Transcatheter embolization in the management of pulmonary hemorrhage

A group of 306 patients with acute pulmonary hemorrhage were evaluated by means of bronchial arteriography and treated with transcatheter embolization. Specific causes for bleeding included lung abscess, chronic pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and bronchiectasis. In 120 patients the hemoptysis was massive, with volumes exceeding 500 ml/day. The majority (n = 225) were treated during peak hemorrhage. Embolization was performed with one of three methods: particulate embolization with polyurethane or velour, obturation with the angiographic catheter combined with peripheral embolization by means of infused albumin macroaggregates, and regional infusion of sclerosing agents. Effective hemostasis was obtained initially in 278 patients (90.8%), including 87.5% of those treated during peak hemorrhage. In 26 of 28 cases without initial response, the pulmonary artery was the source of bleeding. Recurrent bleeding, within 1-4 days, requiring surgery was observed in 39 patients with initially successful hemostasis. Of 158 patients who were treated without surgery, subsequent episodes of hemoptysis occurred in 36. Combined methods of embolization may improve the efficacy of treatment of operable and inoperable patients with lung disease complicated by hemorrhage.     

Erythropoietin and interleukin-3 induce distinct events in erythropoietin receptor-expressing BA/F3 cells

To compare the signal transduction pathways used by erythropoietin (Ep) and interleukin-3 (IL-3), the cDNA for the murine erythropoietin receptor (EpR) was introduced into the IL-3-responsive cell lines Ba/F3 and DA-3 using retrovirally mediated gene transfer. After selection in G418 and IL-3, clones expressing comparable levels of cell surface EpR were identified using biotinylated Ep and flow cytometry. A comparison of the effects of Ep and IL-3 on these cells showed that most EpR+ Ba/F3 clones, when first exposed to Ep, dramatically increased their levels of beta-globin mRNA. The kinetics of appearance of this message after exposure to Ep varied considerably from clone to clone, with some clones showing a marked increase in beta-globin mRNA within 1 hour, while others required several days before an increase was observed. Interestingly, not only was this increase not seen with IL-3, but IL-3 prevented the Ep-induced appearance of beta-globin message. On the other hand, none of the EpR+ DA-3 cell clones tested increased their levels of beta-globin mRNA in response to Ep. While the EpR+ DA-3 clones showed identical proliferative responses to IL-3 and Ep, most EpR+ Ba/F3 clones displayed a marked, albeit transient, proliferative lag when first exposed to Ep. This was manifested as both an increased doubling time in liquid culture and a decreased colony size in methylcellulose. Plating efficiencies of EpR+ Ba/F3 cells in methylcellulose, however, were identical in response to IL-3 and Ep, suggesting that the Ep-induced lag in proliferation reflected a growth delay of the entire population of cells to Ep rather than a selection of an Ep-responsive subpopulation. Flow cytometric analysis established that this growth delay was due to a lengthening of the first G1 period after exposure to Ep. Interestingly, this Ep-induced delay in entry into the S phase was not detected in cells stimulated with both Ep and IL-3 nor in EpR+ Ba/F3 cell clones that did not show an increase in beta-globin mRNA in response to Ep. Thymidine-induced growth arrest, however, showed that delaying entry into S phase alone was not sufficient to stimulate beta-globin mRNA in the absence of Ep. Further studies established that the Ep-induced increase in beta-globin mRNA could be inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein and the protein kinase C inhibitor Compound 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

高透氧性硬性角膜接触镜治疗屈光参差性弱视的疗效评估

目的评估高透氧性硬性角膜接触镜治疗屈光参差性弱视的疗效。方法将符合屈光参差性弱视诊断的53例患者分为两组,A组26例配戴高透氧性角膜接触镜,B组27例配戴框架眼镜并同时给予遮盖、精细目力等弱视治疗,对比两组患者随访1个月、6个月、1年、2年后的疗效。结果在随访1个月、6个月、1年、2年后,A组患者的弱视眼矫正视力均明显提高,有效率显著高于B组患者,两组疗效差异具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,且A组患者均能满意接受配戴RGP;1月后100%均感配戴舒适,在随访中未发现角膜上皮脱落、巨乳头性结膜炎、感染、眼部痛、痒等症状及眼镜护理方面的问题。结论高透气性硬性角膜接触镜基于其优质的像质和较小的像差,能安全、有效地治疗屈光参差性弱视,与其他治疗方法相比具有其独特的优越性。     

Mobile phones,mobile phone base stations and cancer: a review

There have been reports in the media and claims in the courts that radiofrequency (RF) emissions from mobile phones are a cause of cancer, and there have been numerous public objections to the siting of mobile phone base antennas because of a fear of cancer. This review summarizes the current state of evidence concerning whether the RF energy used for wireless communication might be carcinogenic. Relevant studies were identified by searching MedLine with a combination of exposure and endpoint terms. This was supplemented by a review of the over 1700 citations assembled by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety as part of their updating of the IEEE C95.1 RF energy safety guidelines. Where there were multiple studies, preference was given to recent reports, to positive reports of effects and to attempts to confirm such positive reports. Biophysical considerations indicate that there is little theoretical basis for anticipating that RF energy would have significant biological effects at the power levels used by modern mobile phones and their base station antennas. The epidemiological evidence for a causal association between cancer and RF energy is weak and limited. Animal studies have provided no consistent evidence that exposure to RF energy at non-thermal intensities causes or promotes cancer. Extensive in vitro studies have found no consistent evidence of genotoxic potential, but in vitro studies assessing the epigenetic potential of RF energy are limited. Overall, a weight-of-evidence evaluation shows that the current evidence for a causal association between cancer and exposure to RF energy is weak and unconvincing. However, the existing epidemiology is limited and the possibility of epigenetic effects has not been thoroughly evaluated, so that additional research in those areas will be required for a more thorough assessment of the possibility of a causal connection between cancer and the RF energy from mobile telecommunications.