The response of Pyropia haitanensis to inorganic arsenic under laboratory culture.

Up to now, complicated organoarsenicals were mainly identified in marine organisms, suggesting that these organisms play a critical role in arsenic biogeochemical cycling because of low phosphate and relatively high arsenic concentration in the marine environment. However, the response of marine macroalgae to inorganic arsenic remains unknown. In this study, Pyropia haitanensis were exposed to arsenate [As(V)] (0.1, 1, 10, 100 µM) or arsenite [As(III)] (0.1, 1, 10 µM) under laboratory conditions for 3 d. The species of water-soluble arsenic, the total concentration of lipid-soluble and cell residue arsenic of the algae cells was analyzed. As(V) was mainly transformed into oxo-arsenosugar-phosphate, with other arsenic compounds such as monomethylated, As(III), demethylated arsenic and oxo-arsenosugar-glycerol being likely the intermediates of arsenosugar synthesis. When high concentration of As(III) was toxic to P. haitanensis, As(III) entered into the cells and was transformed into less toxic organoarsenicals and As(V). Transcriptome results showed genes involved in DNA replication, mismatch repair, base excision repair, and nucleotide excision repair were up-regulated in the algae cells exposed to 10 µM As(V), and multiple genes involved in glutathione metabolism and photosynthetic were up-regulated by 1 µM As(III). A large number of ABC transporters were down-regulated by As(V) while ten genes related to ABC transporters were up-regulated by As(III), indicating that ABC transporters were involved in transporting As(III) to vacuoles in algae cells. These results indicated that P. haitanensis detoxifies inorganic arsenic via transforming them into organoarsenicals and enhancing the isolation of highly toxic As(III) in vacuoles.

Resection of pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon in radical gastrectomy and its clinical significance / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical significance of resection of the pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon in radical gastrectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2007 and July 2008, a total of 213 gastric cancer patients enrolled in the study. These patients were randomly assigned into two groups: 105 in group R and 108 in group N. Only in group R were the pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon resected during radical gastrectomy. The pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon were histologically analyzed for metastasis. The data including blood loss during operations, number of dissected lymph nodes and postoperative complications were analyzed in both groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences between the two groups in blood loss during operation and postoperative complications, but the differences in operation time and number of dissected lymph nodes between the two groups were significant. Metastases to the pancreatic capsule and/or anterior layer of transverse mesocolon were diagnosed in nine (8.6%) patients of group R. The metastases to the pancreatic capsule and/or anterior layer of transverse mesocolon were found to be associated with tumor invasion depth, anterior or posterior gastric wall, clinical staging and perigastric lymph node metastasis extent (P<0.05), but not with age, gender, tumor location, size, Borrmann type and pathological classification (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Resection of pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon in group R does not increase postoperative complications in comparison with group N. The resection is beneficial to the patients with advanced gastric cancer staging relatively late because of potential metastasis to pancreatic capsule and anterior layer of transverse mesocolon.</p>

Clinical management of abdominal trauma / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To improve the prognosis of patients with abdominal trauma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 1993 and December 2005, 415 patients were enrolled in this research. The patients consisted of 347 males and 68 females with mean age of 36 years (ranging from 3-82 years). All abdominal traumas consisted of closed traumas (360 cases, 86.7%) and open traumas (55 cases, 13.3%).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 407 cases (98.1%) were fully recovered from trauma and the other 8 cases (1.9%) died of multiple injuries. The mean injury severity score (ISS) of all patients was 22 while the mean ISS of the patients who died in hospital was 42. Postoperative complications were seen in 9 patients such as infection of incisional wounds (6 cases), pancreatic fistula (2 cases) and intestinal fistula (1 case). All these postoperative complications were cured by the conservative treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Careful case history inquisition and physical examination are the basic methods to diagnose abdominal trauma. Focused abdominal ultrasonography is always the initial imaging examination because it is non-invasive and can be performed repeatedly with high accuracy. The doctors should consider the severity of local injuries and the general status of patients during the assessment of abdominal trauma. The principle of treatment is to save lives at first, then to cure the injuries. Unnecessary laparotomy should be avoided to reduce additional surgical trauma.</p>