Fabrication of porous hollow silica nanoparticles and their applications in drug release control.

Preparation and characterization of porous hollow silica nanoparticles (PHSN) for controlled release applications were investigated. Through orthogonally designed experiments, the optimal synthesis conditions for the preparation of PHSN were obtained and the produced PHSN were characterized by BET, SEM, TEM and IR. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images revealed their hollow shell-core structure and also demonstrated that the size and shape of PHSN are determined by the templating CaCO3 nanoparticles. The produced PHSN were applied as a carrier to study the controlled release behaviors of Brilliant Blue F (BB), which was used as a model drug. Being loaded into the inner core and on the surfaces of the nanoparticles, BB was released slowly into a bulk solution for about 1140 min as compared to only 10 min for the normal SiO2 nanoparticles, thus exhibited a typical sustained release pattern without any burst effect. In addition, higher BET of the carriers, lower pH value and lower temperature prolonged BB release from PHSN, while stirring speed showed little influence on the release behavior. It showed that PHSN have a promising future in controlled drug delivery applications.     

Modulation of arterial stiffness with intensive competitive training.

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise training has been associated with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, improving arterial compliance, possibly related to a positive impact on the endothelium. The effects of competitive aerobic exercise are not so well documented. This prompted us to evaluate the possible modulation of arterial properties in a group of athletes and their response to the aging process. METHODS: 423 healthy males were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, 212 of whom were competitive athletes and 211 were controls. All underwent carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) evaluation, and casual blood pressure and other relevant anthropometric data were evaluated. RESULTS: To control the effects of age, each group was divided into two subgroups with an age cut-point of 20 years. PWV was 6.3 +/- 0.9 m/s (athletes) vs. 7.0 +/- 1.0 m/s (controls) for ages <20 years, and 7.6 +/- 1.2 m/s (athletes) vs. 8.1 +/- 0.9 m/s (controls) for ages >20 years, with statistically significant differences in both comparisons. A linear regression model with logarithmic tendency analysis with age as the independent determinant of PWV revealed a different progression of age-related deterioration of aortic compliance between the two groups (athletes and controls). CONCLUSIONS: Our data documented better compliance indices in competition athletes compared with controls, which may reflect optimization of endothelial function. This improvement was age-dependent, being less pronounced as the athletes grow older, which could be due partially to sustained stretching effects on the arterial walls in long-term competitors.     

Estimation of salt intake by urinary sodium excretion in a Portuguese adult population and its relationship to arterial stiffness.

BACKGROUND: Portugal has one of the highest mortality rates from stroke, a high prevalence of hypertension and probably a high salt intake level. AIM: To evaluate Portuguese salt intake levels and their relationship to blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a sample of four different adult populations living in northern Portugal. METHODS: A cross-sectional study evaluating 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium (24 h UNa+), potassium and creatinine, blood pressure (BP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) as an index of aortic stiffness in adult populations of sustained hypertensives (HT), relatives of patients with previous stroke (Fam), university students (US) and factory workers (FW), in the context of their usual dietary habits. RESULTS: We evaluated a total of 426 subjects, mean age 50 +/- 22 years, 56% female, BMI 27.9+/-5.1, BP 159/92 mmHg, PWV 10.4+/-2.2 m/s, who showed mean 24h UNa+ of 202 +/- 64 mmol/d, corresponding to a daily salt intake of 12.3 g (ranging from 5.2 to 24.8). The four groups were: HT: n = 245, 49 +/- 18 years, 92% of those selected, 69% treated, BP 163/94 mmHg, PWV 11.9 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 212 mmol/d, i.e. 12.4 g/d of salt); Fam: n = 38, 64 +/- 20 years, 57 % of those selected, BP 144/88 mmHg, PWV 10.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 194 mmol/d, i.e. 11.1 g/d of salt; US: n = 82, 22 +/- 3 years, 57% of those selected, BP 124/77 mmHg, PWV 8.7 m/s, 24h UNa+ 199 mmol/d, i.e. 11.3 g/d of salt; FW: n = 61, 39 9 years, 47% of those selected, BP 129/79 mmHg, PWV 9.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 221 mmol/d, i.e. 12.9 g/d of salt. The ratio of urinary sodium/potassium excretion (1.9 (0.4) was significantly higher in HT than the other three groups. In the 426 subjects, 24h UNa+ correlated significantly (p < 0.01) with systolic BP (r = 0.209) and with PWV (r=0.256) after adjustment for age and BP. Multivariate analysis showed that BP, age and 24h UNa+ correlated independently with PWV taken as a dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: Four different Portuguese populations showed similarly high mean daily salt intake levels, almost double those recommended by the WHO. Overall, high urinary sodium excretion correlated consistently with high BP levels and appeared to be an independent determining factor of arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that Portugal in general has a high salt intake diet, and urgent measures are required to restrict salt consumption in order to prevent and treat hypertensive disease and to reduce overall cardiovascular risk and events.     

EEG source imaging: correlating source locations and extents with electrocorticography and surgical resections in epilepsy patients.

SUMMARY: It is desirable to estimate epileptogenic zones with both location and extent information from noninvasive EEG. In the present study, the authors use a subspace source localization method (FINE), combined with a local thresholding technique, to achieve such tasks. The performance of this method was evaluated in interictal spikes from three pediatric patients with medically intractable partial epilepsy. The thresholded subspace correlation, which is obtained from FINE scanning, is a favorable marker, which implies the extents of current sources associated with epileptic activities. The findings were validated by comparing the results with invasive electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings of interictal spike activity. The surgical resections in these three patients correlated well with the epileptogenic zones identified from both EEG sources and ECoG potential distributions. The value of the proposed noninvasive technique for estimating epileptiform activity was supported by satisfactory surgery outcomes.     

截骨矫形"∩"形钉内固定治疗关节畸形55例

目的探讨肘、膝、踝关节内外翻畸形的治疗方式。方法对55例8～16岁的关节内、外翻畸形患儿(肘关节30例，膝15例，踝10例)，采用肘外侧切口，踝、膝内外侧切口，截骨矫形，1枚或2枚“∩”形钉内崮定治疗，术后石膏托外固定4周，结果随访50例，随访时间3～24个月，截骨均达到骨性愈合，无一例发生感染，内固定松动临床疗效优48例(96％)，良2例(4％)。结论用“∩”形钉作为截骨矫形内固定材料．具有操作简单、损伤小、效果好的优点。     

大鼠自体异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植的实验研究

目的　探讨自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植技术在创面修复中的应用。　方法　 30只大鼠随机配成 15对后 ,分成细胞悬液移植组 (A组 ,10对 )和细胞膜片移植组 (B组 ,5对 )。取每只大鼠全厚皮 ,分离表皮细胞 ,并根据配对情况按 1∶1的细胞比例混合 ,体外常规培养。 4d后收获A组混合细胞悬液 ,14d后收获B组混合细胞膜片。将此细胞悬液和膜片分别转移至A、B组相应供体大鼠的去全厚皮创面。随后A组每对大鼠的创面交叉覆盖配对方的异体全厚皮 ;B组创面覆盖胶原膜及“优妥”敷料。比较移植后 2～ 3周两组的创面修复情况。　结果　术后 2～ 3周 ,A组创面大多愈合 ,表面光滑 ,与皮下连接紧密。术后第 5天 ,B组创面部分细胞膜片脱落 ,部分成活 ,膜片成活的创面后期再次出现小创面 ,经久不愈。　结论　自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植是一种可行的、体内构建皮肤、修复创面的方法。     

Ureteral obstruction caused by L-asparaginase-induced pancreatitis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

L-asparaginase, an effective antileukemia and antilymphoma agent, is toxic to many organ systems. We report a case of ureteral obstruction caused by L-asparaginase via the inflammatory complication of acute pancreatitis. The patient was an 11-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Six days after completing a 4-week induction therapy containing 9 doses of L-asparaginase, severe left abdominal pain developed. Abdominal computed tomography showed phlegmon formation anterior to the pancreatic head and in the left posterior pararenal space. The strands of inflammatory soft tissues encased the upper third of the left ureter, causing left hydroureter and left hydronephrosis. The ureteral obstruction resolved after insertion of a double-J catheter that remained in place for 66 days. This case suggests that L-asparaginase may play a role in the pathogenesis of ureteral obstruction in children receiving chemotherapy.     

Rupture of a submitral ventricular aneurysm into the left atrium diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.

Submitral ventricular aneurysm is a thoroughly studied pathology but is not well known due to its rarity. Clinically, it is manifested by symptoms and signs of heart failure, mitral regurgitation and/or ventricular arrhythmias, and may be associated with thromboembolic phenomena and myocardial ischemia due to compression of the coronary arteries by the aneurysm. A rare complication of this type of aneurysm is rupture into the left atrium. Transthoracic echocardiography plays an important role in the definitive diagnosis of this pathology, although the role of transesophageal echocardiography in the evaluation of these patients is less known. We report a case of a submitral ventricular aneurysm complicated by rupture into the left atrium, which was diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.     

嗜铬细胞瘤患者围手术期处理的改进

目的：探讨提高嗜铬细胞瘤患者围手术期安全性的措施。方法：对15例嗜铬细胞瘤患者、术前采用选择性α1受体阻滞剂多沙唑嗪控释片(可多华)控制高血压；11例患者采用3D DCEMRA进行肿瘤定位；术中均采用联合高容量血液稀释(AHH)和术中患者自体血回输纠正血容量。结果：除1例持续性高血压患者需联合钙离子拮抗剂和ACEI药物降压外．其余患者血压控制均为满意；根据3D DCEMRA定位选择手术径路者均顺利完成手术；AHH联合术中自体血回输使14例患者避免了异体输血。结论：本文围手术期处理改进．可多华可明显减少药物的不良反应；采用3D DCEMRA进行肿瘤定位，可增加手术安全性；AHH联合术中自体血回输可减少医疗成本和异体输血，以及由此而引起的并发症。     

Bacteriology and disinfection of porcine skin

The microbial flora and counting were studied in split porcine skin. The results indicated that the routine method for the preparation of porcine heterograft could not reduce the indigenous flora in the dermal appendages efficiently. The indigenous flora of porcine skin consists of not only Gram positive cocci and Gram negative rods, fungus are the another predominant ones, the later may contribute to the frequent complication of fungal infection and the early rejection of porcine heterograft. A tincture of iodine compound was prepared and used for the purpose of disinfection, a better result was obtained.