Mesenteric and omental cysts: An ultrasonographic and clinical study of 15 patients

The clinical and ultrasonographic (US) features of 15 cases of mesenteric or omental cyst are herein described. This series included seven male and eight female patients, whose age ranged from 2–89 years. Correct clinical diagnosis was made in two children only, but preoperative US examination accurately demonstrated the lesion in 11 of 13 patients (85%). These cystic lesions usually had a thin wall, internal septations, and fluid content with sedimentation. Enteric duplication cysts had a relatively thick wall merging with the muscle layer of bowel loop, and multiloculation was noted mainly with cystic lymphangiomas or pseudocysts. The diagnostic and surgical management of these lesions are briefly reviewed and their US appearance is illustrated.     

胶原酶诱导不同部位脑出血大鼠模型的神经功能比较

目的 观察胶原酶诱导纹状体和内囊部位脑出血模型的行为学和神经纤维损伤差异.方法 利用立体定向技术,将一定量的Ⅳ型胶原酶用微量进样器分别精确注入大鼠纹状体和内囊诱导脑出血模型,观察两组大鼠的运动功能差异,并进行大体形态学和神经纤维受损程度的比较.结果 内囊组大鼠的运动功能受损程度明显重于纹状体组大鼠,前者的神经纤维破坏程度显著重于后者.结论 不同部位的脑出血模型的神经损害程度存在差异,内囊区脑出血模型更适合于研究神经纤维的损伤机制及神经纤维的再生和修复.     

Bacterial ghosts (BGs)—Advanced antigen and drug delivery system

Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty bacterial envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria produced by controlled expression of cloned gene E, forming a lysis tunnel structure within the envelope of the living bacteria. BGs are devoid of cytoplasmic content and possess all bacterial bio-adhesive surface properties in their original state while not posing any infectious threat. BGs are ideally suited as an advanced drug delivery system (ADDS) for toxic substances in tumor therapy. The inner space of BGs can be loaded with either single components or combinations of peptides, drugs or DNA which provides an opportunity to design new types of (polyvalent) drug delivery vehicles. Uptake of BGs loaded with Doxorubicin (Dox) by CaCo2 cells led to effective Dox release from endo-lysosomal compartments and accumulation in the nucleus. Viability and proliferative capacity of the cells were significantly decreased (2–3 orders of magnitude) after internalization of Dox loaded BGs as compared to cells incubated with free Dox. The same effect was observed with leukemia cells. Melanoma cells also revealed a high capability to internalize BGs. These results indicate that BGs are able to target a range of types of cancer. BGs have also been investigated as DNA delivery vectors. Studies show DNA loaded BGs are efficiently phagocytosed and internalized by both professional APCs and tumor cells with up to 82% of cells expressing the plasmid-encoded reporter gene. Our studies with BGs as an ADDS system contribute (i) to optimize drug delivery for the treatment of cancer; (ii) define specific conditions for selection and preparation of BG formulations; (iii) and provide a background for the clinical application of BGs in cancer therapy.     

Psychosocial Effects of Physical and Verbal Abuse in Postmenopausal Women

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological effects of physical and verbal abuse in a cohort of older women.METHODS This observational cohort study was conducted at 40 clinical sites nationwide that are part of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study. We surveyed 93,676 women aged 50 to 79 years using the mental health subscales and the combined mental component summary (MCS) score of the RAND Medical Outcomes Study 36-item instrument.RESULTS At baseline, women reporting exposure to physical abuse only, verbal abuse only, or both physical and verbal abuse had a greater number of depressive symptoms (1.6,1.6, and 3 more symptoms, respectively) and lower MCS scores (4.6, 5.4, and 8.1 lower scores, respectively) than women not reporting abuse. Compared with women who had no exposure to abuse, women had a greater increase in the number of depressive symptoms when they reported a 3-year incident exposure to physical abuse only (0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.21 to 0.60), verbal abuse only (0.18; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.24), or both physical and verbal abuse (0.15; 95% CI, −0.05 to 0.36); and they had a decrease in MCS scores when they reported a 3-year incident exposure to physical abuse only (−1.12; 95% CI, −2.45 to 0.12), verbal abuse only (−0.55; 95% CI, −0.75 to −0.34), and both physical and verbal abuse (−0.44; 95% CI, −1.11 to −0.22) even after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics.CONCLUSION Exposure to abuse in older, functionally independent women is associated with poorer mental health. The persistence of these findings suggests that clinicians need to consider abuse exposure in their older female patients who have depressive symptoms. Clinicians caring for older women should identify women at risk for physical and verbal abuse and intervene appropriately.     

Prognostic index to identify patients who may not benefit from whole brain radiotherapy for multiple brain metastases from lung cancer

Palliative whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is often recommended in the management of multiple brain metastases. Allowing for WBRT waiting time, duration of the WBRT course and time to clinical response, it may take 6 weeks from the point of initial assessment for a benefit from WBRT to manifest. Patients who die within 6 weeks (‘early death’) may not benefit from WBRT and may instead experience a decline in quality of life. This study aimed to develop a prognostic index (PI) that identifies the subset of patients with lung cancer with multiple brain metastases who may not benefit from WBRT because of ‘early death’. The medical records of patients with lung cancer who had WBRT recommended for multiple brain metastases over a 10-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified as either having died within 6 weeks or having lived beyond 6 weeks. Potential prognostic indicators were evaluated for correlation with ‘early death’. A PI was constructed by modelling the survival classification to determine the contribution of these factors towards shortened survival. Of the 275 patients recommended WBRT, 64 (23.22%) died within 6 weeks. The main prognostic factor predicting early death was Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status >2. Patients with a high PI score (>13) were at higher risk of ‘early death’. Twenty-three per cent of patients died prior to benefit from WBRT. ECOG status was the most predictive for ‘early death’. Other factors may also contribute towards a poor outcome. With further refinement and validation, the PI could be a valuable clinical decision tool.     

远程医疗会诊车应用情况及改进建议

介绍了远程医疗会诊车的性能特点、使用方法、功能及应用范围并提出了改进建议。     

Coccygectomy has a favorable effect on the intensity, manifestation, and characteristics of pain caused by coccygodynia: a retrospective evaluation of 34 patients followed for 3–18 years

Background  Coccygodynia can cause severe pain and disability in patients. There are contradictions in the literature regarding the final results of coccygectomy for coccygodynia. We evaluated the long-term effects of coccygectomy on the intensity, characteristics, and manifestation of pain caused by coccygodynia to determine the adequacy of operation among treatment modalities. Materials and methods  Thirty-four patients with coccygodynia were treated by coccygectomy. In 22 cases, trauma, and in one case childbirth was the cause. 11 cases were regarded as idiopathic. The intensity, characteristics of pain, and the most painful activities were evaluated at an average of 7.6 (3–18) years of follow-up time. Results  Before the operation, all 34 patients had pain while sitting, moreover, 26 of them had pain during standing, walking, at night or a combination of these. 21 patients had intolerable or very intensive, mainly acute, sharp or burning pain. 11 patients had dyschesia, 2 had dysuria and 6 had dyspareunia. At follow-up, 7 patients were completely free of pain, 15 others had moderate, 11 medium, and only one patient had severe, but none had intolerable pain. Only seven patients had acute, sharp or burning pain postoperatively. The decrease of average pain score from 8.0 to 3.2 was significant (P < 10⁻¹²). The number of the patients with dyschesia and dyspareunia decreased from 11 to 7 and from 6 to 3, respectively. Two patients had dysuria, but their complaints did not change after the operation. One of the two patients who needed reoperation had an excellent final result, while the other remained unchanged. 12 and 16 patients (together 82%) regarded the final result of the operation excellent and good, respectively. The condition of five others did not change, while one became worse. The patients with younger age, smaller body mass index, and less co-morbidities had better final result. There were no serious complications. Conclusion  Coccygectomy for coccygodynia is a safe method to decrease the intensity of pain and other complaints of the patients. The operation can be the choice of treatment if conservative measures fail.     

Body mass index and age affect Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores in male subjects

This cross-sectional analysis evaluated the effect of age and body mass index (BMI) on Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores in males. Subjects (n = 60) were recruited according to BMI status. Each completed the 51-item Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. The group was split at the median age to produce a “younger” and “older” group for statistical analysis. A 2-way between-groups analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of BMI on disinhibition (P = .003) and hunger (P = .041) with higher levels found in overweight males compared to healthy-weight counterparts. A significant main effect of age on hunger (P = .046) demonstrated older males were less susceptible to hunger than younger males. These insights provide a better understanding of eating behavior across the male life cycle and may assist health professionals to better guide men in weight management in the light of rising overweight/obesity.     

热休克蛋白90对大鼠缺氧心肌细胞丝氨酸苏氨酸蛋白激酶表达的影响

目的探讨内源性热休克蛋白90（HSP90）在缺氧心肌细胞丝氨酸苏氨酸蛋白激酶（AKT）相关信号通路中的作用。方法建立新生Wistar大鼠心肌细胞缺氧模型，将细胞分为正常组、缺氧组、加入HSP90特异性阻断剂格尔德霉素后再缺氧组（格尔德霉素＋缺氧组）。于缺氧后1、3、6、12、24、48h用噻唑蓝法检测心肌细胞的活力；缺氧24h，原位缺口末端标记法检测心肌细胞凋亡指数（AI）；缺氧1、3、6、12、24h，蛋白质印迹法检测大鼠心肌细胞中内源性HSP90及AKT表达水平。结果（1）缺氧24、48h，缺氧组、格尔德霉素＋缺氧组细胞活力均较正常组明显下降（P〈0．05）；格尔德霉素＋缺氧组细胞活力缺氧12h即开始明显下降，缺氧48h时明显低于缺氧组（P〈0．05）。（2）缺氧24h，缺氧组细胞AI为（10．7±1．2）％，明显高于正常组[（1．9±0．3）％．P〈0．05]；格尔德霉素＋缺氧组细胞AI为（26、3±5．3）％，明显高于缺氧组（P〈0．01）。（3）缺氧12h，缺氧组心肌细胞内源性HSP90及AKT表达水平高于正常组与格尔德霉素＋缺氧组；缺氧24h，缺氧组有所下降．格尔德霉素＋缺氧组则下降更明显。结论内源性HSP90对维持心肌细胞的活力有重要作用．缺氧心肌细胞AKT表达水平可受内源性HSP90表达水平的影响。     

对诊断PADAM的游离睾酮指数的评估

目的 评价诊断中老年男子部分雄激素缺乏综合征（PADAM）的游离睾酮指数（FTI）.方法 对129例45岁以上健康男性的FTI进行年龄相关分析.以推算的游离睾酮（CFT）值为依据,对FTI进行有效性检验.结果 男子在中老年期FTI与增龄呈明显的负相关.FTI敏感性97.78%,特异性58.33%.结论 计算简单的FTI可用于PADAM病人的筛选和随访,尤其对70岁以上男子是血清FT较为有效的参数.