Surgical treatment and outcome in patients with a hepatocellular carcinoma greater than 10 cm in diameter

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) over 10 cm in diameter at the time of diagnosis continues to account for a number of patients undergoing hepatic resection. This study evaluated the clinicopathological features and outcome following surgery for large HCC. METHODS: Forty patients with a large HCC (greater than 10 cm) (group 1) resected between 1991 and 1996 were studied retrospectively. They were compared with 245 patients who had smaller HCCs (10 cm or less) (group 2). RESULTS: No patient in group 1 had hepatitis C infection compared with 22.9 per cent in group 2 (P=0.001). Patients in group 1 were significantly younger, had higher alpha-fetoprotein levels (16750 versus 1864 ng/ml; P < 0.001), better liver function, a higher incidence of multiple tumours (27 of 40 versus 42.0 per cent; P=0.003) and venous invasion (35 of 40 versus 52.2 per cent; P < 0.001), and underwent more major resections (37 of 40 versus 26.5 per cent; P < 0.001) than those in group 2. Morbidity and mortality rates and hospital stay were comparable in the two groups. For group 1, the 1-, 3- and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 42, 30 and 28 per cent respectively. Multiple tumours, venous invasion and impaired liver function were factors associated with recurrence. CONCLUSION: Large HCC had specific clinicopathological features. In selected patients, resection is safe and offers the chance of long-term disease-free survival.     

Increasing breast and cervical cancer screening in low-income women

Active cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was treated with an intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir implant. A total number of 19 implants were performed in 15 eyes of 9 AIDS patients. The intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir was effective in preventing reactivation of CMV retinitis in 15 of the 19 implants, ineffective in 3, and undetermined in 1. All ineffective cases had been resistant to ganciclovir therapy before the implants. Vision after the therapy was maintained at better than 0.5 except for one eye. There were no serious ocular complications caused by the therapy. Among 5 patients with unilateral CMV retinitis, 2 unaffected eyes developed CMV retinitis during this therapy. In addition, another patient developed presumed CMV infection in other systemic organs. Based on these data, the intraocular sustained-release ganciclovir implant was considered to be useful for the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS.     

Integrated optimal structural and vibration control design

An integrated design procedure which is composed of structural design, control design, and actuator locations design is proposed in this paper. First, a composite objective function, formed by a structural and a control objective, is optimized in steady state through the homogenization design method. Then an independent modal space control algorithm (IMSC) is performed on this optimal structure to reduce the dynamic response. Finally, to minimize the control force while still obtaining the same modal response for the controlled modes, the optimal choice for actuator locations is discussed.Part of this paper was presented in the First World Congress of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (held in Goslar, Germany, May 28–June 2, 1995).     

Optimal design of controlled structures

A formulation that finds the optimal design of a controlled structure is proposed. To achieve this goal, a composite objective composed of structural and control objectives is introduced to be optimized, and the effect of the control weighting is examined. A feedback control law is defined before the structural optimization and then the composite objective will only become a function of structural design variables. As a result, optimal structural design and control forces in steady state are obtained.Part of this paper was presented at WCSMO1 (First World Congress of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization), held in Goslar, Germany, May 28–June 2, 1995     

振兴三明地方水泥工业之我见

三明水泥行业经济效益连续两年大滑坡,造成滑坡的主要原因是价格太低,提出振兴的八点建议和三点教训。     

Nonradioactive Northern blotting with biotinylated and digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes

The application of nonradioactive RNA probes for Northern blotting offers the advantage of a rapid turn-around time for results without the loss of sensitivity for target mRNA detection. However, a problem that has impeded the widespread use of nonradioactive RNA probes for use in Northern blotting is the difficulty in stripping these probes from nylon membranes after hybridization. In this report we describe two protocols for stripping digoxigenin (Dig)-labeled RNA probes from nylon membranes. One protocol utilizes a phosphate-buffered formamide stripping solution to remove nonchemically modified (regular) RNA probes while the other method utilizes strippable probes that were produced with a chemically modified nucleotide (CTP) and removed by a specific stripping solution. This latter method was developed by Ambion Inc. and is called Strip-EZ. We also describe a protocol for the detection of two separate rat mRNAs using both biotin and digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes that does not require stripping the membrane after hybridization. Finally, we describe the use of another new labeling technology, called Chem-Link, that quickly and conveniently labels RNA for use in Northern blotting.     

Cost and cost-benefit of enteral nutrition

Enteral nutrition is a therapy provided routinely in the hospital, extended care, and home care settings for patients who are unable to maintain adequate oral nutrition yet have a functioning gastrointestinal tract. Information about the cost and effectiveness or benefits of enteral nutrition in the hospital and home care settings is important to know when making decisions about providing this therapy. This article discusses the methods used in cost analysis, explains the difference between cost and charges, and reviews the current information known about the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefits of enteral nutrition in the acute-care setting and at home.     

基于AUPF的TDOA几何定位跟踪算法研究

使用无源时差（TDOA）定位技术确定无人机等小型辐射源目标的位置是当前研究的热点,针对时差定位算法较为复杂的实际情况,推导了时差双曲线的几何解,并提出了一种基于自适应无迹粒子滤波（AUPF）技术的移动目标定位跟踪方法。通过仿真对该方法在不同场景的应用效果进行了验证,进一步比较分析了算法的定位精度。结果表明,基于自适应无迹粒子滤波的时差几何定位跟踪算法可以在多种情况下较好地拟合出目标真实运动轨迹,实现对运动目标的定位跟踪,同时拥有更低的定位误差和更高的轨迹包容度,使用该方法可以显著提高对非合作移动辐射源目标的位置估计性能。     

嵌入式三轴运动控制系统的以太网通信实现

研究了嵌入式三轴运动控制系统的以太网通信问题;采用LM3S9B92微控制器设计主控制器和各轴电动机控制器,通过移植实时操作系统μC/OS-Ⅱ和TCP/IP协议栈LwIP,实现主控制器与各轴电机控制器之间的信息交互;按电动机控制数据传输紧急程度要求不同,在以太网MAC层之上建立调度表,优先传输紧急数据,提高三轴运动控制系统实时性;实验结果表明嵌入式三轴运动控制系统实现了以太网数据的无差错传输,并且在重载情况下时间延迟大约为系统改进前的72%,改进了系统的实时性。     

微乳液泡沫驱油技术原理、挑战和研究进展

微乳液驱和泡沫驱是强化采油领域中的两个重要技术。前者利用表面活性剂形成油-水微乳液提高增溶能力,降低油水界面张力和毛细管阻力,从而提高驱替效率和微观采收率;后者利用泡沫剂将气体稳定地分散在水相中,在油藏孔隙中形成泡沫,封堵优势通道和已驱替区域,从而扩大波及体积并提高宏观采收率。通过综述两个技术的国内外发展历史和研究进展,阐明了其优势和局限性。近年来提出的微乳液泡沫驱油技术,又称为低张力泡沫驱,其既可以保留两个独立技术的优势,又可以克服他们的缺点,最终同时提高微观和宏观采收率。但是在实际研究中,微乳液泡沫驱技术却面临理论和应用上的双重挑战。通过调查国内外相关研究进展,详细阐述了微乳液泡沫驱技术目前面临的挑战、研发思路和研究建议。