Comparison of murine cirrhosis models induced by hepatotoxin administration and common bile duct ligation

AIM： To build up the research models of hepatic fibrosis in mice.METHODS： Inbred wild-type FVB/N mice were either treated with alpha-naphthyl-isothiocyanate （ANIT）, allyl alcohol （AA）,carbon tetrachloride （CCl4）, 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-l,4-dihydrocollidine （DDC）, and silica, or subjected to common bile duct ligation （CBDL） to induce hepatic injury. Liver biopsies were performed every 4 wk to evaluate hepatic fibrosis over a period of 6 mo. Cumulative cirrhosis and survival curves were constructed by life table method and compared with Wilcoxon test.RESULTS： Under the dosages used, there was neither mortality nor cirrhosis in AA and silica-treated groups. DDC and ANIT caused cirrhosis within 4-12 and 12-24 wk, respectively.Both showed significantly faster cirrhosis induction at high dosages without significant alteration of survival. The duration for cirrhosis induction by CCl4 ranged from 4 to 20 wk, mainly dependent upon the dosage. However, the increase in CCl4 dosage significantly worsened survival. Intraperitoneal CCl4 administration resulted in better survival in comparison with garage administration at high dosage, but not at medium and low dosages. After CBDL, all the mice developed liver cirrhosis within 4-8 wk and then died by the end of 26 wk.CONCLUSION： CBDL and administrations of ANIT, CCl4, and DDC ensured liver cirrhosis. CBDL required the least amount of time in cirrhosis induction, but caused shortened lives of mice. It was followed by DDC and ANIT administration with favorable survival. As for CCl4, the speed of cirrhosis induction and the mouse survival depended upon the dosages and the administration route.

Quantification of Cranial Asymmetry in Infants by Facial Feature Extraction

In this paper, a facial feature extracting method is proposed to transform three-dimension （3D） head images of infants with deformational plagiocephaly for assessment of asymmetry. The features of 3D point clouds of an infant＇s cranium can be identified by local feature analysis and a two-phase k-means classification algorithm. The 3D images of infants with asymmetric cranium can then be aligned to the same pose. The mirrored head model obtained from the symmetry plane is compared with the original model for the measurement of asymmetry. Numerical data of the cranial volume can be reviewed by a pediatrician to adjust the treatment plan. The system can also be used to demonstrate the treatment progress.

AN AHP MODEL FOR BRINGING EXPERTS TO CONSENSUS ON MEDICAL PAYMENT STANDARDS

Many countries with health insurance systems conduct periodic payment standards reform. How to reach consensus in setting payment standards among different specialties with different agendas has become a critical issue. The purpose of this study is to construct an analytic hierarchy process （AHP） model to obtain judgments from experts about the importance of ＂factors related to establishing payment standards in the national health insurance program＂. Under this goal, the first tier contains four evaluation aspects, and the second tier contains sixteen evaluation criteria divided into four groups The AHP model was then used to collect and combine the opinions of experts through an empirical study. The results can be directly used to formulate standard values as the basis for establishing payment standards. The results of our study strongly support that an AHP model is effective in forming a consensus among surgical specialists.