Staged TRAM Breast Reconstruction: Combining the Advantages of Tissue Expansion with Surgical Delay

The TRAM flap has become the gold standard in breast reconstruction but suffers from the disadvantages of poor color match, different texture, and impaired sensation compared to the normal breast. This study reports on a two-stage procedure to address these problems. The first stage consists of insertion of a tissue expander and surgical delay of the TRAM flap. The second stage consists of removal of the tissue expander and transposition of a deepithelized TRAM flap into the tissue expanded cavity. (The capsule is excised.) Four cases of breast reconstruction are reported. The advantage of this procedure is that it offers the benefits of tissue expansion, viz., normal color match, texture, and sensation, and in addition, reconstruction is achieved with autologous tissue by a pedicled TRAM flap. The vascularity of the TRAM is enhanced by a surgical delay procedure.     

莫西沙星前药的合成及其体内外抗菌活性

分别以N-叔丁氧羰基氨基酸和莫西沙星为原料，经缩合、脱氨基保护基、中和得到8种含有氨基酰基的前药，按同样程序，还得到了2种含有二肽的前药。测定了10种莫西沙星前药及对照药对20株临床分离的革兰氏阳性菌的最小抑菌浓度以及对小鼠腹腔感染金黄色葡萄球菌01193和肺炎链球菌01182的体内保护疗效，结果表明，10种前药的体内外抗菌活性均低于左氧氟沙星和盐酸莫西沙星。     

Poloxamer gel as vehicle for transdermal iontophoretic delivery of arginine vasopressin: evaluation of in vivo performance in rats

The present study describes the formulation and evaluation for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic activity of arginine vasopressin (AVP), a nanopeptide with antidiuretic activity on being delivered by transdermal iontophoresis. Poloxamer 407 was used to form stable gels that did not reduce the release of AVP. The release rate from the gel followed Higuchi kinetics indicating that the dominant mechanism of release is diffusion. Iontophoresis alone and in combination with chemical enhancers was used to augment the transdermal permeation of AVP. The results of both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies emphasize the dimension of 'rapid onset' achieved by iontophoresis. The correlation between pharmacokinetic data and pharmacodynamic activity was only qualitative. Histopathological studies revealed that skin toxicity caused by either iontophoresis or chemical enhancers when used alone could be reduced by using a combination of both the techniques in tandem.     

Skin oxygenation after topical application of liposome-entrapped benzyl nicotinate as measured by EPR oximetry in vivo: Influence of composition and size

New and improved drug delivery systems are the important subject of much scientific research. The development of formulations that increase skin oxygenation and of methods for measuring oxygen levels in skin are important for dealing with healing processes affected by the level of oxygen. We have use EPR oximetry in vivo to compare the influence of liposomal formulations of different size and composition with that of hydrogel with respect to the action of the entrapped benzyl nicotinate (BN). Following the topical application of BN onto the skin of mice, pO₂ increase was measured by low-frequency EPR as a function of time. The effect of BN was evaluated by 3 different parameters: lag-time, time needed for maximum pO₂ increase, and overall effectiveness expressed by the area under the response-time curve. An increase in skin oxygenation was observed after BN application. The results show that the effect of BN incorporated in liposomes is achieved more rapidly than the effect from hydrophilic gel. The composition of the liposomes significantly affects the time at which BN starts to act and, to a lesser extent, the maximum increase of pO₂ in skin and the effectiveness of BN action. However, the size of the liposomes influences both the effectiveness of BN action and the time at which BN starts to act. After repeated application of liposomes, the pO₂ baseline increased and the response of the skin tissue was faster. Our results demonstrate that EPR oximetry is a useful method for evaluating oxygen changes after drug application and for following the time course of their action.     

铁皮石斛培养的产业化研究

目的　筛选适宜的铁皮石斛不定芽增殖与生根培养基 ,选择适合继代扩繁的不定芽高度。方法　在相同培养条件下 ,不同高度的不定芽在不同的增殖与生根培养基中生长 ,对结果所产生的不同生长状况 ,进行显著性差异检验及综合分析。结果　不同高度的不定芽之间有显著差异 ,不同的增殖与生根培养基之间有显著差异。结论　铁皮石斛继代以 (1.2± 0 .1) cm高的不定芽为宜 ,增殖培养基以 MS添加 BA1.0 m g/ L、NAA0 .2 mg/ L 为佳 ,生根培养基以 1/ 2 MS添加 NAA 0 .2 mg/ L为佳。     

Labial skin-flap vaginoplasty using tissue expanders

In severe vaginal malformations, when the distance between the upper vaginal pouch and perineum is too long (6 cm or more), reconstruction of the vagina can be performed by colonic interposition or by long cutaneous flaps obtained by the tissue expansion technique. Two female adolescents were treated using expanded labial skin flaps. Dissection and anastomosis between the vaginal remnant and cutaneous tube was performed by the transtrigonal approach. Results were satisfactory at 2.5-year follow-up. In our opinion, expanded labial skin-flap vaginoplasty has three main advantages: (1) it permits the construction of a large, soft, well-vascularized neovagina using non-hair-bearing labial skin; (2) it obviates postoperative dilations and prevents delayed strictures; and (3) a transtrigonal approach permits an easy vaginal dissection and a careful, tension-free anastomosis.     

Dietary retinoids and carotenoids in rodent models of mammary tumorigenesis

In this review of the scientific literature the relationship between retinoids, carotenoids, and mammary carcinogenesis is examined. Several retinoids have shown promise as chemopreventive agents against chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis in mice and especially in rats. The most promising retinoids are retinyl acetate (RA) and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR, fenretinide). In rats, dietary administration of these retinoids reduced tumor incidence and multiplicity, and increased the latency of DMBA or MNU-induced mammary cancers. In mice, 4-HPR reduced the number of hyperplastic alveolar nodules and the number of tumors in MTV- and MTV+ mice, respectively. Among retinoids, 4-HPR is at present the most promising analogue, due to its ability to concentrate in the mammary gland. The combination of 4-HPR with tamoxifen not only is more effective in suppressing breast cancer than either agent alone, but also inhibits the appearance of subsequent cancers following the surgical removal of the first tumor. These studies suggest that retinoids, like tamoxifen, may be applicable to the prevention of contralateral breast cancer in women who underwent breast cancer surgery. It is also becoming evident that differentiation therapy and chemoprevention can become attractive alternative approaches to intensive cytotoxic chemotherapy. The role of carotenoids in the prevention of mammary carcinogenesis, however, is ambiguous. Poor absorption and low levels of carotenoids that reach the target tissues complicate interpretation of data in rodent models of mammary carcinogenesis. Very few animal studies are presently available in which purified carotenoids were found effective against mammary carcinogenesis. These results do not justify undertaking clinical evaluation of individual carotenoids against breast cancer at this time.     

维生素B6（VitB6）对姐妹染色单体互换（SCE）频率的影响

本文研究了维生素Ｂ６体外体内试验对ＳＣＥ频率的影响，体外试验不同剂量ＶｉｔＢ６诱发中国仓鼠肺细胞株细胞及人周血淋巴细胞的ＳＣＥ频率显著升高，但体内试验ＶｉｔＢ６诱导的小鼠骨髓细胞ＳＣＥ频率与对照组比较无显著性差别。看来ＶｉｔＢ６在体内不是致突变剂。     

Effect of gastrin-releasing peptide on rat hippocampal extracellular GABA levels and seizures in the audiogenic seizure-prone DBA/2 mouse

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a selective agonist for the BB(2) subtype of bombesin receptor, is reported to depolarise GABAergic interneurons in the stratum oriens layer of the hippocampus. Such an action might lead to increased extracellular levels of GABA in the hippocampus, and result in an anti-convulsant effect with this peptide. We have tested this hypothesis by determining the effect of GRP on extracellular levels of GABA in the ventral hippocampus of the freely moving rat using in vivo microdialysis, and by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of GRP to audiogenic seizure-prone DBA/2 mice prior to exposure to the noise of an electric bell. Following local perfusion in the ventral hippocampus by reverse dialysis GRP (10 microM) significantly raised levels of GABA in the recovered dialysates by approximately 40%. In the seizure studies, GRP (30-300 ng) increased the latency to tonic seizure, the number of mice convulsing and reduced the incidence of lethality. In both dialysis and seizure studies, the effects of GRP were blocked by the selective BB(2) receptor antagonist, [D-Phe(6), Leu-NHEt(13)]bombesin (6-13). These experiments provide further functional evidence that activation of the BB(2) receptor may modulate neurotransmission in the hippocampus, and that this action may confer anti-convulsant properties on agonists acting at the BB(2) receptor in the brain.     

6-fluoroDOPA metabolism in rat striatum: time course of extracellular metabolites

6-[18F]Fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA) is an imaging agent used in the study of dopamine terminals in the living brain using positron emission tomography (PET). To better understand the role of tracer metabolism in dynamic FDOPA PET studies, the pharmacokinetics of individual FDOPA metabolites in extracellular space in the striata of anesthetized rats was investigated using in vivo microdialysis. Brain tissues were also analysed to obtain FDOPA metabolite distribution in the combined intracellular and extracellular spaces. Total extracellular [18F] radioactivity in rat striata was observed to rise and peak at 30 min post-injection (p.i.) and declined with clearance half-life of 2 h. In the extracellular space, the dominant FDOPA metabolite at early times was FDOPAC, followed by FHVA at 50 min, then F-sulfoconjugates at 70 min and finally 3-O-methyl-6-Fluoro-L-DOPA (3OMFD) at later times. These results are consistent with the sequential metabolism and brain clearance of L-DOPA and its metabolites. Analysis of whole striatal tissue confirmed the intraneuronal localization of fluorodopamine most likely stored in vesicles. A new but not unexpected finding was the enrichment of 3OMFD in intraneuronal striatal space which is perhaps a factor in its slow cerebral clearance. Since FDOPA PET data reflects the overall pharmacokinetics of several [18F]-metabolites, the observed different rates of formation and clearance and also different neuronal localization of each metabolite contribute to the measures obtained in dynamic FDOPA PET studies. These metabolic steps and their role in tracer kinetics are, thus, important factors to consider in ascribing physiologic significance to PET-derived measures.