No difference of complete or incomplete left-sided malignant colonic obstruction on both short- and long-term outcomes.

The impact of complete and incomplete colonic obstruction on the short- and long-term outcomes of malignant colorectal cancer has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a difference in the impacts of the 2 types of obstruction on the short- and long-term outcomes of colorectal resection. This study included 224 colorectal cancer patients (162 patients with incomplete obstruction and 62 with complete obstruction) with left-sided malignant colonic obstruction who underwent surgical therapy between February 2007 and September 2012. The short- and long-term outcomes of surgical therapy were analyzed. No significant difference was found between the 2 groups with regard to short-term outcomes such as the curative resection rate (80.86 vs 70.97%, P = 0.109), hospital stay time (24.20 ± 16.01 vs 24.19 ± 12.06, P = 0.999), and the overall and respective complications (32.72 vs 46.77%, P = 0.051). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the 2 groups with regard to long-term outcomes including the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates (P = 0.089), recurrence rates (P = 0.711), and recurrence-free survival rates (P = 0.440). The 2 types of obstruction, i.e., complete and incomplete left-sided malignant colonic obstruction, had no impact on the short- and long-term outcomes of colorectal resection. Similar therapeutic methods can be used for treating both types of obstruction.

Prolonged lung retention of 131I-HIPDM in smokers.

Thirty-five subjects were divided into 4 groups; the first group was composed of 8 healthy nonsmoking subjects; the second group included 8 healthy smokers; the third group included 12 nonsmoking patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema; the fourth group was composed of 7 smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema. N,N,N'-trimethyl-N'2-Hydroxy-3-Methyl-5-iodobenzyl-1,3-propanediamine iodine-131(HIPDM) was rapidly injected into the antecubital vein. The influence of 131I-HIPDM by lung clearance was analysed thought imaging of lung and ratio of prolongation of 131I-HIPDM in the lung. Prolongation of 131I-HIPDM in the lung was shown in the smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema in 60 minutes, and the healthy smokers, smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary emphysema in the 24 hours after the injection of 131I-HIPDM. Smoking is an important factor of disturbance of lung clearance.

[Determination of plasma endothelin-1 in aged patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in its clinical significance].

The levels of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) were determined by radioimmunoassay in 25 aged healty men and 88 aged patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at different stages. The results showed that plasma ET-1 levels of stable patients with COPD did not significantly change, but it were significantly higher during attacks than that in healthy subjects; The levels of plasma ET-1 in the patients with cor pulmonale were significantly higher than those in the healthy and COPD patients. Plasma ET-1 levels of patients with cor pulmonale at acute exacerbation stage were the highest in all groups. It was demonstrated that ET-1 correlated negatively to PaO2 and PH and correlated positively to PaCO2 and blood creatinine. This study suggested that the elevation of ET-1 level may contribute to the pathophysiological changes in patients with COPD and cor pulmonale.

Pulmonary function in patients with pleural effusion of varying magnitude and fibrothorax.

Pulmonary function was studied in sixty patients with pleural effusion and seventy patients with fibrothorax. The patients with pleural effusion were divided into three groups according to the extent of the effusion. The patients were submitted to spirometry and arterial blood gas analysis. The effects of pleural effusion on pulmonary function is evaluated with regards to the size of effusion. Small-size pleural effusion little affects arterial oxygen tension. Pleural effusion and fibrothorax have a similar pattern of pulmonary function.

Pulmonary function in the patients submitted to lung exeresis.

The effects of lung surgery on respiratory function were investigated in 80 patients; 17 patients were submitted to left pneumonectomy (LPN); 11 patients were submitted to right pneumonectomy (RPN); 7 patients underwent a left upper lobectomy (LUL); 16 patients a left lower lobectomy (LLL); 17 patients were submitted to right upper lobectomy (RUL); 12 patients underwent right lower lobectomy (RLL). All patients were submitted to spirometry and arterial blood gas analysis. The effects of lung surgery on respiratory function depends upon the extent of the resected tissue.

Prospective studies on nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Epstein-Barr virus IgA/VCA antibody-positive persons in Wuzhou City, China.

A serological mass survey was carried out in Wuzhou City in 1980, 1,136 IgA/VCA-positive persons being followed up for 4 years. Altogether 35 NPC cases were detected, of which 15 (43%) were in stage I and 17 (48.5%) in stage II, early cases (I + II) thus amounting to 91.5%. The detection rate of early cases was 2.9 times higher than in our outpatient clinic. IgA/VCA antibody could be detected 16-41 months prior to clinical diagnosis of NPC. We conclude that, if IgA/VCA-positive individuals are examined routinely once a year, NPC can be detected in the early stages of evolution. The annual detection rate of NPC in IgA/VCA antibody-positive individuals was 31.7 times higher than that of the annual incidence of NPC in the general population in the same age group, while during the 4-year follow-up period the incidence was 7.5 times higher than in the general population for the same age group. These results further indicate that EB virus plays an important role in the development of NPC, and that serological screening and follow-up studies are valuable for the early detection of NPC.