Excision of a recurrent mediastinal cyst through mid sternotomy with high thoracic epidural anesthesia as the sole anesthetic—A case report

Conclusion Our case report highlights the possibility of tackling mediastinal, pericardial and pleural problems with regional anesthesia alone even if the surgery requires opening of the pleura.     

公共产品价格机制及价格约束分析

公共产品涉及千家万户的切身利益，近10多年来，部分公共产品价格变化又多以超过国民经济发展速度提高，怎样正确认识和判断其价格的合理性，具有十分重要的现实意义。本文分析了我国公共产品的价格类型，定价机制，阐明了我国公共产品的价格约束制度构建的主要内容，希望为政府及相关部门工作提供有益的帮助。     

PBL在病原生物与免疫学教学中的实践

目的探讨病原生物与免疫学教学中开展PBL教学的效果。方法对照组采用传统的教学方法，实验组采用PBL教学方法，通过问卷调查、考试成绩综合分析教学改革效果。结果实验班绝大多数学生接受并欢迎PBL教学模式，并在自学能力、理解能力、分析解决问题能力等方面得到明显的提高。结论PBL教学方法优于传统的教学方法，能有效提高病原生物与免疫学教学质量。     

淋巴靶向制剂——吸附抗癌药毫微粒活性炭的研究进展

目的介绍新型淋巴靶向制剂———吸附抗癌药毫微粒活性炭的研究进展。方法依据近年来的文献 ,对活性炭的制备工艺及体内外性质等方面进行了综述。结果活性炭具有很强的吸附功能 ,普通市售活性炭仅用作脱色、吸附热原与除味等。以微粒球磨机为粉碎器械 ,可加工制备粒径达1 0 0nm左右的纳米炭微粒 ,具有优越的淋巴趋向性。结论吸附抗癌药毫微粒活性炭在临床治疗癌症方面具有良好的运用前景     

Cervicogenic headache

Eleven female patients with cervicogenic headache (mean age, 43 years; range, 25-59 years) have been examined with the pupillometer. The pupillary diameter was examined in the basal state (that is, the status before pharmacologic stimulation) and after topically administered tyramine (2%), phenylephrine (1%), and hydroxyamphetamine (1%). A total of 51 tests were performed, 35 in the asymptomatic period and 16 during pain attacks. In a control group consisting of 26 age-matched women a total of 39 tests were carried out. Before pharmacologic stimulation (that is, in the "basal state") the pupils were smaller in the asymptomatic (pain-free) period than during pain attacks in the patients and also as compared with that of control individuals. The anisocoria (the difference in pupillary size in the same individual) observed was not significantly different between the patient group and control individuals either in the basal state (before pharmacologic stimulation) or after pharmacologic stimulation. The mydriasis resulting from the instillation of the three sympathicomimetic drugs was symmetrical in both controls and patients both during and between the pain attacks. This finding is in clear contrast to what is found in cluster headache, in which there is a "Horner-like" syndrome on the symptomatic side. These two headaches thus seem to differ essentially with regard to this variable.     

Identification and functional analysis of common human flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 genetic variants

Flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs) are important for the disposition of many therapeutics, environmental toxicants, and nutrients. FMO3, the major adult hepatic FMO enzyme, exhibits significant interindividual variation. Eighteen FMO3 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequencies were determined in 202 Hispanics (Mexican descent), 201 African Americans, and 200 non-Latino whites. Using expressed recombinant enzyme with methimazole, trimethylamine, sulindac, and ethylenethiourea, the novel structural variants FMO3 E24D and K416N were shown to cause modest changes in catalytic efficiency, whereas a third novel variant, FMO3 N61K, was essentially devoid of activity. The latter variant was present at an allelic frequency of 5.2% in non-Latino whites and 3.5% in African Americans, but it was absent in Hispanics. Inferring haplotypes using PHASE, version 2.1, the greatest haplotype diversity was observed in African Americans followed by non-Latino whites and Hispanics. Haplotype 2A and 2B, consisting of a hypermorphic promoter SNP cluster (-2650C>G, -2543T>A, and -2177G>C) in linkage with synonymous structural variants was inferred at a frequency of 27% in the Hispanic population, but only 5% in non-Latino whites and African Americans. This same promoter SNP cluster in linkage with one or more hypomorphic structural variant also was inferred in multiple haplotypes at a total frequency of 5.6% in the African-American study group but less than 1% in the other two groups. The sum frequencies of the hypomorphic haplotypes H3 [15,167G>A (E158K)], H5B [-2650C>G, 15,167G>A (E158K), 21,375C>T (N285N), 21,443A>G (E308G)], and H6 [15,167G>A (E158K), 21,375C>T (N285N)] was 28% in Hispanics, 23% in non-Latino whites, and 24% in African Americans.     

Adherence of fresh and stored granulocytes to endothelial cells. Effect of storage temperature

Granulocyte (PMN) concentrates collected for transfusion to septic, neutropenic patients are stored in the blood bank for various periods of time before they are given. Current methods of blood bank storage of PMN concentrates are associated with impaired in vitro PMN chemotaxis (CTX) and in vivo recovery and circulation kinetics after 24 hours of storage. This suggested the possibility that PMN may become hyperadherent during storage. To test this hypothesis, PMN concentrates were harvested and stored at both 22 and 6 degrees C and their adherence properties to relevant biologic surfaces, endothelial cell (EC) monolayers, and extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from endothelium were measured. Adherence was measured within 4 hours of collection and after 24 and 48 hours of storage. The aggregation properties of fresh and stored PMN were also studied. The adherence of fresh, unstimulated PMN to EC and ECM (31 +/- 5% and 34 +/- 4%, respectively) increased significantly after storage for 24 hours (EC = 41 +/- 8%; ECM = 43 +/- 4%) at 22 degrees C. F-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP) stimulated the adherence of fresh PMN (EC = 37 +/- 4%; ECM = 42 +/- 4%; p less than 0.05). The adherence of PMN stored at 22 degrees C was further stimulated by FMLP (EC = 46 +/- 6%; ECM = 50 +/- 4%). PMN stored at 6 degrees C had significantly higher adherence than PMN stored at 22 degrees C, and the percentage of increase in adherence induced by FMLP was attenuated in PMN stored at 6 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)