P6 Complaints of halitosis related to the oral cavity. A preliminary report of 700 consecutive patients

Patients with complaints of halitosis do seek treatment from physicians and dental practitioners, because of the fear that their halitosis may interfere with their social activities. Although the prevalence of halitosis has been reported to be as high as 50%, most physicians and dental practitioners are poorly informed about the causes and treatments of halitosis. In order to care for patients with complaints of halitosis a multidisciplinary team was established at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The team included a dental hygienist, an otorhinolaryngologist, and a dentist, who developed a special halitosis programme. One short press release regarding the establishment of the team, was provided to the national press-centre. In the out-patient clinic more than 700 patients were seen by the team. Using a structured questionnaire fed to a PC, patients answered questions regarding complaints about the oral cavity, the upper respiratory tract, the throat, their general health, their cleansing habits of the oral cavity, and prior experiences with general physicians, dental practitioners, and medical specialists. They underwent examinations of the extent of their halitosis, of the perioral and neck region, the oral cavity, the upper respiratory tract, and the upper digestive tract. Finally, the members of the team came to a joint diagnosis and a joint treatment plan for every individual patient. Of the first 700 consecutive patients around 90% had a natural dentition without removable partial dentures. More than 60% were diagnosed as having periodontal disease with pockets of 4 mm or more in the maxilla. This figure was more than 50% in the mandible. Around 95% had tongue coating.     

Isolation and characterization of marine luminous bacteria from shallow coastal waters of Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Marine luminous bacteria were isolated and identified from samples in shallow coastal waters of Taiwan during the relatively warm seasons. METHODS: Identification of the luminous isolates was performed based on differences of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics together with data from phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Twenty seven strains of marine luminous bacteria were isolated. They were divided into five types based on differences of phenotypic characteristics. However, they could be clustered into only two genotypes according to the analysis of restriction patterns of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA genes digested with various restriction enzymes. The characterization data together with the 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates included in phenotype I (seven isolates) could be Photobacterium leiognathi, and those included in phenotypes II-V (twenty isolates) might be classified as Vibrio harveyi. However, phylogeny based on gyrB sequences indicated that phenotypes II-V could be classified into two species, V. harveyi and Vibrio campbellii. CONCLUSION: Culturable luminous bacteria in the shallow coastal waters of Taiwan during the sampling period are dominated by V. harveyi/campbellii and P. leiognathi, and the former species appeared to be more prevalent and numerous than the latter species in general.     

Expression and CpG methylation of the insulin-like growth factor II gene in human smooth muscle tumors.

Previously we have shown that expression of the insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) gene in 36 normal smooth muscle tissues (myometria) and 26 benign smooth muscle tumors (leiomyomas) was detectable by Northern blot analysis but that the RNA levels were low. In 9 of 20 malignant smooth muscle tumors (leiomyosarcomas) IGF-II gene expression was also low or absent, while in 11 of 20 the IGF-II gene was abundantly expressed. In 32 of these tissues we have now studied the DNA methylation state of the IGF-II gene. For the analysis of overall methylation of the gene the restriction endonucleases HpaII and MspI were used. In normal smooth muscle and in leiomyomas the IGF-II gene appeared to be methylated. In leiomyosarcomas with low IGF-II gene expression the DNA was partly demethylated. In leiomyosarcomas with abundant IGF-II gene expression overall methylation of the DNA tended to be low. In addition, we have studied the methylation state of one particular CpG site in the IGF-II gene with the restriction endonuclease AvaII. The results of the latter analysis confirm the analysis with HpaII and MspI. In conclusion, in malignant smooth muscle tumors the data indicate an inverse correlation between CpG methylation and expression of the IGF-II gene.     

糖尿病大鼠膀胱储尿期功能改变的实验研究

目的 研究糖尿病膀胱病变(Diabetic cystopathy，DCP)储尿期尿动力学特征及膀胱感觉功能障碍，为阐明DCP的发病机制提供实验依据。方法 分别以链脲佐菌素(STZ)、蔗糖诱导制作大鼠DCP模型及利尿模型，正常大鼠作对照。采用免疫组化结合图像分析技术观察膀胱感觉神经递质CGRP及其纤维改变；制备离体全膀胱，作膀胱灌注测压观察膀胱顺应性改变；放免法测定逼尿肌舒张信号转导分子cAMP。结果 DCP8周时，膀胱壁尤其是粘膜下层的CGRP及其神经纤维明显减少；离体膀胱测压显示糖尿病膀胱顺应性升高；膀胱舒张作用明显弱于对照组和利尿组，逼尿肌cAMP含量显著低于后者。结论 ①DCP对膀胱功能的损害是多方面的：CGRP为主要递质的粘膜下层膀胱容量感觉纤维明显减少，膀胱顺应性改变是DCP的致病机制之一。②DCP早期即已发生储尿期功能障碍，并且可能是膀胱收缩功能损伤的因素。③非糖尿病性利尿状态(多尿)对膀胱功能构成一定的损害作用，但不是DCP形成的主要原因。提示临床上对糖尿病患者作必要的尿动力学检查能较早发现DCP，有助于保护膀胱功能。     

Liver transplantation in Taiwan: the Chang Gung experience

Between March 1984 and February 1991, six orthotopic liver transplantations were performed at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. The indications for transplantation were Wilson's disease (5 patients) and biliary atresia (1 patient). Donors and recipients were matched only for size and ABO blood group compatibility, and the recipient operations were performed without the use of a venovenous bypass. Arterial reconstruction was carried out by end-to-end hepatic artery anastomosis (4), thoracic aortic conduit (1), or interposition of an iliac artery graft (1), whereas biliary reconstruction was accomplished by a choledochocholedochostomy using a T-tube stent (4) or a choledochocholedochostomy using an external cholecystostomy without stenting (2). Biliary complications occurred in three patients, and all required additional surgery. The average duration of donor-liver cold ischemia, operating time, and blood loss during surgery were 7 h and 50 min (range, 4.5–9 h), 13.5 h (range, 11.8–17h), and 4,385 ml (range, 750–12,000 ml) respectively. The immunosuppressive regimens included a cyclosporinsteroid combination (n=2) and a triple-drug combination (n=4). All except one of the surviving patients experienced at least one rejection episode that was reversed by a methyl-prednisolone bolus and/or recycle. One patient developed a primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection that responded well to Ganciclovir treatment. Two of the patients died, one of injuries sustained in a traffic accident 3 years after transplantation, and the other of massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The overall survival value at 3 months was 83%, and the follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 7 years. All of the survivors have achieved complete rehabilitation and currently enjoy an excellent quality of life with normal liver function. Althought the present study involved a small number of cases, our results indicate that liver transplantation can be successfully achieved in a high proportion of patients with acceptable morbidity, mortality, and cost in an Asian setting. The extreme shortage of donor organs is currently the most important obstacle limiting the application of liver transplantation in Taiwan.Presented at The Second International Symposium on Treatment of Liver Cancer. Taipei, 3–4 February 1991     

Double beam and detector γ-radiation attenuation gauge for studying bubble phenomena in gas-solid fluidized beds

In this paper the technique of cross-correlating the void fractions derived from the transmission signals of two γ-sources is used for the non-intrusive study of bubble phenomena in gas-solid fluidized beds. Special attention is given to the optimization of this method with respect to the statistical uncertainty inherent to radioactive decay. Experiments in a 40 cm gas-solid fluidized bed illustrate that bubble velocity distributions can be obtained.