Short-term results of scleral intraocular lens fixation in children

PURPOSE: To study the safety and efficacy of scleral intraocular lens (IOL) fixation in children. SETTING: A university practice. METHODS: This retrospective review evaluated the results and complications in 6 consecutive eyes of 3 children who had anterior vitrectomy, with or without lensectomy, and scleral IOL fixation to correct ectopia lentis or aphakia. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 17.3 months (range 13 to 21 months), all eyes had a stable and well-positioned posterior chamber IOL and good visual improvement. The only complication was asymptomatic pupillary capture of the IOL in 3 eyes. Reversal of the pupillary capture was achieved by pupil dilation with the patient in a supine position. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results of scleral IOL fixation in children are encouraging. The procedure's application in well-selected cases can be considered. However, its long-term safety and efficacy must be further assessed through studies with larger sample sizes and a longer follow-up.     

A cystic fibrosis handbook for teachers

Hope is an important concept to nursing. It is a powerful human response seen in every age group, across all demographic lines, and within all health care settings. Hope is a component of virtually every nurse-patient relationship developed in every field of nursing. Nowhere is the significance of hope more visible than in the home care setting. Whether it is a hospice visit or a postpartum follow-up visit with a new mother and infant, the home care nurse instinctively searches for evidence of hope in the patient and his or her support system. Hope has long been recognized by nurses as not only valuable but also essential to health.     

Telomerase activity and telomere lengths in various cell lines: changes of telomerase activity can be another method for chemosensitivity evaluation

For the cancer cells which have overcome the second mitotic clock (M2), activated telomerase is essential and used as another marker of immortality. Many trials had been initiated to target telomerase, which is known to be specific to tumors. To determine the best in vitro cell system for testing the efficacy of telomerase inhibitors, we evaluated the telomerase activity of various cancer cell lines and measured their telomere lengths. We also treated some cancer cell lines with adriamycin and measured the changes of telomerase activity. Telomerase activity was evaluated in various cell lines with the TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomerase activity was calculated and translated into arbitrary units by computer-assisted densitometry with the control of telomerase activity in the 293 control cell line. Also, terminal restriction fragment lengths were measured using Southern blotting. We also measured telomerase activity and telomere lengths in 11 benign breast tumor tissues and 19 paired stomach cancer and normal tissues. Cancer cell lines treated with adriamycin we evaluated for changes of telomerase activity and the cell proliferation by MTT assay and dye exclusion test. Telomerase activity of cell lines was 95.3 24.1 unit with a range of 27.6-129.6 unit, while the telomere lengths of those cell lines were variable from 5.0 to 10.4 kbp with a median of 6 kbp. In 11 cancer cell lines which were not yet firmly established, we could not detect any telomerase activity. Low telomerase activity was detected in only 2 benign tumor tissues of breast with a median telomere length of 8.8 (7-10.5) kbp. Among paired 19 gastric cancer and normal tissues, only 7 cancer tissues showed weak telomerase activity. After adriamycin treatment, telomerase activity in YCC-S-1, YCC-S-3, MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR was decreased in accordance with the changes of the cell numbers. Telomerase is specific to cancer tissues and is expressed differently from organ to organ. Telomerase activity by TRAP assay could be used as a chemosensitivity assay.     

Curcumin induces apoptosis in immortalized NIH 3T3 and malignant cancer cell lines

Curcumin, which is a widely used dietary pigment and spice, has been demonstrated to be an effective inhibitor of tumor promotion in mouse skin carcinogenesis. We report that curcumin induces cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, and DNA fragmentation, characteristics of apoptosis, in immortalized mouse embryo fibroblast NIH 3T3 erb B2 oncogene-transformed NIH 3T3, mouse sarcoma S180, human colon cancer cell HT-29, human kidney cancer cell 293, and human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep G2 cells, but not in primary culture of mouse embryonic fibroblast C3H 10T1/2, rat embryonic fibroblast, and human foreskin fibroblast cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Many cellular and biochemical effects of curcumin in mouse fibroblast cells have been reported, such as inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) activity induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, inhibition of tyrosine protein kinase activity, and inhibition of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. Treatment of NIH 3T3 cells with the PKC inhibitor staurosporine, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A, and the AA metabolism inhibitor quinacrine induces apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that, in some immortalized and transformed cells, blocking the cellular signal transduction might trigger the induction of apoptosis.     

Serum endothelin and atrial natriuretic peptide in cirrhotic patients with ascites and hepatorenal syndrome

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of cirrhotic ascites and hepatorenal syndrome remains unresolved. The involvement of both endothelin-1 and atrial natriuretic peptide have recently been suggested. This study investigated the concentrations of serum endothelin and atrial natriuretic peptide in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Seven healthy subjects and 31 cirrhotic patients were studied. Cirrhotic patients were divided into three groups: Group I, 16 cirrhotic patients without ascites; Group II, 10 cirrhotic patients with ascites, but without hepatorenal syndrome; and Group III, five cirrhotic patients with hepatorenal syndrome and ascites. Their sera were analyzed for endothelin-1 and atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations. RESULTS: Cirrhotic patients with ascites, Group II and Group III, had higher plasma endothelin-1 concentrations (15.9 +/- 2.3 pg/ml and 24 +/- 2.1 pg/ml, respectively) than normal subjects and compensated cirrhotics (3.8 +/- 0.7 pg/ml and 6.4 +/- 1.1 pg/ml, respectively); p < 0.001). Atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations were also significantly higher in cirrhotic patients than in normal subjects (p < 0.025). Plasma endothelin-1 concentration had a negative correlation with creatinine clearance (r = -0.65, p < 0.001), as did atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations (r = -0.44, p = 0.012). Plasma endothelin-1 correlated significantly with atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations (r = 0.38, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Both endothelin-1 and atrial natriuretic peptide concentrations were elevated in cirrhotic patients with ascites and hepatorenal syndrome. Endothelin-1 may have a negative impact on renal function. Our data also suggested that impaired responsiveness rather than impaired secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide is responsible for sodium retention in cirrhotic patients with ascites.     

Determination of ceftiofur and its desfuroylceftiofur-related metabolites in swine tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography

2- and 4-Nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranosides (4 and 5) were transformed, via dibutyltin oxidemediated acylation, into the corresponding 2,3-di-O-benzoyl derivatives 11 and 15. Xylobiose and xylotriose were easily isolated by charcoal column chromatography from a commercially available material and converted into the di- and trisaccharide methyl 1-thio-beta-glycosides 36 and 37. The 2-and 4-nitrophenyl beta-glycosides of the beta-(1-->4)-D-xylo-oligosaccharides of dp 2-4 were synthesized by N-iodosuccinimide-silver triflate-promoted condensation using 11 and 15 as the glycosyl acceptors and ethyl 1-thio-beta-D-xylopyranoside triacetate 16, 36, and 37 as the glycosyl donors. Also described are an improved preparation of 4 and 5, and the synthesis of 1-naphthyl beta-D-xylopyranoside, as well as an alternative approach to the 2- and 4-nitrophenyl beta-xylobiosides.     

Performance predictions and topology improvements for optical serrodyne comb generators

Detailed simulations identify which optical components affect the performance of a radio frequency (RF) and optical comb generator based on an optical loop with a phase modulator. The simulations suggest that the topology of the loop can be modified to give a flatter RF spectrum and a greater resilience to fluctuations in the optical phase length of the loop. Furthermore, a method of filtering the laser's output to reduce the noise floor of the RF comb is proposed and verified. The simulations show that the linewidth of the source is critical to good performance, as are the quality of the sawtooth and the short-term phase stability of the loop. However, the amplified spontaneous emission noise (ASE) from the optical amplifier within the loop is relatively unimportant.     

Comparison of professional judgment versus an algorithm for nutrition status classification

OBJECTIVES: The classification of a patient's nutrition status is important for identifying patients who require nutrition care, for designing effective nutrition interventions, and for measuring severity of illness. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of two variants of the Department of Veterans Affairs' nutrition status classification: professional judgment versus an algorithm. METHODS: The study consisted of two phases, both of which included providing a sample of approximately 60 registered dietitians and 60 clinical dietetic technicians with data on 16 (phase I) and 20 (phase II) patients, to which they assigned nutrition statuses using both professional judgment and the algorithm. Improvements in instructions and training were implemented between the two phases. Interrater reliability of the responses was calculated, and content validity was measured by comparing the staff's responses with those of an expert panel. RESULTS: Reliability improved significantly between phases for both professional judgment and the algorithm. Greater reliability and validity were observed with use of the algorithm, by both dietitians and technicians, during both phases. CONCLUSION: Classification of a patient's nutrition status is important in the delivery of cost-effective health care. The Department of Veterans Affairs' nutrition status classification is a good one for assessing nutrition status quickly and reliably, especially when an algorithm is used. The results underscore the advantages of a classification system based on an algorithm when the system is designed to be used by many different staff across multiple facilities.