A Very Long-term Longitudinal Study on the Evolution and Clinical Outcomes of Persistent Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defect After Cryoballoon Ablation

Background

Persistent iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) is a common but poorly characterized complication after cryoballoon (CB) pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures. We therefore investigate its prevalence, evolution, risk factors, and clinical outcomes in a prospective longitudinal study.

Decreased expression levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 are associated with clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in gastric cancer

PurposeWe previously demonstrated that the functional inactivation of DAL-1 and TOB1 promotes an aggressive phenotype in gastric cancer cells, but the links between both genes and the survival of patients with gastric cancer are unknown. Here, we investigated the correlations of the expression levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 with the progression of gastric cancer.MethodsA total of 270 patients who underwent resectable gastrectomy were included. The expression of DAL-1 and TOB1 was detected by immunohistochemistry.ResultsLow expression of DAL-1 in cancer tissue was significantly associated with tumor site (p < 0.05), histological grade (p < 0.01), depth of invasion (p < 0.05), lymph node metastasis status (p < 0.05), Lauren classification (p < 0.001), and clinical stage (p < 0.01). A lower level of TOB1 was observed in gastric cancer patients with diffuse type disease compared to patients with either intestinal or mixed type disease (p < 0.001). Additionally, Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that decreased expression of DAL-1 was positively correlated with low TOB1 expression (r=0.304, p < 0.001). The survival analysis showed that low levels of DAL-1 and TOB1 were significantly associated with poor survival of gastric cancer patients (p <0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively).ConclusionThe downregulation of DAL-1 and TOB1 expression is associated with shorter survival of gastric cancer patients. Hence, DAL-1 and TOB1 may be considered potential novel markers for predicting the outcomes of patients with gastric cancer.     

Factors influencing choice of medical vs. surgical treatment of pediatric appendicitis

PurposeTo examine what proportion of caregivers, if given a choice, would choose medical versus surgical treatment of appendicitis and what factors would be important in their decision.MethodsA survey was devised and given to the caregivers of children presenting to the pediatrician for a routine visit in community and academic pediatric clinics. The survey presented a summary of outcomes after medical (non-operative) and surgical treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis. Participants were then asked to choose medical versus surgical treatment if their child were to develop appendicitis. They were also asked to rate the importance of certain factors in their decision ? 1 being “not important” and 5 being “very important”.ResultsFour hundred surveys were distributed with an 86.2% (345/400) response rate. Six percent (21/342) of respondents reported a history of appendicitis and 49.4% (168/340) reported having known someone who had appendicitis. The majority of respondents, 85.3% (284/333), were mothers. A minority of respondents, 41.7% (95% CI: 36.7, 47.0), chose medical treatment over surgery for appendicitis. There was no statistical difference in the proportion of mothers (41.6%) versus fathers who chose medical treatment (41.3%). Caregivers who chose medical treatment were more likely to rate time in hospital (p = .008) and time out of school (p = 05) as important in decision making when compared with those who chose surgery. Those who chose surgical treatment were more likely to rate risk of recurrent appendicitis (p < .001) as important to decision making. In the multivariate analysis, those who rated time in hospital as very important had more than twice the odds of choosing medical therapy (OR 2.20, p = 0.02) when compared with those who rated it as less important. Not knowing someone who has had appendicitis was significantly associated with choosing medical therapy when compared with those who do know someone who has had appendicitis, OR 2.3, p = .002. Rating pain as very important was also significantly associated with choosing medical therapy, when compared to those rating pain 1–3, OR 3.38, p = .03.ConclusionsIn this survey of caregivers of children presenting for routine care, 41.7% would choose medical, or non-operative, therapy for their children with acute appendicitis. The risk of recurrence, time in hospital, and time out of school, pain, and knowing someone who has had appendicitis were all important factors that families may consider when making a decision. These data may be useful for surgeons counseling patients on which treatment to pursue.     

灰色系统理论对城市道路交通噪声的建模与预测

以豫西三门峡市1996～2000年道路交通噪声监测数据为依据，运用灰色系统理论建立了GM(1，1)预测模型，经用四种不同方法对模型精度进行检验，均满足要求，用此模型预测三门峡市未来几年道路交通噪声呈下降趋势。     

道路伤害的病例对照研究

目的：探讨道路伤害危险因素。方法：采用病例对照研究方法，于2001年11月至2002年8月收集沈阳市皇姑区发生机动车交通事故的事故组驾驶员406例，并同期在皇姑区内于随机时间、随机地点调查道路上正常行驶的对照组驾驶员438名。采用统一问卷、面询方法，调查内容包括驾驶员的一般情况，连续驾驶时间，事故／调查前睡眠状况，急、慢性困倦程度(采用Stanford和Epworth困倦量表测量)，饮酒，吸烟，驾驶安全态度和行为，车速，车辆状况等。结果：处于慢性困倦状态的驾驶员发生事故的危险性是非困倦状态驾驶员的1．98倍(OR=1．98，95％CI：1．26—3．12)，事故组驾驶员的困倦程度高于对照组，但差异无显著性(OR＝2．38，95％CI：0．89—6．31)。夜班或倒班发生事故的危险是常白班的2．09倍(OR＝2．09，95％CI：1．48—2．94)，酒后驾车发生事故的危险性是非酒后驾车的3．59倍(OR＝3．59，95％CI：1．13--11．39)，无人约束时会违章的驾驶员发生事故的危险性是不违章驾驶员的1．73倍(OR＝1．73，95％CI：1．22—2．46)。结论：慢性困倦、夜班或倒班、酒后驾车、违章等是道路伤害的危险因素，急性困倦可能是道路伤害的一个潜在危险因素。     

中国三城市儿童步行者道路交通安全状况回顾性研究

目的了解北京、上海、广州三城市儿童步行安全状况及相关因素,为加强儿童道路交通伤害预防、干预提供科学依据。方法回顾性收集2000~2004年三城市交管部门14岁以下儿童步行者交通伤害发生资料。结果三城市5年间儿童步行者道路交通伤害发生率为14.93/10万,男女比例为1.79∶1,5~9岁为高发年龄,儿童步行者发生道路交通伤、亡的主要责任方为行人,受伤害儿童43.0%为轻伤,46.6%为重伤,10.4%为死亡。结论道路交通伤害严重威胁儿童安全与健康,儿童步行者发生道路交通伤害与多种因素有关,需社会各个部门参与预防。