ASO Visual Abstract: Will It Play in Peoria? A Pilot Study of a Robotic Skills Curriculum for Surgical Oncology Fellows

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

The introduction of treatment and the cultural adaptability of western psychotherapies for eating disorders in China

In the past 40 years, the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in China has shown an increasing trend, leading to an urgent need to develop efficient treatment modes and methods. Since the beginning of the new century, the diagnosis, treatment, and research of ED in China have been under development. This article gives an introduction and commentary on the treatment modes, treatment methods and their applications in ED in China. There are two main treatment forms for ED until now, that is, inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment is recommended as the first choice. Since 2008, clinical psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and family-based treatment (FBT), which are effective for pathological symptoms of ED, have been introduced into China and developed clinically. Group CBT and group DBT for patients with ED and group FBT for caregivers might be the most efficient psychotherapy in China nowadays. A multi-family FBT support group could be developed as the basic treatment of ED patients. Although these new types of psychotherapy have observed effectiveness in clinical application, the Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) are rare and need to be developed.     

A computer-based system for identification of the static characteristics of medical sensors

This paper presents the design and implementation of a computer-based system for identification of the static characteristics of medical sensors. The static characteristic obtained is then used to correct the input-output non-idealities caused by nonlinearity effects, gain error, hysteresis and environmental effects. The knowledge of this characteristic enables digital signal processing of the sensor response, facilitates correction of input-output non-idealities and forms a compensation formula which is required for the optimal design of the experiment for medical sensor calibration. The identification system consists of a personal computer and a microcontroller-based electronic system. In consideration of practical situations special emphasis is oriented toward its user friendliness and future extendability.     

Prostate cancer old problems and new approaches

Rates of prostate cancer (PCa) have increased so dramatically over the last decade that the age adjusted incidence rate for PCa is now greater than that any other cancer among men in the United States. This review, published as a three part series, provides a state-of-art assessment of the PCa problem in its divergent aspects.Part 1 covers epidemiology, incidence and progression. Several epidemiological studies have demostrated that first degree male relatives of men with PCa are at increased risk of developing the disease. Familial and genetic factors as well as medical, anthropometric, dietary, hormonal and occupational factors involved in PCa are discussed. Postmortem examination of the prostate in men without evidence of PCa documented a high frequency of adenocarcinoma. Latent disease occurred as early as the second decade of life. Although there is no significant difference in incidence between Caucasian and African-American males, high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) is higher in the latter group. While dietary fat, androgens and certain environmental factors may be determinants for PCa, the exact mechanism of tumorigenesis is still relatively unknown. The current thinking of the role of genomic instability, chromosomal alterations, tumor suppressor genes and the androgen receptor are explored.     

Hepatitis E antibodies in Egyptian adolescent females: their prevalence and possible relevance

Hepatitis E virus has been implicated as a frequent cause of acute sporadic hepatitis among Egyptian children. Moreover, an extraordinarily high seroprevalence rate was previously reported in a semiurban Nile Delta population. A conspicuous feature of hepatitis E is the high morbidity and mortality it can cause among infected pregnant women. We therefore evaluated the prevalence of HEV antibodies in adolescent females using a solid-phase enzyme linked immunoassay based on two recombinant hepatitis E virus antigens. A high prevalence rate (38.9%) was found in 95 apparently healthy adolescent females. The mean age of the study subjects was 21.81 +/- 2.5 (SD) range 16-25 years. Eighty (84.2%) subjects resided in Alexandria, while 15 (15.8%) came from semiurban villages of Alexandria Governorate. An increased prevalence was noted with age, as anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 32.1% and 41.8% of study participants in the second and third decades of life, respectively. Similarly, those illiterate or having received less than primary education exhibited a higher HEV prevalence than those with higher education (46.3% vs 29.3%). The majority of subjects having serological evidence of HEV infection denied previous history of jaundice which shows that HEV infection was subclinical in those cases. Ten (55.6%) pregnant females participating in the study, as well as 48 (62.3%) non pregnant females lacked serological evidence of HEV infection; i.e., 60.01% (10 + 48 out of 95) of women in the childbearing age may be susceptible to infection. This report suggests that HEV is endemic in Alexandria, Egypt; the epidemiologic risk factors associated with HEV infection need further exploration.     

应用改进的眼震图检查先天性眼球震颤

目的评价改进后的眼震图对先天性眼球震颤波形的分析,为其手术治疗提供较为精确的量化标准.方法改进电生理仪的视网膜电图(EOG)程序,分别记录68例患者33cm原在位、右5°、10°、15°、20°,左5°、10°、15°、20°,3m原在位及闭眼的波形,并对其中28例手术患者术前和术后的眼震图进行比较.结果68例患者中,跳动型48例,其中水平跳动46例,垂直跳动2例;水平钟摆型20例.跳动型中,有代偿头位的40例,钟摆型无明显代偿头位.28例手术患者中,水平跳动型26例,水平钟摆型2例.26例跳动型患者均有中间位和代偿头位.术后20例代偿头位消失,6例代偿头位在左5°～10°.按震频、振幅、震强的分组中,处于中等震频、振幅、震强范围内的多见.结论改进的眼震图可以对眼震的振幅、震频、震强、中间位进行量化的检测,从而指导其治疗.