Anulus fibrosus in bulging intervertebral disks

In this investigation the association of radial tears of the anulus fibrosus and bulging of the intervertebral disk was studied. An index of disk bulging was measured in sagittal anatomic sections in 149 lumbar disks from 31 cadavers. The indexes of disk bulging were correlated with stages of disk development and the presence of an annular tear. The largest disk-bulging indexes were always associated with radial tears of the anulus. Eighty-four percent of the disks with radial tears had disk-bulging indexes greater than 2.5 mm. Most normal adult disks had an index of less than 2.5 mm. The results challenge the concept that the anulus fibrosus is intact in bulging disks, although ruptured in herniated disks.     

痛

黑暗!黑暗!!黑暗!!!这样的世界看不到半点光明。孤独的舞者终究还是孤独地倒下,然后又孤独地消失。黑暗呀,为什么老是缠绕着我?一声“妈妈”划破了天际,却也突不出黑暗的包围。谁来应我一声呀,妈妈,你在哪里呀?我的心在不停地挣扎,告诉自己:“不怕,不怕。”可这是在黑暗里呀,周     

Induction of a differentiated ciliated cell phenotype in primary cultures of Fallopian tube epithelium

Human Fallopian tubal epithelial cells in culture lose morphological features associated with the epithelium in situ and the extent to which they retain their in-vivo phenotype or function is unknown. In order to address this question, immunocytochemical markers were identified which distinguish secretory (HMFG2+, LhS28-) from ciliated (HMFG2-, LhS28+) epithelial cells in tissue sections of Fallopian tube. These markers were used to analyse the phenotype of tubal cells in vitro. Primary cultures of human tubal epithelial cells were seeded onto glass and grown to confluence before addition of oestradiol-17beta. In the absence of hormone, tubal epithelial cells expressed cytokeratins and nuclear receptors for oestrogen and progesterone and adopted a homogeneous (HMFG2+, LhS28-) secretory cell phenotype. Following the addition of oestradiol-17beta, a proportion of cells became positive for LhS28. The induction of a ciliated epithelial cell phenotype was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, where on permeable collagen membranes, approximately one-third of tubal epithelial cells became ciliated in the presence of oestradiol-17beta. We suggest that in vitro, tubal epithelial cells adopt an immature secretory-like phenotype and that oestrogen can induce differentiation to a ciliated epithelial cell phenotype.      

Early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma: radiotherapy dose and time factors in tumor control

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate radiotherapy dose and length of treatment in the control of early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with a combination of external radiotherapy and brachytherapy, MATERIALS & METHODS: We reviewed the records of 133 patients with early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (stage I or II, AJC/UICC staging system) who received definitive radiotherapy in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 1979 to 1991. The median follow-up time was 7.1 years with a minimum of 2 years. All patients were treated with megavoltage external radiotherapy to the nasopharynx area (63-72 Gy) followed by high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy (5-16.5 Gy in one to three fractions, spaced 1-2 weeks apart). The median total dose and time of irradiation was 75 Gy (69.8-81.4 Gy) and 11.6 weeks (7.8-20 weeks) respectively. Survival analysis was used to examine the effect of several variables on prognosis. RESULTS: The 5-year rates were 86.4% for local control, 84.7% for disease free survival, 88.5% for actuarial survival and 84.2% for overall survival. The treatment group (combination of time and dose of irradiation) was the most important prognostic factor according to Cox's proportional hazard model. Patients receiving radiation at a total dose of < or = 75 Gy completed in < 12 weeks showed the best prognosis. CONCLUSION: Treatment time and total treatment dose are both important factors in treating early stage NPC. Decreasing the total radiation time to < 12 weeks and not exceeding a radiation dose of 75 Gy gave the best results.      

Identification and characterisation of ten microsatellite loci in the Noisy Scrub-bird Atrichornis clamosus using next-generation sequencing technology

The Noisy Scrub-bird is an endangered species of songbird endemic to the south coast of Western Australia that has undergone a major and prolonged population bottleneck. Using shotgun 454 next-generation DNA sequencing we have identified and characterised ten polymorphic microsatellite loci in this species. Observed allelic diversity was relatively low (2–5 alleles per locus) and significant deviations from Hardy–weinberg Equilibrium observed, although the presence of null alleles was only postulated for two loci. The microsatellite loci characterised in this study will be useful in a future population genetics studies in this endangered species.     

An open-label,prospective, randomized,controlled, multicenter,phase 1b study of StrataGraft skin tissue versus autografting in patients with deep partial-thickness thermal burns

ObjectiveThis open-label, controlled, randomized study assessed the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of StrataGraft tissue compared to autograft in the treatment of deep partial-thickness (DPT) burns.MethodsThirty subjects with DPT thermal burns (3%–43% total body surface area) were treated with StrataGraft tissue as follows: cohort 1, ≤220 cm² refrigerated tissue; cohort 2, ≤440 cm² refrigerated tissue; and cohort 3, ≤440 cm² cryopreserved tissue. On each subject, two comparable areas of DPT burn were randomized to receive StrataGraft tissue or autograft. Coprimary end points were the percent area of the StrataGraft tissue treatment site undergoing salvage autografting by Day 28 and wound closure of treatment sites by 3 months.ResultsBy Day 28, no StrataGraft tissue treatment sites underwent autografting. By 3 months, 93% and 100% of the StrataGraft tissue and autograft treatment sites achieved complete wound closure, respectively. No significant differences in observer total and overall opinion POSAS scores between StrataGraft tissue and autograft treatment sites were observed at any timepoint. The most common adverse event was pruritus (17%).ConclusionsStrataGraft tissue treatment of DPT thermal burns reduced the need for autograft, resulted in wound closure and treatment-site cosmesis comparable to that of autograft, and was well tolerated.     

Evaluating Barriers to Bystander CPR among Laypersons before and after Compression-only CPR Training

Objective: Bystander CPR is an essential part of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival. EMS and public safety jurisdictions have embraced initiatives to teach compression-only CPR to laypersons in order to increase rates of bystander CPR. We examined barriers to bystander CPR amongst laypersons participating in community compression-only CPR training and the ability of the training to alleviate these barriers. The barriers analyzed include fear of litigation, risk of disease transmission, fear of hurting someone as a result of doing CPR when unnecessary, and fear of hurting someone as a result of doing CPR incorrectly. Methods: Laypersons attending community compression-only CPR training were administered surveys before and after community CPR training. Data were analyzed via standard statistical analyses. Results: A total of 238 surveys were collected and analyzed between September 2015 and January 2016. The most common reported motivation for attending CPR training was “to be prepared/just in case” followed by “infant or child at home.” Respondents reported that they were significantly more likely to perform CPR on a family member than a stranger in both pre-and post-training responses. Nevertheless, reported self-confidence in and likelihood of doing CPR on both family and strangers increased from pre-training to post-training. There was a statistically significant decrease in reported likelihood of all four barriers to prevent respondents from performing bystander CPR when pre-training responses were compared to post-training responses. Previous CPR training and history of having witnessed a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) were both associated with decreased barriers to CPR, but previous training had no effect on reported likelihood of or confidence in performing CPR. Conclusion: The training initiative studied significantly reduced the reported likelihood of all barriers studied to prevent respondents from performing bystander CPR and also increased the reported confidence in doing CPR and likelihood of doing CPR on both strangers and family. However, it did not alleviate the pre-training discrepancy between likelihood of performing CPR on strangers versus family. Previous CPR training or certification had no impact on likelihood of or confidence in performing CPR.     

Bronchoscopic management of airway obstruction in pediatric endobronchial tuberculosis

The present report describes a case of severe airway obstruction caused by endobronchial tuberculosis in an 11-year-old girl who was successfully treated by bronchoscopic balloon dilation. This case illustrates the insidious presentation and the increasingly important role of bronchoscopic intervention in the management of endobronchial tuberculosis. In addition, a brief literature review of the condition in the pediatric age group is included.     

Interleukin-1-induced leukocyte extravasation across rat mesenteric microvessels is mediated by platelet-activating factor

Although our understanding of the molecular interactions that mediate the adhesion of leukocytes to venular endothelial cells has greatly expanded, very little is known about the mechanisms that mediate the passage of leukocytes across the vessel wall in vivo. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of endogenously formed platelet-activating factor (PAF) in the process of leukocyte extravasation induced by interleukin-1 (IL-1). To determine at which stage of emigration PAF was involved, we studied the behavior of leukocytes within rat mesenteric microvessels by intravital microscopy. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline, recombinant rat IL-1 beta (IL-1 beta), or the peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl- phenylalanine (FMLP) 4 hours before the exteriorization of the mesenteric tissue. In animals treated with IL-1 beta there was a significant increase in the number of rolling and adherent leukocytes within venules (20- to 40-micron diameter) and in the number of extravasated leukocytes in the tissue. Pretreatment of rats with the PAF receptor antagonist UK-74,505 had no effect on the leukocyte responses of rolling and adhesion, but significantly inhibited the migration of the leukocytes across the vessel wall induced by IL-1 beta (76% inhibition). A structurally unrelated PAF antagonist, WEB-2170, produced the same effect (64% inhibition). However, in contrast, UK- 74,505 had no effect on the leukocyte extravasation induced by FMLP, indicating selectivity for the response elicited by certain mediators. These results provide the first line of direct evidence for the involvement of endogenously formed PAF in the process of leukocyte extravasation induced by IL-1 in vivo.