No impact of repeated endoscopic screens on gastric cancer mortality in a prospectively followed Chinese population at high risk.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths in China. Our study prospectively evaluated the impact of repeated endoscopic screens on GC mortality in a high-risk population in China. METHODS: Between 1989 and 1999, a population-based gastroscopic screening was conducted in 4,394 residents of Linqu County, China, a region with the highest rates of GC worldwide. Residents ages 35 to 64 years received initial gastroscopies with biopsies in 1989. Repeated endoscopies were performed in 1994 and 1999. Cancer occurrences and deaths were actively monitored throughout the entire period until July 2000. Mortality from GC was compared with expected values based on mortality rates obtained for Linqu in the 1990-1992 Chinese Cancer Mortality Survey. RESULTS: Between March 1989 and July 2000, 39,303 person-years were accumulated; 85 new GCs occurred, 29 (34.5%) were in early stage. Fifty-eight cases (68%) were identified at one of the screens. The number of observed deaths from GC (37) was close to the expected (36.8). The standardized mortality ratio was 1.01 (95% CI 0.72-1.37) for the entire cohort, 1.13 (95% CI 0.77-1.57) for males, and 0.65 (95% CI 0.26-1.32) for females. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high population coverage with repeated screens, no reduction in GC mortality was observed in this high-risk population in China.     

微螺钉种植体支抗系统的产生和临床应用

口腔正畸支抗是指对牙齿或颌骨所施加的矫治力的反作用力的抵抗。Freudenthaler等将其定义为:承受反作用力的单位允许移动的总量[1]。支抗的设计和有效控制是矫治成功与否的重要因素,贯穿着整个矫治过程。在临床上,尽管有了正确的支抗选择并进行了适当的支抗控制,支抗失控在治疗过程中总有可能不同程度地发生。多年来口腔正畸医生们努力想获得一种安全、有效、稳定、舒适、不需患者合作的支抗,种植体支抗正是在这种情况下逐步发展和应用。1微螺钉种植体(MAS)支抗系统的产生Creekmore Eklund于1983年第一次提出一枚小的金属螺丝钉在上颌前…     

335例术后全身炎症反应综合征的临床分析

【目的】了解手术创伤对术后全身炎症反应综合征 (SIRS)的影响。【方法】搜集外科重症监护室 (SICU) 335例患者的术后资料 ,分析不同手术组SIRS发病率 ;手术时间、失血量与SIRS持续时间的关系 ;SIRS持续时间与术后并发症的关系。【结果】术后SIRS发病率为 75 8% ,大手术高达 92 4 % ;无并发症患者失血量与SIRS持续时间呈正相关 (r1=0 783,P<0 0 1) ,手术时间与SIRS持续时间呈正相关 (r2 =0 398,P <0 0 1) ;随着SIRS持续时间延长 ,并发症发病率显著增高 (P<0 0 5 )。【结论】术后SIRS发生、发展与手术创伤密切相关 ;监测SIRS进程有助于及早发现并发症     

Klinische Erfahrungen mit der Knorpel-Knochen-Transplantation

The treatment of deep cartilage defects in load-bearing joints is a problem that still has no satisfactory solution. Full-thickness defects of the articular cartilage rarely heal spontaneously, usually leaving damage that can lead to early arthrosis. Techniques currently available for the treatment of chondral defects include abrasion, drilling, micro-fracturing, transplantation of tissue autografts and allografts, and cell transplantation. Osteochondral autograft transplantation is currently the only surgical cartilage repair technique known to lead to the formation of genuine hyaline articular cartilage and its retention at least in the medium term. The Draenert method, in which a water-cooled diamond bone-cutting system is used, is an effective procedure for resurfacing the joints affected by localised cartilaginous defects, even when there is also severe bone loss. Donor-side morbidity can be kept to a minimum by filling the defect caused by harvesting with a press-fit cylinder of cancellous bone covered with periosteum for protection.     

De-novo expression of vascular ecto-5′-nucleotidase and down-regulation of glomerular ecto-ATPase in experimental chronic renal transplant failure

Ischemic injury plays an important role in chronic renal transplant failure (CRTF). Down-regulation of ecto-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) in combination with up-regulation of ecto-5'-nucleotidase is a hallmark of ischemic injury. We studied the expression of renal ecto-5'-nucleotidase and ecto-ATPase in experimental renal transplantation. Fisher 344-to-Lewis allografted rats were either treated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or left untreated. Lewis-to-Lewis syngrafted rats served as controls. Untreated allografted rats developed proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis, and mild intimal hyperplasia. ACEi completely prevented focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FGS) and proteinuria, but significantly enhanced intimal hyperplasia. Untreated allografted rats revealed marked vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity, which increased with ACEi. Vascular ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity was absent in syngrafted animals. Ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity correlated well with intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was significantly reduced in untreated allografted rats compared to syngrafted rats and correlated well with the extent of FGS. ACEi prevented reduction in glomerular ecto-ATPase. We found de-novo expression of ecto-5'-nucleotidase at sites of renal intimal hyperplasia. Glomerular ecto-ATPase expression was markedly reduced in allografted rats and was prevented by ACEi. These enzyme expression patterns suggest local ischemic damage in experimental CRTF.     

The concept of culture: A core issue in health disparities

Contemporary discourse contains numerous examples of use of the concept of culture by social and behavioral scientists. Simple reification, where the speaker makes culture into a thing capable of action exemplifies one usage in public discourse. Some quantitative social scientists attempt to characterize people’s cultural identities by means of a single categorical variable, which often “lumps” people into categories such as “Hispanic” or “Black” that in fact have numerous culturally bounded subcategories. Approaches that emphasize cultural process are preferable to those who attempt to categorize; more complex measures of acculturation help investigators to make convincing analyses of circumstances in which health disparities occur. Examples in which investigators make appropriate use of cultural characterizations demonstrate their utility in investigating health disparities in Haitian American women, injecting and noninjecting drug users, Hispanic youth, and adult Hispanics at risk of HIV infection. Focus on culture in the study of health disparities can identify entanglements between structural factors such as poverty and lack of education and cultural factors such as beliefs about health. Qualitative methods coupled with quantitative methods have great potential to improve investigators’ grasp of cultural nuance while capturing the distribution of qualitatively derived behaviors.     

Discussing options between patients and health care professionals in genetic diagnosis: ethical and legal criteria

The specific characteristics of genetic data lead to ethical-legal conflicts in the framework of genetic diagnosis. Several international organisations, including UNESCO and the Council of Europe, have enacted rules referring to the use of genetic information. This paper discusses possible legal and ethical criteria that could be used in genetic testing.