Options for Immunologic Support of Renal Transplantation Through the HLA and Immunology Laboratories

HLA and immunology laboratories are an integral part of clinical kidney transplant programs. They assist transplant clinicians with evaluating the immunological suitability of potential recipients for transplantation and selecting donor-recipient combinations with a low risk of immunological failure. With sophisticated new techniques becoming available for posttransplant immunological monitoring, laboratories play an increasing supporting role during posttransplant follow up. The level of precision at which immunological testing predicts clinical outcome, however, leaves room for improvement. In this article, we summarize the current state of diagnostics, discuss problems, and point out promising developments.     

Quantification of Basal and Stimulated ROS Levels as Predictors of Islet Potency and Function

We have developed a luminol-based assay using intact islets, which allows for quantification of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, an index capable of characterizing metabolic and mitochondrial integrity prior to transplantation was created based on the capacity of islets to respond to high glucose and rotenone (mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I inhibitor) by production of ROS. To validate this assay, lipid peroxidation and antioxidative defense capacity were evaluated by detection of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), respectively. Also, flow cytometric analyses of ROS (dihydroethidine), apoptosis (Annexin V, active caspases), necrosis (Topro3), and mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1) were done in parallel to correlate with changes in luminol-measured ROS. ATP/ADP ratios were quantified by HPLC and the predictive value of ROS measurement on islet functional potency was correlated with capacity to reverse diabetes in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic NOD.scid mouse model as well as in human transplant recipients. Our data demonstrate that levels of ROS in islets correlate with the percentage of apoptotic cells and their functional potency in vivo. The ROS indices following glucose and rotenone exposure are indicative of metabolic potency and mitochondrial integrity and can be used as surrogate markers to evaluate the quality of islets prior to transplantation.     

2004年聊城市东昌府区2类食品卫生质量抽检结果分析

[目的]了解东昌府区糕点、面包类与饼干类食品的卫生质量状况。[方法]对2004年在东昌府区城区及周边16个乡镇采集的糕点、面包类和饼干类样品检测资料进行分析。[结果]检测样品1 180份,合格率为84.41%。其中,糕点、面包类样品合格率为83.35%,城区合格率高于乡镇,生产加工单位合格率高于销售单位(P<0.01);饼干类样品合格率为87.30%,城区与乡镇、生产加工单位与销售单位样品的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。不合格项目是菌落总数、大肠菌群、酸价和过氧化值。[结论]饼干类的合格率较高,糕点、面包类的合格率较低;销售单位糕点、面包类的卫生质量较差,乡镇样品的卫生问题较为突出。     

病理技术质量控制的探讨

病理技术是病理学诊断不可分割的一部分,正确的染色结果是病理诊断的重要依据之一.病理技术的规范与否,制片质量的好坏很大程度上影响病理医生作出正确的病理诊断.     

急性心肌梗死患者睡眠质量的临床研究

目的 对急性心肌梗死（Acute Myocardial Infarction，AMI）患者睡眠状况进行观察，研究其规律性及与心肌梗死发生、转归的关系。方法 对75例AMI患者分别进行睡眠质量观察和评估。结果 AMI患者按睡眠质量总分分组后，高得分组（≥5．06分，40例）的平均住院时间、梗死面积、合并症数目均明显高于低得分组（〈5．06分，35例），而低得分组的日常生活能力得分却明显高于高得分组（P〈0．05）。结论 AMI患者有明显的睡眠质量下降，并影响其梗死面积、合并症、日常生活活动能力和住院时间。     

对新调入护士进行专科知识教育的体会

目的探讨如何对新调入肿瘤科的护士进行专科教育的有关问题。方法帮助新护士尽快适应工作环境，进行必要的专科知识教育和专科技术传授，熟练掌握肿瘤病人的心理特点及健康教育技巧。结果新护士在调入1个月后能单独完成本职工作，未发生差错和事故，同事对新调入护士评价好，病人满意。结论护士长对新调入护士有目的地进行专科理论知识教育和专科技术操作传授，言传身教，对尽快提高新调入护士的工作能力，确保护理质量起着重要的作用。     

学生课堂教学质量评价问题浅析

综合分析河南中医学院近三年以来学生课堂教学质量评价反馈的信息，认为引发课堂教学评价偏差的人为因素有评价者的能力水平、责任心、情感倾向。其对策为：改变教师的被动地位，进一步修订评价体系，加强对组织评价者的培训，强化临床课的教学，进一步提高学生的认识，跟踪调查课堂教学质量评价。     

Assessment of quality of life in children with peanut allergy

Children with a peanut allergy (PA) are faced with food and social restrictions due to the potentially life-threatening nature of their disease, for which there is no cure or treatment. This inevitably impacts upon their quality of life (QoL). QoL of 20 children with PA and 20 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was measured using two disease-specific QoL questionnaires (higher scores correspond to a poorer QoL). One questionnaire was designed by us and the other was adapted from the Vespid Allergy QoL questionnaire. We gave subjects cameras to record how their QoL is affected over a 24-h period. Response rates for both questionnaires were 100%. Mean ages were 9.0 and 10.4 years for PA and IDDM subjects, respectively. Children with a PA reported a poorer quality of life than children with IDDM: mean scores were 54.85 for PA subjects and 46.40 for diabetics (p = 0.004) in questionnaire 1 and 54.30 and 34.50 (p≤0.001) in questionnaire 2. PA children reported more fear of an adverse event and more anxiety about eating, especially when eating away from home. Photographs fell into seven common categories: food, management, environment, away from home, physical activities, restaurant and people. Most photographs related to food and management issues and revealed difficulties for both groups regarding food restrictions. PA subjects felt more threatened by potential hazards within their environment, felt more restricted by their PA regarding physical activities, and worried more about being away from home. However, they felt safe when carrying epinephrine kits and were positive about eating at familiar restaurants. The QoL in children with PA is more impaired than in children with IDDM. Their anxiety may be considered useful in some situations, promoting better adherence to allergen avoidance advice and rescue plans.     

Impact of unilateral interposition sural nerve graft on the recovery of sexual function after radical prostatectomy in Japanese men: A preliminary study

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of an interposition nerve graft on sexual function after radical prostatectomy. METHODS: This study includes 64 patients, without hormonal therapy, who underwent a radical prostatectomy and intraoperative electrophysiological confirmation of cavernous nerve preservation. Twelve patients underwent a unilateral interposition sural nerve graft (UNG) for the resected neurovascular bundle. Twenty-one and 31 patients underwent bilateral nerve-sparing (BNS) and unilateral nerve-sparing (UNS) surgery without a nerve graft, respectively. As the age of patients was significantly younger in the UNG group than in the other groups, age-matched analysis also was conducted. Sexual function, evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire using the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index, was compared statistically among the three groups. RESULTS: In the age-matched analysis, the postoperative sexual function (SXF) score of the UNG group showed an intermediate level of recovery between those of the BNS and UNS groups at 12 months and reached the same level as the score at 12 months of the BNS group at 18 months postoperatively. The difference in the SXF score between the UNG and UNS groups began to appear after 6 months postoperatively and increased steadily with time. However, the background factors, such as the baseline SXF score, the usage rate of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, and the rate of comorbidities were different between the UNG and UNS groups. CONCLUSIONS: The difference of the SXF score between the UNG and UNS groups increased with time after 6 months postoperatively. However, it might be difficult at present to attribute a better recovery of the SXF score to the nerve graft because of the difference in the background factors between the groups.     

Long-term effectiveness and quality of life improvement in entacapone-treated Parkinson's disease patients: the effects of an early therapeutic intervention

To evaluate the long-term effects of entacapone on both mean daily 'on' time and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experiencing 'end-of-dose' motor fluctuations and the benefits of an early therapeutic intervention. A prospective, multicenter, observational, 12-month study was performed with an initial 3-month intervention phase, consisting of a phone call to half of the patients from randomly selected investigators to assess if dose adjustment was necessary. Effectiveness was determined by home diaries ('on' time), subscales II and III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). After 3 months of treatment, 4.0% of the intervention group patients discontinued the study, versus 18.4% in the control group ( P  < 0.01). The improvement in 'on' time was significantly increased since the 3-month visit (21%, P  < 0.0001) until the end of the study (23% at 12 months, P  < 0.0001). Entacapone also induced significant reductions in the UPDRS scores for subscales II and III and in the PDQ-8 score. 11.2% of patients experienced at least one adverse reaction. This study confirms the effectiveness of entacapone in reducing motor fluctuations by increasing 'on' time, and in improving QoL of PD patients. An early adjustment of entacapone and levodopa doses reduces the number of treatment discontinuations during the first months of treatment.