The presence of hypodense eosinophils and diminished chemiluminescence response in asthma

Although peripheral blood eosinophilia is a prominent feature of asthma, the contribution of eosinophils to asthma has yet to be fully comprehended. Furthermore, study of isolated eosinophil function in asthma has been complicated by difficult purification methods and, now, the presence of hypodense eosinophils. In our study, eosinophils were isolated from normal subjects and patients with asthma. Two principal evaluations were performed: (1) a comparison of the density-gradient profiles on peripheral blood leukocytes from normal subjects and patients with asthma and (2) a comparison of the chemiluminescence (CL) response with normal dense eosinophils from these two study groups. Granulocyte preparations were initially isolated from Ficoll-Hypaque gradients and were then applied to a continuous Percoll density gradient. In asthma, 40.8 +/- 5.8% of the peripheral blood eosinophils were hypodense (defined as a density less than 1.081 gm/ml), whereas normal subjects had only 9.1 +/- 1.9% of this subpopulation (p less than 0.01). Functional assessment of purified (greater than 90%) normal dense eosinophils was made by measurement of CL to opsonized zymosan particles and the soluble stimulus phorbol myristate acetate. In asthma, eosinophil CL to zymosan, but not phorbol myristate acetate, was significantly less. Differences in eosinophil CL between normal subjects and subjects with asthma did not correlate with the severity of airway obstruction or the peripheral blood eosinophil count. The reasons for the appearance of hypodense eosinophils and diminished metabolic activity in asthma are not established but raise the possibility that their presence represents previous eosinophil activation.     

SCHWIND AMARIS准分子激光联合丝裂霉素C行LASEK术矫治远视的研究

目的：评估SCHWIND AMARIS准分子激光在LASEK术中矫治远视手术中的有效性,安全性和可预测性。

方法：回顾性研究LASEK术联合使用丝裂霉素C矫治远视患者33例66眼,平均年龄35.42±1.12岁(范围 18～56a)。每位患者予SCHWIND AMARIS准分子激光行LASEK术。术后对其可预测性、安全性、有效性及主观验光情况进行评估,并分析客观验光、裸眼视力、最佳矫正视力及不良反应。

结果：平均屈光度为3.2±1.6D(0～7D),术前及术后平均等效球镜分别为2.34±1.76D(-1.25～7D)及0.30±0.84D(-0.2～0.8D)(P=0.001)。术后6～12mo,平均远视为0.63±0.84D(-1.75～2.76D)。平均散光度为0.68±0.43D(0～2D),61眼(78.2%)和31眼(39.7%)散光度分别在±1D和±0.50D范围内。安全指数和有效性指数分别为1.08和1.6。

结论：应用SCHWIND AMARIS准分子激光联合丝裂霉素C行LASEK术矫治远视具有良好的视觉和屈光结果,而且无严重并发症。     

Effects of Scrophularia striata water extract on quality and shelf life of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fillets during superchilled storage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Scrophularia striata water extract on the quality and shelf life of the rainbow trout fillet during superchilled storage. Fish samples were treated with 1% and 3% S. striata water extract and then stored at -2°C for 20 days. The samples were analyzed periodically for chemical, microbial and sensory characteristics. Results indicated that incorporation of S. striata water extract on rainbow fillets caused the delay of lipid peroxidation and hydrolytic spoilage in 3% treated sample in comparison with the control sample at the last day of the experiment (P<0.05). Moreover, fish fillets containing 3% S. striata water extract showed lower bacterial count than the control and 1% water extract supplemented samples (P<0.05) during the experiment. According to sensory analysis results, 3% treated samples were acceptable even at the end of the 20-day storage. It was concluded that the effect of S. striata extract on fish samples was to retain their good quality characteristics and extend the shelf life during superchilled storage.Key Words: Quality, Rainbow trout, Scrophularia striata, Superchilled storage, Water extract     

Mitral isthmus ablation with and without temporary spot occlusion of the coronary sinus: a randomized clinical comparison of acute outcomes

Role of CS Occlusion for Mitral Isthmus Ablation . Objective: To evaluate the safety and outcomes of mitral isthmus (MI) linear ablation with temporary spot occlusion of the coronary sinus (CS). Background: CS blood flow cools local tissue precluding transmurality and bidirectional block across MI lesion. Methods: In a randomized, controlled trial (CS‐occlusion = 20, Control = 22), MI ablation was performed during continuous CS pacing to monitor the moment of block. CS was occluded at the ablation site using 1 cm spherical balloon, Swan–Ganz catheter with angiographic confirmation. Ablation was started at posterior mitral annulus and continued up to left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV) ostium using an irrigated‐tip catheter. If block was achieved, balloon was deflated and linear block confirmed. If not, additional ablation was performed epicardially (power ≤25 W). Ablation was abandoned after ～30 minutes, if block was not achieved. Results: CS occlusion (mean duration ?27 ± 9 minutes) was achieved in all cases. Complete MI block was achieved in 13/20 (65%) and 15/22 (68%) patients in the CS‐occlusion and control arms, respectively, P = 0.76. Block was achieved with significantly small number (0.5 ± 0.8 vs 1.9 ± 1.1, P = 0.0008) and duration (1.2 ± 1.7 vs 4.2 ± 3.5 minutes, P = 0.009) of epicardial radiofrequency (RF) applications and significantly lower amount of epicardial energy (1.3 ± 2.4 vs 6.3 ± 5.7 kJ, P = 0.006) in the CS‐occlusion versus control arm, respectively. There was no difference in total RF (22 ± 9 vs 23 ± 11 minutes, P = 0.76), procedural (36 ± 16 vs 39 ± 20 minutes, P = 0.57), and fluoroscopic (13 ± 7 vs 15 ± 10 minutes, P = 0.46) durations for MI ablation between the 2 arms. Clinically uneventful CS dissection occurred in 1 patient Conclusions: Temporary spot occlusion of CS is safe and significantly reduces the requirement of epicardial ablation to achieve MI block. It does not improve overall procedural success rate and procedural duration. Tissue cooling by CS blood flow is just one of the several challenges in MI ablation. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 489‐496, May 2012)     

Social Support and Meaning of Life in Women with Breast Cancer

BackgroundSocial support is known as an affection-oriented coping mechanism when a person is involved with cancer. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between family social support and the meaning of life in women with breast cancer.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 84 women with a mean age of 60 (SD = 5.7) years with breast cancer who were admitted to a teaching hospital participated. Data were collected using social support and meaning of life questionnaires. After collecting the completed questionnaires and entering the data into the computer, the analysis was performed using SPSS software and using t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation test at a significant level of 0.01.ResultsThe mean score of their social support was 39.35 ± 9.51, respectively and the meaning of life was 29.5 ± 7.49. ANOVA results indicated that the social support score and meaning of life had no significant relationship with any of the demographic variables. Also, the findings suggest that there is a statistically significant correlation between social support and the meaning of life (r = 0.773, P < 0.001).ConclusionIt is proposed to increase the level of social support from the family to help improve the meaning of life in cancer patients.     

Applications of SMILE-extracted lenticules in ophthalmology

AIM: To review recent innovations, challenges, and applications of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) extracted lenticule for treating ocular disorders. METHODS: A literature review was performed in the PubMed database, which was last updated on 30 December 2021. There was no limit regarding language. The authors evaluated the reference lists of the collected papers to find any relevant research. RESULTS: Due to the simplicity and accuracy of modern femtosecond lasers and the extensive development of SMILE surgery, many healthy human corneal stromal lenticules were extracted during surgery, motivating some professionals to investigate the SMILE lenticule reusability in different ocular disorders. In addition, new approaches had been developed to preserve, modify, and bioengineer the corneal stroma, leading to the optimal use of discarded byproducts such as lenticules from SMILE surgery. The lenticules can be effectively re-implanted into the autologous or allogenic corneas of human subjects to treat refractive errors, corneal ectasia, and corneal perforation and serve as a patch graft for glaucoma drainage devices with better cosmetic outcomes. CONCLUSION: SMILE-extracted lenticules could be a viable alternative to human donor corneal tissue.