Index to Volume 52

Percussion and auscultation should be a routine part of abdominal examination, as these techniques are effective in early detection of liver and spleen abnormalities.     

不同孔径纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨修复兔桡骨缺损效果比较

目的:纳米级的羟基磷灰石材料与人体内组织成分更为相似,具有更佳的生物性能。评价不同孔径的多孔纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨的骨缺损修复能力,从而筛选出适合的孔径以达到骨传导功能与生物力学性能的良好统一。方法:实验于2005-10/2006-10在深圳市第二人民医院中心实验室完成。①实验材料:纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨以硝酸钙和磷酸二氢铵为原料,采用溶胶-絮凝法制备粉体,运用压力成型、木模成型和浸渍成型分别制得孔隙分布均匀的孔径分别为50～150μm、100～250μm和300～500μm的多孔纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨。②实验动物:雄性新西兰大白兔60只随机分为植入50～150μm孔径材料组、植入100～250μm孔径材料组、植入300～500μm孔径材料组、空白对照组,每组15只。实验过程中对动物处置符合动物伦理学要求。③实验方法:制备双侧桡骨骨缺损动物模型,然后用3种不同孔径的纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨材料植入骨缺损处进行修复,空白对照组不植入任何材料。④实验评估:术后4,8和12周分别行大体标本观察、X射线片观察、扫描电镜观察及生物力学测试,比较各组材料修复骨缺损的能力。结果:实验动物均进入结果分析。①X射线片检查结果:术后4周、8周、12周,植入100～250μm孔径材料组X射线评分高于植入50～150μm,300～500μm孔径材料组,差异有显著性意义(P<0.05)。②生物力学检测结果:术后4周、8周、12周,植入100～250μm孔径材料组生物力学强度高于植入50～150μm,300～500μm孔径材料组,差异有显著性意义(P<0.05)。③扫描电镜观察结果:植入100～250μm孔径材料组成骨效果明显优于植入50～150μm,300～500μm孔径材料组和空白对照组。结论:纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨具有良好的成骨能力,但其骨修复能力受孔径因素的影响,孔径100～250μm的纳米羟基磷灰石人工骨材料成骨能力较好。     

Donor sepsis is not a contraindication to cadaveric organ donation

Systemic donor infection is regarded as being an absolute contraindication to cadaveric organ donation for transplantation. This is largely due to fear of transmitting pathogenic organisms to the immunosuppressed recipient. However, due to the current shortage of organs available for transplantation, clinicians are faced with the option of using organs from 'non-ideal' donors, such as those patients with documented evidence of infection. We report the successful outcome of six orthotopic liver transplants, 11 renal transplants, one combined heart lung transplant and one simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplant with organs from eight donors in whom bacterial meningitis (n = 7) and acute bacterial epiglottitis (n = 1) were the antecedent causes of death.      

Erythrosine is a potential photosensitizer for the photodynamic therapy of oral plaque biofilms

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical plaque disclosing agent erythrosine as a photosensitizer in the photodynamic killing of the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans grown as a biofilm. METHODS: S. mutans biofilms of 200 microm thickness were grown in a constant-depth film fermenter. In addition to determining localization of the photosensitizer within biofilms using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), we compared the bacterial killing efficacy of erythrosine with that of two well-characterized photosensitizers, methylene blue (MB) and photofrin. Incubations were carried out with each photosensitizer (22 microM), and irradiation was for 15 min using a 400 W white light source. RESULTS: The CLSM results showed that erythrosine is taken up into S. mutans biofilms, where it is associated with the biomass of the biofilm rather than the fluid-filled channels and voids. Comparison of the cell killing efficacy of erythrosine in S. mutans biofilms of different ages showed that erythrosine was 1-2 log(10) more effective at killing biofilm bacteria than photofrin and 0.5-1 log(10) more effective than MB. The results were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with all three photosensitizers was increasingly effective as biofilm age increased, suggesting that temporal changes in biofilm architecture and composition affect susceptibility to PDT. CONCLUSIONS: PDT using erythrosine as photosensitizer shows excellent potential as a treatment for oral plaque biofilms.     

Inflammatory bowel disease and the X chromosome

A review of documented cases demonstrates a significant association of Turner's syndrome with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis; this association relates particularly to genetic constitutions comprising an abnormal rather than an absent X chromosome. The karyotype 46XiXq, in pure or mosaic form, appears to be a significant susceptibility factor for inflammatory bowel disease. This karyotype often gives rise to relatively weak phenotypic characteristics of Turner's syndrome, which may be overlooked in short females with inflammatory bowel disease. The association of inflammatory bowel disease with Turner's syndrome may reflect the presence on the X chromosome of genes involved in disease pathogenesis. Linkage analysis studies, involving microsatellite markers on the X chromosome, are being performed.      

Collection of a mobilized peripheral blood apheresis product from a patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII and subsequent CD34+ cell isolation

The effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation for lysosomal storage diseases like mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPSVII) suggests that a gene therapy strategy targeting autologous hematopoietic progenitor cells could be successful. Given the severe systemic manifestations of MPSVII including storage disease in the bone and bone marrow, it was unclear whether sufficient numbers of hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34+) could be mobilized into the peripheral circulation and subsequently purified from these patients. As reported here, G-CSF mobilization and apheresis were successful, providing a product of 4 x 10(10) nucleated cells containing 0.3% CD34+ progenitors. CD34+ cells were magnetically separated from the product to a final purity of 85% with a 64% yield. These results indicate that hematopoietic progenitors can safely be gathered from an MPSVII patient in numbers sufficient for the trial of clinical gene therapy applications.