全反式维甲酸抑制TGF-β1诱导的大鼠肾系膜细胞纤维连接蛋白表达及Smad 2,3,4核转位

目的 采用转化生长因子-β1（transforming growth factor-β1,TGF-β1）在体外刺激大鼠肾系膜细胞表达纤维连接蛋白（fibronectin）,观察全反式维甲酸（all-trans retinoic acid,atRA）对它的作用及对TGF-β1的Smad通路的影响.方法 用Western blot方法检测TGF-β1诱导的肾系膜细胞纤维连接蛋白表达,Smad 2的磷酸化,磷酸化Smad 2、总Smad 2/3和Smad 4的核转位,以及atRA对TGF-β1的这些作用的影响.结果 atRA能抑制TGF-β1诱导的肾系膜细胞纤维连接蛋白表达.atRA对TGF-β1引起的Smad 2的磷酸化无明显作用,但atRA能部分阻断TGF-β1引起的磷酸化Smad 2、Smad 2/3和Smad 4核转位.结论 atRA体外拮抗TGF-β1的致纤维化效应可能是由其减少磷酸化Smad 2、Smad 2/3、Smad 4的核转位所致.     

四种不同肝移植手术方式的选择

目的探讨4种不同肝移植手术方式的优缺点及适应证。方法对实施成人尸体全肝移植的135例患者分别采用4种不同术式:A组(22例)采用经典原位肝移植,B组(79例)采用改良背驮式,C组(18例)采用经典背驮式肝移植,D组(16例)采用改良的经典原位肝移植,所有患者术中均未行体外静脉转流,回顾性分析135例患者的术中、术后情况。结果各组间手术时间、无肝期时间和术中出血量差异具有显著性(P<0.05),术后一过性肾功能损害的发生率C组较其他各组显著降低(P<0.05),手术后近期生存率及血管并发症各组间差异无显著性。结论应针对患者具体情况选择不同手术方式,对于一些肿瘤患者或有上腹部手术史的患者,采用改良的经典原位肝移植可以缩短手术时间,尤其是无肝期时间,减少手术难度和术中出血量,改善患者预后。     

肱骨骨折术后骨感染并骨缺损、不愈合的临床分析

目的 探讨外支架固定加对冲引流在肱骨粉碎性骨折术后骨感染、骨缺损、不愈合的治疗中的作用.方法 在肱骨粉碎性骨折手术后并发感染、骨缺损、不愈合的患者,予以再次手术清创、拆除原内固定,装置对冲引流管以及外支架加压固定,并以两周到四周为间隔再次加压外支架固定器,直到骨折愈合.结果 总结了1999年到2007年13例手术治疗结果,术后2～4周感染得到有效控制.其中11例于4～8个月后得到骨折临床愈合,治愈率84.6%,另外2例术后6个月时无明显骨痴生长,且骨质疏松加重,予以再手术植骨内固定.1年后愈合.结论 外支架加对冲引漉在治疗肱骨骨折手术后骨感染并骨缺损、不愈合是一个行之有效的方法,它可以一期治愈感染,获得伤口愈合,而且持续加压固定有利于骨折愈合.     

基于辅助化疗前血清白蛋白水平的列线图预测胃癌患者术后复发及远期生存

[目的]对于胃癌根治术后接受辅助化疗的患者,构建基于化疗开始前血清白蛋白水平的预后预测模型。[方法]回顾性分析根治术后接受辅助化疗的胃癌患者的临床、病理资料以及生存数据;依据时间依赖性受试者工作特征曲线(ROC曲线)确定白蛋白水平的最佳截断值;采用多因素Cox回归分析校正混杂因素,探讨白蛋白水平对无病生存期(disease-free survival,DFS)和总生存期(overall survival,OS)的影响;绘制预测列线图并进行验证。[结果]共纳入121例患者,白蛋白对12个月OS影响的曲线下面积(area under curve, AUC)为0.69(95%CI:0.55~0.83),白蛋白最佳截断值为37.0 g/L。Cox回归分析结果提示化疗前血清白蛋白<37.0 g/L、低/差分化肿瘤和存在癌结节是增加患者复发及死亡风险的独立因素。基于3个参数构建的列线图预测DFS和OS的c-指数分别为0.671(95%CI:0.526~0.816)和0.649(95%CI:0.553~0.745),校准曲线基本沿45°线分布。[结论]对于接受辅助化疗的胃癌根治术后患者,基于化疗开始前血清白蛋白水平的列线图可用于预测复发、转移和生存结局。     

Use of proton pump inhibitors and risk of rosacea: A nationwide population-based study

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are commonly used drugs. However, little is known about the association between PPI use and rosacea. This study aimed to investigate the association between PPI use and rosacea risk. Patients with prior PPI therapy, including 1067 rosacea cases and 4268 matched controls, were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) was used to quantify the PPI use. Logistic regression was used for the analyses. After adjustment for potential confounders, PPI use with cDDD of more than 365 was significantly associated with an increased risk of rosacea (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–2.15). Rosacea risk was significantly associated with PPI use of cDDD of more than 365 in women (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.08–2.46) but not in men. Stratified by PPI indications, risk of rosacea was significantly associated with PPI use of cDDD of more than 365 for peptic ulcer (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.12–2.21). In conclusion, prolonged PPI use was associated with an increased risk of rosacea, particularly in women and patients with peptic ulcers.     

Comparison between a new acceleration transducer and a conventional force transducer in the evaluation of twitch responses

An acceleration transducer elicits an output voltage proportional to the deformation of the piezo crystal, in accordance with the twitch responses of the applied fingers. The reliability of such a transducer was evaluated by comparing induced twitch responses with those from a force transducer applied on the contralateral arm of an individual during neuromuscular block with vecuronium. The results obtained from twitch responses with the acceleration transducer during neuromuscular block were almost identical to those obtained with the force transducer. Also, the twitch heights due to acceleration of the examined thumb correlated extremely well with the twitch height due to twitch tension with the force transducer. It is concluded that the acceleration transducer may be a useful and reliable device for monitoring neuromuscular block, although responses during tetanic stimulation such as tetanic fade cannot be determined by the transducer.     

Modulation of epidermal terminal differentiation in patients after long-term topical corticosteroids.

The expression of the various markers for terminal epidermal differentiation in atrophic skin of patients after long-term topical corticosteroids (TCS) was studied by electron microscopy, immunofluorescence using antibody to profilaggrin/filaggrin (PF/FG), immunoperoxidase staining using antibody to involucrin, and oil red O stain for neural lipids of the stratum corneum. Thirty-nine patients were subdivided into two groups: (A) 19 patients suffering from rebound phenomenon after stopping TCS and (B) 20 patients without rebound phenomenon. Biopsy specimens were taken before ending the use of TCS in both groups. In group A, both the morphological markers (including the different epidermal strata, keratohyalin granules, lamellar granules, and cornified cell envelopes) and the molecular markers (including involucrin, PF/FG, and neutral lipids) of terminal epidermal differentiation were significantly suppressed. On the other hand, the differentiational markers in the atrophic skin of patients without rebound phenomena were only slightly altered. These results suggest that potent TCS not only has antiproliferative actions but also inhibits the differentiation of epidermis, resulting in structural defects in the epidermis, especially the stratum corneum.     

Risk appraisal and endoscopic screening for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Japanese populations

Epidemiological studies have shown several strong predictors for selecting Japanese persons at high risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). (1) Alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking synergistically increase the risk, and a low intake of green and yellow vegetables or fruit and a low body mass index also increase the risk of ESCC. (2) The presence of esophageal distinct iodine-unstained lesions and melanosis are associated with an increased risk of ESCC. (3) The combination of alcohol consumption and inactive heterozygous aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) and less-active homozygous alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (ADH1B) increases the risk of ESCC in a multiplicative fashion. (4) The results of a simple flushing questionnaire predict the ALDH2 phenotype with a high accuracy. (5) High mean corpuscular volume (MCV), which is induced by heavy drinking, high acetaldehyde exposure, heavy smoking, and poor nutrition, may be useful in identifying high-risk persons. Endoscopic screening with esophageal iodine staining in Japanese high-risk populations yields very high rates of early ESCC. Treatment of early ESCC by endoscopic mucosectomy has become a widespread practice in Japan and has succeeded in improving the outcome of this high-mortality cancer. New evidence concerning ALDH2/ADH1B/alcohol flushing/MCV-related cancer susceptibility has renewed interest in alcohol and acetaldehyde as important subjects for cancer research and has served as a powerful tool for cancer prevention and cancer screening of Japanese subjects. Review articles on this topic also appeared in the previous issue (Volume 4 Number 3). An editorial related to this article is available at .     

Preparation of PSF/FEP mixed matrix membrane with super hydrophobic surface for efficient water-in-oil emulsion separation

Polysulfone (PSF)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with super hydrophobic surface were successfully fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The effects of FEP content on the morphology, roughness, wettability, pore size, and mechanical property of PSF/FEP MMMs were characterized by scanning electron microscope, confocal microscopy, contact angle goniometer, mercury porosimetry, and tensile testing instrument, respectively. When the FEP content was 9 wt%, the average roughness of M-4 reached 0.712 μm. Meanwhile, the water contact angle (CA) and the water sliding angle (SA) was 153.3° and 6.1°, respectively. M-4 showed super hydrophobicity with a micro- and nanoscale structure surface. Then, M-4 was used for separating of water-in-oil emulsion, showing high separation efficiency for water-in-kerosene and water-in-diesel emulsions of 99.79% and 99.47%, respectively. The flux and separation efficiency changed slightly after 10 cycles. Therefore, this study indicated that the obtained PSF/FEP MMM with super hydrophobic surface could be used for efficient water-in-oil emulsion separation.

The PSF/FEP membrane with super hydrophobic and super oleophilic surface had an outstanding separation performance for water-in-oil emulsion.