Spontaneous pneumothorax due to Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome in a Chinese family

A Chinese woman presented with a spontaneous pneumothorax and a family history suggestive of the autosomal dominant transmission of pneumothorax. The patient also had skin fibrofolliculomas and folliculin gene deletion, compatible with Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) syndrome. The importance of BHD syndrome and other familial spontaneous pneumothoraces is discussed.     

Cancer Prevention through Legislation-Hong Kong Experience

Cancer is the major cause of death worldwide and in the local community. Due to the aging population and changes in lifestyle of the citizens, it is expected that the incidence of cancer will continue to increase. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, about 30% of cancer death can be prevented. The fight against cancer relies on support from the government, together with collaborations with the policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public. Legislation can act as a tool for cancer prevention. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the global cancer burden and to describe how cancer legislation acts as a tool for cancer prevention in the Hong Kong region.     

Patient satisfaction with out-of-hours primary care in the Netherlands

Background  

In recent years out-of-hours primary care in the Netherlands has changed from practice-based to large-scale cooperatives. The purpose of this study is to determine patient satisfaction with current out-of-hours care organised in general practitioner (GP) cooperatives, and gain insight in factors associated with this satisfaction.     

黄芩汤及其肠道菌群的代谢产物对D-半乳糖胺诱导的肝损伤的保护作用的比较研究

目的 :对黄芩汤及其经肠道菌群作用后的代谢产物的体内保肝作用进行比较研究。方法 :使用普通和伪无菌小鼠 ,用D-半乳糖胺造成肝脏损伤模型 ,分别给予黄芩汤和黄芩汤的代谢产物 ,测定给药 3d后血清中丙氨酸氨基转换酶 (ALT)和天门冬氨酸氨基转换酶 (AST)的活性。结果 :普通小鼠口服黄芩汤后 ,高、中剂量组小鼠血清中ALT水平明显下降 ,与模型组产生显著差异 ;伪无菌小鼠口服黄芩汤代谢产物之后 ,高、中剂量组血清中ALT水平显著下降 ,但黄芩汤 3个剂量组对其无相似的药理作用。结论 :黄芩汤经过肠道菌群作用后的代谢产物是体内产生保肝降酶作用的物质基础。