Public involvement in health care priority setting: an economic perspective

Background  Public involvement in health care decision making and priority setting in the UK is being promoted by recent policy initiatives. In 1993, the British Medical Association called for public consultation where rationing of services was to be undertaken. The approach to priority setting advocated by many health economists is the maximization of quality adjusted life years (QALYs). Typically, for a particular health care programme, the QALY calculation takes account of four features: (1) the number of patients receiving the programme, (2) the survival gain, (3) the gain in quality of life and, (4) the probability of treatment success. Only one feature, that relating to quality of life, is based upon public preferences. If the QALY is to be used as a tool for health care resource allocation at a societal level then it should incorporate broader societal preferences.
Methods  This study used an interview-based survey of 91 members of the general public to explore whether the traditional QALY maximization model is a good predictor of public responses to health care priority setting choices.
Results and conclusions  Many respondents did not choose consistently in line with a QALY maximization objective and were most influenced by quality of life concerns. There was little support for health care programmes that provided a prognostic improvement but left patients in relatively poor states of health. The level of respondent engagement in the survey exercise was not sensitive to the provision of supporting clinical information.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of Fas ligand expression in normal human tissues

Cross-linking of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) induces apoptosis in Fas-bearing cells and regulates apoptosis. Fas is widely expressed in normal human tissues, but FasL expression has been considered to be restricted to lymphoid tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that FasL is also expressed in some nonlymphoid tissues. To screen the in situ expression of FasL in normal human tissues, immunohistochemistry was performed using paraffin-embedded human tissues. FasL immunostaining was easily detected in testis, neurons, trophoblasts, tonsil, lymph node, Paneth cells, hepatocytes, renal tubular epithelium and bronchial epithelium, consistent with previous reports. Surprisingly, FasL was also expressed in many other cell types, including thymic medulla, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, pituitary gland, parathyroid gland, prostate glands, oocytes, epithelium of fallopian tube, endometrial glands, and gastric parietal cells. These findings demonstrate that FasL is widely expressed in human tissues and suggest that wide but cell-type specific expression of FasL may not only be implicated in the regulation of immune homeostasis but also in the regulation of cell death and life in many cell types in vivo.     

视细胞移植术后视网膜色素上皮的结构变化

获得纯化的由大肠杆菌表达的小鼠 Ｆａｓ配体（Ｆａｓ ｌｉｇａｎｄ,ＦａｓＬ）。方法：以质粒 ｐＥＴ－１５ｂ为载体,在大肠杆菌ＢＬ２１（ＤＥ３）中表达小鼠的ＦａｓＬ,用金属螫合亲和层析法纯化。结果：转化菌中,重组质粒是稳定的,异丙基－β－Ｄ硫代半乳糖苷可诱导小鼠ＦａｓＬ的表达 ,金属螫合亲和层析法可以初步纯化此蛋白。结论：在大肠杆菌中表达出小鼠的ＦａｓＬ,并得到初步纯化。     

增免灵对活动性肺结核患者的疗效及外周血T淋巴细胞亚群的影响

目的　比较常规疗法伍用增免灵与单用常规疗法对活动性肺结核的疗效及外周血Ｔ 淋巴细胞亚群的影响。方法　抽取常规化疗组（６１ 例）、常规化疗加增免灵组（７２ 例） 及健康对照组（３５ 例） 患者外周血,用ＡＰＡＡＰ法测定外周血淋巴细胞亚群。结果　活动性肺结核患者外周血ＣＤ＋３ 及ＣＤ＋４ 百分率及ＣＤ＋４ ／ＣＤ＋８ 比值显著低于健康对照组（ Ｐ＜ ０．０５） ,ＣＤ＋８ 高于健康对照组。结论　短程化疗伍用增免灵可显著改善活动性肺结核的疗效及细胞免疫状况。     

Colorectal mucinous carcinoma: findings on MRI

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to define the characteristic MR features of colorectal mucinous carcinomas and to correlate the mucin pool with the signal intensity of this tumor. METHOD: MRI of 12 cases of pathologically proven colorectal carcinoma containing mucin was evaluated. We analyzed the signal intensity of tumor on T1- and T2-weighted MR images and correlated the area of intratumoral high signal intensity on T2-weighted images with the mucinous pool on the pathologic specimens. Two radiologists independently estimated the area of high signal intensity in the tumor on T2-weighted images and one pathologist estimated the amount of mucinous pool in the pathologic specimen. RESULTS: In 9 (75%) of 12 cases, focal or diffuse high signal intensity areas were detected on T2-weighted fast spin echo images. In seven cases in which mucin pools were seen macroscopically, partial (n = 3) or diffuse high signal intensity areas were noted on the T2-weighted images. Among the five cases in which microscopic mucinous pools were detected on the pathologic slides, three cases showed no high signal foci on MR images, and in the remaining two cases, high signal intensity areas were noted as small foci. CONCLUSION: Intratumoral high signal intensity on T2-weighted fast spin echo MR images occurs in mucinous carcinomas and correlates with the mucin pools on pathologic specimens.     

尾部悬吊及恢复过程中大鼠动脉血管收缩反应的变化

目的 探讨模拟失重下动脉收缩反应变化的时程特征及其可逆性。方法 采用尾部悬吊大鼠模型模拟失重,利用离休动脉环测定血管收缩反应的变化。结果 尾部悬吊２ｗｋ后,大鼠的腹主动脉、肠系膜动脉和股动脉收缩反应明显降低,而颈总动脉无明显改变;悬吊４ｗｋ后,肠系膜动脉和股动脉的收缩反应与悬吊２ｗｋ相比有进一步的降低;悬吊８ｗｋ大鼠的动脉血管收缩反应性与悬吊４ｗｋ相比无明显差异;４ｗｋ尾部悬吊大鼠解除悬吊后５ｗｋ     

模拟失重大鼠比目鱼肌小动脉风各级血管内径的变化

目的 探讨模拟失重是否可引起后肢肌肉小动脉网各级血管内径发生改变及其可逆性。方法 采用墨汁灌注法观察尾部悬吊４ｗｋ（ＳＵＳ－４）,悬吊４ｗｋ后恢复１ｗｋ（ＲＥＣ－１）、恢复５ｗｋ（ＲＥＣ－５）,以及对照（ＣＯＮ）大鼠比目鱼肌小动脉网各组血管内径的变化。结果 在ＳＵＳ－４组,比目鱼肌的营养动脉、弓状小动脉及Ｖ、Ⅱ级模行小动脉的内径,较ＣＯＮ组分别减小了３１％、２９％、２８％及４１％（均为Ｐ〈０．０１     

轻、中度缺氧对事件相关电位的影响及不同刺激模式的比较

目的 观察轻、中度缺氧对脑事件相关电位（ＥＲＰ）的影响,比较不同刺激模式发的ＥＲＰ对缺氧的敏感性,方法１２名受试者在地面、２５００ｍ和４３００ｍ匠心同度（吸放低氧混合气）分别进行视觉Ｏｃｄｄｂａｌｌ、Ｓｔｅｒｎｂｅｒｇ记忆量（ＭＳＥＴ）为１ 和ＭＳＥＴ为３的任务测试,记录ＥＲＰ的Ｐ３潜伏期、波幅和反应时（ＲＴ）及反应错误率（ＥＲ）。结果 ４３００ｍ高度缺氧时Ｐ３潜伏期显著延长,任务难度较大时ＥＲ增     

Transfer of extensor carpi radialis longus or brevis for opponensplasty

For the restoration of thumb opposition many types of tendon transfer techniques have been described. The flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) of the ring finger is commonly selected as a motor. On occasion, however, the quality of the flexor muscles of the fingers or wrist is not good enough for tendon transfer and another available muscle must be selected. In this situation, we have preferred to use an extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) or brevis (ECRB) transfer to restore opposition of the thumb. Follow-up examination, at an average 5 years and 10 months after operation, showed that the results of ten of 11 transfers were excellent and the other was good.