全层缝合在预防阑尾炎术后切口感染中的应用

目的：探讨全层缝合在预防阑尾炎术后切口感染的治疗效果。方法：将皮肤、皮下组织、腹外斜肌腱膜全层褥式缝合(腹膜不予缝合)。结果：56例患者无一例感染，也未发现近期并发症。结论：此方法对预防切口感染有较好疗效，且能缩短手术时间，操作简单，建议值得临床应用。     

267株烧伤感染细菌的调查分析

目的：回顾性分析1995年1月至2003年12月间本院烧伤科细菌分布和菌种耐药情况，以指导临床合理用药。方法：收集烧伤病人创面分泌物、血液、痰液及静脉导管末端行普通细菌培养，统计细菌分布情况及常用药物的敏感性。结果：9年来共检出19种267株细菌．其中铜绿假单胞菌和金黄葡萄球菌占83．14％，并有逐渐增加的趋势。铜绿假单胞菌以亚胺培南、头孢哌酮／舒巴坦和多粘菌素B最敏感；氨曲南亦较敏感，且敏感性呈逐渐上升趋势。金黄色葡萄球菌以万古霉素最敏感．呋喃妥因、利福平次之，青霉素类和大部分头孢菌素则高度耐药。结论：目前烧伤感染仍以铜绿假单胞菌和金黄色葡萄球菌为主．防治该两种细菌感染是抗烧伤感染的主要任务。     

Survival versus neglect: redefining thymocyte subsets based on expression of NKG2D ligand(s) and MHC class I

BALB/c thymocytes can be divided into three distinct subsets according to the expression of a ligand for the NK activation receptor NKG2D (NKG2D-L) and the expression of MHC class I (MHC-I). The first subset (MHC-Imid/NKG2D-Lhigh or "N+") is predominately CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP), comprises approximately 35% of thymocytes in a 6-8-week-old adult and contains uncommitted cells that have neither undergone selection nor are committed to death by neglect. The second subset (MHC-Ilow/NKG2D-Llow or "M-"), also mostly DP cells, comprises approximately 50% of thymocytes and consists of cells committed to death by apoptosis, likely due to neglect. By contrast, the third subset (MHC-Ihigh/NKG2D-Llow or "M+") is largely single positive (SP), represents approximately 15% of thymocytes and mostly contains more mature cells that have undergone successful positive selection. The major advantage of the analysis is that it splits DP cells into two subpopulations, one committed to death by apoptosis and the other subjected to selection. The analysis also suggests that NKG2D-L may play a role in thymocyte development.     

SKALP/elafin gene polymorphisms are not associated with pustular forms of psoriasis

Psoriasis is a multifactorial skin disease characterised by epidermal abnormalities and infiltration by lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Skin-derived antileukoproteinase (SKALP), also known as elafin, is a potent inhibitor of human leukocyte elastase and proteinase 3, two PMN-derived proteinases implicated in tissue destruction and leukocyte migration. We have shown that, at least at the protein level, SKALP is significantly decreased in lesional skin of patients with pustular psoriasis compared with plaque-type psoriasis. This finding raised the possibility that SKALP could be one of the candidate genes for pustular forms of psoriasis. We therefore performed single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis on the SKALP gene to screen for mutations/polymorphisms in the exons of 30 patients with plaque-type psoriasis, 15 patients with pustular psoriasis and 48 healthy controls. In exon 1 a polymorphism was detected at position + 43 relative to the translation start site, resulting in a substitution of threonine for alanine in the signal peptide. In the promoter region a dinucleotide repeat polymorphism was identified. Both polymorphisms were not associated with pustular psoriasis, or psoriasis in general. Our data indicate that the decrease in SKALP activity in pustular psoriasis is not caused by mutations in the coding region of the gene, and that there is no allelic association between pustular psoriasis and SKALP gene polymorphisms.     

Unlocking the secrets of galectins: a challenge at the frontier of glyco-immunology

Over the last decade, we have witnessed an explosion of information regarding the function of glycoconjugates, carbohydrate-binding proteins, and the elucidation of the sugar code. This progress has yielded not only important insights into fundamental areas of glycobiology but has also influenced other fields such as immunology and molecular medicine. A family of galactoside-binding proteins, called galectins, has emerged recently as a novel kind of bioactive molecules with powerful, immunoregulatory functions. Different members of this family have been shown to modulate positively or negatively multiple steps of the inflammatory response, such as cell-matrix interactions, cell trafficking, cell survival, cell-growth regulation, chemotaxis, and proinflammatory cytokine secretion. To introduce a comprehensive overview of these new advances, here we will explore the molecular mechanisms and biochemical pathways involved in these functions. We will also examine the role of these proteins in the modulation of different pathological processes, such as chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, infection, allergic reactions, and tumor spreading. Understanding the intimate mechanisms involved in galectin functions will help to delineate selective and novel strategies for disease intervention and diagnosis.