Estimation of salt intake by urinary sodium excretion in a Portuguese adult population and its relationship to arterial stiffness.

BACKGROUND: Portugal has one of the highest mortality rates from stroke, a high prevalence of hypertension and probably a high salt intake level. AIM: To evaluate Portuguese salt intake levels and their relationship to blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a sample of four different adult populations living in northern Portugal. METHODS: A cross-sectional study evaluating 24-hour urinary excretion of sodium (24 h UNa+), potassium and creatinine, blood pressure (BP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) as an index of aortic stiffness in adult populations of sustained hypertensives (HT), relatives of patients with previous stroke (Fam), university students (US) and factory workers (FW), in the context of their usual dietary habits. RESULTS: We evaluated a total of 426 subjects, mean age 50 +/- 22 years, 56% female, BMI 27.9+/-5.1, BP 159/92 mmHg, PWV 10.4+/-2.2 m/s, who showed mean 24h UNa+ of 202 +/- 64 mmol/d, corresponding to a daily salt intake of 12.3 g (ranging from 5.2 to 24.8). The four groups were: HT: n = 245, 49 +/- 18 years, 92% of those selected, 69% treated, BP 163/94 mmHg, PWV 11.9 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 212 mmol/d, i.e. 12.4 g/d of salt); Fam: n = 38, 64 +/- 20 years, 57 % of those selected, BP 144/88 mmHg, PWV 10.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 194 mmol/d, i.e. 11.1 g/d of salt; US: n = 82, 22 +/- 3 years, 57% of those selected, BP 124/77 mmHg, PWV 8.7 m/s, 24h UNa+ 199 mmol/d, i.e. 11.3 g/d of salt; FW: n = 61, 39 9 years, 47% of those selected, BP 129/79 mmHg, PWV 9.5 m/s, 24 h UNa+ 221 mmol/d, i.e. 12.9 g/d of salt. The ratio of urinary sodium/potassium excretion (1.9 (0.4) was significantly higher in HT than the other three groups. In the 426 subjects, 24h UNa+ correlated significantly (p < 0.01) with systolic BP (r = 0.209) and with PWV (r=0.256) after adjustment for age and BP. Multivariate analysis showed that BP, age and 24h UNa+ correlated independently with PWV taken as a dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: Four different Portuguese populations showed similarly high mean daily salt intake levels, almost double those recommended by the WHO. Overall, high urinary sodium excretion correlated consistently with high BP levels and appeared to be an independent determining factor of arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that Portugal in general has a high salt intake diet, and urgent measures are required to restrict salt consumption in order to prevent and treat hypertensive disease and to reduce overall cardiovascular risk and events.     

Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder.

Amyloidosis is a systemic disease that usually occurs in the gastrointestinal tract or in muscular or adipose tissue. Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease that can mimic bladder cancer on cystoscopic examination as well as in its clinical presentation of painless gross hematuria. This report describes a 49-year-old male with repeated painless gross hematuria, who underwent transurethral resection of a suspected bladder tumor. Pathologic examination revealed papillary urothelial hyperplasia with vascular ectasia and no signs of malignancy. Massive gross hematuria occurred 2.5 years later. Cystoscopy showed multiple papillary lesions with yellowish-brown submucosal plaques on the posterior bladder wall. A second transurethral tumor resection was performed and histologic examination revealed plasma cell infiltration and eosinophilic amorphous deposits in the subepithelial stroma and vascular wall. The deposits were positive for Congo red and apple-green birefringence under polarized light examination but negative for Masson's trichrome stain, indicating that they were not fibrotic in nature. Hence, the diagnosis of amyloidosis of the urinary bladder was confirmed. Screening for amyloidosis was negative in other organ systems and the patient has remained disease-free up to the last follow-up 4 years after the second transurethral resection. Amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with recurrent hematuria who have symptoms characteristic of bladder cancer but negative pathologic study for malignancy. Correct diagnosis relies on clinical alertness and the use of a special staining technique during pathologic examination.     

影响初级护士资格考试过线率原因的调查与分析

目的了解初级护士资格考试通过情况。方法采用历史性研究方法，对我校近3年参加护士资格考试的188名学生考试情况进行调查。结果护士资格考试通过率低，其中基础知识通过率在4个科目中最低。结论有必要对参加考试的考生进一步强化基础知识的训练，从而提高护士资格考试的过线率。     

Reduced expression of CD69 and adhesion molecules of T lymphocytes in asthmatic children receiving immunotherapy

T lymphocytes play a fundamental role in the initiation and regulation of chronic inflammatory responses in patients with asthma. CD69 is an early marker of T‐cell activation. The levels of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1, CD54) and L ‐selectin have been reported to increase in patients with allergic diseases and asthma. The present study was therefore undertaken to investigate the expression of CD69, CD54, and L ‐selectin by T lymphocytes of children with asthma, before and after immunotherapy. Eighteen children newly diagnosed with asthma, 11 good and nine poor responders to immunotherapy, and 16 normal subjects, were enrolled in this study. The percentages of CD69⁺, CD54⁺, and CD62L⁺ cells in T lymphocytes were measured by using flow cytometry. The levels of CD69, CD54, and CD62L in serum and culture supernatants were determined by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of CD69 and CD54 on CD3⁺ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in children with asthma than in control patients. All the patient groups expressed (spontaneously and following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin together with mite‐extract proteins) greater amounts of CD69 and CD54 than did control subjects. With long‐term immunotherapy, the percentages of CD69⁺ and CD54⁺ T lymphocytes were significantly lower in patients with a good response to immunotherapy. Our results also showed significantly lower serum L ‐selectin levels following immunotherapy. In conclusion, successful immunotherapy resulted in decreased expression and production of CD69 and CD54. These results may explain, in part, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy.     

截骨矫形"∩"形钉内固定治疗关节畸形55例

目的探讨肘、膝、踝关节内外翻畸形的治疗方式。方法对55例8～16岁的关节内、外翻畸形患儿(肘关节30例，膝15例，踝10例)，采用肘外侧切口，踝、膝内外侧切口，截骨矫形，1枚或2枚“∩”形钉内崮定治疗，术后石膏托外固定4周，结果随访50例，随访时间3～24个月，截骨均达到骨性愈合，无一例发生感染，内固定松动临床疗效优48例(96％)，良2例(4％)。结论用“∩”形钉作为截骨矫形内固定材料．具有操作简单、损伤小、效果好的优点。     

大鼠自体异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植的实验研究

目的　探讨自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植技术在创面修复中的应用。　方法　 30只大鼠随机配成 15对后 ,分成细胞悬液移植组 (A组 ,10对 )和细胞膜片移植组 (B组 ,5对 )。取每只大鼠全厚皮 ,分离表皮细胞 ,并根据配对情况按 1∶1的细胞比例混合 ,体外常规培养。 4d后收获A组混合细胞悬液 ,14d后收获B组混合细胞膜片。将此细胞悬液和膜片分别转移至A、B组相应供体大鼠的去全厚皮创面。随后A组每对大鼠的创面交叉覆盖配对方的异体全厚皮 ;B组创面覆盖胶原膜及“优妥”敷料。比较移植后 2～ 3周两组的创面修复情况。　结果　术后 2～ 3周 ,A组创面大多愈合 ,表面光滑 ,与皮下连接紧密。术后第 5天 ,B组创面部分细胞膜片脱落 ,部分成活 ,膜片成活的创面后期再次出现小创面 ,经久不愈。　结论　自、异体表皮细胞悬液混合移植是一种可行的、体内构建皮肤、修复创面的方法。     

Ureteral obstruction caused by L-asparaginase-induced pancreatitis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

L-asparaginase, an effective antileukemia and antilymphoma agent, is toxic to many organ systems. We report a case of ureteral obstruction caused by L-asparaginase via the inflammatory complication of acute pancreatitis. The patient was an 11-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Six days after completing a 4-week induction therapy containing 9 doses of L-asparaginase, severe left abdominal pain developed. Abdominal computed tomography showed phlegmon formation anterior to the pancreatic head and in the left posterior pararenal space. The strands of inflammatory soft tissues encased the upper third of the left ureter, causing left hydroureter and left hydronephrosis. The ureteral obstruction resolved after insertion of a double-J catheter that remained in place for 66 days. This case suggests that L-asparaginase may play a role in the pathogenesis of ureteral obstruction in children receiving chemotherapy.     

Rupture of a submitral ventricular aneurysm into the left atrium diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.

Submitral ventricular aneurysm is a thoroughly studied pathology but is not well known due to its rarity. Clinically, it is manifested by symptoms and signs of heart failure, mitral regurgitation and/or ventricular arrhythmias, and may be associated with thromboembolic phenomena and myocardial ischemia due to compression of the coronary arteries by the aneurysm. A rare complication of this type of aneurysm is rupture into the left atrium. Transthoracic echocardiography plays an important role in the definitive diagnosis of this pathology, although the role of transesophageal echocardiography in the evaluation of these patients is less known. We report a case of a submitral ventricular aneurysm complicated by rupture into the left atrium, which was diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography.     

Movements of cultured corneal epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts in electric fields

The effects of an externally applied direct-current electric field on the movement of cultured rabbit corneal epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts were studied. After a latency of approximately 20 minutes in an electric field, both epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts became spindle shaped and underwent galvanotropism by aligning their long axes perpendicular to the applied electric field. The electric field stimulus thresholds for galvanotropic movements in epithelial cells and stromal fibroblasts were 4V/cm and 6 V/cm, respectively. After an additional latency of 30 minutes, both cell types manifested galvanotaxic movements: epithelial cells commenced migration in the cathodal (downfield) direction and stromal fibroblasts in the anodal (upfield) direction. For both types of cells, ruffled membranes and lamellipodia were abundant at the leading edges of migrating cells and cell processes underwent retraction at the trailing edges. At field strengths of above 10 V/cm, evidence of cellular damage (manifested by cellular rounding and detachment), attributable to the electric field treatment, was observed after 4 hours. These preliminary results suggest that galvanotaxic responses could be exploited clinically in the enhancement of corneal wound healing.