Breast Gangrene in an HIV-Positive Patient

Introduction

Breast gangrene has been reported as a complication following puerperal sepsis, breast surgery, nipple piercings, warfarin toxicity, etc. We report a case of primary breast gangrene in an HIV-positive individual which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first of its kind.

Case report

A 40-year-old previously healthy woman presented with fulminating left breast gangrene. She was detected to be HIV positive. Mastectomy was performed. The detailed management of the condition is discussed.

Conclusion

Severe necrotising infections may be initial manifestations of HIV infection and patients with such infections should be screened for HIV.     

Occupational voice demands and their impact on the call-centre industry

Background  

Within the last decade there has been a growth in the call-centre industry in the UK, with a growing awareness of the voice as an important tool for successful communication. Occupational voice problems such as occupational dysphonia, in a business which relies on healthy, effective voice as the primary professional communication tool, may threaten working ability and occupational health and safety of workers. While previous studies of telephone call-agents have reported a range of voice symptoms and functional vocal health problems, there have been no studies investigating the use and impact of vocal performance in the communication industry within the UK. This study aims to address a significant gap in the evidence-base of occupational health and safety research. The objectives of the study are: 1. to investigate the work context and vocal communication demands for call-agents; 2. to evaluate call-agents' vocal health, awareness and performance; and 3. to identify key risks and training needs for employees and employers within call-centres.     

马钱子碱抗肝细胞癌作用的实验研究

目的 探讨马钱子碱抗肝细胞癌的作用及其机制.方法 体外培养人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞,加入不同浓度的马钱子碱(2.5～400μg/ml),细胞培养72 h,MTT法测定细胞生长抑制率.Western blotting和荧光定量RT-PCR技术分别测定培养24、48、72 h肝癌细胞PCNA、Cyclin D1、FAS基因mRNA和蛋白表达.结果 随着马钱子碱用量逐渐增加,对人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721生长抑制作用增强,马钱子碱用量为320 μg/ml时对肝癌细胞生长抑制率接近100%.马钱子碱作用肝癌细胞24 h与作用48 h相比,Fas蛋白和mRNA表达差异无统计学意义(分别F=2.547,1.582,均P＞0.05),作用72 h时差异有统计学意义(分别F=1.036,1.137,均P＜0.05);PCNA和Cyclin D1的mRNA和蛋白表达各时间点差异无统计学意义(PCNA分别F=3.612,2.174,3.029;Cyclin D1分别F=2.361,2.915,1.976,均P＞0.05).结论 马钱子碱抑制肝癌细胞生长,可能通过肝癌细胞FAS基因和蛋白表达增加,诱导肝癌细胞凋亡发挥抑制作用,而与PCNA和Cyclin D1作用无关.

Abstract：

Objective To study the effect of brucine on the growth of a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line in vitro. Methods Brucine was added into a liver cancer cell line of SMMC-7721 in vitro, at drug concentration of brucine from 2. 5 μg/ml to 400 μg/ml. The inhibition rate of cell growth was measured by MTT technique after the cells were cultured for 72 hours. The protein and mRNA expression of PCNA,cyclin D1 and FAS were respectively assayed with Western blotting and fluorescent quantitation RT-PCR techniques at 24, 48, 72 h. Results The inhibition rate of liver cancer cell was near 100% when the brucine concentration was at 320 μg/ml. The protein and mRNA expression of FAS were of no significant difference at 24 h vs 48 h ( seperately F = 2. 547,1. 582, all P ＞ 0. 05 ), and significant difference existed at 24 h vs 72 h( seperately F = 1. 036, 1. 137, all P ＜ 0. 05 ). The protein and mRNA expression of PCNA,Cyclin D1 were of no significant difference between various time period( seperately PCNA F = 3.612,2. 174,3.029;Cyclin D1 F=2.361,2.915,1.976,all P＞0.05). Conclusions Brucine inhibits the growth of liver cancer cells, by inducing increased apoptosis of the cells probably through FAS overexpression.     

茶多酚治疗慢性酒精性肝损伤的实验研究

目的 建立酒精性肝病大鼠模型,观察茶多酚对酒精性肝病大鼠血清氨基转移酶活性和肝脏病理变化的影响,探讨茶多酚对酒精性肝损伤的防治作用。 方法 SD大鼠分成3组:酒精组(酒精7g·kg-1·d-1灌胃)、茶多酚组(酒精7g·kg-1·d-1 茶多酚0.25g·kg-1·d-1灌胃)和对照组(等渗盐水灌胃)。各组分别于4周末、12周末和24周末处死大鼠留取肝脏标本,用于HE染色和Masson染色。 结果 酒精组大鼠血清氧基转移酶水平较对照组升高,茶多酚组大鼠与酒精组相比,其值有明显降低,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。HE染色显示酒精组大鼠肝细胞浆出现不同程度的脂肪变性,小叶各带可见不同程度的点、灶状或片状坏死,24周大鼠可见桥接坏死。Masson三色染色可见24周大鼠汇管区边缘有绿染胶原纤维包绕增生,肝窦中可见绿染胶原纤维分布。茶多酚组肝脂肪变和炎症程度轻于酒精组,未发现桥接坏死。 结论 茶多酚对酒精性肝损伤具有一定的保护作用。     

Red cell loss following orthopedic surgery: the case against postoperative blood salvage

BACKGROUND: Expensive devices have been developed for the collection and transfusion of blood salvaged after hip or knee arthroplasty. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The volume of salvaged red cells was measured for the first 6 hours after operation. This volume was compared to total red cell loss during hospitalization and to the volume of allogeneic red cells transfused. RESULTS: Mean postoperative red cell loss in 31 patients following hip replacement was 55 +/− 29 mL and that in 20 patients following knee replacement was 121 +/− 50 mL. The 6-hour wound drainage represented 8.7 and 16.8 percent of overall red cell loss during hospitalization for hip and knee replacement, respectively. The transfusion of postoperatively salvaged red cells would have supplanted transfusion of less than one-third of a unit of allogenic blood after hip replacement and two-thirds of a unit after knee replacement. Only three patients (5.9%) lost red cell volume in the drainage equivalent to or in excess of 1 unit of red cells (180 mL). The volume of red cells salvaged postoperatively bore no relationship to perioperative red cell losses as a whole. CONCLUSION: The relatively small red cell loss in the postoperative period in most arthroplasty patients does not appear to justify the routine use of this technique for the recovery of autologous blood.     

参三七皂苷Rg1预适应对5-氮胞苷诱导大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞转化的干预

目的:用药物预适应方法进行干细胞诱导已有报道,本实验观察中药参三七皂苷Rg1对5-氮胞苷诱导大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞转化中的作用。方法:实验于2003-01/05在南京医科大学药理教研室完成。①实验材料:清洁级SD大鼠8只。参三七皂苷Rg18mg,批号20021017,由云南省长春花生物制剂公司提供,加入不含胎牛血清的IMDM培养液10mL,调配成10-4mol/L溶液,4℃保存。5-氮胞苷(Sigma公司,批号021209)。②实验方法:贴壁法体外培养大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞。设立4组:空白对照组常规培养后进行无血清处理,每3d换液1次;5-氮胞苷单用组单纯以10μmol/L的5-氮胞苷进行处理,其终浓度为1×10-8moL/L,连续诱导15d;5-氮胞苷 参三七皂苷Rg1预适应组分别加入0.1,1μmol/L参三七皂苷Rg1培养液处理24h,再各以10μmol/L的5-氮胞苷进行诱导,其终浓度为1×10-8moL/L,连续诱导15d。③实验评估:取第2代骨髓间充质干细胞,绘制生长曲线并计算群体倍增时间。观察诱导后骨髓间充质干细胞的生长形态学特征和细胞超微结构变化。激光共聚焦显微镜测定细胞表面积变化和细胞内钙离子浓度。结果:①5-氮胞苷诱导后骨髓间充质干细胞的生长形态学特征和细胞超微结构变化:骨髓间质干细胞胞体逐渐增大并伸出细长突起,在突起末端出现分支,部分相邻细胞的突起连接成网,形态学上表现出向心肌细胞方向转化的特征。其超微结构呈梭形,有明显的肌丝,细胞核呈单椭圆形,位于细胞中央,间质干细胞形似心肌细胞。②参三七皂苷Rg1预适应对5-氮胞苷诱导的骨髓间充质干细胞增殖特性的影响:与5-氮胞苷单用组比较,5-氮胞苷 参三七皂苷Rg1预适应组从第3天开始细胞数明显增加,细胞生长曲线均无明显的生长平台期,达到高峰后细胞数开始减少。③参三七皂苷Rg1预适应对5-氮胞苷诱导的骨髓间充质干细胞表面积的影响:与空白对照组骨髓间充质干细胞表面积比较,5-氮胞苷单用组明显降低,0.1,1μmol/L参三七皂苷Rg1预适应则能显著升高5-氮胞苷诱导的骨髓间充质干细胞表面积(P<0.01)。④参三七皂苷Rg1对5-氮胞苷诱导的骨髓间充质干细胞内游离钙水平的影响:与空白对照组比较,5-氮胞苷诱导4周后骨髓间充质干细胞内游离Ca2 相对荧光强度均明显升高(t=6.72,P<0.01),且5-氮胞苷 1μmol/L参三七皂苷Rg1预适应组升高幅度大于5-氮胞苷单用组(t=3.13,P<0.05)。结论:①参三七皂苷Rg1预适应在体外可显著刺激5-氮胞苷诱导的鼠骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞转化和增殖,改善细胞形态,刺激细胞内钙离子增加。②参三七皂苷Rg1与5-氮胞苷对骨髓间充质干细胞向心肌细胞定向分化产生协同效应。     

Development of a marrow transplant regimen for acute leukemia using targeted hematopoietic irradiation delivered by 131I-labeled anti-CD45 antibody, combined with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation

In an attempt to decrease the relapse rate after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for advanced acute leukemia, we initiated studies using 131I-labeled anti-CD45 antibody (BC8) to deliver radiation specifically to hematopoietic tissues, followed by a standard transplant preparative regimen. Biodistribution studies were performed in 23 patients using 0.5 mg/kg trace 131I-labeled BC8 antibody. The BC8 antibody was cleared rapidly from plasma with an initial disappearance half-time of 1.5 +/- 0.2 hours, presumably reflecting rapid antigen- specific binding. The mean radiation absorbed doses (cGy/mCi131I administered) were as follows: marrow, 7.1 +/- 0.8; spleen, 10.8 +/- 1.4; liver, 2.7 +/- 0.2; lungs, 2.1 +/- 0.1; kidneys, 0.7 +/- 0.1; and total body, 0.4 +/- 0.03. Patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in relapse had a higher marrow dose (11.4 cGy/mCi) than those in remission (5.2 cGy/mCi; P = .001) because of higher uptake and longer retention of radionuclide in marrow. Twenty patients were treated with a dose of 131I estimated to deliver 3.5 Gy (level 1) to 7 Gy (level 3) to liver, with marrow doses of 4 to 30 Gy and spleen doses of 7 to 60 Gy, followed by 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CY) and 12 Gy total body irradiation (TBI). Nine of 13 patients with AML or refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) and two of seven with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) are alive disease-free at 8 to 41 months (median, 17 months) after BMT. Toxicity has not been measurably greater than that of CY/TBI alone, and the maximum tolerated dose has not been reached. This study demonstrates that with the use of 131I-BC8 substantially greater doses of radiation can be delivered to hematopoietic tissues as compared with liver, lung, or kidney, which may improve the efficacy of marrow transplantation.     

Quantification of the breakpoint cluster region rearrangement for clinical monitoring in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia

The purpose of this report was to evaluate scintigraphy analysis of Southern blot hybridization as a method to quantify the breakpoint cluster region (BCR) rearrangement of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)+ chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Cytogenetic and molecular studies performed simultaneously on 474 bone marrow and/or blood samples from 300 patients treated with alpha-interferon-based therapy were compared. Molecular results were expressed as the percentage of rearranged BCR bands versus the total scintigraphic signal. The percentage of Ph+ metaphases was calculated on 25 metaphases. The results of molecular studies obtained on both peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were identical. The rank correlation between the BCR quantification and the percentage of Ph positivity in 465 samples was excellent (r = .78). However, of 99 samples with a normal karyotype, 24% had a BCR rearrangement. Of 86 samples with no BCR rearrangement, 13% showed a Ph chromosome. Of 49 samples with partial cytogenetic remission (Ph+ metaphases, 1% to 34%), 23% had no BCR rearrangement. In samples with a minor or no cytogenetic response (Ph+ metaphases, > 34%), BCR analysis overestimated the degree of response in 73 of 326 samples (22%). Nevertheless, survival analysis by BCR quantification level showed statistically better outcome for patients in complete or partial molecular response (P < .01). Molecular quantification of BCR was useful in monitoring the course of Ph+ CML. This method, which can be used on peripheral blood, detected residual disease not shown by cytogenetic analysis and was prognostically relevant as a measure of disease suppression.     

Dynamic holographic imaging of the beating human heart

Background--Currently, the reporting and archiving of echocardiographic data suffer from the difficulty of representing heart motion on printable 2-dimensional (2D) media. Methods and Results--We studied the capability of holography to integrate motion into 2D echocardiographic prints. Images of normal human hearts and of a variety of mitral valve function abnormalities (mitral valve prolapse, systolic anterior motion of the mitral leaflets, and obstruction of the mitral valve by a myxoma) were acquired digitally on standard echocardiographic machines. Images were processed into a data format suitable for holographic printing. Angularly multiplexed holograms were then printed on a prototype holographic "laser" printer, with integration of time in vertical parallax, so that heart motion became visible when the hologram was tilted up and down. The resulting holograms displayed the anatomy with the same resolution as the original acquisition and allowed detailed study of valve motion with side-by-side comparison of normal and abnormal findings. Comparison of standard echocardiographic measurements in original echo frames and corresponding hologram views showed an excellent correlation of both methods (P<0.0001, r2=0.979, mean bias=2.76 mm). In this feasibility study, both 2D and 3D holographic images were produced. The equipment needed to view these holograms consists of only a simple point-light source. Conclusions--Holographic representation of myocardial and valve motion from echocardiographic data is feasible and allows the printing on a 2D medium of the complete heart cycle. Combined with the recent development of online holographic printing, this novel technique has the potential to improve reporting, visualization, and archiving of echocardiographic imaging.