Observations of Langerhans' cells in leprosy using monoclonal antibody OKT6

Changes in the Langerhans' cells (LC) in seven cases of leprosy were observed using the monoclonal antibody OKT6. In the epidermis of the lesions of most of the leprosy cases, the processes of LC were reduced or diminished. Some LC were disintegrated. In two BT cases in the upgrading (type 1) reactional stage, either increased numbers and aggregation of OKT6-positive cells in clusters or their disintegration was seen in different areas of the epidermis.     

CRABP-II- and FABP5-independent responsiveness of human glioblastoma cells to all-trans retinoic acid

Glioblastomas respond differently to all-trans retinoic acid (RA) for unknown reasons. Because CRABP-II and FABP5 mediate RA intracellular signaling respectively and lead to distinct biological consequences, their expression patterns in different grades of astrocytomas and the glioblastoma cells lines LN18, LN428 and U251 were examined to identify potential correlations with RA sensitivities. The response of glioblastoma cells to RA, decitabine or the FABP5 competitive inhibitor, BMS309403, was analyzed. CRABP-II and FABP5 were expressed to varying degrees by the 84-astrocytoma cases examined. Treatment of LN428, U251 and LN18 cells with RA failed to suppress their growth; however, U251 proliferation was inhibited by decitabine. The combination of decitabine and RA suppressed the growth of all three cell lines and induced significant apoptosis of LN428 and U251 cells. Both CRABP-II and FABP5 were transcribed in the three cell lines but FABP5 proteins were undetectable in U251 cells. The ratio of CRABP-II to FABP5 was not altered after RA, decitabine or RA and decitabine treatment and the resistance of cells to RA was not reversed by BMS309403 treatment. In conclusion, CRABP-II and FABP5 expression patterns are neither related to the tumor grades nor correlated with RA sensitivity. Additional molecular factors may be present that determines the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to RA. Dicitabine may improve the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to RA, however, its underlying mechanism and its in vivo feasibility need to be investigated.     

Combination of circulating tumor cell enumeration and tumor marker detection in predicting prognosis and treatment effect in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

Although circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration in peripheral blood has already been validated as a reliable biomarker in predicting prognosis in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), patients with favorable CTC counts (CTC < 5/7.5 ml) still experience various survival times. Assays that can reduce patients'' risks are urgently needed. In this study, we set up a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method to detect epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell gene expression status in peripheral blood to validate whether they could complement CTC enumeration. From January 2013 to June 2014 we collected peripheral blood from 70 mCRPC patients and enumerated CTC in these blood samples using CellSearch system. At the same time, stem cell-related genes (ABCG2, PROM1 and PSCA) and EMT-related genes (TWIST1 and vimentin) were detected in these peripheral blood samples using an RT-qPCR assay. Patient overall survival (OS) and treatment methods were recorded in the follow-up. For patients who received first-line chemotherapy, docetaxel plus prednisone, PSA progression-free survival (PSA-PFS) and PSA response rate were recorded. At the time of analysis, 35 patients had died of prostate cancer with a median follow-up of 16.0 months. Unfavorable CTC enumerations (CTC ≥5/7.5 ml) were predictive of shorter OS (p = 0.01). Also, positive stem cell gene expression indicated poor prognosis in mCRPC patients (p = 0.01). However, EMT gene expression status failed to show any prognostic value in OS (p = 0.78). A multivariate analysis indicated that serum albumin (p = 0.04), ECOG performance status (p < 0.01), CTC enumeration (p = 0.02) and stem cell gene expression status (p = 0.01) were independent prognostic factors for OS. For the 40 patients categorized into the favorable CTC enumeration group, positive stem cell gene expression also suggested poor prognosis (p < 0.01). A combined prognostic model consisting of stem cell gene expression and CTC enumeration increased the concordance probability estimated value from 0.716 to 0.889 in comparison with CTC enumeration alone. For patients who received docetaxel plus prednisone as first-line chemotherapy, positive stem cell gene expression suggested a poor PSA-PFS (p = 0.01) and a low PSA response rate (p = 0.008). However, CTC enumeration and EMT gene expression status did not affect PSA-PFS or PSA response rates. As a result, detection of peripheral blood stem cell gene expression could complement CTC enumeration in predicting OS and docetaxel-based treatment effects in mCRPC patients.     

整体护理在口腔正畸患者治疗中的应用与分析

目的 了解并分析正畸患者的心理问题及实施系统化整体护理对口腔正畸患者的临床效果. 方法 将128例错(牙合)形患者随机分成2组,对照组(62例)采用传统的功能制护理模式,实验组(66例)实施系统化的整体护理模式,用自行设计量表以问卷、面谈和观察相结合的形式对患者进行评价,并对结果进行分析. 结果 实验组对临床护理服务的满意率为98.48%,对照组则为82.26%,实验组临床效果优于对照组(P《0.01).实验组并发症发生率低于对照组(P《0.01).结论 运用系统化整体护理使口腔正畸患者在治疗过程中得到了系统的知识教育,减少了并发症,同时融洽了护患关系,值得推广.     

医学及其相关专业大学生学习积极主动性测量工具的研制

目的开发一个针对医学及其相关专业大学生学习积极主动性(active learning state,ALS)的测量工具.方法多次小组讨论后识别出ALS的可测量点并编制成题(5点评分法),确定专家内容效度和复测信度(间隔4周)后进行预试.等比(25%)分层整群抽样法从医学及其相关专业抽出515名1～3年级学生进行测试.成就动机量表用于测定结构效度.结果ALS量表的专家内容效度指数和评分者间一致性均为0.86,复测信度较好(Spearman相关系数rs=0.46,P＜0.001),与成就动机高度相关(rs=0.52,P＜0.001).ALS主要由学习驱动力、学习目标、深入学习、控制学习和扎实学习5个因子构成,其内在一致性信度系数(α)分别为0.70、0.77、0.70、0.78和0.67,总体α为0.89;贡献率分别为12.8%、11.3%、11.0%、10.7%、10.2%,累计56.1%.医学及其相关专业大学生ALS得分为72.8±10.52.结论医学及其相关专业大学生ALS受多种因素影响,通过学习行为、认知活动及特定的个性特征投射出来.此ALS量表测量性能良好,可用于定量评价大学生的ALS.     

Differences in gambling problem severity and gambling and health/functioning characteristics among Asian-American and Caucasian high-school students

Studies of Asian-American adults have found high estimates of problematic gambling. However, little is known about gambling behaviors and associated measures among Asian-American adolescents. This study examined gambling perceptions and behaviors and health/functioning characteristics stratified by problem-gambling severity and Asian-American and Caucasian race using cross-sectional survey data of 121 Asian-American and 1659 Caucasian high-school students. Asian-American and Caucasian adolescents significantly differed on problem-gambling severity, with Asian-American adolescents more often reporting not gambling (24.8% vs. 16.4%), but when they did report gambling, they showed higher levels of at-risk/problem gambling (30.6% vs. 26.4%). Parental approval or disapproval of adolescent gambling also significantly differed between races, with Asian-American adolescents more likely to perceive both parental disapproval (50.0% vs. 38.2%) and approval (19.3% vs. 9.6%) of gambling. Asian-American adolescents were also more likely to express concern about gambling among close family members (25.2% vs. 11.6%). Among Asian-American adolescents, stronger associations were observed between at-risk/problem gambling and smoking cigarettes (interaction odds ratio=12.6). In summary, differences in problem-gambling severity and gambling perceptions indicate possible cultural differences in familial attitudes towards gambling. Stronger links between cigarette smoking and risky/problematic gambling amongst Asian-American adolescents suggest that prevention and treatment efforts targeting youth addictions consider cultural differences.     

Impacts from Waste Oyster Shell on the Durability and Biological Attachment of Recycled Aggregate Porous Concrete for Artificial Reef

Poor biological attachment of artificial reef (AR) prepared by the recycled aggregate limit the application in the area of marine engineering. In this study, the waste oyster shell (WOS) was used as raw materials to prepare the recycled aggregate porous concrete (RAPC), the compressive strength, split tensile strength, chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, low temperature resistance, and the biological attachment were tested, aiming to improve the biological attachment and decrease carbon dioxide emission. The experiment results demonstrate that the use of WOS can decrease the compressive and split tensile strength, but the effect of designed porous structure on the mechanical strength is higher than that of WOS. To ensure the durability of RAPC, the contents of WOS should not exceed 20%. Additionally, the addition of WOS and designed porous structure are beneficial to biological attachment. However, the porous structure of RAPC only improves biological attachment in the short term, and the reverse phenomenon is true in the long term. As the partial replacement of cement with WOS is 40%, the total carbon dioxide emission decreases by about 52%. In conclusion, the use of WOS in the RAPC is an eco-friendly method in the artificial reef (AR) with improved ecological attachment and reduced carbon dioxide emission.     

Evaluation of Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Sandstone Due to High-Temperature

In this study, thermophysical and mechanical tests were conducted on sandstone samples from room temperature to 1000 °C. Based on the test results, the thermophysical properties (such as specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal expansion coefficient) of sandstone after high-temperature treatment and the variations of mechanical properties (including peak strength, peak strain, elastic modulus, and whole stress-strain curve) with temperature were analyzed. Indeed, the deterioration law of sandstone after high-temperature treatment was also explored with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that with the increase in temperature, the specific heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient of sandstone samples after high-temperature treatment increase first and then decrease, while the thermal conductivity gradually decreases. The range from room temperature to 1000 °C witnesses the following changes: As temperature rises, the peak strength of sandstone rises initially and falls subsequently; the elastic modulus drops; the peak strain increases at an accelerated rate. Temperature change has a significant effect on the deterioration rules of sandstone, and the increase in temperature contributes to the transition in the failure mode of sandstone from brittle failure to ductile failure. The experimental study on the thermophysical and mechanical properties of sandstone under the action of high temperature and overburden pressure has a guiding significance for the site selection and safety evaluation of UCG projects.     

Effects of Surgeon Handedness on the Outcomes of Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Single Center's Experience

ObjectiveSurgeon handedness has been widely discussed in operative surgery, and could cause clinical discrepancy. However, few studies have reported the effect of handedness on unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Based on our clinical observation and case analysis, we aimed to find out the effects of surgeon handedness on UKA.MethodsWe retrospectively studied 94 UKA procedures performed by one right‐handed surgeon from January 2017 to December 2018 at a single medical center. The cases were divided into two groups by operation side (49 L‐UKAs and 45 R‐UKAs). Preoperative demographic data were collected. Imaging parameters (femorotibial and hip‐knee‐ankle angles and tibial‐plateau retroversion) and joint function scores (Knee Society Score [KSS] and Oxford Knee Score [OKS]) were recorded. Patients were followed up regularly and Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) was calculated at the last follow‐up. All data were compared between the two groups with independent‐samples t‐test, and paired t‐test was used for intragroup comparisons.ResultsThe average follow‐up was 26.7 ± 3.2 months. The average patient age was 63.5 ± 9.0 years and the average body mass index was 26.89 ± 3.43 kg/m². There was no significant group difference in any preoperative characteristic. Both the KSS and OKS improved significantly after surgery (p < 0.05). No significant group difference was found between the KSS or OKS at any follow‐up visit. The varus or valgus of tibial component was 3.57 ± 1.42° on the left side and 3.19 ± 1.56° on the right side (p = 0.45). The varus or valgus of femoral component was 7.81 ± 2.43° in patients undergoing L‐UKA and 7.05 ± 2.90° in those undergoing R‐UKA (p = 0.04). No statistical differences were found in outliers of component orientation on both sides. The femorotibial and hip‐knee‐ankle angles improved significantly in both groups, and there was no significant group difference in either lower limb alignment or tibial‐plateau retroversion. The complication rate was 8.16% (4/49) in the L‐UKA group and 6.67% (3/45) in the R‐UKA group. There was no correlation between prosthesis orientation and early joint function score.ConclusionsSurgeon handedness may cause a worse prosthetic orientation on femoral side during surgeon''s non‐dominant UKA, and surgeons should be cautious of bone resection and prosthesis implantation. However, radiographic difference did not bring variations on short‐term clinical outcomes or lower limb alignment.