Direct insertion of an ultra‐slim upper endoscope for cholangioscopy in patients undergoing choledochoduodenostomy

Direct peroral cholangioscopy (POC) using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope is one modality of POC for intraductal endoscopic evaluation and treatment of the bile duct. Choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) is one modality of biliary bypass surgery that provides a new route to the bile duct. We carried out direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the use of accessories in 10 patients (four sump syndromes, three bile duct strictures and three intrahepatic duct stones) previously undergoing surgical CDS. Direct POC was successful in all patients. The use of an intraductal balloon catheter was required in one patient for advancement of the endoscope into the bile duct. Distal bile ducts with sump syndromes were cleared using baskets and water irrigation under direct POC. Cholangiocarcinoma was diagnosed in one patient with hilar bile duct stricture after cholangioscopic evaluation and a targeting forceps biopsy under direct POC. Intrahepatic duct stones were successfully extracted after intraductal fragmentation under direct POC. Oozing bleeding occurred during intraductal lithotripsy but stopped spontaneously. Direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the assistance of accessories can easily be carried out in patients undergoing CDS.     

Troubled-Cell Indicator Based on Mean Value Property for Hybrid WENO Schemes

In this paper, we introduce a new type of troubled-cell indicator to improve hybrid weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes for solving the hyperbolic conservation laws. The hybrid WENO schemes selectively adopt the high-order linear upwind scheme or the WENO scheme to avoid the local characteristic decompositions and calculations of the nonlinear weights in smooth regions. Therefore, they can reduce computational cost while maintaining non-oscillatory properties in non-smooth regions. Reliable troubled-cell indicators are essential for efficient hybrid WENO methods. Most of troubled-cell indicators require proper parameters to detect discontinuities precisely, but it is very difficult to determine the parameters automatically. We develop a new troubled-cell indicator derived from the mean value theorem that does not require any variable parameters. Additionally, we investigate the characteristics of indicator variable; one of the conserved properties or the entropy is considered as indicator variable. Detailed numerical tests for 1D and 2D Euler equations are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed indicator. The results with the proposed troubled-cell indicator are in good agreement with pure WENO schemes. Also the new indicator has advantages in the computational cost compared with the other indicators.     

Uncalcified Synovial Chondromatosis in the Pisotriquetral Joint

Synovial chondromatosis is a rare lesion in the wrist, but some cases in the distal radioulnar joint have been reported and previous case reports emphasize joint calcifications, shown on preoperative plain radiographs. We report an extremely uncommon case of synovial chondromatosis in the pisotriquetral joint, in which radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging did not demonstrate apparent calcified bodies. In our case, for the accurate diagnosis and treatment, surgical exploration of the joint and synovectomy with removal of loose bodies was performed.     

Genetic and epigenetic alterations of the EGFR and mutually independent association with BRCA1, MGMT,and RASSF1A methylations in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas

Genetic and epigenetic alterations importantly contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. In the study, we measured the frequency and distribution of molecular abnormalities of EGFR as well as the aberrant promoter methylations of BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas. We investigated the association between genetic and epigenetic alteration, and between each abnormality with clinicopathologic parameters. Somatic EGFR mutation that was found in 49/139 (35.3%) lung adenocarcinomas showed a significant association with young age, female gender, and non-smokers. EGFR overexpression was identified in 82 tumors (59.0%) and statistical relationships with EGFR or BRCA1 methylation but not EGFR mutation. In addition, EGFR, BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A methylations were found in 33 (23.7%), 41 (29.5%), 46 (33.1%), 28 (20.1%), and 41 (29.5%) cases of a total of 139 lung adenocarcinomas, respectively. The RASSF1A methylation was found to be linked to the smoking habit. Methylations in MGMT and RASSF1A were also found to correlate with metastasis status. Furthermore, the distribution of EGFR mutation and that of BRCA1, MGMT or RASSF1A methylation were significantly exclusive in lung adenocarcinomas. The main finding of our study demonstrate that epigenetic abnormalities might play a critical role for the lung tumorigenesis in patients with smoking history and metastasis, and partly affect the predictive value of EGFR mutations through blocking expression due to promoter EGFR hypermethylation. Mutually exclusive distribution of genetic and epigenetic alterations reflects differently biological characteristics in the etiology of lung adenocarcinomas.     

Determinantes sociales de la salud de distintos niveles por género: educación y hogar en España

Objective

To explore from a gender perspective the association with subjective health of the interaction between education and household arrangements within the framework of social determinants of health placed at the micro and mezzo levels.

移植肝缺血-再灌注损伤程度的评估及其与肝移植患者预后的关系

目的探讨移植肝缺血-再灌注损伤程度的评估方法及其与肝移植患者预后的关系。方法218例良性终末期肝病患者，在移植肝恢复血液灌注后1h采取外周静脉血，测定丙氨酸转氨酶浓度（定义为基础肝功能），同时采用组织气体分析仪测定肝组织的氧分压，并取肝组织活检，计算水变性及坏死细胞百分比，分别对上述3项指标进行评分，再根据各指标得分之和将缺血-再灌注损伤程度划分为5级（0～Ⅳ级），统计围手术期（术后2周内）、术后近期（术后2周至1个月）、术后中远期（1个月以上）的患者死亡率。结果移植肝缺血再灌注损伤程度评为0级者157例（A组），死亡7例（4．5％），71．4％（5／7）死于术后3-6个月；缺血-再灌注损伤程度评为Ⅰ级者25例（B组），死亡5例（20．0％），80．0％（4／5）死于术后2周至3个月；缺血-再灌注损伤程度评为Ⅱ级者23例（C组），死亡5例（21．7％），80．0％（4／5）死于术后2周至3个月；缺血-再灌注损伤程度评为Ⅲ级者8例（D组），死亡7例（87．5％），85．7％（6／7）死于术后1个月内；缺血-再灌注损伤程度评为Ⅳ级者5例（E组），全部死亡，80．0％（4／5）死于术后1个月内。A组各期死亡率明显低于B组、C组（P〈0．05）和D组、E组（P〈0．01）；B组、C组间各期死亡率的差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）；B组、C组各期死亡率均低于D组、E组（P〈0．05）。结论基础肝功能、组织氧分压以及水变性和坏死细胞百分比三项指标可基本反映移植肝缺血-再灌注损伤程度；缺血-再灌注损伤评级达Ⅲ～Ⅳ级者术后死亡率较高。