Features of pediatric head injury in Hong Kong

Head injury in children causes special concern in most communities. From 1989 to 1994, 2,785 children younger than 16 years old were admitted to our neurosurgical service because of head injury. Fall from a height was the major cause of head injury leading to admission in infants and children in preschool age groups, whereas traffic-related or bicycle-related accidents were more likely to be the cause of head injury for those aged 11–15 years. In all age groups there was a male preponderance. The overall mortality was 0.6%. Traffic-ralated accidents caused more severe injury and accounted for 67% of all fatalities. For patients under 6 years old, about 40% of head injuries occurred at home. Preventive measures for pediatric head injury in Hong Kong are suggested.     

Adenoid cystic carcinoma: DNA as a prognostic indicator

A retrospective study was performed on 20 patients with adenoid cystic carcinomas of major salivary glands to see if DNA. patterns correlated with their prognoses. Fourteen tumors were found to be DNA. diploid; 6 were DNA aneuploid. Histologically, all DNA-aneu-ploid tumors had solid components, compared with only 5 of the DNA-diploid tumors. All of the DNA-aneuploid tumors recurred, in contrast to only 2 of the DNA-diploid tumors; the difference was highly significant (P<0.001). All of the patients with no recurrences had DNA-diploid tumors. In our study, DNA measurements of adenoid cystic carcinomas gave statistically significant information about prognosis and correlated to histological grading. We propose that evaluation of DNA content may be performed before planning the treatment of adenoid cystic carcinomas.     

精氨酸加压素（AVP）的衍生物AVP4—8不能作用于AVPV1a受体而诱发电流反应

在微量注射大量肝脏ｍＲＮＡ之后，通过电压箝方法进行功能鉴定，两栖类卵母细胞成功地表达了ＡＶＰＶ１ａ受体。但在灌流ＡＶ４－８溶液时，却不能诱导卵母细胞产生内向振荡电流反应。提示ＡＶＰ４－８不能通过ＡＶＰＶ１ａ受体而介导生理学效应。     

单侧鼻前庭切口经蝶切除垂体腺瘤

对１６例垂体腺瘤采用单侧鼻前庭切口经蝶切除，效果满意，既可减少手术创伤，又缩短了手术距离，且避免了美容缺陷，是一种设计巧妙，较为实用的手术方法，尤其适用于生长激素腺瘤。     

143例孔源性视网膜脱离临床分析

本文分析了１４３例（１４７眼）孔源性视网膜脱离的一般临床资料、眼部情况、手术类型及治疗结果。本组出院时１３６眼痊愈（９２．５％）；随访２月至６年的４３眼中３４眼痊愈（７９．０％）。讨论了视网膜脱离的易发因素、术式选择、手术注意事项和预后。     

Assessment of exposure to arsenic among smelter workers: A five-year follow-up

In a group of 43 smelter workers exposed to inorganic arsenic dust for 13-45 years, nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) were significantly lower in two peripheral nerves as compared with matching referents. With multivariate data analysis, a significant negative correlation was found between cumulative absorption of arsenic and NCV in four examined nerves and the sural amplitude. Clinical symptoms of neuropathy and other symptoms related to arsenic exposure were moderate, though the difference between the groups was significant. The mean total absorption of arsenic was calculated to be less than 5 g, and the maximal absorption about 20 g. These data indicate that the adverse effect of arsenic on the peripheral nerves is dependent on long-term exposure rather than on short-term fluctuations in exposure levels. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

主动吸入药物烟对大鼠一氧化氮的影响

目的　探讨主动吸入药物烟对大鼠NO的影响。方法　制备大鼠主动吸烟模型 ,采用硝酸还原酶法测定各组大鼠血清、肺、心肌及脑组织的NO含量。结果　非药物烟组大鼠血清、肺、心肌及脑组织中NO含量明显低于非给烟对照组 ,药物烟高、中剂量组NO含量明显高于非药物烟组 ,接近非给烟对照组。结论　吸烟对大鼠血液、肺、心肌及脑组织有不同程度的损伤作用 ,使NO含量降低 ;药物烟具有一定的保护和防止NO含量降低的作用。     

Computerized tomography based on DEI refraction information.

Conventional computerized tomography (CT) technique is based on the absorption contrast. In recent years, X-ray phase-contrast CT (PCCT) has been developing rapidly. It uses the phase information to reconstruct the object and provide high contrast and spatial resolution. Diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) method is one of the three phase-sensitive X-ray imaging techniques. DEI method employs an analyzer crystal to extract the object's refraction information which can be used for CT. However, when DEI refraction CT is combined with the conventional CT algorithm, it should be satisfied that the refraction information of an arbitrary point in the object is invariable at every projection view. In this paper, the invariance condition of refraction information is analyzed and two feasible methods are provided for reconstruction. Using these two methods, two samples of weak absorption are reconstructed with the experimental data obtained at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF).     

Loss of cables, a novel gene on chromosome 18q, in ovarian cancer.

Cables, a cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) interacting protein, has recently been identified and mapped to human chromosome 18q11. Cables appears to be primarily involved in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation. Overexpression of Cables in Hela and other cell lines inhibits cell proliferation and tumor formation. We hypothesize that loss of Cables expression is associated with ovarian cancer. To test our hypothesis, we examined Cables expression in the four most common subtypes of ovarian carcinomas: serous, endometrioid, mucinous, and clear cell. In addition, mucinous and serous borderline tumors were also included. Loss of Cables expression was observed at high frequency in ovarian serous (11 of 14 cases, 79%) and endometrioid (5 of 10 cases, 50%) carcinomas. In contrast, strong Cables staining was detected in all clear cell carcinomas (10 cases) and mucinous tumors (5 carcinomas and 5 borderline tumors). The majority of serous borderline tumors (11 of 14 cases, 79%) showed positive Cables staining, with the rest showing focal loss of Cables expression. Furthermore, RT-PCR revealed the lack of Cables mRNA in a human ovarian cancer xenograft. No correlation was noted between loss of Cables and histologic grade, tumor stage, and survival. In conclusion, our results indicate that loss of Cables is common in ovarian serous and endometrioid carcinomas and imply that Cables may be involved in the pathogenesis of these two types of ovarian carcinomas.