Indicators of haemothorax in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.

OBJECTIVES: To identify indicators and possible risk factors of haemothorax in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax. METHODS: All patients presenting to the emergency department of Chi-Mei Foundation Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan with primary spontaneous pneumothorax between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2002 were screened for inclusion in the present study. Of the 211 patients who qualified, eight had spontaneous haemopneumothorax (SHP) (3.79%). The clinical data and demographic characteristics of these patients were similar to those of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax without haemothorax (SP). RESULTS: All eight SHP patients were thin and young men (mean age 24 years and mean weight 56.1 kg). Seven were smokers. The patients with SHP were taller that the patients with SP (177.4 cm v 170.3 cm, respectively; p < 0.01), and tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI) (17.9 kg/m2 v 19.6 kg/m2, respectively; p = 0.06) and higher heart rate (101.0 v 88.0 beats/min, respectively; p = 0.09). Clinically, patients with SHP were more likely to have dyspnoea compared with SP patients (62.5% v 26.6%, respectively; p = 0.04) and lower levels of haemoglobin (12.8 v 14.7 g/dl, respectively; p = 0.01) and haematocrit (38.1% v 44.1%, respectively; p < 0.01). Chest x rays revealed pleural effusion in all patients with SHP but in none with SP. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SHP are taller, with lower levels of haemoglobin and haematocrit, and are more likely to have dyspnoea than patients without haemothorax. The chest x ray finding of pneumothorax with an ipsilateral air-fluid level is a strong indicator of SHP.

Two New Species of the Genus Criotettix Bolivar (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), with a Key to the Species of the Genus from China.

Two new species of the tetrigid genus Criotettix Bolivar from China, namely Criotettix interruptaoides Deng & Zheng n. sp. and Criotettix shiwanshanensis Deng & Zheng n. sp. are described. An updated key to all known species of the genus from China is given.

Comparative evaluation of MR-based partial-volume correction schemes for PET.

UNLABELLED: Because of limitations of spatial resolution, quantitative PET measurements of cerebral blood flow, glucose metabolism and neuroreceptor binding are influenced by partial-volume averaging among neighboring tissues with differing tracer concentrations. METHODS: Two MR-based approaches to partial-volume correction of PET images were compared using simulations and a multicompartment phantom. The two-compartment method corrects PET data for the diluting effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces. The more complex three-compartment method also accounts for the effect of partial-volume averaging between gray and white matter. The effects of the most significant sources of error on MR-based partial-volume correction, including misregistration, resolution mismatch, segmentation errors and white matter heterogeneity, were evaluated. We also examined the relative usefulness of both approaches in PET studies of aging and neurodegenerative disease. RESULTS: Although the three-compartment method was highly accurate (with 100% gray matter recovery achieved in simulations), it was also more sensitive to all errors tested, particularly image segmentation and PET-MR registration. CONCLUSION: Based on these data, we conclude that the two-compartment approach is better suited for comparative PET studies, whereas the three-compartment algorithm is capable of greater accuracy for absolute quantitative measures.

Two New Species of the Genus Xistra Bolivar (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from China.

Two new species of the tetrigid genus Xistra Bolivar from China, namely Xistra oculata Li, Deng et Zheng n. sp. and Xistra brachynota Li, Deng et Zheng n. sp. are described. An updated key to all known species of the genus is given.

Description of a New Species of the Genus Macromotettixoides Zheng (Orthoptera: Tetrigoidea: Metrodorinae) from China.

A new species, Macromotettixoides lativertex Deng et al n. sp. is described with detailed illustrations of external morphology. Comparison between the species M. lativertex n. sp. and allied species is compiled into a table for identification. The distribution and an updated identification key to all known species of the genus is given.

Effect of mild hypothermia on breast cancer cells adhesion and migration.

To explore the effect of mild hypothermia (35ºC) on breast cancer cells adhesion to vascular endothelial cells, a parallel plant flow chamber was used to observe the adhesion of human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 to endothelial cells Eahy926 under physiological flow at 35ºC and 37ºC, as well as the role of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in this process. Further, the effect of mild hypothermia (35ºC) on migration of MDA-MB-231 was also studied. Our results show that mild hypothermia can inhibit the adhesion of tumor cells to endothelial cells and ICAM-1 plays an important role in this process. However, mild hypothermia inhibits breast cancer cell adhesion in a way independent on the change of ICAM-1 expression under our experimental conditions. Mild hypothermia can weaken the chemotaxis of breast cancer cells while it has no obvious effect on unidirectonal migration capacity. These results suggest that mild hypothermia could be used as a potentially adjunct treatment combined with surgery to decrease tumor cell adhesion and migration.