Variable expression of tenascin‐C,osteopontin and fibronectin in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung

Kaarteenaho R, Sormunen R, Pääkkö P. Variable expression of tenascin‐C, osteopontin and fibronectin in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung. APMIS 2010; 118: 91–100. The aim of this study was to analyse the expression of tenascin‐C, osteopontin and fibronectin in inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of the lung, which is a rare tumour of unknown aetiology. Nine patients with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour of lung were studied by immunohistochemistry for the presence of tenascin‐C, osteopontin, fibronectin and alpha‐smooth muscle actin, which is a common marker for myofibroblasts. The ultrastructure of myofibroblasts was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of tenascin‐C, osteopontin, fibronectin and alpha‐smooth muscle actin was also studied by immunoelectron microscopy. All cases displayed all of the studied extracellular matrix proteins and also alpha‐smooth muscle actin‐positive spindle‐shaped fibroblastic cells that were undoubtedly myofibroblasts. The immunoelectron microscopic studies demonstrated labelling for alpha‐smooth muscle actin in intracellular filament bundles within myofibroblasts, for fibronectin in the extracellular filaments of the fibronexus and for tenascin‐C extracellularly often adjacent to myofibroblasts. Labels for osteopontin were observed within myofibroblasts and plasma cells. These results demonstrate that tenascin‐C, osteopontin and fibronectin were expressed in all three kinds of subtypes of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours of the lung and further, variable amounts of myofibroblasts could be observed by light and transmission electron microscopy as well as by immunoelectron microscopic techniques.     

Percutaneous cholecystostomy: an alternative to surgical cholecystostomy for acute cholecystitis?

Emergency percutaneous cholecystostomy was successfully performed in 39 of 40 attempted procedures in 37 hospitalized patients with possible acute cholecystitis. All cholecystostomies were performed with ultrasound guidance and preferentially with the transhepatic route, and all but four were performed at the patient's bedside. The patients had been hospitalized an average of 27 days before the procedure. Twenty-two of the 37 patients (59%) eventually died during hospitalization because of other medical or surgical problems. Only minor complications related to percutaneous cholecystostomy placement occurred in this series: catheter dislodgment without sequelae (n = 2) and significant abdominal pain (n = 2). Technical problems included guide-wire buckling during catheter insertion (n = 1) and failed attempted cholecystostomy (n = 1). Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a safe alternative to surgical cholecystostomy in the treatment of patients suspected of having acute cholecystitis.     

广州队列研究生物库中条形码技术应用与评价

目的建立大规模人群的分子流行病学队列研究生物库，确保快速、准确地识别每一份生物样本，并保持其活性，以便长时间跟踪研究。方法采用条形码识别技术对血液样品的采集、处理及存储、查询过程进行全程管理。结果创建成功以条形码自动识别技术为核心的新型运作管理模式，建立起10000人份的生物样品库。大型生物样本库实施条形码管理系统可缩短每份样品的处理时间，提高工作效率1．5倍。结论条形码技术的应用可有效地避免样品间的相互混淆，使实验室每一项工作准确、可靠、高效，实现医学研究工作全面信息化，提高基因队列研究的质量。     

Immunosuppression in renal transplantation: Long-term clinical trial of a double versus triple therapy regimen

Summary: Sixty-nine renal allograft recipients were randomized to two immunosuppressive regimens: 35 patients received cyclosporine A and prednisolone (PC) while 34 patients received low dose cyclosporine A, prednisolone and short term azathioprine (PCA). the data of 66 patients (34 in PC and 32 in PCA groups) were analysed. the median follow-up periods were 62 months for the PC group and 60 months for the PCA group. There was no difference in graft survival between the two groups but five patients died in the PC group compared to none in the PCA group (graft survival: 88 vs 90% at 1 year and 82 vs 82% at 5 years, P = not significant at any time point; patient survival: 90 vs 100% at 1 year and 88 vs 100% at 5 years, P = 0.05 at 5 years). There was a trend for patients in the PCA group to develop earlier and more frequent rejections (not significant; P = 0.106 and P = 0.062, respectively). There were also more episodes of acute cyclosporine A nephrotoxicity and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in the PC group. the mean serum creatinine at 5 years was significantly higher in the PCA group when compared to the PC group (179.8 ± 76.5 μmol/L vs 154.7 ± 41.0 μmol/L; P =0.05). We found that both therapeutic regimens were effective in preventing renal allograft rejections. However, double therapy was associated with higher patient mortality secondary to infection. Patients on triple therapy, on the other hand, were more prone to develop rejections in the early post-transplant period and were associated with less favourable renal function in the long run.     

The influence of in-pregnancy smoking cessation programmes on partner quitting and women's social support mobilization: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN89131885]

Background  

Smoking cessation interventions in pregnancy could influence a woman's social behaviour and her partner's smoking behaviour, but this has not been examined in any published randomized trials.     

Peri-operative outcomes for pancreatoduodenectomy in India: a multi-centric study

Background:

There have been an increasing number of reports world-wide relating improved outcomes after pancreatic resections to high volumes thereby supporting the idea of centralization of pancreatic resectional surgery. To date there has been no collective attempt from India at addressing this issue. This cohort study analysed peri-operative outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) at seven major Indian centres.

Materials and Methods:

Between January 2005 and December 2007, retrospective data on PDs, including intra-operative and post-operative factors, were obtained from seven major centres for pancreatic surgery in India.

Results:

Between January 2005 and December 2007, a total of 718 PDs were performed in India at the seven centres. The median number of PDs performed per year was 34 (range 9–54). The median number of PDs per surgeon per year was 16 (range 7–38). Ninety-four per cent of surgeries were performed for suspected malignancy in the pancreatic head and periampullary region. The median mortality rate per centre was four (range 2–5%). Wound infections were the commonest complication with a median incidence per centre of 18% (range 9.3–32.2%), and the median post-operative duration of hospital stay was 16 days (range 4–100 days).

Conclusions:

This is the first multi-centric report of peri-operative outcomes of PD from India. The results from these specialist centers are very acceptable, and appear to support the thrust towards centralization.