Titanium particles identified by energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis within the lungs of a painter at autopsy

A 72-year-old male painter, who complained of his "lungs burning" for 2 weeks, died suddenly. Autopsy examination revealed severe coronary atherosclerosis with plaque rupture as the cause of death. Examination of the lungs revealed emphysema, interstitial fibrosis, and multinucleated giant cells with intra- and extracellular brown-black, crystalline, polarizable foreign material. Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed the material to contain titanium, aluminum, silicon, and iron. An increased incidence of respiratory disease has been reported in professional painters. Titanium is widely used as a pigment in the manufacturing of commercial paints. Cases of pneumoconiosis and alveolar proteinosis have been described in painters in which analysis of lung tissue revealed increased levels of titanium. This case is presented as an example of a rarely reported phenomenon, which may have clinical implications for evaluation and management of lung disease in painters.     

Establishment and Characterization of Cell Lines from Human Adenovirus Type 12-induced Murine Tumors Producing Endogenous Virus Particles

Two cell lines designated IC KMS and D KMS were established from human adenovirus type 12 induced tumors of C3Hf/OK mouse. The cell lines retained the characteristics of the original tumor i.e., production of numerous C type and intracisternal A-type particles, integration of Adl2 El region DNA and amplification of the myc gene family. Chromosomal analysis revealed chromosome aberrations in both IC KMS and D KMS cells. The modal chromosome number of IC KMS cells was 54 and that of D-KMS cells was 48. Metacentric chromosomes and mini-chromosomes were found. Trisomy of chromosome 3, 7 and 12 was seen frequently in D KMS cells. Although DNA aneuploidy was revealed by flow cytometry, the DNA indices of these cells showed no relation to the copy number of integrated Adl2 DNA. These cells have been propagated by serial culture during the past 17 months. Production of endogenous virus particles is a unique characteristic of IC KMS and D KMS cells. These cell lines would be useful materials for examining the contribution of Adl2 carcinogenesis to activation of endogenous virus particles, and also the correlation between Adl2 carcinogenesis and cancer related genes. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 242-248, 1992.     

The effect of surface chemistry modification of titanium alloy on signalling pathways in human osteoblasts

Establishing and maintaining mature bone at the bone–device interface is critical to the long-term success of prosthesis. Poor cell adhesion to orthopaedic and dental implants results in implant failure. Considerable effort has been devoted to alter the surface characteristics of these biomaterials in order to improve the initial interlocking of the device and skeleton. We investigated the effect of surface chemistry modification of titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) with zinc, magnesium or alkoxide-derived hydroxy carbonate apatite (CHAP) on the regulation of key intracellular signalling proteins in human bone-derived cells (HBDC) cultured on these modified Ti–6Al–4V surfaces. Western blotting demonstrated that modifying Ti–6Al–4V with CHAP or Mg results in modulation of key intracellular signalling proteins. We showed an enhanced activation of Shc, a common point of integration between integrins and the Ras/Mapkinase pathway. Mapkinase pathway was also upregulated, suggesting its role in mediating osteoblastic cell interactions with biomaterials. The signalling pathway involving c-fos (member of the activated protein-1) was also shown to be upregulated in osteoblasts cultured on the Mg and CHAP modified Ti–6Al–4V. Thus surface modification with CHAP or Mg may contribute to successful osteoblast function and differentiation at the skeletal tissue–device interface.     

颈椎前路椎体间微创融合器的生物力学实验研究

目的评价植入镍钛记忆合金微创融合器(NiTi-TFC/C)的颈椎节段的稳定性及压缩力学性能。方法采集24只羊颈椎标本随机分为4组,每组6份,四组处理分别为:单取髓核组、自体髂骨植骨组、微创融合器组和钛制融合器组(InterFix)。所有标本进行前路减压,并对后3组进行椎间融合术。分别对各组标本进行生物力学测试并进行比较。结果微创融合器组与钛制融合器组在强度、刚度及扭转力学等方面无显著性差异(P>0.05)。而微创融合器组与自体髂骨植骨组具有显著性差异(P<0.05)。最大承载力为12050N。结论该微创融合器强度大、刚度高、抗扭转能力强,具有良好的抗压能力,为颈椎融合提供新型的融合装置。     

In vitro corrosion study of porous metal fibre coatings for bone ingrowth

As a first part of a biocompatibility testing programme, in vitro corrosion tests were carried out on porous stainless steel AISI 316L and titanium compacts made of 100 microns thick fibres. The present porous metal structures are used as coatings on permanent orthopaedic implants; with osseous tissue invading the pores, the implant becomes securely anchored to the surrounding bone. The results show that no inadvertent reactions occur with porous titanium. It can probably be used with no greater risk of localized electrochemical attack than the parent bulk material.     

皮肤扩张术修复头皮合并颅骨缺损

目的探讨头皮合并颅骨缺损的修复方法。方法对2000年至2007年治疗的6例头皮合并颅骨缺损患者，采用皮肤扩张术修复头皮，钛网修补颅骨缺损。结果6例患者中，1例患者出现皮瓣下积液，经抽吸、加压包扎后愈合；其余病例未出现感染、血肿及皮瓣坏死等并发症，外观满意。结论皮肤扩张术和钛网联合应用是修复头皮合并颅骨缺损的较好方法。     

钛表面纳米仿生磷灰石涂层对成骨样细胞活性的生物增强效应

目的：观察钛表面纳米仿生磷灰石涂层对成骨样细胞行为的影响，为骨科常用钛植入体的表面改性及其生物效应提供实验依据。方法: 商业用纯钛经过物理、化学和生物处理，表面生成均匀薄层仿生的纳米磷灰石涂层，将仿生涂层的钛金属板与成骨样细胞复合培养，以纯钛和只经磨砂、酸蚀处理的钛板作为对照，采用MTT法检测细胞活力和增殖变化、扫描电镜和激光共聚焦荧光显微镜观察细胞形态、RT-PCR检测碱性磷酸酶基因表达。结果: 纳米仿生磷灰石涂层比非涂层钛金属表面细胞的增殖数量明显增高，细胞的形态和分布也优于对照组；培养12 d，涂层对细胞ALP基因表达的量明显高于对照组。结论: 钛金属表面纳米仿生磷灰石涂层可以增强细胞的生物效应，提高钛植入体的骨界面早期结合，具有很好的应用前景。     

Pre-clinical Study of <Superscript>213</Superscript>Bi Labeled PAI2 for the Control of Micrometastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) are expressed by pancreatic cancer cells and can be targeted by the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI2). We have labeled PAI2 with ²¹³Bi to form the alpha conjugate (AC), and have studied its in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo efficacy. Methods and Materials: The expression of uPA/uPAR on pancreatic cell lines, human pancreatic cancer tissues, lymph node metastases, and mouse xenografts were detected by immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry. Cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTS and TUNEL assay. At 2 days post-cancer cell subcutaneous inoculation, mice were injected with AC by local or systemic injection. Results: uPA/uPAR is strongly expressed on pancreatic cancer cell lines and cancer tissues. The AC can target and kill cancer cells in vitro in a concentration-dependent fashion. Some 90% of TUNEL positive cells were found after incubation with 1.2 MBq/ml of AC. A single local injection of ~222 MBq/kg 2 days post-cell inoculation can completely inhibit tumor growth over 12 weeks, and an intraperitoneal injection of 111 MBq/kg causes significant tumor growth delay. Conclusions: ²¹³Bi-PAI2 can specifically target pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and inhibit tumor growth in vivo. ²¹³Bi-PAI2 may be a useful agent for the treatment of post-surgical pancreatic cancer patients with minimum residual disease.     

股骨粗隆间骨折合并同侧股骨干骨折的手术治疗

目的探讨股骨粗隆间骨折合并同侧股骨干骨折的手术治疗方法及疗效。方法回顾分析我院自1998年1月至2005年12月收治股骨粗隆间骨折合并同侧股骨干骨折患者18例，全部病例均采用手术切开复位内固定，股骨粗隆间骨折应用动力髋内固定，股骨干骨折采用记忆合金环抱器内固定。结果术后随访2～8年，平均4．2年。全部病例均获骨性愈合，疗效满意。结论股骨粗隆间骨折合并同侧股骨干骨折在下肢骨折中相对较少，但处理较为复杂和困难，治疗有一定难度，使用动力髋与记忆合金环抱器同时进行内固定，方法简单，固定牢靠，患肢可早期进行功能锻炼，这种方法是治疗单侧肢体多处骨折较好的方法之一。     

Effects of fluid flow on elution of hydrophilic modifier from dialysis membrane surfaces

When uremic blood flows through dialyzers during hemodialysis, dialysis membrane surfaces are exposed to shear stress and internal filtration, which may affect the surface characteristics of the dialysis membranes. In the present study, we evaluated changes in the characteristics of membrane surfaces caused by shear stress and internal filtration using blood substitutes: water purified by reverse osmosis and 6.7 wt% dextran70 solution. We focused on the levels of a hydrophilic modifier, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), on the membrane surface measured by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Experiments involving 4 h dialysis, 0-144 h shear-stress loading, and 4 h dead-end filtration were performed using polyester-polymer alloy (PEPA) and polysulfone (PS) membranes. After the dialysis experiments with accompanying internal filtration, average PVP retention on the PEPA membrane surface was 93.7% in all areas, whereas that on the PS membrane surface was 98.9% in all areas. After the shear-stress loading experiments, PVP retention on the PEPA membrane surface decreased as shear-stress loading time and the magnitude of shear stress increased. However, with the PS membrane, PVP retention scarcely changed. After the dead-end filtration experiments, PVP retention decreased in all areas for both PEPA and PS membranes, but PVP retention on the PEPA membrane surface was lower than that on the PS membrane surface. PVP on the PEPA membrane surface was eluted by both shear stress and internal filtration, while that on the PS membrane surface was eluted only by internal filtration.