Risk of hospitalization among survivors of childhood and adolescent acute lymphoblastic leukemia compared to siblings and a general population sample

BackgroundAcute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) has a high survival rate, but cancer-related late effects in the early post-treatment years need documentation. Hospitalizations are an indicator of the burden of late effects. We identify rates and risk factors for hospitalization from five to ten years after diagnosis for childhood and adolescent ALL survivors compared to siblings and a matched population sample.Methods176 ALL survivors were diagnosed at ≤22 years between 1998 and 2008 and treated at an Intermountain Healthcare facility. The Utah Population Database identified siblings, an age- and sex-matched sample of the Utah population, and statewide inpatient hospital discharges. Sex- and birth year-adjusted Poisson models with Generalized Estimating Equations and robust standard errors calculated rates and rate ratios. Cox proportional hazards models identified demographic and clinical risk factors for hospitalizations among survivors.ResultsHospitalization rates for survivors (Rate:3.76, 95% CI = 2.22–6.36) were higher than siblings (Rate:2.69, 95% CI = 1.01–7.18) and the population sample (Rate:1.87, 95% CI = 1.13–3.09). Compared to siblings and population comparisons, rate ratios (RR) were significantly higher for survivors diagnosed between age 6 and 22 years (RR:2.87, 95% CI = 1.03–7.97 vs siblings; RR:2.66, 95% CI = 1.17–6.04 vs population comparisons). Rate ratios for diagnosis between 2004 and 2008 were significantly higher compared to the population sample (RR:4.29, 95% CI = 1.49, 12.32), but not siblings (RR:2.73, 95% CI = 0.54, 13.68). Survivors originally diagnosed with high-risk ALL did not have a significantly higher risk than siblings or population comparators. However, high-risk ALL survivors (Hazard ratio [HR]:3.36, 95% CI = 1.33–8.45) and survivors diagnosed from 2004 to 2008 (HR:9.48, 95% CI = 1.93–46.59) had the highest risk compared to their survivor counterparts.ConclusionsFive to ten years after diagnosis is a sensitive time period for hospitalizations in the ALL population. Survivors of childhood ALL require better long-term surveillance.     

南药巴戟天本草考证

巴戟天(Morinda officinalis)是我国传统四大南药之一。本文系统地梳理了中国历代本草及近现代文献对南药巴戟天的基原、产地变迁、加工炮制和品质评价等方面的记载。经考证,古今巴戟天基原植物差异很大,清末以前本草记载的巴戟天涉及基原植物有6科10属12种,通过比对本草文献中对巴戟天的有效生物学描述,可以明确古代巴戟天来源于葡萄科(Vitaceae)三叶崖爬藤(Tetrastigma hemsleynum Diels et Gilg)、百合科(Liliflorae)沿阶草(Ophiopogon bodinieri Levl.)及开口箭(Campylandra chinensis(Baker)M.N.Tamura et al.)3种;古代巴戟天产地与现代《中国药典》记载的品种产地差异大;炮制方法古今沿用,炮制品有盐巴戟天、制巴戟天和酒巴戟天;品质以条粗大而且呈连珠状、肉厚、色紫质软、内芯木部细、味微甜、无蛀虫、体干者为佳。通过本草考证,可厘清巴戟天古今之变,为巴戟天商品规格研制提供保障。     

From Ethical Exceptionalism to Ethical Exceptions: The Rule and exception Model and the Changing Meaning of Ethics In German Bioregulation

Germany is an interesting case with respect to the governance of reprogenetics. It has a strong profile in the technosciences and high aims regarding the global bioeconomy, yet her regulation of human genetics, reproductive medicine and embryo research has for a long time been rather restrictive. German biopolitical exceptionalism has often been explained by reference to Catholicism and the legacy of the Nazi past. The Germans, so goes the common story, have learnt the lessons of history and translated them into unconditional respect for human dignity, which in turn translates into unconditional protection of human life, including the human embryo, and the firm repudiation of any eugenic distinction between ‘life worth to live’ and ‘life not worth to live’. This, however, is not the whole story. Alongside deontological strictness we find another strand of governing body politics and reprogenetics in Germany, the rule‐and‐exception model, running from the mid‐1970s abortion law via the 2002 Stem Cell Act to the 2011 regulation of pre‐implantation genetic diagnosis. In contrast to the former, that strongly draws on Kant and his concept of human dignity, the latter bears resemblances to Carl Schmitt's concept of state of exception. The article will show that the rule‐and‐exception model builds the exception into the rule and transforms the meaning and mandate of ethics, namely from safeguarding ethical standards to deciding about the exception. Given that the exception has now tended to become the rule, the question is whether the lessons of history will govern German reprogenetics for much longer.     

沙门氏菌检测技术研究进展

沙门氏菌(Salmonella)是一种常见的人畜共患病原菌,不仅能引起动物伤寒、霍乱,还会导致人类胃肠炎、败血症等疾病,严重威胁人、畜的生命健康,由其引起的食品安全事件高居所有食源性致病菌之首。食品中沙门氏菌的快速、准确检测是预防与控制沙门氏菌传播蔓延的重要手段。随着生物学、化学、物理等学科的快速发展,沙门氏菌的检测技术已从传统的分离培养和生化鉴定,发展到免疫学、分子生物学、电化学、传感器、生物芯片等快速、高通量检测,尤其是近年来与纳米技术、光谱学、质谱学以及代谢组学等的结合使用,为沙门氏菌快速、准确、灵敏的检测方法提供了新的发展方向。本文在参阅国内外最新研究报道的基础上,对各种方法进行总结阐述,并对沙门氏菌未来检测技术的发展动向予以分析。     

濒危植物海南龙血树种子休眠机理及其生态学意义

通过对中国西双版纳与泰国都有分布和栽培的641种植物的傣、泰土著名字相似性比较,发现这两个民族具有基本相同的民间植物命名的“双名法”。西双版纳傣族与泰国的兰纳地区、北—东北部和其它地区泰族的植物土著名相同、相似的分别占0.69、0.57和0.37,主要包括药用植物在内的经济植物和与南传上座部佛教文化密切相关的植物。其主要成因包括他们的语言文字、宗教信仰、生活习俗等的傣、泰历史渊源及其所具有的传统文化密切程度相关。其中,兰纳地区地处泰国北部,它不仅邻近西双版纳,而且在历史上,它们曾经同属于“兰纳王国”,两地的边界曾是“犬牙交错”,成为“曼比勐农”（兄弟之邦）。这样,使包括土著名字在内的佛教植物、野生植物和栽培植物等的交流比泰国其它地区更加密切,相似性便最高。西双版纳傣族和兰纳泰族被视为尚存的标准“Tai”人区。因此,该研究对于中国Dai、泰国Thai、缅甸Siam和老挝Laos等国家民族的科学文化交流及其植物资源的利用和保护等具有重要的意义。 关键词： 民族植物学研究, 中国西双版纳傣族与泰国泰族, 相同植物的民间命名方法, 相似的植物土著名字, 相似的历史渊源成因, 科学与文化交流的意义     

朝向人类起源与演化研究的共业:古人类学、考古学与遗传学的交叉与整合

对于方兴未艾的现代人类起源与演化问题的研究,目前主要在遗传学、古人类学和旧石器时代考古学三个领域内进行。学者们提出了"多地区进化说"、"连续进化附带杂交说"、"出自非洲说"、"融合说"等观点与假说,有的学说针锋相对,南辕北辙。究其原因,除了相关研究还处于盲人摸象的阶段,只是在局部问题与材料上做分析和解释,尚无法得出全面、能被普遍接受的结论外,由于不同学科存在研究对象、方法和思路的不同,学科间缺少了解、沟通与协作,出现一些学术语言和研究结论不被彼此理解和接受的情况,存在一定的误解与无谓的争论,影响了相互之间的借鉴、互动和成果的共享,进而妨碍了跨学科的整合研究并达成学术共识。其实,每个学科都有自己的特点和不可替代的优势,每个学科也有难以克服的弱点,在解决人类起源与演化这样重大的学术问题上,任何一个学科都不可能包打天下,独享其成。因而,开展相关领域的交流合作,尤其是传统的古人类学、考古学与新兴的分子生物学之间的交叉与协作,明确彼此的关注点、需求和专长,凝练共同的学术问题和目标,整合现有的研究问题、资源与成果并向着共同的学术方向一道前行,是推动相关研究走向深入并破译现代人起源这一重大命题的必要举措。     

白色念珠菌生物被膜研究进展

难治性真菌感染的临床分析发现,病灶感染病原常以生物被膜的形态存在。生物被膜的形成可帮助真菌躲避宿主细胞免疫系统清除和药物的攻击,所造成的持续性感染严重威胁人类健康,因此,认识研究真菌生物被膜及其耐药机理对于防治临床真菌感染有着重大意义。白色念珠菌是一种临床感染常见的条件性致病菌,也是目前真菌生物被膜研究的主要研究模型。白色念珠菌生物被膜主要由多糖、蛋白质和DNA构成,其形成由微生物间的群体感应调控,并受到环境中营养成分及其附着物表面性质影响。研究发现,胞外基质的屏障作用、耐药基因的表达等机制与生物被膜耐药性的产生密切相关。本文就白色念珠菌生物被膜的形成过程、结构组成、形成的影响因素、现有研究模型、耐药机制和治疗策略等几个方面介绍近年来的研究进展。