Fresh Washed Microbiota Transplantation Alters Gut Microbiota Metabolites to Ameliorate Sleeping Disorder Symptom of Autistic Children

Accumulating studies have raised concerns about gut dysbiosis associating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its related symptoms. However, the effect of gut microbiota modification on the Chinese ASD population and its underlying mechanism were still elusive. Herein, we enrolled 24 ASD children to perform the first course of fresh washed microbiota transplantation (WMT), 18 patients decided to participate the second course, 13 of which stayed to participate the third course, and there were 8 patients at the fourth course. Then we evaluated the effects of fresh WMT on these patients and their related symptoms. Our results found that the sleeping disorder symptom was positively interrelated to ASD, fresh WMT significantly alleviated ASD and its sleeping disorder and constipation symptoms. In addition, WMT stably and continuously downregulated Bacteroides/Flavonifractor/Parasutterella while upregulated Prevotella_9 to decrease toxic metabolic production and improve detoxification by regulating glycolysis/myo-inositol/D-glucuronide/D-glucarate degradation, L-1,2-propanediol degradation, fatty acid β-oxidation. Thus, our results suggested that fresh WMT moderated gut microbiome to improve the behavioral and sleeping disorder symptoms of ASD via decrease toxic metabolic production and improve detoxification. Which thus provides a promising gut ecological strategy for ASD children and its related symptoms treatments.

[The perforator flap of ipsilateral nasolabial sulcus used to repair the defect after the eradication of nasal vestibular squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of only surgical resection for nasal vestibular squamous cell carcinoma and the efficacy of perforator flap of ipsilateral nasolabial sulcus in repairing postoperative defects. Methods: The clinical data of 8 cases with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal vestibule who admitted to Department of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University were analyzed, including 6 males and 2 females, aged from 38 to 75 years. The tumor of the nasal vestibule was eradicated in time after making definite diagnosis of lesions, then the perforators flap of the ipsilateral nasolabial sulcus was used for repairment, without performing further chemotherapy or radiotherapy after surgery. The tumor recurrence, facial appearance, nostril form, donor area scar, nasal ventilation function, and cutaneous sensation were evaluated after surgery. Descriptive analysis was used in this research. Results: There were 2 cases of stage T1 and 6 cases of stage T2 in 8 cases. After 32 to 45 months of following-up, no recurrence accurred and all the flaps survived well. However, there was about 2 mm necrosis of the transplanted flap in the lateral foot of the alar in one case, which was healed well by carrying out wound care after 10 d. And the dark color flap was occurred in another case, showing the flap's backflow trouble, yet it was improved with addressing timely during 5 d postoperation. Pincusion-like deformity of the transplanted flap occurred in 4 cases (50%), which subsided gradually after 6 months. The morphology of the anterior nostril was altered in 4 cases (50%), but there was no ventilation trouble and no need for addressment in any case. The postoperative facial appearance was rated as excellentor good with hidden scar in the donor site, and the sensation of the transplanted flaps was indistinct from the surrounding tissue after 3 months. Conclusions: Surgical resection of nasal vestibular squamous cell carcinoma with tumor stage T1-2 is a feasible treatment. And it is the one of the best reconstructive methods of the perforator flap of the ipsilateral nasolabial sulcus to repair the deformities after the surgery.

Group delay of electromagnetic pulses through multilayer dielectric mirrors combined with gravitational wave

Group delay of electromagnetic pulses through multilayer dielectric mirrors (MDM) combined with gravitational wave (GW) is investigated. Unlike in traditional quantum tunneling, the group delay of a transmitted wave packet irradiated by a GW increases linearly with MDM length. This peculiar tunneling effect can be attributed to electromagnetic wave leakage in a time-dependent photonic bandgap caused by the GW. In particular, we find that the group delay of the tunneling photons is sensitive to GW. Our study provides insight into the nature of the quantum tunnelling as well as a novel process by which to detect the GW.

Women's preference for caesarean section: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

The striking increase in caesarean section rates in middle- and high-income countries has been partly attributed to maternal request. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of women's preferences for caesarean section.

OBJECTIVES

To review the published literature on women's preferences for caesarean section.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS and PsychINFO was performed. References of all included articles were examined.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included studies that quantitatively evaluated women's preferences for caesarean section in any country. We excluded articles assessing health providers' preferences and qualitative studies.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two reviewers independently screened abstracts of all identified citations, selected potentially eligible studies, and assessed their full-text versions. We conducted a meta-analysis of proportions, and a meta-regression analysis to determine variables significantly associated with caesarean section preference.

MAIN RESULTS

Thirty-eight studies were included (n = 19,403). The overall pooled preference for caesarean section was 15.6% (95% CI 12.5-18.9). Higher preference for caesarean section was reported in women with a previous caesarean section versus women without a previous caesarean section (29.4%; 95% CI 24.4-34.8 versus 10.1%; 95% CI 7.5-13.1), and those living in a middle-income country versus a high-income country (22.1%; 95% CI 17.6-26.9 versus 11.8%; 95% CI 8.9-15.1).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Only a minority of women in a wide variety of countries expressed a preference for caesarean delivery. Further research is needed to better estimate the contribution of women's demand to the rising caesarean section rates.

The epidemiology of giant cell arteritis : a 12-year retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To study the incidence of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a Hispanic population with clinical features suggestive of GCA.

DESIGN

Retrospective review.

PARTICIPANTS

Records of 121 consecutive patients who underwent temporal artery biopsy at the Doheny Eye Institute and the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Hospital from January 1986 through April 1998 were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The incidence of biopsy-proven GCA was determined, and the biopsy-positive group was compared with the biopsy-negative group. Study variables included age at diagnosis, gender, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and ethnic background.

RESULTS

Among these 121 patients who underwent temporal artery biopsy, the mean age of those in the biopsy-positive group (75.2 +/- 5.0 years) was higher than that of those in the biopsy-negative group (69.1 +/- 9.2 years; P < 0.0001). There was no statistical correlation between biopsy-positive and biopsy-negative groups for gender or ESR level, but ESR was statistically significant for whites when we controlled for race. Nineteen of 66 white patients (29%) had positive biopsy results, whereas only 1 of the 9 Asian patients (11%) none of the 40 Hispanic patients (0%; P < 0.0001) and none of the 6 African American patients (0%) had positive biopsy results.

CONCLUSIONS

Giant cell arteritis occurs primarily in the white population. None of the Hispanic patients in our study was found to have positive biopsy results. Hispanic persons may have unknown factors that protect them from this disease. Further study is necessary to examine the genetic predisposition.

[A study on resorbable local metronidazol delivery devices]

A local metronidazol (MTZ) delivery using resorbable base material was studied. In vitro MTZ was almost completely released within 24 hrs from the hydroxypropylmethyl cellullouse(HPMC) strips.In vivo,release of the drug strips was also measured in six patients who had deep pockets of more than 5mm.MTZ-containing HPMC strip was inserted in the pocket.The average amount of MTZ in the gingival crevicalar fluid(GCF) 24 hrs after insertion of strip was 40microg/ml.(much higher than the reported MIC of some microorganisms associated with adult periodontitis).In vitro there were significant inhibitory effects of MTZ containing strips on the microorganisms associated with periodontal disease.The prevalence of spirochetes and motil rods,and gingival index(GI) was remarkably reduced in the MTZ administered pockets,It is suggest that this new direct drug delivery system with HPMC used as base material could be used to treat periodontal disease.

Development of cholinesterase histochemical staining in cerebellar cortex: transient expression of "nonspecific" cholinesterase in Purkinje cells of the nodulus and uvula

Patterns of "nonspecific" cholinesterase (ChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were studied in developing rat cerebellar cortex by enzyme histochemistry and light and electron microscopy. Three types of ChE histochemical reaction product were observed in cerebellar cortex: (i) ChE is found in capillary endothelium throughout the cerebellum. Capillary ChE staining is present by the time of birth and continues into adulthood. (ii) ChE is found in radial glial fibers and their parent cell bodies, the Golgi epithelial cells. Radial glial fiber staining is mot intense during the first 3 weeks of postnatal life. (iii) ChE is found in Purkinje cells of the nodulus and ventral uvula. No ChE staining of Purkinje cells was seen in other parts of the cerebellum. ChE staining of Purkinje cells appears to be transient, first appearing at Postnatal Day 2 (P2), reaching peak intensity at P7-9, and decreasing to adult levels by P16. AChE activity displays a pattern markedly different from ChE, with staining in deep cerebellar nuclei, in putative mossy fiber terminals, and in Golgi neurons of cerebellar cortex. No evidence was found for transient AChE staining in Purkinje cells in any part of the cerebellum. The function of transiently expressed ChE activity in developing Purkinje neurons is unknown, but may be related to reorganization of cerebellar cortical circuitry associated with growth of mossy fiber afferents.

Distribution of 'non-specific' cholinesterase histochemical staining in the dorsal thalamus: a comparative study in rodents

Histochemical studies in rat dorsal thalamus demonstrate that 'non-specific' cholinesterase (ChE) enzyme activity is characteristic of neurons of the anterior dorsal (AD) and reuniens (Re) nuclei and in a cell group found as part of the central lateral (CL) and lateral dorsal (LD) nuclei. Extra-somatal ChE staining also is seen in the anterior ventral (AV) nucleus. Parallel histochemical studies in other rodents reveal slight ChE activity in neurons of the mouse AD and LD, but not in other thalamic nuclei. The dorsal thalami of hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs show no detectable cellular staining of ChE, although low levels of extra-somatal ChE appear in AV and the internal medullary lamina. These data indicate that 'non-specific' cholinesterase activity is not found commonly in neurons of the dorsal thalamus and prominent ChE staining may be unique to the laboratory rat.

Changes in glutathione content and resistance to anticancer agents in human stomach cancer cells induced by treatments with melphalan in vitro

A clone of a human gastric carcinoma cell line was used to determine whether cells which had survived a treatment with Melphalan would express altered survival responses when treated again with this agent 1 week or more later. Cells were treated for 1 h each week with 2 micrograms/ml (99% lethal dose). After the first Melphalan treatment, the cells exhibited a 10-fold reduction in sensitivity to Melphalan. This was preceded by a 2-fold increase in intracellular glutathione content. By the end of 10 weekly treatments, the cells were 50 times more resistant than controls (based on changes in survival fractions). They also demonstrated collateral resistance to Actinomycin D, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea, galactitol, and X-rays, but showed no change in sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil, bleomycin, and Adriamycin. The resistance to Melphalan was not reversible when treatment was withheld for 4 weeks on two different occasions. The results suggest that treatment with a high dose of Melphalan either selects an existing population of cells with a high GSH content or induces mutations leading to increased GSH content or both, and this results in the expression of greater Melphalan resistance at the time of other treatments. Furthermore, Melphalan treatment stimulates a 50% increase in GSH content in resistant cells in just 6 h, an 85% increase in 36 h, and a 150% increase in 72 h. L-Buthionine sulfoximine partially reversed the expression of resistance to Melphalan by inducing a 60% reduction in intracellular glutathione content.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology of superficial lymph nodes: comparative with histopathology

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology was done in 215 lymph nodes involving cervical, submandibular, supraclavicular, axillary and inguinal regions. One hundred and forty of these were diagnosed by histopathology after excisional biopsy or surgery, including 46 cases of metastatic tumor, 57 of lymphoma (46 were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 11 were Hodgkin's disease), and 37 of benign lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis of metastatic malignancy was easily made by aspiration biopsy cytology with a total sensitivity of 95.7% (44/46). The diagnosis of lymphoma was less satisfactory with a total sensitivity of 82.5% (47/57). The specificity for diagnosis of benign lymphadenopathy was 97.3% (36/37) with one false positive. The concordance of cell type in aspiration biopsy cytology and histopathology was 75% (33/44) in metastatic malignancy, and 73.5% (28/38) in lymphoma. Typical Reed-Sternberg giant cells were detected in 4 of 11 cases of Hodgkin's disease by aspiration cytology. Out of the 37 cases of benign lymphadenopathy diagnosed by aspiration cytology, 7 were cases of tuberculous lymphadenitis, of which typical Langhans' giant cells were found in 2, and acid fast stain bacilli in 3 cases. There was no complication or needle tract spreading throughout the procedure. We concluded that aspiration biopsy cytology is a simple, safe, reliable, and quick diagnostic method.

An interactive program to calculate the treatment time for 60Co single beam, opposing beam, and rotational beam radiation therapy

An interactive computer program for calculating treatment times for 60Co single beam, opposing beam, or rotational beam radiation therapy is described. The program allows the user to enter parameters specific to his machine. Analytic expressions are used to represent the depth dose, backscatter factor, tissue-air ratio, collimator factor, and beam attenuation of a block-carrying tray.

Confirmation of a speculation concerning average tissue-air ratio determinations for rotational Co-60 radiation therapy treatment planning

The question of the number of radii which are necessary to accurately determine the average tissue-air ratio (TAR) to be used in 60Co rotational radiation therapy treatment planning was studied using actual patient contours. It was found that 12 radii adequately determine the average TAR for clinical purposes.