Liver Targeting of Interferon Through Pullulan Conjugation

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to actively target interferon (IFN) to the liver through its chemical conjugation with pullulan, a water-soluble polysaccharide with a high affinity for the liver. Methods. Chemical conjugation of IFN with pullulan was achieved by a cyanuric chloride method. Following intravenous injection of the conjugates to mice, their body distribution and the activity of an IFN-induced enzyme, 2,5-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase in the liver and other organs, were evaluated. Results. The cyanuric chloride method enabled us to prepare an IFN-pullulan conjugate that retained approximately 7–9 % of the biological activity of IFN. Pullulan conjugation enhanced the liver accumulation of IFN and the retention period with the results being reproducible. When injected intravenously to mice, the IFN-pullulan conjugate enhanced the activity of 2-5A synthetase in the liver. The activity could be induced at IFN doses much lower than those of free IFN injection. In addition, the liver 2-5A synthetase induced by conjugate injection was retained for 3 days, whereas it was lost within the first day for the free IFN-injected mice. Conclusions. IFN-pullulan conjugation was promising for IFN targeting to the liver with efficient exertion of its antiviral activity therein.     

Urban/Rural Differences in Decision Making and the Use of Advance Directives Among Nursing Home Residents at Admission

CONTEXT: Advance directives promote patient autonomy and encourage greater awareness of final care options while reducing physician and family uncertainty regarding patient preferences. PURPOSE: To investigate differences in decision making authority and the use of advance directives among nursing home residents admitted from urban and rural areas. METHODS: A total of 551,208 admission assessments in the Minimum Data Set were analyzed for all residents admitted to a nursing facility in 2001. Using the Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) methodology and ZIP code of primary residence before admission, these residents were classified into 4 urban/rural areas. FINDINGS: Residents from rural areas were significantly more likely to have executed a durable power of attorney for health care or for financial decisions than residents admitted from the other areas, with the largest differences observed between residents admitted from urban and rural areas. Almost 6 residents in 10 from urban areas had no advance directives in place at admission compared with only 4 residents in 10 admitted from rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Health providers and social workers in both rural and urban areas should advise patients about the value of advance directives.     

三维适形放疗同步化疗治疗Ⅲ期和Ⅳ期非小细胞肺癌

目的观察三维适形放疗同步化疗治疗Ⅲ、Ⅳ期非小细胞肺癌的疗效及耐受性。方法将39例Ⅲ、Ⅳ期非小细胞肺癌患者按治疗方法分为两组,三维适形同步放化疗组(同步组)23例,序贯放化疔组(序贯组) 16例。所有患者均行以铂类药物为主的化疗,放疗用6 MV X线,计划剂量为62～68 Gy,常规分割为2 Gy·次~(-1)·d~(-1),5次/周。分别比较两组的近期疗效、生存率、卡氏评分(KPS)变化及骨髓毒性。结果同步组和序贯组病例的完全缓解率、有效率、KPS改善率分别为17．4%(4/23例)比12．5%(2/16例)、73．9%(17/23例)比62．5%(10/16例)、78．3%(18/23例)比75．0%(12/16例),两组比较差异无显著性；两组白细胞减少率分别为91．3%(21/23例)比87．5%(14/16例)；两组放射性食管炎发生率分别为52．2%(12/23例)比50．0%(8/16例),放射性肺炎发生率分别为13．0%(3/23例)比12．5%(2/16例),均为1、2级。结论三维适形放疗同步化疗治疗晚期非小细胞肺癌有优于序贯放化疗的趋势,为绝大部分患者所接受,同步化疗毒性增大不明显。     

New Characterization Measures of Pore Shape and Connectivity Applied to Coatings used for Controlled Drug Release

Pore geometry characterization-methods are important tools for understanding how pore structure influences properties such as transport through a porous material. Bottlenecks can have a large influence on transport and related properties. However, existing methods only catch certain types of bottleneck effects caused by variations in pore size. We here introduce a new measure, geodesic channel strength, which captures a different type of bottleneck effect caused by many paths coinciding in the same pore. We further develop new variants of pore size measures and propose a new way of visualizing 3-D characterization results using layered images. The new measures together with existing measures were used to characterize and visualize properties of 3-D FIB-SEM images of three leached ethyl-cellulose/hydroxypropyl-cellulose films. All films were shown to be anisotropic, and the strongest anisotropy was found in the film with lowest porosity. This film had very tortuous paths and strong geodesic channel-bottlenecks, while the paths through the other two films were relatively straight with well-connected pore networks. The geodesic channel strength was shown to give important new visual and quantitative insights about connectivity, and the new pore size measures provided useful information about anisotropies and inhomogeneities in the pore structures. The methods have been implemented in the freely available software MIST.     

自拟清热解毒、活血化瘀方联合华蟾素治疗湿热瘀毒型宫颈癌临床观察

目的:分析自拟清热解毒、活血化瘀方联合华蟾素治疗湿热瘀毒型宫颈癌临床疗效及其安全性。方法:68例湿热瘀毒型患者随机分为对照组和观察组各34例,2组均采用放化疗治疗及手术治疗。观察组加用清热解毒、活血化瘀类中药联合华蟾素治疗,观察2组临床疗效及不良反应情况。结果:总有效率观察组85.2%,对照组70.5%,2组比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05).观察组恶心呕吐、肝肾损伤、脱发、神经毒性及电解质紊乱等不良反应发生率更低,与对照组比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:清热解毒、活血化瘀类中药联合华蟾素治疗湿热瘀毒型宫颈癌临床疗效满意度高,不良反应少。     

数字式一体化口腔临床工程系统的研制

运用数字总线技术实现多模块化控制,对CT或X光片、口腔数字化扫描仪、印模扫描图像等进行三维重建、立体构图,开发系列规划软件,为口腔医生提供优化治疗、修复方案.同时,计算机可联接微型CAD/CAM自动进行义齿、贴面快速加工,以及种植导板等产品的设计、加工；联接手术导航仪进行牙种植手术导航；联接PACS、HIS等系统,实现数字化图像传输以及远程医疗功能.在诊所内一体化完成诊断、治疗、制作、修复、整形、美容等系列复杂、精细工作.