A follow‐up study of electromagnetic interference of cellular phones on electronic medical equipment in the emergency department

Objective: Considering the growing use of cellular phones and the fast appearance of new phone models, the electromagnetic interference of currently popular cellular phones on electronic medical equipment was tested. Methods: Three Personal Communication System cellular phones were put at different distances from multiple electronic medical devices, the interference effect was observed and the electromagnetic field strength measured with a spectrum analyser. Results: Only two small pieces of equipment, the CO₂ airway adapter and the haemoglucostix meter were affected and then only when the phone was in very close proximity. Conclusion: Compared to the results of our study in 1997 testing Global System for Mobile Communication phones, the Personal Communication System phones generated less electromagnetic interference. However a much larger scaled study and an accurate international electromagnetic interference standard are recommended before any change in the current restrictive hospital policy on mobile phone usage could be recommended.     

Liver and lung resection for colorectal metastasis

Aim: To examine the survival benefit of liver and lung resection for colorectal metastasis and the potential prognostic factors that affect patient survival. Methods: All patients who had resection of lung or liver metastasis for colorectal metastasis in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong from 1995 to 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. The overall and disease‐free survival was analysed, in particularly between liver and lung metastasis. All factors that may have affected the survival were entered into Cox's proportional hazards regression model to identify significant variables associated with survival. Results: At 5 years, the overall survival of patients who had resection of lung and liver metastasis was 44% and 38%, respectively; the disease‐free survival was 26% and 24%, respectively. Overall and disease‐free survival of patients with resection of lung metastasis was comparable to those with resection of liver metastasis. The differentiations of primary tumour and time to metastasis were shown to be significant prognostic factors influencing overall survival. Those patients with systemic chemotherapy after resection of colorectal metastasis demonstrated a significantly higher probability of overall survival. Conclusion: Resection of lung and liver metastases from colorectal origin was safe and both procedures improved survival. The use of chemotherapy after resection of metastasis significantly improved the overall survival.     

Manifestations and treatment of 793 cases of decompression sickness in a compressed air tunneling project in Hong Kong

In the largest compressed air tunneling contract for the construction of the Island Line of the Mass Transit Railway system in Hong Kong, 154,390 man-decompressions occurred, of which 142,140 were after exposures to 1 bar (1.97 ATA, 14.7 psig) or above. The maximum working pressure (MWP) was 3.30 bar (4.26 ATA, 47.9 psig). There were 792 cases of type I and 1 case of type II decompression sickness. The manifestations of the cases were generally similar to those reported elsewhere. Oxygen treatment was given to 9 cases and all were successfully treated with no recurrence of symptoms. Minimum effective pressure treatment on 783 type I cases was successful, with 9.6% requiring two or more recompressions. The pressure required to relieve symptoms was more closely related to the interval between completion of decompression after work and commencement of treatment than to the delay between onset of symptoms and treatment. For every 1-h interval or every 1-h delay, an additional pressure of 0.04 bar (0.04 ATA, 0.58 psi) above MWP was required for pain relief. Step-wise multiple regression analysis showed that the four predictors for pressure of relief and the highest pressure used in recompression, respectively, were, in order of descending importance, maximum working pressure, interval before treatment, bends sequence (the nth attack of bends experienced in the present contract, i.e., the sum of previous attacks and the present attack), and duration of exposure.     

Cell transplantation to improve ventricular function in the failing heart

Current therapies for congestive heart failure are limited in efficacy or in applicability. Cardiac cell transplantation offers a novel therapeutic approach to improve heart function. Although significant progress has been made over the past decade in the development of cell transplantation, only recently have investigators studied the changes in ventricular function following cell transplantation. This review article describes the latest research developments, evaluates recent studies of ventricular function after cell transplantation, and discusses the future directions of cell transplantation as a new therapy to ‘repair broken hearts’.     

Platelet transfusions are not associated with increased morbidity or mortality in cardiac surgery

PURPOSE: To determine the independent relationship between leukoreduced platelet transfusions and adverse events in cardiac surgery. METHODS: In this observational study, detailed baseline and perioperative data were prospectively collected on consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery at a single institution from 1999 to 2004. The independent associations of platelet transfusion with clinical outcomes (low output syndrome, myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, sepsis, and death) were determined by multivariable logistic regression analysis and propensity score case-control analysis. RESULTS: Of the 11,459 patients analyzed, 2,174 (19%) received (leukoreduced) platelets - 1,408 received 5 U, 471 received 10 U, 140 received 15 U, and 155 received 20 or more units. Although all measured adverse event rates were higher in those who received platelets, in neither the logistic regression analyses nor the propensity score analyses was there any association between platelet transfusion and any of the adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Transfusion of leukoreduced platelets in cardiac surgery is not associated with adverse clinical outcomes when adjustments are made for important confounders.     

H_2O_2和NO对滑膜成纤维细胞增殖反应的影响

采用~3H-TdR掺入法和MTT比色法研究过氧化氢(H_2O_2)和一氧化氮(NO)对兔滑膜成纤维细胞(SF)增殖反应的影响。结果表明,在使用亚适SF浓度(5×10~7细胞/L)时,~3H-TdR掺入法和MTT比色法检测结果一致。H_2O_22和亚硝基铁氰化钠(NO供体)在低浓度时促进SF增殖反应,而在高浓度时抑制其增殖反应,提示H_2O_2和NO对SF增殖反应具有双向调节作用。     

A convenient multiplex PCR system for the detection of dystrophin gene deletions: a comparative analysis with cDNA hybridisation shows mistypings by both methods.

Existing reactions for the multiplex PCR amplification of exons in the dystrophin gene have been modified to produce two multiplex reactions which separately cover the 5' and 3' major deletion 'hotspots' in the gene, and together detect approximately 98% of all deletions detectable by Southern cDNA hybridisation. A comparative study of 148 patients showed mistypings in both the cDNA hybridisation data (4%) and the PCR analysis (1.2%). We suggest means of circumventing the underlying problems in order to avoid mistyping and subsequent misdiagnosis, and conclude that, with appropriate precautions, multiplex PCR amplification can be the method of choice for detecting deletions in the dystrophin gene.     

In vitro method to study antifungal perfusion in Candida biofilms

Antimycotic perfusion through Candida biofilms was demonstrated by a modification of a simple in vitro diffusion cell bioassay system. Using this model, the perfusion of three commonly used antifungal agents, amphotericin B, fluconazole, and flucytosine, was investigated in biofilms of three different Candida species (i.e., Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida krusei) that were developed on microporous filters. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that C. albicans formed a contiguous biofilm with tightly packed blastospores and occasional hyphae compared with C. parapsilosis and C. krusei, which developed confluent biofilms displaying structural heterogeneity and a lesser cell density, after 48 h of incubation on nutrient agar. Minor structural changes were also perceptible on the superficial layers of the biofilm after antifungal perfusion. The transport of antifungals to the distal biofilm-substratum interface was most impeded by C. albicans biofilms in comparison to C. parapsilosis and C. krusei. Fluconazole and flucytosine demonstrated similar levels of perfusion, while amphotericin B was the least penetrant through all three biofilms, although the latter appeared to cause the most structural damage to the superficial cells of the biofilm compared with the other antifungals. These results suggest that the antifungal perfusion through biofilm mode of growth in Candida is dependent both on the antimycotic and the Candida species in question, and in clinical terms, these phenomena could contribute to the failure of Candida biofilm-associated infections. Finally, the in vitro model we have described should serve as a useful system to investigate the complex interactions that appear to operate in vivo within the biofilm-antifungal interphase.     

Extrasynaptic receptors on cell bodies of neurons in central nervous system of the leech.

1. A systematic study has been made of the sensitivity of identified sensory and motoneurons in the leech central nervous system to chemical transmitter substances. 2. The following substances elicited responses from the cell bodies of individual neurons: acetylcholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid, glycine, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Since the cell bodies of leech neurons are free of synapses, the receptors that give rise to these responses are extrasynaptic. 3. Sensory and motoneurons of different function had characteristic complements of extrasynaptic receptors. For example, mechanosensory cells responding to light touch, to pressure, and to noxious stimuli could be distinguished by their responses to iontophoretically applied compounds. For one of these modalities (nociceptive), neurons with different receptive fields but otherwise similar properties had markedly distinct extrasynaptic receptors. The possible significance of extrasynaptic receptors is discussed.