Mesenteric and omental cysts: An ultrasonographic and clinical study of 15 patients

The clinical and ultrasonographic (US) features of 15 cases of mesenteric or omental cyst are herein described. This series included seven male and eight female patients, whose age ranged from 2–89 years. Correct clinical diagnosis was made in two children only, but preoperative US examination accurately demonstrated the lesion in 11 of 13 patients (85%). These cystic lesions usually had a thin wall, internal septations, and fluid content with sedimentation. Enteric duplication cysts had a relatively thick wall merging with the muscle layer of bowel loop, and multiloculation was noted mainly with cystic lymphangiomas or pseudocysts. The diagnostic and surgical management of these lesions are briefly reviewed and their US appearance is illustrated.     

腰椎后路非融合固定系统的临床应用

复习腰椎后路非融合固定系统的设计原理、临床应用及治疗效果等相关文献,与传统的脊柱融合术相比,应用非融合系统可获得很好的疗效,并可以减少邻近节段退变的发生率。     

Development of a risk-adjusted capitation model based on principal inpatient diagnoses in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program has considered the use of capitation payments to health care providers as a method for control of the rising costs of the system. The establishment of capitation payments usually requires the performance of risk adjustment. The purposes of this study were to develop a diagnosis-based risk adjustment model for the NHI and to evaluate its predictability. METHODS: Using a 2% random sample of 371,620 NHI enrollees, the authors developed a Taiwan version of the Principal Inpatient Diagnosis Cost Groups (TPIPDCGs) from 1996 claim records to predict an individual's expenditure in 1997. Weighted least squares regression models were built in an estimation sample (two-thirds of the study sample), and were cross-validated in a validation sample (the remaining one-third of the study sample). Predictive R2 and predictive ratios were used to evaluate the model's predictability. RESULTS: Only 7.88% of the study sample could be classified into 1 of the 16 TPIPDCGs. Combined with demographic variables, which alone could explain 3.7% of the variation in an individual's future expenditure, the risk adjustment model based on TPIPDCGs could explain 12.2% of expenditure variation. In addition, the finding that the predictive ratios of the TPIPDCG model approximated unity better than those of the demographic model in all subgroups indicates that the capitation payment as predicted by the TPIPDCG model for each subgroup would better correlate to the actual spending. CONCLUSION: Taiwan's risk-adjusted capitation model based on principal inpatient diagnoses has higher predictability on individual's future expenditure than its counterpart in the USA. This finding provides insight into not only the development of Taiwan's diagnosis-based risk adjustment models but also the necessity of modification when applying foreign-developed risk adjustment models to the NHI.     

大鼠大脑中动脉闭塞后丘脑钙调磷酸酶含量与活性的研究

目的 揭示大脑中动脉闭塞(MCAO)后丘脑钙调磷酸酶(CaN)的时空变化规律，探讨CaN的作用机制。方法 制备大鼠大脑中动脉永久性闭塞模型，分别测定缺血后不同时间点病灶侧丘脑CaN的活性和含量。结果 缺血后24h始丘脑CaN的含量下降且不恢复；CaN的活性在缺血后2h和4h减弱，6h始恢复至正常水平。可见，CaN的活性与含量分离。结论 大脑中动脉闭塞后丘脑CaN活性独特的时间变化规律显示其参与介导继发性丘脑损伤，可能具有毒性作用。     

蜂毒和风痛宁穴位注射治疗骨关节炎468例

目的　探索骨关节炎新的有效治疗途径。方法　运用纯中药制剂蜂毒注射液和风痛宁注射液穴位注射治疗本病 ,并与局封治疗作对照比较。结果　治疗组总有效率为 92 .5 2 % ,对照组为 77.0 0 % ,两组比较有显著差异 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,且两组副作用、复发时间均有显著差异 (P<0 .0 5 )。结论　蜂毒和风痛宁穴位注射治疗本病疗效优于局封治疗 ,且能减少副作用 ,延长复发时间。     

Visual acuity results in school-aged children and adults: Lea Symbols chart versus Bailey-Lovie chart.

PURPOSE: To compare visual acuity results obtained using the Lea Symbols chart with visual acuity results obtained with the Bailey-Lovie chart in school-aged children and adults using a within-subjects comparison of monocular acuity results. METHODS: Subjects were 62 individuals between 4.5 and 60 years of age, recruited from patients seen in five optometry clinics. Each subject had acuity of the right eye and the left eye tested with the Lea Symbols chart and the Bailey-Lovie chart, with order of testing varied across subjects. Outcome measures were monocular logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity and inter-eye acuity difference in logMAR units for each test. RESULTS: Correlation between acuity results obtained with the two charts was high. There was no difference in absolute inter-eye acuity difference measured with the two acuity charts. However, on average, Lea Symbols acuity scores were one logMAR line better than Bailey-Lovie acuity scores, and this difference increased with worse visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: The Lea Symbols chart provides a measure of inter-eye difference that is similar to that obtained with the Bailey-Lovie chart. However, the monocular acuity results obtained with the Lea Symbols chart differ from those obtained with the Bailey-Lovie chart, and the difference is dependent on the individual's absolute level of visual acuity.     

颞肌筋膜瓣与全厚皮片移植修复下睑凹陷性畸形

目的探讨颞筋膜瓣或颞肌筋膜瓣与自体全厚皮片移植,在下睑凹陷性瘢痕畸形修复中的应用效果。方法设计以颞浅动脉为蒂的颞筋膜瓣,对伴眶下壁骨缺损者同时行以颞浅、深动脉为蒂的颞肌筋膜瓣,并取耳后全厚皮片移植联合矫正下睑凹陷性畸形。结果8例患者,术后组织瓣及皮片成活良好,凹陷处填充效果满意。随访6个月至1年,睑外翻矫正,瘢痕不显,颞部供区毛发生长良好。结论应用颞筋膜瓣或颞肌筋膜瓣与全厚皮片移植,联合矫正下睑凹陷性畸形的方法,具有操作简便,且无明显的供区损害的特点,是修复下睑凹陷性瘢痕畸形较理想的方法。     

Uncooked rice of relatively low gelatinization degree resulted in lower metabolic glucose and insulin responses compared with cooked rice in female college students

Cooking processes that gelatinize granules or disrupt structure might increase the glucose and insulin responses because a disruption of the structure of starch by gelatinization increases its availability for digestion and absorption in the small intestine. We hypothesized that the uncooked form of rice, which has a relatively low degree of gelatinization even though in powder form, would result in lower metabolic glucose and insulin responses compared with cooked rice (CR). To assess the effects of the gelatinization of rice on metabolic response of glucose and insulin, we investigated the glucose and insulin responses to 3 rice meals of different gelatinization degree in female college students (n = 12): CR (76.9% gelatinized), uncooked rice powder (UP; 3.5% gelatinized), and uncooked freeze-dried rice powder (UFP; 5.4% gelatinized). Uncooked rice powders (UP and UFP) induced lower glucose and insulin responses compared with CR. The relatively low gelatinization degree of UPs resulted in low metabolic responses in terms of the glycemic index (CR: 72.4% vs UP: 49.7%, UFP: 59.8%) and insulin index (CR: 94.8% vs UP: 74.4%, UFP: 68.0%). In summary, UPs that were less gelatinized than CR induced low postprandial glucose and insulin responses.