Association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and intervertebral disc degeneration: A meta-analysis

Background

Studies that have investigated the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) have yielded inconsistent results.

我国常见生殖系统疾病流行概析

梅毒、淋病和前列腺癌、宫颈癌等是我国常见额生殖系统疾病。生殖系统传染性疾病多病种流行特征各异,表现为梅毒疫情严峻,存在胎传梅毒流行风险;淋病流行减缓显著;艾滋病感染途径转为以性传播为主。生殖系统恶性肿瘤发病和死亡整体呈上升趋势,存在显著城乡差异,表现为前列腺癌在城市地区明显高发,中老年男性为高危人群;宫颈癌发病死亡上升趋势较缓,农村负担重于城市,贫困地区女性为易感人群。除社会文化观念改变和人口流动频繁外,母婴传播阻断困难、艾滋病难以治愈等多种原因导致性传播疾病流行;多种肿瘤危险因素多重累积暴露可能是肿瘤发病趋势增加的重要原因。我国正面临常见生殖系统传染性疾病和慢性非传染性恶性肿瘤流行的双重负担。需倡导个体安全性行为,减少肿瘤危险因素暴露,完善生殖健康教育、服务及监测体系,遏制生殖系统疾病负担进一步加重。     

从国家自然科学基金的申请与资助看生物力学的发展

生物力学学科同生命健康和临床医学密切相关,是由力学与生物学、医学等多个学科交叉融合而形成的,是力学学科中重要的二级分支学科。对国家自然科学基金委员会数理科学部2012~2016年度生物力学学科青年科学基金项目和面上项目的申请和资助情况进行介绍,重点分析生物力学的研究方向、研究队伍等情况,并给出促进我国生物力学学科发展的建议。     

Simple Analysis of the Computed Tomography Features of Gastric Schwannoma

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the computed tomography (CT) findings of gastric schwannoma (GS) and identify the difference between large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS.Materials and MethodsCT findings of 38 pathologically proven cases of GSs were retrospectively reviewed. The CT evaluation of GS included categorical variables (location, contour, growth pattern, enhancement pattern, necrosis, ulceration, calcification, and lymph nodes) and continuous variables (size, CT value of 3 phases, and enhancement degree). The lesion was divided into 2 groups (large [> 5 cm] and small [≤ 5 cm] GS) according to the tumor size. The Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables and the Student t or Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables.ResultsOf the 38 patients, there were 32 women and 6 men. The median age was 54.5 years (range 39–79). Most of patients (65.8%, [25 of 38]) had nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal or gastric pain, fullness and discomfort, bleeding, and melena. The tumors were mainly located in the stomach body (71.1% [27 of 38]), and the mean diameter was 3.7 cm (range 1.5 cm-10.3 cm), of which included large (> 5 cm) (n = 8) and small (≤ 5 cm) (n = 30). All of the GSs were benign, 9 of whom had palpable perigastric lymph nodes, which confirmed by pathology for the reactive inflammatory hyperplasia. Growth pattern, pattern of enhancement, necrosis, calcification, surface ulceration, and lymph node in the CT images were found to be significant variables for differentiating large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS (P < .05).ConclusionGSs were predominantly located at the gastric body and occurred most frequently in women between the ages of 40–70 years, and showed gradual enhancement after contrast enhancement. Palpable perigastric lymph nodes could not be considered as malignant factor of GS. There 7 computed CT criteria are significant difference between large (> 5 cm) and small (≤ 5 cm) GS.     

Family relations in the context of HIV/AIDS in Southwest China

In China, an estimated 780,000 people have been infected with HIV (China AIDS, 2012 China AIDS. (2012). Response progress report: Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China. [Google Scholar]). Even as this stigmatized population rapidly grows, with the majority of reproductive age (20–40 years old), information about their daily experiences in the domestic sphere has been scarce. Because the family remains a central unit of social and ethical organization in China, the current qualitative study examines family relations among people living with HIV (PLWH) with the goal of identifying the effect of HIV on family relations and, conversely, the effect of family relations on those with HIV. We analyzed data from 90 in-depth interviews with PLWH and people around them (i.e., their children, health care providers, other community members) in southwest China (Guangxi province). Through analyzing the families’ experiences with illness, three themes emerged: how individuals with HIV interact with their community; how they cope with stigma alongside and against their family; and how families can support those with HIV. Our data ultimately showed the critical role of family in the quality of PLWH’s well-being. Because concealment of their serostatus was the primary coping strategy, stigma manifestation was most obvious in the domestic spheres. Yet, when help was received, PLWH regarded family support as the most helpful, as those who received empathy from their families remained more optimistic. Thus, there is an urgent need for developing efficacious intervention programs that could lead to maximize family support, involving the families of PLWH, with a particular attention to family dynamics in daily interactions. Despite our awareness of the significance of family in China, this study reveals a particular kind of role of family that has rarely been considered, namely the role of family in healing and sustaining social bonds within the context of stigmatization, when those bonds might otherwise be broken.