Hospital Teaching Status and Patients' Outcomes After Colon Cancer Surgery

Analysis and support of clinical decision makin

Radionuclide therapy using I-131-labeled anti-epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted nanoparticles suppresses cancer cell growth caused by EGFR overexpression

Introduction Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted nanoparticles can be used to deliver a therapeutic and imaging agent to EGFR-overexpressing tumor cells. I-131-labeled anti-EGFR nanoparticles derived from cetuximab were used as a tumor-targeting vehicle in radionuclide therapy

Effect of Superhydrophobic Surface of Titanium on Staphylococcus aureus Adhesion

Despite the systemic antibiotics prophylaxis, orthopedic implants still remain highly susceptible to bacterial adhesion and resulting in device-associated infection. Surface modification is an effective way to decrease bacterial adhesion. In this study, we prepared surfaces with different wettability on titanium surface based on TiO(2) nanotube to examine the effect of bacterial adhesion. Firstly, titanium plates were calcined to form hydrophilic TiO(2) nanotube films of anatase phase. Subsequently, the nanotube films and inoxidized titaniums were treated with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl-triethoxysilane (PTES), forming superhydrophobic and hydrophobic surfaces. Observed by SEM and contact angle measurements, the different surfaces have different characteristics. Staphylococcus aureus (SA) adhesion on different surfaces was evaluated. Our experiment results show that the superhydrophobic surface has contact angles of water greater than 150. and also shows high resistance to bacterial contamination. It is indicated that superhydrophobic surface may be a factor to reduce device-associated infection and could be used in clinical practice

A novel electrochemical strategy for improving blood compatibility of titanium-based biomaterials

A controllable fabrication of superhydrophobic surface on titanium biomedical implants was successfully developed to improve the blood compatibility and anti-coagulation performance of biomedical implants. The electrochemical anodization was employed to form a layer of TiO2 nanotubes on the titanium substrate, and then a hydrophobic monolayer was self-assembled on the nanotube surface. The morphology and wettability of the nanotube arrays were investigated by scanning electron microcopy and water drop contact angle measurement, respectively. From the in vitro blood compatibility evaluation, it was observed that nor only very few of platelets were attached onto the superhydrophobic surface, but also the attached platelets were not activated in this condition. Comparatively, a large number of platelets adhered and spread out on both the bare titanium substrate and the superhydrophilic surface which was obtained by exposing the TiO2 nanotubes under a UV irradiation. The results indicated that the superhydrophobic TiO2 nanotube layers exhibited excellent blood compatibility and remarkable performance in preventing platelets from adhering to the implant surface. Therefore, the construction of superhydrophobic surface on biomedical implants could pave a way to improve the blood compatibility of the biomedical devices and implants. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.National Natural Science Foundation of China [20773100, 20620130427]; National Basic Research Program of China [2007CB935603]; MOST [2007DFC40440

Ovarian modulators of type 1 11?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11?HSD) activity and intra-follicular cortisol:cortisone ratios correlate with the clinical outcome of IVF

Background: Follicular fluid (FF) contains compounds that can modulate NADP+-dependent oxidation of cortisol by type 1 11?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11?HSD). The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between levels of the ovarian modulators of type 1 11?HSD, intra-follicular cortisol:cortisone ratios and the clinical outcome of IVF cycles.Methods: A single random sample of FF was aspirated from each of 132 patients undergoing gonadotrophin-stimulated IVF. Components of FF, resolved using C18 column chromatography, were evaluated for effects on NADP+-dependent cortisol oxidation in rat kidney homogenates. Intra- follicular steroid concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassays. Clinical pregnancies were confirmed by ultrasonography at 6 weeks post-embryo transfer.Results: Levels of the hydrophilic ovarian 11?HSD stimuli were significantly lower (P < 0.0001) and levels of the hydrophobic ovarian 11?HSD inhibitors were significantly higher (P < 0.002) in conception versus non-conception cycles. Intra-follicular cortisol:cortisone ratios increased with the degree of inhibition of 11?HSD by the hydrophobic FF fractions. FF obtained from conception cycles had significantly higher cortisol:cortisone ratios than samples from non-conception cycles (12.9 ± 0.3 versus 8.5 ± 0.2, respectively; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Conception by IVF is associated with elevated intra-follicular cortisol:cortisone ratios, which reflect low levels of ovarian stimuli and/or high levels of ovarian inhibitors of type 1 11?HSD

Patterns of osteocytic endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression in the femoral neck cortex: Differences between cases of intracapsular hip fracture and controls

Evidence indicates that extensive amalgamation of adjacent resorbing osteons is responsible for destroying the microstructural integrity of the femoral neck's inferior cortex in osteoporotic hip fracture. Such osteonal amalgamation is likely to involve a failure to limit excessive resorption, but its mechanistic basis remains enigmatic. Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits osteoclastic bone destruction, and in normal bone cells its generation by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS, the predominant bone isoform) is enhanced by mechanical stimuli and estrogen, which both protect against fracture. To determine whether eNOS expression in osteocytes reflects their proposed role in regulating remodeling, we have examined patterns of osteocyte eNOS immunolabeling in the femoral neck cortex of seven cases of hip fracture and seven controls (females aged 68-96 years). The density of eNOS+ cells (mm(-2)) was 53% lower in the inferior cortex of the fracture cases (p < 0.0004), but was similar in the superior cortex. eNOS+ osteocytes were, on average, 22% further from their nearest blood supply, than osteocytes in general (p < 0.0001) and the nearest eNOS+ osteocyte was 57% further from its nearest canal surface (p < 0.0001). This differential distribution of eNOS+ osteocytes was significantly more pronounced in the cortices of fracture cases (p < 0.0001). We conclude that the normal regional and osteonal pattern of eNOS expression by osteocytes is disrupted in hip fracture, particularly at sites that are loaded most by physical activity. These results suggest that eNOS+ osteocytes may normally act as sentinels confining resorption within single osteons. A reduction in their number, coupled to an increase in their remoteness from canal surfaces, may thus permit the irreversible merging of resorbing osteons, and thus contribute to the marked increase in the fragility of osteoporotic bone

Detection of Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase and Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Determinants in Escherichia coli Isolates from Retail Meat in China

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in Escherichia coli isolated from retail meat samples in Henan Province, China. E. coli isolates were detected in 179 of 645 (27.7%) retail meat samples. Resistance of these isolates to antimicrobials was commonly observed, with 78.2% of isolates resistant to streptomycin, 74.3% resistant to tetracycline and 54.2% resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Of the 179 isolates, 30 (16.7%) expressed ESBL, with bla(TEM-1) (n = 17) and bla(CTX-M-14) (n = 9) most commonly mediating the ESBL phenotype. PMQR genes were present in 14 isolates (7.8%), with qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr detected alone or in combination in nine (5.0%) and seven isolates (3.9%), respectively. The qnr genes detected included qnrS1 (n = 5), qnrA1 (n = 3), and qnrB4 (n = 1). The qepA gene was absent among these isolates. CTX-M-14 was the most prevalent ESBL type among the PMQR-positive isolates. The qnr and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes were found to co-reside and be co-transferred with blaCTX-M-14 or blaTEM-1 in five isolates. Our data suggest that retail meat may act as a reservoir for multi-resistant E. coli and may facilitate the dissemination of resistance genes