Peritoneal closure--to close or not to close

Peritoneal closure is a controversial issue among obstetricians and gynaecologists. This article reappraises the issue of peritoneal closure. We conducted a thorough literature search using Medline, Pubmed and Embase as well as a hand-search for all references quoted in the relevant papers. The routine non-closure of the peritoneum reduces operation time by an average of 6 min. Most studies showed no difference in the other outcome measures including infection/febrile episodes, analgesic/anaesthetics requirement, bowel function restoration, post-operative stay and adhesion formation. There are insufficient data concerning adhesion formation. In conclusion, apart from a slightly shorter operation time associated with non-closure of the peritoneum, many studies showed no difference in short-term morbidity in the closure and the non-closure group. More studies are needed to examine the long-term morbidity associated with the closure or the non-closure of the peritoneum.     

Identification of new DNA markers close to the myotonic dystrophy locus.

The most useful markers for the prenatal diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy (DM) are APOC2 and CKM, both of which map proximal to DM. In order to produce other markers useful for DM, we have screened genomic DNA libraries constructed from cell line 20XP3542-1-4, which contains 20 to 30 Mb of human material including APOC2 and CKM. Of 51 human clones identified, seven map to chromosome 17, four to chromosome 8, and nine to chromosome 19, and the remaining 31 were excluded form chromosome 19 but not localised further. Four of the clones from chromosome 19 map distal to CKM and two of these clones (D19S62 and D19S63) are closely linked to DM. Analysis of a family in which a crossover between CKM and DM has occurred shows that neither D19S62 nor D19S63 and DM have recombined, suggesting that D19S62 and D19S63 are either closer to or flanking DM in relation to CKM. Pulsed field gel analysis showed that CKM, D19S62, and D19S63 map to a region of at least 1500 kb.     

Moving with the sun

A global 24-hour telemedicine conference entitled, "Moving with the Sun" was successfully completed on June 30 and July 1 1997 between participants from Hong Kong and China, as well as with sixteen major international medical centres around the globe. In addition to celebrating the return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, the conference also signified the establishment of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong as a bridge between Western countries and the PRC.     

Serotonin in the lung. Demonstration of a close correlation to blood platelet

The dependency of a high level of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) in the lung on blood 5HT was examined. The whole lung excised from NOD/Shi mice (male, 8–12 week old) immediately after being sacrificed by cervical dislocation contained 2.86±1.21 g/g of 5HT per wet tissue. This amount was much higher than that explained by the included blood which was estimated by the hemoglobin concentration in the lung extract. In order to decrease 5HT level in the blood, platelet was depleted by an exposure to -ray. On the 10th day after the irradiation the amount of 5HT in the lung and blood decreased to about 3.1% and 1.5% of the respective normal values. The progressive decrease in 5HT in the lung and blood of the irradiated mice was prevented by the transplantation of normal bone marrow cells (10⁷ cells/mouse). 5HT in the intestine did not change significantly. The correlation between 5HT in the excised lung and the number of platelets in the blood was statistically significant (correlation coefficient r=0.61). The irradiated, platelet-deficient mice were incapable of accumulating serotonin in the lung, while normal mice increased the lung serotonin more than 3-fold, when high doses of 5HT were administered. The results indicated that the high level of 5HT in the dissected lung was closely related to platelet in the blood. A question remained where the majority of the measured 5HT was located in the lung tissue.     

Universal vaccines: shifting to one for many or shooting too high too soon!

Switching from conventional strain-specific vaccines to multi-strain or multi-species universal vaccines is both justified and scientifically merited. Long-term cross-protective universal vaccines eliminate the need for repetitive short-term vaccination campaigns and short-notice vaccine redesign during impending epidemics. They also have the potential to be cost-effective, convenient, and amenable to stockpiling. Ongoing advances in genomics and reverse vaccinology along with the perceived ability of vaccines, if properly formulated, to induce cross-protective adaptive immunity and long-term T cell memory are at the heart of this trend. Consequently, the search for universal vaccines against influenza, HIV, and many other viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens has intensified in recent years. Currently, several universal influenza vaccines are at different phases of clinical evaluation. That said, vaccine-related differential effectiveness, escape mutants, pathogen strain replacement, limited scope of cross-protective immunity, and diminished potential to reach optimal herd immunity thresholds present serious challenges to the concept and applicability of universal vaccines. Herein, the case for and the case against universal vaccines are investigated to realistically appreciate their prospects of success.     

孕前太阳环境与智力优生

智力同先天和后天的许多因素有关.本文所专注的,是孕前太阳环境与智力优生的关系.