三种唇腭裂修复术对唇腭裂患者语音恢复影响研究

目的:探讨三种唇腭裂修复术对语音恢复的影响.方法:选择65例唇腭裂患者,随机分为反向双Z术组、咽后壁瓣成形术组、腭因肌瓣术组,观察吹水泡时间、软腭抬高角度α0、腭最高点与咽后壁的最短距离d(mm)、语音清晰.结果:三组患者术后吹水泡时间、软腭抬高角度α0、腭最高点与咽后壁的最短距离d(mm)、语音清晰度均明显优于术前(P＜0.05),组间比较无显著性特征(P＞0.05).结论:手术方式是恢复唇腭裂患者语音的最佳选择,三项检查是评价腭音闭合不全的有效手段.     

剥离弓状缘眼轮匝肌在伴有泪槽和睑颊沟的眼袋整复中的应用

目的 探讨伴有明显泪槽和睑颊沟的眼袋整形手术方法.方法 2007年1月至2011年6月,对56例眼袋伴泪槽和睑颊沟畸形者,在术中充分剥离松解弓状缘眼轮匝肌,尤其是附着在内侧泪槽处眶下缘骨膜面的眼轮匝肌,将眶隔脂肪释放重置并缝合固定于眶下缘下方4 ～6 mm处骨膜面上,进行泪槽和睑颊沟充填.结果 术后随访3 ～18个月,54例眼袋消失,无下睑凹陷、不平整等;1例术后1个月出现下睑皮下局部凹凸不平,3个月后经结膜入路修复后改善;1例出现下睑缘轻度退缩,经局部理疗后睑缘退缩消失.结论 剥离松解弓状缘眼轮匝肌,行眶隔重置,对矫正伴有泪槽及睑颊沟畸形的眼袋效果良好.     

人参总皂苷对体外培养肌管形态及Atrogin-1表达的影响

目的：慢性肾衰竭（CKD）尤其进入终末期透析的患者常并发以骨骼肌蛋白质-能量消耗为特征的营养不良,研究表明Atrogin-1激活是肌肉蛋白分解的关键步骤。本实验通过培养肌细胞,观察人参总皂苷的干预下,对糖皮质激素作用下肌细胞形态改变及Atrogin-1的表达的影响。方法：培养小鼠肌原细胞C2C12并使之融合成肌管,以不同浓度的地塞米松（0～10μm）和人参总皂苷（100μmol/L）刺激肌管后,镜下观察肌管形态改变,Westernblot检测Atrogin-1蛋白表达水平。结果：糖皮质激素地塞米松作用下,可剂量依赖性地使肌管变细,肌管Atrogin-1蛋白表达水平显著增高;在人参总皂苷干预后,肌管形态较地塞米松组增粗,同时肌管Atrogin-1蛋白降低（P〈0.05）。结论：人参总皂苷能够改善地塞米松作用下肌肉消耗,并下调肌管Atrogin-1蛋白表达水平。     

Basic biomechanics and biomaterials

This paper outlines the basic knowledge that should form an integral component of a training programme in basic biomechanics and biomaterials for orthopaedic residents. For a comprehensive learning package the reader is directed to the substantive textbooks listed in the suggested reading section.     

Intravesical gemcitabine therapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC): a systematic review

? Intravesical immunotherapy or chemotherapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is a well-established treatment for preventing or delaying tumour recurrence after tumour resection. However, up to 70% of patients may fail and new intravesical agents with improved effectiveness are needed. Gemcitabine is a relatively new anticancer drug that has shown activity against bladder cancer. ? To systematically review the literature on the effectiveness and toxicity of intravesical gemcitabine for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). ? MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane database of systematic reviews, LILACS, SCOPUS, BNI, Biomed Central, Web of Science and BIOSIS were searched to identify trials of intravesical gemcitabine for the treatment of NMIBC. Also searched were meeting proceedings, international guidelines and trial registries. Data on authors, study design, patient characteristics, interventions and outcome data relating to tumour recurrence, disease progression, survival and adverse events were extracted from relevant studies. ? Six relevant randomised trials were identified with the number of patients randomised in each trial varying from 30 to 341 (total 704). All trials compared gemcitabine to active controls and varied in the reporting of outcomes. ? The first was a marker lesion study which reported greater tumour response rates when intravesical gemcitabine (2 g) was given as three bi-weekly doses (36%) or six weekly doses (40%) compared with a single dose (9%). ? One study compared a single postoperative instillation of intravesical gemcitabine with a saline placebo in 341 patients and found no significant difference in the rates of tumour recurrence (28% vs 39%, respectively) or recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.64-1.39, P= 0.77). The rate of progression to invasive disease was greater with gemcitabine (2.4% vs 0.8%). ? A further trial compared gemcitabine with intravesical mitomycin C (MMC) and reported that the rates of recurrence (28% vs 39%) and progression (11% vs 18%) were lower with gemcitabine but did not reach statistical significance. The overall incidence of adverse events was significantly less with gemcitabine (38.8% vs 72.2%, P= 0.02). ? Three trials compared gemcitabine with intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) but a meta-analysis was not possible due to clinical heterogeneity. ? In untreated patients at intermediate risk of recurrence (primary Ta-T1, no carcinoma in situ) one trial showed that gemcitabine and BCG were similar with respective recurrence rates of 25% and 30% (P= 0.92) and overall progression equal. Dysuria (12.5% vs 45%, P < 0.05) and frequency (10% vs 45%, P < 0.001) were significantly less with gemcitabine. ? In a second trial of high-risk patients the recurrence rate was significantly greater with gemcitabine compared with BCG (53.1% vs 28.1%, P= 0.04%) and the time to recurrence significantly shorter with gemcitabine (25.5 vs 39.4 months, P= 0.042). ? Finally, in a third trial of high-risk patients who had failed previous intravesical BCG therapy, gemcitabine was associated with significantly fewer recurrences (52.5% vs 87.5%, P= 0.002) and a longer time to recurrence (3.9 vs 3.1 months, P= 0.9) compared with BCG. Progression rates were similar in both groups (33% vs 37.5%, P= 0.12) with no significant differences in grade 2 or 3 toxicities. ? The data from several observational studies confirm the pharmacology of gemcitabine as an intravesical agent whilst others report the activity of gemcitabine in terms of tumour recurrence. However, these studies are inherently biased and these data should be interpreted appropriately. ? In conclusion a single study suggests that in NMIBC multiple doses of intravesical gemcitabine reduce tumour recurrences to a greater extent than a single dose. ? In contrast, a single dose immediately after surgery is ineffective based on one study. Gemcitabine may be more active than MMC with a lower toxicity profile. ? Compared with intravesical BCG therapy, gemcitabine had similar effects in intermediate-risk patients, less effective in high-risk patients and superior in BCG-refractory patients. However, each randomised trial identified represents a different clinical setting in NMIBC and therefore the evidence base is limited. Consequently these data should be interpreted with caution until further corroborative evidence becomes available. ? Intravesical gemcitabine is a promising drug that may add to the urologist's options in treating patients with NMIBC.     

Progressive severe kyphosis as a complication of multilevel cervical percutaneous facet neurotomy: a case report

Background context

Percutaneous facet neurotomy is a procedure commonly used for the treatment of pain thought to originate from zygoapophyseal joint dysfunction. Some practitioners have also used this technique to treat cervicogenic headache. Previously reported complications for this procedure have been minimal and have included dysthesias and local pain.

Study design

Case report.

Methods

Bilateral multilevel cervical percutaneous facet neurotomies were used to treat a patient suffering from a chronic headache and neck pain that had failed to respond to extensive medical management.

Results

Within days of completing the bilateral facet neurotomies, the patient developed head drop. Subsequent electromyography revealed denervation of the patient's paraspinous muscles. Initially the patient was managed conservatively in a cervical collar with the hope that he would recover some function. After few years, the patient developed fixed kyphotic deformity. Correction of the patient's deformity required multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion followed by posterior instrumented fusion.

Conclusions

When performing multilevel percutaneous cervical facet neurotomies, there is a risk of paraspinous muscle denervation, and subsequent kyphotic deformity may occur. The likelihood of this rare and previously unreported complication can probably be reduced by proper needle positioning and by minimizing the number of levels at which the procedure is performed.     

Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids attenuates hepatic apoptosis in rats with chronic liver disease

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) can function as pharmacologic nutrients for patients with decompensated cirrhosis. However, the effects of BCAA at the early stage of chronic liver disease are not clear. We hypothesized that early BCAA supplementation would attenuate the progression of chronic liver disease. The present study examined the effects of BCAA supplementation on the progression of chronic liver disease in rats caused by injected carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄). Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with a casein diet (control group) or the same diet supplemented with BCAA (BCAA group) for 11 weeks, and all rats were repeatedly injected with CCl₄. Food intake did not significantly differ between control and BCAA groups during the experimental period. Plasma alanine aminotransferase activities gradually increased during the experimental period in both groups but peaked later in the BCAA group. Liver fibrosis was more evident in the control group. Levels of connective tissue growth factor messenger RNA were significantly lower in the livers of rats in the BCAA group than in the control group. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling assays found considerably more hepatic apoptosis in the control group. Liver cytosolic cytochrome c levels and expression of the proapoptotic Bax protein in the mitochondrial fraction were significantly lower in the BCAA group than in the control group. These results suggest that supplementation with BCAA delays the progression of chronic liver disease caused by CCl₄ in rats by attenuating hepatic apoptosis.