Effects of sera from burn patients on human hepatocytic viscoelasticity

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The development of an intervention programme to reduce whole-body vibration exposure at work induced by a change in behaviour: a study protocol

Background  

Whole body vibration (WBV) exposure at work is common and studies found evidence that this exposure might cause low back pain (LBP). A recent review concluded there is a lack of evidence of effective strategies to reduce WBV exposure. Most research in this field is focussed on the technical implications, although changing behaviour towards WBV exposure might be promising as well. Therefore, we developed an intervention programme to reduce WBV exposure in a population of drivers with the emphasis on a change in behaviour of driver and employer. The hypothesis is that an effective reduction in WBV exposure, in time, will lead to a reduction in LBP as WBV exposure is a proxy for an increased risk of LBP.     

PLENARY LECTURES-PL3 Vascular dysfunctions and platelet activations by arsenic: two major contributing factors to cardiovascular disease

Arsenic in drinking water is a worldwide health problem that is associated with cardiovascular disease, but the cause is currently unknown. In order to examine whether arsenic affects vasomotor tone in blood vessels, we investigated the effect of arsenic on agonist-induced vasorelaxation and vasoconstriction using the isolated rat aortic rings in in vitro organ bath system.     

Comparison of unit-specific and hospital-wide antibiograms: potential implications for selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify differences between unit-specific and hospital-wide antibiograms and to determine the potential impact of these differences on selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy. SETTING: A 625-bed tertiary care medical center. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility results were collected for all inpatient clinical bacterial isolates recovered over a 3-year period; isolates were categorized by the hospital location of the patient at the time of sampling and by the anatomic site from which the isolate was recovered. Antibiograms from each unit were compiled for the most commonly isolated organisms and were compared to the hospital-wide antibiogram. RESULTS: A total of 9,970 bacterial isolates were evaluated in this study, including 2,646 enterococcal isolates, 2,806 S. aureus isolates, 2,795 E. coli isolates, and 1,723 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. The percentages of bacterial isolates resistant to antimicrobials were significantly higher in the medical ICU and surgical ICU than the hospital-wide antibiogram would have predicted, whereas the percentages of isolates susceptible to antimicrobials were significantly higher in the non-ICU units, compared with the hospital overall. However, on general medicine units, the prevalence of susceptibility to levofloxacin was significantly lower than that for the hospital overall. CONCLUSIONS: Unit-specific antibiograms are important for making informed decisions about empirical antimicrobial therapy, because the hospital-wide antibiogram may mask important differences in susceptibility rates across different units. These differences may have important implications for selecting the optimal empirical antimicrobial therapy.     

Diagnosis and management of cystic duct leakage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, report of 3 cases

BACKGROUND： Operative complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy （LC） vary. Abdominal pain and other symptoms caused by fluid accumulation in the operative area are not uncommon. Cystic duct （CD） leakage is one of the main sources of the fluid. This study was to evaluate the procedures used in the diagnosis and management of CD leakage after LC. METHOD： The clinical materials of 3 patients with CD leakage after LC were studied retrospectively.     

Expression and immunogenicity of oncofetal antigen-immature laminin receptor in human renal cell carcinoma

PURPOSE: The 32 to 44 kDa. oncofetal antigen-immature laminin receptor (OFA-iLR) is a multifunctional protein expressed by various tumors, including breast, lung, ovary and prostate carcinoma as well as lymphoma. OFA-iLR has been implicated in tumor invasiveness, metastasis and growth. Interferon-gamma producing effector T cells and interleukin (IL)-10 producing suppressor T cells specific for OFA-iLR have been described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 43515 IgG2a anti-OFA-iLR monoclonal antibody was used to detect OFA-iLR expression in human renal cell carcinoma tissue by flow cytometry and immunoblotting. Spontaneous or therapy induced immune responses against OFA-iLR were determined in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Proliferative and cytokine (interferon-gamma and IL-10) responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with renal cell carcinoma against recombinant OFA-iLR were assessed. RESULTS: Using flow cytometry OFA-iLR was detected in all 13 tumors tested. Immunoblotting revealed differences in OFA-iLR expression in renal cell carcinoma and normal kidney tissue. OFA-iLR specific proliferative and cytokine responses of mononuclear cells were detected in all 6 patients tested. Importantly evidence was also obtained that treating metastatic renal cell carcinoma with tumor lysate pulsed dendritic cells would enhance OFA-iLR specific immunity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that OFA-iLR is an immunogenic tumor associated antigen in human renal cell carcinoma. OFA-iLR specific effector T cells producing interferon-gamma may have a role in the control of tumor growth, whereas suppressor T cells producing IL-10 may promote tumor tolerance and, thus, tumor progression.     

The usefulness of growth hormone treatment for psychological status in young adult survivors of childhood leukaemia: an open-label study

Background  

To reduce the risk of brain damage children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are nowadays mainly treated with intrathecal chemotherapy (ITC) instead of central nervous system (CNS) radiation therapy (CRT) to prevent CNS relapse. However, chemotherapy may also lead to cognitive deficits. As growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or impaired growth hormone secretion are frequently found in ALL patients treated with cranial radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, we hypothesized that GH therapy may reduce cognitive deficits in these patients.