Dry skin in dermatology: a complex physiopathology

Dry skin (xerosis) is a common dermatosis affecting people of varying skin types and ages and various areas of the body. It is associated with both skin thickening and skin thinning and is triggered by both exogenous (e.g. climate, environment, lifestyle) and endogenous (e.g. medication, hormone fluctuations, organ diseases) factors. Skin requires a water content of 10–15% to remain supple and intact. This water is either ‘static’ (i.e. bound) or ‘dynamic’. The predominance of hydrophobic substances in intercellular constituents is a means of regulating the humidity of the skin. Emollients, highly effective treatment adjuncts in the management of all dry skin disorders, help to restore damaged intercorneocyte lipid structures and increase the water content of the skin, helping to reduce scaling and improving its barrier function.     

乳腺影像学报告及数据系统:超声良恶性病变鉴别诊断初探

1992年美国放射学会制定了乳腺影像学报告及数据系统(breast imaging reporting and data system,BI-RADS),2003年第四版修订时包括了超声诊断(BI-RADS-US)。本文旨在初步探讨BI-RADS-US对于乳腺良恶性病变鉴别诊断的能力。我们收集了2006年1月至2007年3月期间、获得病理诊断的乳腺占位性病变共69例72灶。均为女性,年龄14-83岁,平均41.6岁。首先根据一般的非BI-RADS标准,做出良恶性鉴别。然后用BI-RADS-US标准进行鉴别和分级(0-6级),其中2级和3级为良性和良性可能性大,4级为性质待定,5级为恶性可能性大。计算并比较上述两种方法的准确性、敏感性、特异性。结果在72病灶中,根据非BI-RADS标准,诊断为良性者40灶,符合病理诊断者38灶(95.0%),诊断为恶性者23灶,符合病理者18灶(78.3%);诊断为性质待定者9灶。根据BI-RADS-US标准和分级,2级和3级共有37灶,与病理结果符合者为36灶(97.2%);5级有31灶,与病理符合者为22灶(71.0%);4级有4灶。非BI-RADS和BI-RADS-US的准确性各为83.3%和81.9%(P=1.000),敏感性各为91.7%和95.8%(P=1.000),特异性各为79.2%和75.0%(P=0.754)。总之,第一版BI-RADS-US在乳腺良恶性病变鉴别诊断方面的初步应用表现出较高的敏感性,而与非BI-RADS方法比较则尚无明显差别。     

Laparoscopic Local Resection Based on Sentinel Node Evaluation for Early Gastric Cancer: A Preliminary Report

We previously reported that lymphatic mapping using isosulfan blue can be used to identify sentinel nodes (SNs). This study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of using the SN technique in treating early gastric cancer and to explore its usefulness for minimal invasive surgery. Twenty-three patients with early gastric cancer who underwent SN biopsy were retrospectively evaluated. Based on SN evaluation, individualized surgery was performed in five patients with T1N0M0 gastric cancer. When pathological examination of frozen sections revealed metastasis in SNs, we performed a standard D2 gastrectomy. Laparoscopic local resection was applied when the SN biopsy was negative. Our results showed that the success rate with SN biopsy in early gastric cancer was 100%, as were the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. All five patients with early gastric cancer had SNs negative for metastases both by frozen section and by postoperative pathology. Thus, all these patients underwent laparoscopic local resection without extended lymphadenectomy. We conclude that SN biopsy is a useful tool to individualize the operative procedure, and laparoscopic local resection can be safely performed using SN guidance in selected patients with early gastric cancer.     

Lipid extract from completely sporoderm‐broken germinating Ganoderma sinensis spores elicits potent antitumor immune responses in human macrophages

Ganoderma sinensis has been used widely in Oriental countries for the prevention and treatment of various diseases including cancer. Previous studies have shown that the lipid extract from Ganoderma exhibits direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Here, it is reported that the lipid extract from germinating G. sinensis spores, at lower concentrations that have no direct tumoricidal activity, induce potent antitumor immune responses in human monocytes/macrophages. Upon stimulation with the lipid extract, monocytes/macrophages exhibited markedly increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and surface expression of costimulatory molecules. Conditioned medium from stimulated cells effectively suppressed the growth of tumor cells. Apparently, the lipid extract triggered macrophage activation via a mechanism different from that associated with LPS. Moreover, it was observed that the lipid extract could partially re‐establish the antitumor activity of the immunosuppressive tumor‐associated macrophages. These results indicated that in addition to its direct tumoricidal activity, the lipid extract from G. sinensis spores could exert antitumor activity by stimulating the activation of human monocytes/macrophages. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection of glaucomatous damage using multifocal ERG

The first‐order kernel analysis in multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) using low contrast stimulation is suggested as a way to detect the inner retinal responses in animal studies. In this case report, this protocol is applied to human patients with glaucoma to demonstrate the possibility of using mfERG as a tool to detect glaucomatous damage. Two patients with glaucoma were recruited and had mfERG measurements with the 103‐scaled hexagonal stimulus pattern at low (50 per cent) contrast. Their responses were analysed and compared with those from normal subjects with the mfERG measured under the same condition. In the normal subjects, there were obvious oscillatory components on the ascending and descending limbs of the first‐order kernel response to 50 per cent contrast. In the glaucomatous patients, the oscillatory component on the descending limb was obviously diminished. In addition, this component was significantly diminished in the quadrant with a glaucomatous visual field defect. This suggests that the low‐contrast stimulation condition in mERG measurement may provide a good way to detect glaucomatous damage and this may help in clinical diagnosis of glaucoma.