Plasma thymulin and nerve growth factor levels in patients with primary open angle glaucoma and elevated intraocular pressure

Background The objective was to measure the plasma concentrations of thymulin and nerve growth factor (NGF) in a group of patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and compare them with age- and sex-matched normal controls.Methods Twenty-eight patients newly diagnosed with POAG who were not undergoing treatment were compared with the same number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Blood samples were drawn into heparinized tubes and plasma samples were collected for the determination of the concentrations of thymulin and NGF, using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The Student’s t test was used to perform the necessary statistical analysis of the results.Results Seventeen women and 11 men were enrolled in each of the two groups (study and control), with a mean age of 63.7 (SD 10.3) years in the former and 63.3 (SD 9.6) years in the latter. There was a highly significant (p<0.001) elevation in the thymulin levels in POAG patients compared with the control group. However, no significant difference was observed when comparing the plasma NGF levels.Conclusion This is the first report to measure plasma thymulin levels in glaucoma patients. The significant results point the possible role of this immunomodulator in the pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma. The potential role of NGF seems to be less likely. These findings warrant further investigation.     

脉冲微波治疗前列腺炎的临床疗效观察

目的探讨脉冲微波治疗前列腺炎的效果。方法收治前列腺炎病人532例。用南京亿高ECO—100型电脑微波前列腺炎治疗仪,经肛门途径发射脉冲微波,前列腺部位温度控制在41℃~42℃,每次持续45~60min,共七次。以显效、有效为判断疗效标准。结果17~25岁组显效47.93%,有效52.07%,26~45岁组显效52.06%,有效47.94%,两组有效率100%。结论脉冲微波经肛门途径治疗前列腺炎效果明显,有推广价值。     

外科学教学中的审美教育

医学审美教育是医学生全面素质教育不可分割的组成部分,笔者结合长期外科教学实践,阐述了在外科学教学中运用医学美学原理对外科学的美进行开发和挖掘,使医学生在熟练掌握外科学基本理论和基本技能的同时,潜移默化地接受美的教育,美的熏陶,更能激发他们对外科学的热爱和兴趣,达到全面提高医学生整体素质的目的。     

When should patients begin ambulating following lower limb split skin graft surgery? A systematic review

Pretibial lacerations and lower limb wounds are referred to plastic surgery teams for split skin graft surgery. Traditionally, these patients have been immobilised on bedrest following surgery. More recently, patients have commenced ambulation earlier to avoid medical complications and facilitate discharge. The objective of this literature review was to determine when such patients should begin walking. A literature search was undertaken using the electronic databases AMED, Cinahl, Embase, Medline (via Ovid), PEDro and Pubmed. Clinical trials using human subjects, written in English, were included. Seventeen (of 1137) papers met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The literature suggested that patients should begin walking immediately or at the earliest possible opportunity after lower limb skin graft surgery. Although the literature advocated early ambulation, the evidence base presented with a number of recurrent methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, lack of a control sample, and limited follow-up. Accordingly, further research employing large, well-designed, randomised controlled trials is recommended. It will then be possible to understand with greater certainty when patients should begin walking after lower extremity split skin graft surgery.     

Ekkrines Porokarzinom neben multiplen anderen epithelialen Hauttumoren

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

High-resolution optical coherence tomography as a non-destructive monitoring tool for the engineering of skin equivalents

BACKGROUND: Three dimensional skin equivalents are widely used in dermatopharmacological and toxicological studies and as autologous transplants in wound healing. In pharmacology, there is tremendous need for monitoring the response of engineered skin equivalents to external treatment. Transplantation of skin equivalents for wound healing requires careful verification of their quality prior to transplantation. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-contact, non-destructive imaging technique for living tissues offering the potential to fulfill these needs. This work presents an analysis of OCT for high-resolution monitoring of skin equivalents at different stages during the culture process. METHODS: We developed a high-resolution OCT imaging setup based on a commercially available OCT system. A broadband femtosecond laser light source replaces the original superluminescence diode. Tomograms of living skin equivalents were recorded with an axial resolution of 3 mum and correlated with histology and immunofluorescence images. Comparison with standard low-resolution OCT is presented to emphasize the advantages of high-resolution OCT for this application. RESULTS: OCT is particularly able to distinguish between different layers of skin equivalents including stratum corneum, epidermal and dermal layer as well as the basement membrane zone. The high-resolution OCT scans correlate closely with two key benchmarks, histology and immunofluorescence imaging. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly demonstrates the benefits of high-resolution OCT for identifying living tissue structure and morphology. Compared with the current gold standard histology, OCT offers non-destructive tissue imaging, enabling high-resolution evaluation of living tissue morphology and structure as it evolves.