates within individual farms and in C. difficile RT078 isolates between two Czech farms. Czech C. difficile RT078 isolates clustered with German C. difficile RT078 isolates and Czech C. difficile 078-variant isolates clustered with C. difficile RT078 isolates from Japan and Taiwan. This study found an emergence of C. difficile RT078 in Czech piglets that was related genetically to C. difficile RT078 isolates from Germany, Japan and Taiwan.