Appropriateness of hysterectomy in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hysterectomy is among the most frequently performed surgical procedures in developed countries, but few studies from the Asia-Pacific region have assessed the appropriateness of hysterectomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the rate of inappropriate hysterectomy in Taiwan and its association with patient characteristics and indications for the procedure. METHODS: A random sample of hysterectomies for which claims were submitted to the Taiwan Bureau of National Health Insurance from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998 was selected. A total of 658 charts were reviewed by an expert panel composed of 5 senior gynecologists. RESULTS: Overall, 74.2% of patients underwent hysterectomy for appropriate reasons, 5.6% for uncertain reasons, and 20.2% for inappropriate reasons. Inappropriate procedures were positively associated with younger age and premenopausal status. Primary indications that accounted for over 25% of inappropriate procedures were chronic pelvic pain (42.9%), abnormal uterine bleeding (37.5%), and endometriosis (27.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high rate of inappropriate hysterectomy in Taiwan. Gynecologists and physician organizations should take action to improve physician agreement on the use of hysterectomy, especially for indications associated with high rates of inappropriate procedures.     

Reading, Demographic, Social and Psychological Factors Related to Pre-adolescent Smoking and Non-smoking Behaviors and Attitudes

The purpose of this study was to examine reading, demographic, social and psychological factors related to pre-adolescent smoking and non-smoking behaviors and attitudes. The school-home humanistic education program was implemented in a large, urban public school system. It stressed responsible decision-making, increased self-esteem and the inter-relationships among the acquisition of knowledge of the consequences of smoking, personal feelings, family relationships and behavior. The results showed that family involvement was necessary to affect smoking attitudes and behaviors. Of all the variables studied, reading had a most pervasive relationship. Peer influence and self-esteem also were related to smoking knowledge, smoking attitude, future smoking intentions and the "purchase" of cigarettes. Two of several conclusions drawn from the results are: 1. Family involvement is necessary to affect attitudes and behaviors. 2. Health education research that does not investigate the relationship between program outcomes and reading achievement may be misleading.     

Injury of Mouse Brain Mitochondria Induced by Cigarette Smoke Extract and Effect of Vitamin C on It in vitro

Objective To investigate the toxicity of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and nicotine on mouse brain mitochondria as well as the protective effect of vitamin C in vitro. Method Mouse brain mitochondria in vitro was incubated with CSE or nicotine in the absence or presence of vitamin C for 60 minutes, and the changes of mitochondrial function and structure were measured. Results CSE inhibited mitochondrial ATPase and cytochrome C oxidase activities in a dose-dependent manner.However, no significant changes in the peroxidation indices were observed when mitochondrial respiratory enzymes activity was inhibited, and protection of mitochondria from CSE-induced injury by vitamin C was not displayed in vitro. The effect of CSE on mouse brain mitochondria swelling response to calcium stimulation was dependent on calcium concentrations. CSE inhibited swelling of mitochondria at 6.5 μmol/L Ca^2 , but promoted swelling response at 250μmol/L Ca^2 . Nicotine, the major component of cigarette smoke, showed no significant damage in mouse brain mitochondria in vitro. The CSE treatment induced mitochondrial inner membrane damage and vacuolization of the matrix, whereas the outer mitochondrial membrane appeared to be preserved. Conclusion The toxic effect of CSE on brain mitochondria may be due to its direct action on enzymatic activity rather than through oxygen free radical injury. Nicotine is not the responsible component for the toxicity of CSE to brain mitochondria.     

恶性胸腹水自体蛋白的制备及回输

恶性肿瘤晚期患者常并发胸腹水，胸腹水里含有大量可溶性蛋白，蛋白浓度约为40mg／ml，其中白蛋白占50％以上，球蛋白占20％左右。本实验室比较了4种不同的分离纯化胸腹水蛋白的方法，其中离心滤过的方法能彻底除去细胞成分，特别是肿瘤细胞，而且蛋白回收率高，操作简单，不参入外源物质，我们采用该方法将恶性胸腹水中的蛋白回收，并回输给患者，临床应用27例次，取得了较好的临床效果。     

人血浆中西酞普兰的HPLC-荧光法测定

建立了HPLC-荧光法测定人血浆中西酞普兰的浓度.血浆样品经液-液萃取后测定,用Zorbax SB C8色谱柱,磷酸二氢铵缓冲液(pH 3.5)-乙腈(65:35)为流动相,激发波长240 nm,发射波长302 nm.血浆中西酞普兰线性范围为1～100ng/ml,最低定量浓度为1ng/ml,日内、日间RSD均小于4.0%,方法平均回收率为93.2%.     

CCLG-ALL2008方案治疗不同分子生物学特征儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病的长期疗效分析

目的 探讨CCLG-ALL2008方案治疗具有不同分子生物学特征的初诊儿童急性淋巴细胞白血病（ALL）的长期疗效。方法 选取按照CCLG-ALL2008方案治疗的940例初诊ALL患儿为研究对象,针对不同分子生物学特征ALL的长期疗效进行回顾性分析。结果 940例ALL患儿中,男570例,女370例,中位年龄5（1~15）岁,中位随访时间65（3~123）个月。完全缓解（CR）率为96.7%,预期10年总体生存（OS）率为（76.5±1.5）%,无事件生存（EFS）率为（62.6±3.0）%。患儿经治疗达CR后,总复发率为21.9%,其中ETV6-RUNX1阳性患儿复发率最低,且易于晚期复发;MLL重排阳性患儿复发率最高,且易于早期复发。ETV6-RUNX1阳性患儿的预期10年OS率明显高于伴有TCF3-PBX1阳性、BCR-ABL阳性、MLL重排及无分子生物学特征患儿（P < 0.05）。ETV6-RUNX1阳性患儿的预期10年EFS率明显高于伴有BCR-ABL阳性和MLL重排患儿（P < 0.05）。结论 分子生物学特征是影响ALL患儿长期预后的指标,MLL重排、BCR-ABL融合基因阳性是预后的不良指标,ETV6-RUNX1融合基因阳性患儿长期生存率较高。     

Paeonol ameliorates CFA-induced inflammatory pain by inhibiting HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB p65 pathway

Metabolic Brain Disease - The enhanced release of inflammatory cytokines mediated by high mobility group box1 (HMGB1) leads to pain sensation, and has been implicated in the etiology of...