Wound healing and infection in nail matrix phenolization wounds. Does topical medication make a difference?

After nail matrix ablation using phenolization, a medicated wound dressing (10% povidone iodine), an amorphous hydrogel dressing (Intrasite Gel), and a control dressing (paraffin gauze) were evaluated. Forty-two participants, randomly divided into three dressing groups, were evaluated. Healing time did not differ between the 10% povidone iodine (33 days), amorphous hydrogel (33 days), and the control dressing (34 days). For all groups, the clinical infection rate was lower than in previous studies, and there was no clinical difference between groups (one infection in the povidone iodine and control groups; none in the amorphous hydrogel group). However, in the amorphous hydrogel group, other complications, such as hypergranulation, were more likely. This investigation indicated that medicated or hydrogel dressings did not enhance the rate of healing or decrease infection rates.     

Research and applications: Impact of an electronic medication management system on hospital doctors’ and nurses’ work: a controlled pre–post,time and motion study

Objective

To quantify and compare the time doctors and nurses spent on direct patient care, medication-related tasks, and interactions before and after electronic medication management system (eMMS) introduction.

Methods

Controlled pre–post, time and motion study of 129 doctors and nurses for 633.2 h on four wards in a 400-bed hospital in Sydney, Australia. We measured changes in proportions of time on tasks and interactions by period, intervention/control group, and profession.

Results

eMMS was associated with no significant change in proportions of time spent on direct care or medication-related tasks relative to control wards. In the post-period control ward, doctors spent 19.7% (2 h/10 h shift) of their time on direct care and 7.4% (44.4 min/10 h shift) on medication tasks, compared to intervention ward doctors (25.7% (2.6 h/shift; p=0.08) and 8.5% (51 min/shift; p=0.40), respectively). Control ward nurses in the post-period spent 22.1% (1.9 h/8.5 h shift) of their time on direct care and 23.7% on medication tasks compared to intervention ward nurses (26.1% (2.2 h/shift; p=0.23) and 22.6% (1.9 h/shift; p=0.28), respectively). We found intervention ward doctors spent less time alone (p=0.0003) and more time with other doctors (p=0.003) and patients (p=0.009). Nurses on the intervention wards spent less time with doctors following eMMS introduction (p=0.0001).

Conclusions

eMMS introduction did not result in redistribution of time away from direct care or towards medication tasks. Work patterns observed on these intervention wards were associated with previously reported significant reductions in prescribing error rates relative to the control wards.     

Role of JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway in smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration induced by medication of IL-1β through arterial adventitia in mice

目的 研究白细胞介素-1β经血管外膜给药导致动脉平滑肌细胞发生的改变及其与JAK2-STAT3信号通路的关系,明确JAK2-STAT3信号通路在血管增殖性病变中的作用.方法 6～8周龄SD雄性大鼠24只,分离左侧颈总动脉,实验组(n=18)血管外膜包裹含白介素-1β2.5μg的琼脂缓释悬液,对照组(n=6)包裹不含白介素的琼脂悬液,术后2、8、24、48 h,1、2周分别处死实验组大鼠3只,对照组1只,血管标本经切片HE染色观察形态,Westernblot法检测JAK2、STAT3、磷酸化JAK2以及磷酸化STAT3的表达,免疫组化标记定位磷酸化JAK2及磷酸化STAT3;另取SD雄性大鼠9只,分离两侧颈总动脉,左侧滴加JAK2抑制剂AG490缓释凝胶,右侧滴加等量空白凝胶后两侧均包裹等量白介素-1β,术后8、48 h,1周处死动物分别行HE染色及Western blot检测.结果 白介素-1β包裹血管外膜后出现血管平滑肌细胞的增殖、迁移,通道蛋白JAK2、STAT3在不同时间点出现不同程度的磷酸化,经Western blot检测并行灰度分析,p-JAK2相对灰度值对照组(0.337 ±0.216),8h组(1.764±0.513),1周组(0.451±0.229);p-STAT3相对灰度值对照组(0.125±0.870),24h组(1.909±0.309),2周组(0.448±0.516),各组间有明显差异(P＜0.05).加用抑制剂后,8h组p-JAK2相对灰度值实验侧(0.085±0.031),对照侧(1.416±0.468),48 h组p-STAT3相对灰度值实验侧(0.460±0.065),对照侧(2.425±0.638),提示JAK2、STAT3的磷酸化水平被明显抑制(P＜0.05),平滑肌细胞变化程度下降.结论 炎性因子白细胞介素-1β经动脉外膜给药可致动脉平滑肌细胞增殖、迁移,这种改变与JAK2-STAT3信号通路有直接关系.     

Midterm outcomes of percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy refractory to medication

Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy （HOCM） is a genetic disorder characterized by severe asymmetric hypertrophy of the interventricular septum （IVS） in the absence of any other systemic or cardiac diseases. The predominant abnormal haemodynamics are caused by increased left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient （LVOTG） and abnormal systolic anterior motion of mitral valve.     

Radioenhancing effect of earthworm capsule medication on radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with carcinoma of esophagus or lung

Earthworm capsule is an extract from earthworm made in our laboratory.From1986 to 1989,486 patients with carcinoma of esophagus or lung were randomly divided into 2groups,one group received radiotherapy alone(control group)and the other radiotherapycombined with earthworm capsules(treatment group).All cases were diagnosedpathologically or cytologically.In a two-month treatment course,earthworm capsuleswere given orally twice a day,2～3 capsules each time,each capsule containing 60 mg ofthe extract.Compared with the control group,the CR(complete remission)rate andCR+PR(partial remission)rate in patients with carcinoma of esophagus treated byradiotherapy in combination with earthworm capsule increased 9.7%(P<0.01) and 9.6%(P<0.05),while in patients with carcinoma of lung,they increased 10.6%(P<0.05)and13.5%(P<0.05),respectively.The earthworm capsule caused irritation in the alimentarytract,the patients displaying slight nausea and vomiting(16.7% in thecombination treatment group and 10.0% in the control group).However,these side ef-fects could be alleviated when capsules were taken after meal or with honey concomitantly.No deleterious effects on the heart,liver,kidney,skin,hematopoietic or nervous systemwere seen.     

Hyperuricemia and gout among Taiwan Aborigines and Taiwanese-prevalence and risk factors

Gout is a metabolic disorder which normally undergoes 4 stages : hyperuricemia, acute gouty arthritis, an intercritical period, and final tophus. Priority associated with gout is hyperuricemia. Only 5% - 10% of patients with hyperuricemia will develop gout. Indeed, the serum uric acid level is correlated with the prospects of gouty attack. Therefore, study of gout epidemiology should focus on the hyperuricemia of a community or ethnic population. Twenty-three million people live in Taiwan,among them, an ethnic minority of 330 000 native inhabitants ( called “Aborigines” ), who live mainly in high mountain areas. The rest are “ethnic Taiwanese”,most of whom came from the southern Mainland Chinese provinces some 400 years ago. Some of the “ethnic Taiwanese” arrived from the central and northern areas of Mainland China 50 years ago.The languages,dietary habits and cultures of the Taiwanese and Aborigines are completely different.     

DNA repair genotypes and phenotypes and cancer susceptibility

The role of DNA repair in the etiology of cancers has been well illustrated in several hereditary syndromes, in which an inherited defect in DNA repair and related biological processes is associated with extraordinarily high incidence of cancer. For example, patients with xeroderma pigmentosum（XP） have germline mutations in genes involved nucleotide excision repair（NER） coupled with more than 1000-fold increased risk of UV-induced skin cancers. However, such associations between inherited DNA repair defect and risk of cancer have not been apparent in the general population.     

Cloning and Expression of Apolipoprotein E3 and Its Variant apoE2 and apoE4

In order to obtain three isoforms of apolipoprotein E （apoE）, the eDNA encoding apoE3 was obtained by RT-PCR from normal human liver tissue, Site-directed mutagenesis was used to obtain the cDNAs encoding apoE2 and apoE4 isoforms. The 3 cDNAs were subcloned into vector pGEM-3Z and verified by DNA sequencing. The expression recombinant which can express the target protein as a （His） 6-tagged fusion was constructed by subcloning apoE eDNA into vector pTT-PL, The purified proteins were gained by Ni-NTA column, The SDS-PAGE results revealed the 6 His fusion proteins （apoE2, apoE3 and apoE4） were correctly expressed and purified successfully.     

Anomaly and tumor of the kidney and urinary tract

930159 Transurethral microwave irradiationfor bladder neoplasm.YANG Xuehui(杨学辉),et al.Dept Urol,Beijing Milit Area GeneralHosp,100700.Natl Med J China 1992;72(9):531-533.Forty-two patients with bladder neoplasmwere treated effectively by transurethral mi-     

Notes and News

SYMPOSIUM ON ACUTE ABDOMEN HELDIN TIANJINA symposium on acute abdomen was held inTianjin to cerebrate the 25th Anniversary of theendeavoring of Tianjin Nankai Hospital to work onthe integration of TCM-WM and the 10th Anniver-sary of the founding of Tianjin Institute of AcuteAbdominal Diseases,in May 1985.Some 100 par-ticipants from various parts of the country attendedthe meeting.Dr.Tian Jinfu,director of Bureau ofTCM under the Ministry of Public Health,Dr.Ji     

Notes and News

AN EXHIBITION ON ACUPUNCTURE,PHARMACOLOGY,HYGIENICS INTRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINEThe Paracelso Institute,in collaboration withthe Friendship Association of Chinese Students andScholars in Italy,held in Rome,Italy,an exhibitionon traditional Chinese medicine,bearing the follow-ing title:     

Cancer and Thrombosis

Since 1865,Aremand Trousseau first reported on the association between cancer and thrombosis.For many years,it has been recognized that venous thromboembo- lism (VTE) is a common occurrence in patients with ma- lignant disease.Compared to other groups of patients with VTE the cancer population is unique because the pathogenesis of thrombosis differs,the frequency of VTE is greater and the clinical management required is more     

Stomach and duodenum

930518 Gastric emptying time with~(99m)T_c—resinsolid experiment meal.CHEN Ken(陈恳),et,al.Dept Intern Med,Guangdong Med Coll Hosp,Zhanjiang,524001.Chin J Intern Med 1993;32(5):302—305.Half gastric emptying time(GET1/2)wasmeasured by using radionuclide T—photographywith ~(99m)T_c-resin solid experiment meal.The re-sults were obtained as follows(1)GET1/2 inthe normal controls(10 cases)was 51.62±3.69minutes,(2)GET1/2 in mild chronic atrophicgastritis(CAG)patients was 51.68±9.20 min,not significantly different with the normal con-     

Questions and Answers

How to Treat Cervical Spondylopathy withAcupuncture?Cervical spondylopathy is a syndromeresulting from the stimulation or pressure of thesurrounding cervical blood vessels,nerves,and spinalcord caused by the retrograde pathologic changes in     

Notes and News

THE 9TH WORLD ACUPUNCTURECONGRESS TO BE HELD IN MONTREALThe 9th World Congress of the InternationalSociety of Acupuncture will be held April 12-14,1985,in Montreal,Canada.The Congress convenesevery two years.Chinese representatives have at-tended the 6th,7th and 8th congresses held in Paris,Colombo and Sofia respectively.Dr.Oscar Wexu,President of the Canadian College of TraditionalChinese Medicine and Chairman of the Society ofAcupuncture in Ouebec,acting as host,has invited