Experimental animal models of pancreatic carcinogenesis and metastasis

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease characterized by early metastasis, local invasion, and resistance to conventional therapies. To understand its etiology and eventually make prevention of it possible and effective, appropriate carcinogenesis models will certainly help us understand the effects of environmental and genetic elements on pancreatic carcinogenesis. The development of new treatment strategies to control cancer metastasis is of immediate urgency. Fulfillment of this task relies on our knowledge of the cellular and molecular biology of pancreatic cancer metastasis and the availability of biologically and clinically relevant model systems. Many of the existing pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis and metastasis animal models are described in this review. The advantages and disadvantages of each model and their clinical implications are discussed, and special attention is focused on experimental therapeutic strategies targeting pancreatic cancer metastasis.     

Interdisciplinary approach to abdominal Burkitt’s lymphoma

Burkitt’s lymphoma is a high-grade, rapidly growing B-cell neoplasm. It is recognized by its aggressive course, brief median survival, and low rates of long-term survival. The authors discuss the case of a patient who acutely presented with intraabdominal complications from a new onset of Burkitt’s lymphoma. The clinical and pathological features, staging, treatment options, and survival data are reviewed. In addition, the role of surgical intervention is carefully analyzed.     

肝癌间质及癌旁病变的病理分析

目的　研究肝癌间质及癌旁病变的临床病理意义。方法　在 2 0例肝癌组织标本中取 45个癌结节 ,分别在癌结节中间、癌旁肝组织等部位取组织 4块 ,连续切片 ,显微镜下观察。结果　 19个结节有完整窦内皮细胞围绕癌巢 ,其中癌结节肉眼小于3cm者 13个 ,大于 3cm者 6个。 2 6个癌结节无完整窦内皮细胞围绕癌巢 ,其中癌结节直径大于 3cm者 2 4个 ,小于 3cm者 2个。2 0例中有 13例合并肝硬化 ,17例有乙型肝炎病毒感染和HBsAg阳性。 结论　病理连续切片 ,显微镜下观察肝癌间质及癌旁病变是预测肝癌患者预后的重要病理学指标     

EQUAL FREQUENCY OF TEL/AML1 ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA IN CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT DOWN SYNDROME

Constitutional trisomy 21 is the most prominent predisposing factor to childhood leukemia, whereas the t(12;21)(p13;q22) with its molecular genetic counterpart, the TEL/AML1 fusion gene, is the most common acquired chromosomal rearrangement in childhood B-cell precursor (BCP) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Thus, it was somewhat surprising that according to the currently available literature the incidence of TEL/AML1+ BCP ALL is extremely low in patients with Down syndrome (DS). To further investigate this issue in a population-based fashion, the authors retrospectively assessed the number of DS patients with a TEL/AML1+ ALL in two consecutive Austrian ALL multicenter trials. Accordingly, they were able to analyze 8 of 10 individuals with DS and a BCP ALL, including 2 who suffered from a TEL/AML1+ leukemia. Based on this observation we concluded that individuals with a constitutional trisomy 21 may have the similar likelihood to develop a TEL/AML1+ leukemia as BCP ALL patients without this specific predisposing factor.     

Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure: what is the optimal number of sniffs?

Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP) measurement is a volitional noninvasive assessment of inspiratory muscle strength. A maximum of 10 sniffs is generally used. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the maximum SNIP improved after the tenth sniff. In total, 20 healthy volunteers and 305 patients with various neuromuscular and lung diseases were encouraged to perform 40 and 20 sniffs, respectively. The best SNIP among the first 10 sniffs was lower than the best SNIP among the next 10 sniffs in the healthy volunteers and patients. The SNIP improvement after the twentieth sniff was marginal. In conclusion, a learning effect persists after the tenth sniff. The current authors suggest using 10 additional sniffs when the best result of the first 10 sniffs is slightly below normal, or when sniff nasal inspiratory pressure is used to monitor a progressive decline in inspiratory muscle strength.     

儿童肾细胞癌不典型的影像学表现

肾细胞癌罕见于儿童,通常在儿童晚期被发现。本文报道1例10岁女孩的特殊肾细胞癌。其影像学表现容易导致误诊,但在既往文献中未见报道。因先天性巨输尿管而导致肾皮质变薄,因此当原发性泌尿道上皮疾病(肿瘤或炎性)首次被发现时,肿瘤完全长入排泄腔(临近的输尿管)。萎缩的肾皮质     

Convergent Reliability and Validity of the Questions About Behavioral Function and the Motivation Assessment Scale: A Replication Study

This study compared key psychometric properties of the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) and explored their convergent validity. Twenty adults with mental retardation and problem behaviors (aggression, self-injury, or property destruction) and 31 respondents participated. Test–retest reliability of the subscales in both scales was good to excellent (Cicchetti, D. V., 1994, Psychol. Assess. 6: 284–290), and—except for 1 QABF subscale—internal consistency was good considering the small number of items and the purpose of the scale. Consistent with some earlier studies, interrater reliability was less satisfactory with both scales falling only into the fair to good range.Correlations between functionally equivalent subscales were statistically significant and were generally higher than correlations between nonequivalent subscales. The QABF and the MAS were found to be comparable in terms of the assessed reliabilities, and both instruments appear to be measuring very similar constructs.     

Proximal load transfer with a stemless uncemented femoral implant

Bone stock preservation is crucial when performing total hip replacement in young patients. The aim is to save good bone stock for a possible revision procedure. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand from young and active patients to receive a new joint which allows a normal or nearly normal life style. With this in mind, we began, in 1993, to develop a new femoral implant. The purpose of this ultra-short stem was a physiologic strain distribution on the proximal femur with a proximal load transfer from the implant to the femoral bone. Main features were an almost complete absence of the diaphyseal portion of the stem, a well defined lateral flare with load transfer on the lateral column of the femur, and a very high femoral neck cut. These innovations resulted in a conservative implant on both the bone stock and the soft tissues. This implant, in the first years, was recommended only for young and active patients. Over the last thirteen years, this project has undergone several modifications but the basic principles of the implant have remained the same. In the present review, we present the rationale, the surgical technique and the clinical and experimental results so far obtained with this implant.