Diabetic control after total pancreatectomy

BACKGROUND: Diabetes after total pancreatectomy is commonly described as 'brittle' with most series reporting outcomes after resection for pancreatitis alone. The aim of this study was to determine glycaemic control in patients resected for benign and malignant disease. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing total pancreatectomy (1989-2003) from a single institution was done. Data of diabetic control were obtained from case notes, general practitioners and telephonic consultation. Comparison was made against a matched type 1 diabetic population. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients with a median age of 59 years (range 17-85 years) and median follow-up of 50 months (range 5-136 months) were identified. Thirty-five underwent primary resection with 11 receiving completion procedures. Thirty were for malignancy (19 deceased) and 17 for benign/indeterminate histology (2 deceased). Thirty-three patients were available for detailed follow-up. There was no significant difference between median HbA(1c) of the study group and the control (8.2% versus 8.1%). The majority of patients reported diabetic control and daily performance as excellent or good. Resection for pancreatitis gave poorer subjective control (p < 0.05) than those resected for malignancy. Two patients required in-patient treatment for diabetic complications, with no deaths related to diabetes observed. CONCLUSION: Diabetes after total pancreatectomy is not necessarily associated with poor glycaemic control and in the majority results in equivalent biochemical control compared to a normal type 1 diabetic population.     

转化生长因子-β抑制剂Decorin抗眼结膜滤过泡瘢痕形成的实验研究

目的　探讨Decorin抑制结膜下瘢痕形成的作用机制并为临床应用提供理论依据。方法　新西兰大白兔分为Decorin组、磷酸盐缓冲液 (PBS)组、正常对照组。在滤过术后第 7,14,3 0天 ,应用链酶亲和素免疫组织化学法 (SABC法 )检测各组在结膜滤过泡中转化生长因子 - β1(TGF- β1)和转化生长因子 - βⅠ型受体 (TGF - βRⅠ )的含量 ;应用天狼星玫瑰红 -偏振光法检测各组Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原的含量。　结果　PBS组结膜滤过泡中TGF - β1、TGF - βRⅠ免疫组化染色和Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原染色呈强阳性表达 ,第 3 0天明显比第 7天增强 (P <0 .0 5 ) ;Decorin组结膜滤过泡中TGF - β1、TGF - βRⅠ免疫组化染色和Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原染色呈弱阳性表达 ,相同时相点比较 ,Decorin组比PBS组明显呈弱表达 (P <0 .0 1)。Decorin可使滤过泡瘢痕中TGF - β1和TGF - βRⅠ活性降低 ,Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原的含量减少。　结论　Decorin可作为抑制滤过泡瘢痕形成的辅助药物     

脊髓损伤后中枢性疼痛的实验模型和机制研究进展

中枢性疼痛(central pain,CP)是脊髓损伤(spi-nal cord injury,SCI)的顽固性合并症,为患者主观上感到损伤平面以下皮肤痛觉消失区一种以自发痛为主的疼痛,发生率为11%~94%,严重者为5%~30%。近年来其发生率逐年增高,使很多患者陷于抑郁、药物成瘾、甚至自杀的悲惨境地。许多疼痛     

白血病病毒感染的SRSV/3T3细胞系DNA转化机制探讨

将SRSV/3T3细胞DNA转染NIH/3T3细胞,转染后17d,实验组出现18个集落,对照组出现4个集落。将实验组集落细胞接种于3只BALB/C裸鼠皮下,全部长成纤维肉瘤。将SRSV/3T3细胞DNA用EcoRI和BamHI酶切电泳,分别应用5种癌基因(v-myc、KJ-ras、v-src、v-sis和e-fos)作Southern印迹和分子杂交。发现SRSV/3T3细胞DNA的BamHI酶切片段与c-fos探针杂交后,在2.2～3.0 kb处出现阳性杂交带。应用c-fos单抗检测转化细胞,细胞核内呈阳性反应。表明SRSV/3T3细胞DNA含有fos样转化基因,在转化细胞内有此基因的过度表达。     

Role of the pelvic floor in bladder neck opening and closure I: Muscle forces

The aim of the study was to identify the striated muscle forces hypothesized to assist bladder neck opening and closure in females. Cadaveric dissection was used to identify the levator plate (LP), the anterior portion of pubococcygeus muscle (PCM), the longitudinal muscle of the anus (LMA), and their relation to the bladder, vagina and rectum. X-ray video recordings were made during coughing, straining, squeezing and micturition in a group of 20 incontinent patients and 4 controls, along with surface EMG, urethral pressure and digital palpation studies. During effort, urethral closure appeared to be activated by a forward muscle force corresponding to PCM, and bladder neck closure by backward muscle forces corresponding to LP and LMA. During micturition the PCM force appeared to relax, allowing LP and LMA to pull open the outflow tract. The data appear to support the hypothesis of specific directional muscle forces stretching the vagina to assist bladder neck opening and closure.     

Can a Single Muscle Fiber Model the Features of Myocardial Stunning?

The exact mechanisms that cause myocardial stunning are still unclear. We previously utilized a computer model of the ventricle that was effective in modeling the dominant observable features of stunning, but it was not simple to implement. This led to the design of a single muscle fiber model. The mathematical model of a muscle fiber consisted of three elements: a contractile element, a series elastic element, and a parallel elastic element. The model created length waveforms based on time-dependent force and contractile stiffness functions. This model was initially evaluated by entering the same regional parameter values used in the global dual region ventricular model. First a reduction of the contractile stiffness function was applied by reducing the peak stiffness by 30%, and then the rates of activation and deactivation were reduced by 20% while maintaining the peak values constant. The three-element model produced results very similar to the canine and ventricular model. Thus, it is concluded that the simpler three-element model provides an accurate model of the myocardial tissue and its deficiencies during stunning.     

转化生长因子在前列腺增生中作用的研究

目的：探讨转化生长因子α(TGF-α)和转化生长因子β(TGF-β)在良性前列腺增生症组织中的表达及意义。方法：利用免疫组织化学方法研究TGF-α和TGF-β在40例BPH组织和5例正常前列腺组织中的表达。结果：TGF-α在BPH组织上皮和间质中的表达强阳性率均高于正常前列腺组织(P＜0．01)。且TGF-α在BPH组织上皮组织的表达明显高于其在间质中的表达(P＜0．01)。TGF-β在BPH组织上皮和间质中的表达明显高于正常前列腺组织(P＜0．01)。且TGF-β在BPH组织间质中的表达明显高于其在上皮组织中的表达(P＜0.01)。结论：TGF-α在前列腺组织中表达增高，尤其在腔上皮细胞的胞浆中高度表达，TGF-β在前列腺包织中表达增高，尤其在间质组织中的过度表达，提示其可能直接或间接参与了前列腺间质细胞的分化和增殖，参与了BPH的病理过程。     

Inflammation and the Aging Process: Devil or Angel

Inflammation is often viewed as a pathologic mechanism leading to tissue damage and interference with function, such as the process of chronic tissue scarring or fibrosis. However, it is important to note that inflammation is a crucial component of normal tissue repair as well as being fundamental to the body's defense against infection. Considering inflammation as a "causative agent in aging" belies the underlying mechanisms whereby the acute inflammatory response is necessary for survival, and efforts to reduce and control the inflammatory response leave the host susceptible to infectious agents and improper healing. Chronic inflammation inevitably has initiating mechanisms that include immune, autoimmune, and metabolic pathways, leading to the activation and presence of the host-protective response. It is more appropriate to target the underlying initiating conditions than the inflammatory process that ensues and treat the basic mechanisms of disease rather than interfere in a very important protective mechanism of the host.     

Relation between Estrogen Receptor and Malignancy of Thyroid Cancer

The relationship between the histological grade of dedifferentiation of thyroid cancer and estrogen receptors (ER) was examined immunohistochemically. Thyroid cancers were from postmenopausal females of almost the same mean age (69-73 years old) and within the same period of time (1974–1983). ER immunoreactivity located in the nucleus of the epithelium was found in all 6 well differentiated papillary cancers, and 5 of them (83.3%) showed ER-immunoreactive (ER-IR) cells amounting to 20 or more per visual field (x 100) under a light microscope. Of the 6 cases of poorly differentiated papillary cancer, 5 (83.3%) had 1-19 ER-IR cells per visual field. ER-IR cells were negative in 5 out of 6 cases (83.3%) of anaplastic cancers. Thus, the number of ER-IR cells tended to decrease with the degree of atypism of thyroid cancer (P < 0.001).