Role of autophagy-related protein in the prognosis of combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma after surgical resection.

BACKGROUND: Autophagy-related proteins may predict postresection overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC). METHODS: We prospectively investigated how these proteins affect clinical prognosis in 40 patients who underwent hepatectomy for cHCC-CC from 2011 to 2019 at a Taiwanese hospital. Levels of autophagy-related proteins, namely LC3, Beclin-1, and p62, were immunohistochemically assessed in patient tumor and non-tumor tissues. RESULTS: We noted that LC3 expression was significantly correlated with mild clinicopathological characteristics, including macrovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, American Joint Committee on Cancer and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stages, recurrence, and mortality. Ten patient showed tumor recurrence, and 15 patients died. Postresection 5-year OS and DFS rates were 43.7 and 57.4%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that high intratumoral LC3 expression was significantly associated with improved OS [hazard ratio (HR; 95% confidence interval (CI)): (1.68-26.9), p = 0.007], but multiple tumors and microvascular invasion was significantly correlated with poor OS [HR (95% CI): 0.03 (0.01-0.34), p = 0.004, and 0.07 (0.01-0.46), p = 0.006, respectively]. Furthermore, high LC3 expression and cirrhosis had improved DFS [HR (95% CI): 51.3 (2.85-922), p = 0.008, and 17.9 (1.05-306), p = 0.046, respectively]. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were respectively 61.2 and 74.6% in high LC3 expression patients and 0 and 0% in those with low LC3 expression. CONCLUSION: High LC3 expression in tumors is significantly associated with mild clinicopathological characteristics and favorable clinical prognosis in patients with cHCC-CC after resection.

Clinical features and outcomes of combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma versus hepatocellular carcinoma versus cholangiocarcinoma after surgical resection: a propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is an infrequent type of primary liver cancer that comprises hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC). This study investigated the clinicopathological features and prognosis among cHCC-CC, HCC, and CC groups. METHODS: We prospectively collected the data of 608 patients who underwent surgical resection for liver cancer between 2011 and 2018 at E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Overall, 505 patients with cHCC-CC, HCC, and CC were included, and their clinicopathological features, overall survival (OS), and recurrence were recorded. OS and recurrence rates were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: In the entire cohort, the median age was 61 years and 80% were men. Thirty-five (7.0%) had cHCC-CC, 419 (82.9%) had HCC, and 51 (10.1%) had CC. The clinicopathological features of the cHCC-CC group were more identical to those of the HCC group than the CC group. OS was significantly lower in the cHCC-CC group than in the HCC group but was not significantly higher in the cHCC-CC group than in the CC group. The median OS of cHCC-CC, HCC, and CC groups was 50.1 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 38.7-61.2], 62.3 months (CI: 42.1-72.9), and 36.2 months (CI: 15.4-56.5), respectively. Cumulative OS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years in cHCC-CC, HCC, and CC groups were 88.5%, 62.2%, and 44.0%; 91.2%, 76.1%, and 68.0%; and 72.0%, 48.1%, and 34.5%, respectively. After propensity score matching (PSM), OS in the cHCC-CC group was not significantly different from that in the HCC or CC group. However, OS was significantly higher in the HCC group than in the CC group before and after PSM. Furthermore, the disease-free survival was not significantly different among cHCC-CC, HCC, and CC groups before and after PSM. CONCLUSION: The clinicopathological features of the cHCC-CC group were more identical to those of the HCC group than the CC group. The OS rate was significantly lower in the cHCC-CC group than the HCC group. However, after PSM, OS and disease-free survival in the cHCC-CC group were not significantly different from those in the HCC or CC group.

Surgical resection significantly promotes the overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of surgical resection (SR) for various Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. We investigated the risk factors of overall survival (OS) and survival benefits of SR over nonsurgical treatments in patients with HCC of various BCLC stages. METHODS: Overall, 2316 HCC patients were included, and their clinicopathological data and OS were recorded. OS was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed. RESULTS: In total, 66 (2.8%), 865 (37.4%), 575 (24.8%) and 870 (35.0%) patients had BCLC stage 0, A, B, and C disease, respectively. Furthermore, 1302 (56.2%) of all patients, and 37 (56.9%), 472 (54.6%), 313 (54.4%) and 480 (59.3%) of patients with BCLC stage 0, A, B, and C disease, respectively, died. The median follow-up duration time was 20 (range 0-96) months for the total cohort and was subdivided into 52 (8-96), 32 (1-96), 19 (0-84), and 12 (0-79) months for BCLC stages 0, A, B, and C cohorts, respectively. The risk factors for OS were (1) SR and cirrhosis; (2) SR, cirrhosis, and Child-Pugh (C-P) class; (3) SR, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and C-P class; and (4) SR, HBV infection, and C-P class for the BCLC stage 0, A, B, and C cohorts, respectively. Compared to non-SR treatment, SR resulted in significantly higher survival rates in all cohorts. The 5-year OS rates for SR vs. non-SR were 44.0% versus 28.7%, 72.2% versus 42.6%, 42.6% versus 36.2, 44.6% versus 23.5%, and 41.4% versus 15.3% (all P values < 0.05) in the total and BCLC stage 0, A, B, and C cohorts, respectively. After PSM, SR resulted in significantly higher survival rates compared to non-SR treatment in various BCLC stages. CONCLUSIONS: SR conferred significant survival benefits to patients with HCC of various BCLC stages and should be considered a recommended treatment for select HCC patients, especially patients with BCLC stage B and C disease.

Use of Neonatal Lung Ultrasound for the Early Detection of Pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVE: Pneumothorax (PTX) can be diagnosed using lung ultrasonography (LUS) in adult patients, but there are only a few reports of LUS in PTX diagnosis in neonates. The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy for PTX. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective review study performed in our neonatal intensive care unit (level III) between June 2015 and June 2018. All eligible patients underwent an LUS scan before undergoing a chest X-ray (CXR), which was considered the reference standard. When a diagnosis of PTX was inconsistent between LUS and CXR, a chest computed tomography (CT) scan or chest drain was considered the gold standard. RESULTS: Among 86 infants included in the study, 30 (34.9%) were diagnosed with PTX. In these 30 infants, 35 PTXs were detected by bedside LUS (five bilateral PTXs). Moreover, 11 infants with 14 PTXs were diagnosed only by LUS and were missed by CXR. Out of these 11 infants, 7 underwent a CT scan, whereas the remaining 4 underwent thoracentesis that confirmed PTX diagnosis. CONCLUSION: In neonates with PTX, LUS was more sensitive and specific for the early detection of PTX compared with CXR.

Posttraumatic growth and demoralization after cancer: The effects of patients' meaning-making.

OBJECTIVE: It is common for patients to experience positive and negative psychological changes (e.g., posttraumatic growth or demoralization) after being diagnosed with cancer. Although demoralization and posttraumatic growth are both related to meaning-making, little attention has been paid to the associations among these concepts. The current study investigated the relationship between demoralization, posttraumatic growth, and meaning-making (focusing on sense-making and benefit-finding during the experience of illness) in cancer patients. METHOD: Some 200 cancer patients (with lung cancer, lymphoma, or leukemia) at the MacKay Memorial Hospital in New Taipei completed the Demoralization Scale-Mandarin Version (DS-MV), the Chinese Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (CPTGI), and a self-designed questionnaire for assessing sense-making and benefit-finding. RESULTS: Demoralization was negatively correlated with posttraumatic growth, sense-making, benefit-finding, and time-since-diagnosis. Multiple regression analysis showed that meaning-making had different effects on demoralization and posttraumatic growth. The interactions of sense-making with either benefit-finding or time-since-diagnosis significantly predicted demoralization. Individuals with relatively higher sense-making and benefit-finding or shorter time-since-diagnosis experienced less demoralization. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The suffering of cancer may turn on the psychological process of demoralization, posttraumatic growth, and meaning-making in patients. Cancer patients who evidenced higher posttraumatic growth experienced less demoralization. Trying to identify positive changes in the experience of cancer may be a powerful way to increase posttraumatic growth. As time goes by, patients experienced less demoralization. Facilitating sense-making can have similar effects. Cancer patients with less benefit-finding experience higher demoralization, but sense-making buffers this effect.

A correlational study of suicidal ideation with psychological distress, depression, and demoralization in patients with cancer.

PURPOSE: This study aims to study the effects of depression and demoralization on suicidal ideation and to determine the feasibility of the Distress Thermometer as a screening tool for patients with cancer who experience depression and demoralization, and thus to establish a model screening process for suicide prevention. METHODS: Purposive sampling was used to invite inpatients and outpatients with lung cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma. Two hundred participants completed the questionnaire, which included the Distress Thermometer (DT), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Demoralization Scale-Mandarin Version (DS-MV), and Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. All data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and SAS 9.3. RESULTS: Tobit regression analysis showed that demoralization influenced suicidal ideation more than depression did (t = 2.84, p < 0.01). When PHQ-9 ≥ 10 and DS-MV ≥42 were used as criteria for the DT, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the AUC values were 0.77-0.79, with optimal cutoff points for both of DT ≥5; sensitivity 76.9 and 80.6 %, respectively; and specificity of 73.9 and 72.2 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Demoralization had more influence on suicidal ideation than depression did. Therefore, attention should be paid to highly demoralized patients with cancer or high demoralization comorbid with depression for the purposes of suicide evaluation and prevention. The DT scale (with a cutoff of ≥5 points) has discriminative ability as a screening tool for demoralization or depression and can also be used in clinical settings for the preliminary screening of patients with cancer and high suicide risk.

[Bacterial profiles in conjunctival sac of dry eyes and normal eyes in middle- and old-aged Yi populations].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the bacterial profiles in conjunctival sac of dry eyes and normal eyes in Yi people aged 40 years or old. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with standardized training and protocol. A total of 140 dry eyes of 70 individuals from Yi people in Jiulong county underwent ophthalmological examinations. The secretions of the inferior palpebral conjunctival sac were embrocated and inoculated on blood plates for 48 hours. The bacteria were separated and identified. Another 132 normal eyes from 66 Yi individuals were examined as controls. RESULTS: Bacterial positive cultivations were found in 72.1% (101/140) of dry eyes and 67.4% (89/132) of normal eyes, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.397). No gender difference in the bacterial positive rates was found either. Gram-positive bacteria were the main bacteria in both dry eyes (95.2%, 98/103) and normal eyes (91.1%, 82/90), predominantly staphylococcus epidemids and corynebacterium. There were no statistical differences in the constituents of bacteria in Gram classification and numbers of bacteria between dry eyes and normal eyes (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The bacterial profile in conjunctival sac of dry eyes is similar to that of normal eyes in Yi people aged 40 years or over. Gram-positive bacteria are the main bacteria.

NPRL2 down-regulation facilitates the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma via the mTOR pathway and autophagy suppression.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly invasive malignancy. Recently, GATOR1 (Gap Activity TOward Rags 1) complexes have been shown to play an important role in regulating tumor growth. NPRL2 is a critical component of the GATOR1 complex. Therefore, this study used NPRL2 knockdown to investigate how GATORC1 regulates the prognosis and development of HCC via the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and autophagy signaling pathways. We established HepG2 cells with NPRL2 knockdown using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) systems. The siRNA-mediated and shRNA-mediated NPRL2 down-regulation significantly reduced the expression of NPRL2 and two other GATPOR1 complex components, NPRL3 and DEPDC5, in HepG2 cells; furthermore, the efficient down-regulation of NPRL2 protein expression by both the shRNA and siRNA systems enhanced the proliferation, migration, and colony formation in vitro. Additionally, the NPRL2 down-regulation significantly increased HCC growth in the subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft mouse models. The NPRL2 down-regulation increased the Rag GTPases and mTOR activation and inhibited autophagy in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the NPRL2 level in the tumors was significantly associated with mortality, recurrence, the serum alpha fetoprotein level, the tumor size, the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage. Low NPRL2, NPRL3, DEPDC5, and LC3, and high p62 and mTOR protein expression in the tumors was significantly associated with disease-free survival and overall survival in 300 patients with HCC after surgical resection. Conclusion: The efficient down-regulation of NPRL2 significantly increased HCC proliferation, migration, and colony formation in vitro, and increased HCC growth in vivo. Low NPRL2 protein expression in the tumors was closely correlated with poorer clinical outcomes in patients with HCC. These results provide a mechanistic understanding of HCC and aid the development of treatments for HCC.

[Bacterial profiles in conjunctival sac of middle-aged and elderly Qiang with dry eyes and normal eyes].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the bacteria profiles in conjunctival sac of Qiang aged 40 years and over between those with dry eyes and those with normal eyes. METHODS: This survey was undertaken with a standardized protocol in Beichuan county. Ophthalmological examinations were performed on 54 individuals with dry eyes (108 eyes) and 52 individuals with normal eyes (104 eyes). The secretion of the inferior palpebral conjunctival sac was embrocated and inoculated on blood plate for 48-72 hours. The bacteria was separated and identified. RESULTS: Positive cultural results were found in 57.4% (62/108) of dry eyes and 61.5% (64/104) of normal eyes. The difference was not statistically significant (P=0.540). No gender and occupational differences in positive cultural results were found (P>0.05). Both the dry eyes and normal eyes were dominated by Gram-positive bacteria, with corynebacterium, staphylococcus epidemids and sphingomonas paucimobilis as main bacteria. Samples taken from the dry eyes produced 73 strains bacteria, 52 (83.8%) with a single strain of bacteria and 10 (16.2%) with co-existed strains of bacteria. The samples taken from the normal eyes were more likely to have co-existed strains of bacteria (P=0.000). Of the 87 strains of bacteria, 64.0%, were single strain and 36.0% were coexisted strains. Fifteen species of bacteria were cultivated from the dry eyes, significantly less than the number of species (24) cultivated from the normal eyes (P=0.027). CONCLUSION: There is no difference in bacterial positive rate in the conjunctival sac between dry eyes and normal eyes of Qiang aged 40 years and over. Gram-positive bacteria is the dominant bacteria. Normal eyes are more likely to have multiple coexisted bacteria compared with dry eyes.

Differential Expression of Genes Involved in Saikosaponin Biosynthesis Between Bupleurum chinense DC. and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd.

Radix Bupleuri (roots of Bupleurum spp.) is an important medicinal herb. Triterpenoid saponins of saikosaponins generally constitute the main class of secondary metabolites of plants in the Bupleurum genus. However, the molecular regulatory mechanism underlying their biosynthesis remains elusive. In this study, we observed significantly different saikosaponin biosynthesis between Bupleurum chinense and Bupleurum scorzonerifolium at the seedling stage. The sequential and expression characterization of 232 genes in the triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathway, which includes the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, between B. chinense and B. scorzonerifolium was also investigated. Sixty of these genes may be involved in saikosaponin biosynthesis. Manipulation of these genes, especially those of the ß-AS, P450, and UGT families, may improve saikosaponin production.

Sorafenib with concurrent multiple-line therapies improves overall survival in advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

The efficacy of sorafenib in combination with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or multiple-line therapies in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced HCC in response to different combination therapies.We analyzed the treatment and OS of 401 patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage C HCC between 2012 and 2017. Mortality was analyzed using multivariate Cox regression, and OS was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method.The mean age was 59 years and males were predominant. During a median follow-up time of 8.6 months (range, 1-80 months), 346 (86.2%) patients died. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, primary tumor size ≥5 cm, serum alpha-fetoprotein ≥200, and serum albumin ≥3.5 were significantly associated with mortality. In addition, compared with sorafenib alone, multiple-line treatments with sorafenib and multiple-line treatments without sorafenib yielded significantly decreased mortality. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, sorafenib with TACE, multiple-line treatments with sorafenib, third-line treatments with sorafenib, and multiple-line treatments without sorafenib yielded a significantly better median OS than sorafenib alone.Sorafenib with concurrent multiple-line therapies significantly improved OS. These combination therapies will provide important information for immunotherapy combination with locoregional therapies in advanced HCC.

[Abortion counseling: strategies for interdisciplinary service].

Abortion has long been an issue of concern for professional groups in many fields, such as medicine, nursing, religion, feminist rights, psychology, and social work. Although these groups hold differing views on abortion as well as eugenics health care law revision, they share a consensus that counseling services should be provided for abortion in order that women are sufficiently informed to make a sound decision on whether or not to have an abortion. Thus, this paper discusses in detail counseling service in terms of background, workflow and approaches, and interdisciplinary integration, as well as offers suggestions for future development. Hopefully, this can serve as a reference for concerned about women's reproductive health and obstetrics service quality.

[The application of self-efficacy counseling skills to health education in patients with diabetes].

As the incidence of chronic disease increases, empowerment of patients with chronic disease to adopt self-care responsibilities becomes paramount. Self-efficacy is a belief in one's ability to perform a task that will lead to the desired outcome. Utilizing self-efficacy counseling skills is an effective way to enhance patients' compliance with self-care activities. The development of such skills can compensate for the lack of traditional health education provided for diabetes patients and plays a significant part in the prevention of acute and chronic complications. Self-efficacy counseling strategies involve: asking questions; focusing on patient's agenda; planning personal treatment schedules; defining problems; setting goals (taking a step-by-step approach); regular follow-up and contact with patients; scaling questions; brainstorming solutions; considering past efforts, successes and failures; reassessing confidence; and finally checking behavior changes. Self-efficacy counseling skills can be learned through structured training courses in counseling skills. The aims of this report were twofold: (1) to undertake a literature review on self-efficacy and counseling skills used as the theoretical framework in a health education training program for diabetes; (2) to analyze cases when a counseling guide based upon a self-efficacy framework was used by health counselors to help patients improve their self-confidence and self-care ability. This report reveals it is important to promote the application of counseling skills in nursing interventions in the clinical practice field.

Planting hope in loss and grief: self-care applications of horticultural therapy for grief caregivers in Taiwan.

In 2008, the Taiwan Association for Care and Counseling for Loss organized a workshop about Horticultural Therapy, conducted as a participatory action research (PAR). Nineteen grief caregivers participated. Specific goals were designed according to a survey of participant expectations and focus-group discussions. The workshop content included lectures and interactive activities. Results demonstrated that most participants displayed an increased awareness of personal loss and meaning in grief, indicating that horticulture and nature appreciation might relieve individual grief and stress. The report introduces the rationale, evolution, execution, and results of the program development.

Flexible intramedullary nailing had better outcomes than kirschner wire fixation in children with distal humeral metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction fracture: a retrospective observational analysis.

The effectiveness evaluation of flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) and kirschner wire fixation (K-wire) used for MDJ fractures fixation have been described in multiple reports. But there have been few reports about comparison between FIN and K-wire in children with distal humeral MDJ fracture. In our retrospective study, Nineteen children received K-wire and twenty children received FIN, during the follow-up, six children in the K-wire group and one children in the FIN group was found to have postoperative cubitus varus; fixation method was an independent risk factor for postoperative cubitus varus (P = 0.001), fixation methods contributed significantly to operation time (t = 6.519, P < 0.001), surgical blood loss (t = 5.349, P < 0.001) and postoperative fracture healing time (t = 4.940, P < 0.001). We can conclude that FIN was related with lower incidence of postoperative cubitus varus, shorter operation time, less surgical blood loss and shorter fracture healing time compared to K-wire in children with MDJ fractures of the distal humerus.

Effect of variation of ABCB1 and ABCC3 genotypes on the survival of bone tumor cases after chemotherapy.

We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the role of genes involved in transport pathways in response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome of osteosarcoma cases. Genotyping of six SNPs was performed in a 384-well plate format on the Sequenom MassARRAY platform for 208 osteosarcoma patients to reveal any correlations of the six SNPs with response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome. Individuals with the ABCB1 rs1128503 TT and ABCC3 rs4148416 TT genotypes had a higher probability of responding poorly to chemotherapy, indicated by odds ratios (ORs) of 2.46 (95%CI, 1.21-5.74) and 3.78 (95% CI, 1.20-13.85), respectively. Moreover, the ABCB1 rs1128503 TT and ABCC3 rs4148416 TT genotypes were significantly associated with shorter disease- free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Our study found the two SNPs in two transporter genes and one phase II metabolism enzyme to be associated with response to chemotherapy and overall survival in osteosarcoma patients, suggesting potential prognostic biomarker applications of the two SNPs.

Comparison on conjunctival sac bacterial flora of the seniors with dry eye in Ganzi autonomous prefecture.

AIM: To compare the bacterial flora in palpebral conjunctiva of xerophthalmia seniors of Tibetan, Yi and Han, and analyze the differences and similarities of the bacteria. METHODS: The test subjects were selected from 2 Tibetan, 2 Yi and 3 Han populated places, respectively. Total 222 seniors (444 eyes) with dry eye were examined. Secretion was collected from the palpebral conjunctiva of the subjects and then inoculated onto a blood agar plate. After 48h of incubation, the bacteria were examined for the differences and similarities between different ethnics. RESULTS: There was no significant difference (P>0.05) of Gram stain characterization, dominant bacteria and number of the bacterial species present in oxrophthalmia patients among Tibetan, Yi and Han nationalities. The bacteria presented in all groups include staphylococcus epidermidis, corynebacterium, micrococcus luteu, intracellular bacteria sphingomonas, pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bacteria detected from the two of three ethnic groups were staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus haemolyticus, escherichia coli, kytococcus sedentarius, streptococcus angina, micrococcus lylae, and staphylococcus heads. The incidence rate of bacteria-associated dry eye in Tibetan population was significantly lower than that of Han and Yi population. CONCLUSION: There is no significant difference in the bacteria flora of palpebral conjunctiva observed among dry eye elder populations of Tibetan, Yi and Han people. All of staphylococcus epidermidis, corynebacterium, micrococcus luteu, intracellular bacteria sphingomonas, pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus haemolyticus, escherichia coli, kytococcus sedentarius, streptococcus angina, micrococcus lylae and staphylococcus heads are common bacteria flora of the three nationalities inhibiting in this area.

Comparative study of bacterial status from conjunctival sac of the elder Qiang minority and Han people with dry eye in Sichuan, China.

AIM: To compare the status of bacteria in the conjunctival sac from the elder Qiang minority and Han people with dry eyes in Sichuan, China. METHODS: Total of 54 elder Qiang people with dry eyes (108 eyes) were examined by cluster sampling. In the similar habitation region of Han people, 80 (160 dry eyes) Han people were analyzed as the control group. The bacteria was separated from the inferior palpebral conjunctiva, then inoculated on blood plate for 48 hours and identified. RESULTS: Totally 24 strains of bacteria were cultured in either Qiang minority or Han c populations with 3 strains of them existed in both ethnic groups. The commonest bacteria in conjunctival sac in two ethnic groups were non-pathogenic bacterium. The composition of Corynebacterium in Han people (54.1%) was significantly higher than that in Qiang minority (27.4%) (χ(2)=11.6721, P=0.0006). The percentage of Sphingomonas Paucimobilis in Qiang people was higher than that in Han people (χ(2)=18.6442, P=0.0000). However, there was no significant difference between Qiang minority and Han people either in bacterial positive rate in conjunctival sac, or the composition of bacteria species and strains, or the composition of staphylococcus epidemids between two ethnic populations. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference of bacterial positive rate in conjunctival sac from the elder of Qiang minority and Han people with dry eye, but the species of bacteria were different.

Pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail fixation for distal radial shaft fractures in children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the functional and radiographic outcomes of pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail in treatment of distal radial shaft fractures in children. METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2008, 18 children with distal radial shaft fracture were treated by close reduction and internal fixation with a pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail. The age range was from 5 years to 15 years, with an average of 9 years and 8 months. The minimum follow-up was 12 months. RESULTS: All fractures maintained good alignment postoperatively, and 94.4% (17/18) of the patients regained a full range of rotation of the forearm. One patient has limitation of rotation to less than 10°, this had improved by final follow-up. Complications included soft tissue irritation at the site of nail insertion in one patient and transient scar hypersensitivity in another. CONCLUSION: Fixation with a pre-bent elastic stable intramedullary nail is an effective, safe and convenient method for treating distal radial shaft fractures in children.