A cross-specialty survey to assess the application of risk stratified surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer in the UK

Introduction

This study describes variability of treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer among thyroid surgeons, in the context of changing patterns of thyroid surgery in the UK.

Methods

Hospital Episodes Statistics on thyroid operations between 1997 and 2012 were obtained for England. A survey comprising six scenarios of varying ‘risk’ was developed. Patient/tumour information was provided, with five risk stratified or non-risk stratified treatment options. The survey was distributed to UK surgical associations. Respondent demographics were categorised and responses analysed by assigned risk stratified preference.

Results

From 1997 to 2012, the Hospital Episode Statistics data indicated there was a 55% increase in the annual number of thyroidectomies with a fivefold increase in otolaryngology procedures and a tripling of cancer operations. Of the surgical association members surveyed, 264 respondents reported a thyroid surgery practice. Management varied across and within the six scenarios, and was not related consistently to the level of risk. Associations were demonstrated between overall risk stratified preference and higher volume practice (>25 thyroidectomies per year) (p=0.011), fewer years of consultant practice (p=0.017) and multidisciplinary team participation (p=0.037). Logistic regression revealed fewer years of consultant practice (odds ratio [OR]: 0.96/year in practice, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.922–0.997, p=0.036) and caseload of >25/year (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.044–3.522, p=0.036) as independent predictors of risk stratified preference.

Conclusions

There is a substantial contribution to thyroid surgery in the UK by otolaryngology surgeons. Adjusting management according to established case-based risk stratification is not widely applied. Higher caseload was associated with a preference for management tailored to individual risk.     

DNA Methylation Profiling Identifies EYA4 Gene as a Prognostic Molecular Marker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

DNA hypermethylation plays important roles in carcinogenesis by silencing key genes. This study aims to identify pivotal genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by DNA methylation microarray and to assess their prognostic values.

Materials and Methods

DNA methylation microarray was performed in 45 pairs of HCC and adjacent nontumorous tissues and six normal liver tissues to identify hypermethylated genes in HCC. Potential prognosis-related genes were selected among hypermethylated genes by analyzing influences of methylation levels on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in 45 patients. Their prognostic values were validated in 154 patients with HCC (including the initial 45 patients) to determine the independent prognostic gene.

Results

Altogether, 54 CpG islands in 44 genes were hypermethylated in HCC compared with liver tissues. Among them, methylation levels of ERG and HOXA11 were inversely associated with DFS (both P < 0.050), and methylation levels of EYA4 were inversely related to DFS and OS (both P < 0.050). EYA4 expression was inversely related to tumor size (P < 0.050). Lower EYA4 expression and larger tumor size were independent predictors of both shorter DFS and OS, and higher Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging was an independent predictor of shorter OS (all P < 0.050).

Conclusions

EYA4 functions as a prognostic molecular marker in HCC. Its aberrant hypermethylation and subsequent down-regulation may promote tumor progression.     

重型颅脑损伤术后并发肾功能衰竭的预防

 目的 探讨重型颅脑损伤术后并发肾功能衰竭的预防措施。方法 选取GCS 3～8分患者121例随机分为治疗组(62例)和对照组(59例),治疗组除采用脑外科常规方法治疗外,特别采用了早期不限制补液、大剂量静点白蛋白及微量泵持续泵入小剂量多巴胺的方法,运用统计学X~2检验的方法进行比较。结果 治疗组并发肾功能衰竭3例(4.8％),对照组并发14例(23.7％),两组相比较有非常显著意义(X~2=8.93,P＜0.01)。结论 颅脑损伤术后不限制补液、早期静点大剂量白蛋白及微量泵持续泵入小剂量多巴胺能有效地预防肾功能衰竭。     

乳房劈裂瓣修复胸、背、腋部创面

目的　探索胸、背、腋部恶性肿瘤及胸壁放射性溃疡切除后创面的修复方法。方法　为胸、背、腋部恶性病变累及腋窝、胸壁的放射性溃疡以及乳癌根治术后复发者 8例进行了乳房劈裂瓣手术治疗。于乳房上方设计T形或下方设计倒T形切口 ,形成乳房劈裂瓣 ,经旋转推进转移修复肿瘤或溃疡切除后创面。结果　 8例中除 1例乳房瓣远端皮缘坏死外 ,余均血运良好 ,切口一期愈合。供瓣乳房下垂同时得到纠正 ,受侧胸部较为丰满 ,但付出损伤健全乳房形态的代价 ,乳头向内或外侧移位。结论　乳房劈裂瓣是修复胸、背、腋部恶性肿瘤或术后复发及胸壁放射性溃疡切除后创面的良好方法。适用于老年及身体虚弱者 ,年轻患者因有损于乳房形象须慎用。     

神经外科设置气道管理专职护士的实践

目的 探讨神经外科设置气道管理专职护士在提高人工气道患者气道管理质量的作用.方法 将120例颅脑损伤后气管切开患者随机分成对照组和观察组各60例,对照组采用小组制护理,即护理小组成员共同对气管切开患者实施气道护理.观察组由气道管理专职护士对气管切开患者实施气道管理.结果 观察组肺部感染发生率及其他气管切开相关并发症发生率显著低于对照组(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);观察组的气道管理质量、健康教育知晓率、服务满意率显著优于对照组(均P＜0.01).结论 在神经外科设置气道管理专职护士,可为患者提供规范化、个性化、连续性的气道管理,提高气道护理质量,促进护理专科发展.     

Percutaneous intravascular stents for treatment of portal venous stenosis after liver transplantation: midterm results

Portal vein stenosis after liver transplantation is a relatively uncommon vascular complication that may result in graft loss if not promptly treated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the midterm result of the use of intravascular stents for portal vein stenosis after liver transplantation. From April 2004 to September 2005, percutaneous transhepatic balloon dilation with stent deployment was performed in nine cases. Varices were embolized with stainless steel coils in two cases. No procedure-related complication occurred. Portal venous patency was maintained in all nine patients from 6 to 19 months (mean 10 months). In conclusion, an intravascular stent is an effective treatment for the portal vein stenosis after liver transplantation with excellent midterm patency.     

Implant Materials for Anterior Column Reconstruction of Cervical Spine Tumor

The spine is the most common site of bone metastases. Many cancer patients will ultimately develop spinal metastatic disease with symptomatic epidural spinal cord compression. At present, the main treatment for cervical spine tumors is surgical resection combined with postoperative radiotherapy. Implant materials for cervical spine anterior column reconstruction need to meet amounts of different properties, such as biocompatibility, bioactivity and the ability to maintain long-term mechanical strength. The selection of different materials determines the surgical efficacy and prognosis of patients to a certain extent. This article provides an overview of a variety of implant materials used for anterior column reconstruction after cervical spine tumor resection, introduces and analyzes their properties, advantages, disadvantages, derivatives, and applications in clinical practice, and looks forward to the future development of implant materials.     

HO-1 upregulation suppresses type 1 IFN pathway in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury

Upregulation of heme oxygenase (HO)-1, a heat shock protein 32, protects against hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Activation of "innate" toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 system triggers the I/R injury cascade. This study explores cytoprotective functions of HO-1 overexpression following exogenous administration of cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), and its relationship with the TLR4 pathway in a model of mouse partial hepatic warm I/R injury. CoPP treatment markedly improved hepatic function and histology, and suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine elaboration profile, as compared with untreated controls. Although administration of CoPP did not affect intrahepatic TLR4, it downregulated IFN-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) expression. As IP-10 is the major product of type-1 IFN pathway downstream of TLR4, we then infused recombinant IFN-beta (rIFN-beta) directly into mouse livers. Interestingly, infusion of rIFN-beta upregulated hepatic IP-10 expression. In contrast, adjunctive CoPP treatment decreased IP-10 levels in mouse livers infused with rIFN-beta. Thus, CoPP-induced HO-1 upregulation suppresses type-1 IFN pathway downstream of TLR4 system in hepatic warm I/R injury model.     

Biodegradable urethral stents seeded with autologous urethral epithelial cells in the treatment of post‐traumatic urethral stricture: a feasibility study in a rabbit model

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the adhesion and growth of rabbit urethral epithelial cells (UECs) on a biodegradable unbraided mesh urethral stent, and to assess the feasibility and effect of the cell‐seeded urethral stent for treating post‐traumatic urethral stricture (PTUS) in a rabbit model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rabbit UECs were collected by biopsy from adult rabbit urethra and seeded onto the outer layer of a mesh biodegradable urethral stent. The growth of UECs in cell‐scaffolds was assessed by scanning electron microscopy, immunohistochemical and fluorescence staining. In all, 32 male New Zealand rabbits were used, with either PTUS or uninjured, as a control group. Cell‐seeded stents were implanted into the rabbits strictured urethra. The histological and immunohistochemical findings were assessed after death at 1, 2, 8, 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. The reconstruction and function were evaluated by urethroscopy and retrograde urethrography.

RESULTS

The cultured UECs adhered to the stent and grew well. Immunohistochemistry showed that the cells were stained positively for cytokeratin. At 4 weeks, vs 2 weeks, the thickness of the papillary projections of the epithelium decreased and inflammatory cell infiltration diminished. At 24 weeks the injured urethra was completely covered by integrated regeneration of three to five layers of urothelium. There was no evidence of voiding difficulty, stricture recurrence or other complications.

CONCLUSIONS

The unbraided mesh biodegradable urethral stent with autologous UECs seemed to be feasible for treating PTUS in the rabbit urethra, and provides a hopeful avenue for clinical application allowing reconstruction of PTUS.     

Genetic and environmental determinants on bone loss in postmenopausal Caucasian women: a 14-year longitudinal twin study

Summary  This longitudinal twin study documented that genetic factors explain 44–56% of the between-individual variance in bone loss at femoral neck, lumbar spine, and forearm in postmenopausal Caucasian women, providing a rationale for identifying the specific genes involved. Introduction  Although there is a significant genetic effect on peak BMD, until recently, no substantive studies on heritability of bone loss in human were available. The aim of the study was to estimate the heritability of the bone loss at multiple sites in postmenopausal Caucasian women. Methods  Postmenopausal female monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins aged 40 or above at baseline were selected from the TwinsUK registry and followed up for an average of 8 years (range 5–14 years). All twins were noncurrent hormone replacement therapy users and not on any osteoporosis treatment. They had dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of their hip, lumbar spine, and forearm several times (range 2–9) during the follow-up period. Individual bone losses at femoral neck, lumbar spine, and forearm were estimated by linear regression modeling. Structural equation modeling was utilized to estimate the heritability of the bone loss. Results  A total of 712 postmenopausal Caucasian female twins (152 MZ and 204 DZ pairs) were included. MZ twins were older and had slightly lower BMD at all sites than DZ twins. DZ twins had slightly higher bone loss at lumbar spine, but similar at femoral neck and forearm compared to MZ twins. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for the bone loss at all sites were significantly higher in MZ than DZ twin pairs (p = 0.0045, 0.0003, and 0.0007 for femoral neck, lumbar spine, and forearm, respectively), indicating a significant genetic influence on bone loss at these sites. After adjustment for age at baseline and weight change during the follow-up, the heritability estimate was 47% (95% CI 27–63%) for bone loss at femoral neck, 44% (95% CI 27–58%) for lumbar spine, and 56% (95% CI 44–65%) for forearm. Conclusions  Our data suggest that up to 56% of the between-individual variance in bone loss is due to genes, providing a rationale to identify specific genetic factors for bone loss.