To obtain an accurate 3 D object configuration from images,the essential perspective characteristics must be considered. Several new inverse transformation relations of the perspective image lines are given. Utiliz...To obtain an accurate 3 D object configuration from images,the essential perspective characteristics must be considered. Several new inverse transformation relations of the perspective image lines are given. Utilizing the analytic transformation relations, an optimization procedure for obtaining the unknown camera parameters of images is presented in this paper. A 3 D reproduction method and examples are introduced.展开更多
Dyspepsia refers to group of upper gastrointestinal symptoms that occur commonly in adults. Dyspepsia is known to result from organic causes, but the majority of patients suffer from non-ulcer or functional dyspepsia....Dyspepsia refers to group of upper gastrointestinal symptoms that occur commonly in adults. Dyspepsia is known to result from organic causes, but the majority of patients suffer from non-ulcer or functional dyspepsia. Epidemiological data from population-based studies of various geographical locations have been reviewed, as they provide more realistic information. Population-based studies on true functional dyspepsia （FD） are few, due to the logistic difficulties of excluding structural disease in large numbers of people. Globally, the prevalence of uninvestigated dyspepsia （UD） varies between 7%- 45%, depending on definition used and geographical location, whilst the prevalence of FD has been noted to vary between 11%-29.2%. Risk factors for FD have been shown to include females and underlying psychological disturbances, whilst environmental/lifestyle habits such as poor socio-economic status, smoking, increased caffeine intake and ingestion of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs appear to be more relevant to UD. It is clear that dyspepsia and FD in particular are common conditions globally, affecting most populations, regardless of location.展开更多
Stem cells from extra-or intrahepatic sources have been recently characterized and their usefulness for the generation of hepatocyte-like lineages has been demonstrated. Therefore, they are being increasingly consider...Stem cells from extra-or intrahepatic sources have been recently characterized and their usefulness for the generation of hepatocyte-like lineages has been demonstrated. Therefore, they are being increasingly considered for future applications in liver cell therapy. In that field, liver cell transplantation is currently regarded as a possible alternative to whole organ transplantation, while stem cells possess theoretical advantages on hepatocytes as they display higher in vitro culture performances and could be used in autologous transplant procedures. However, the current research on the hepatic fate of stem cells is still facing difficulties to demonstrate the acquisition of a full mature hepatocyte phenotype, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the lack of obvious demonstration of in vivo hepatocyte-like cell functionality remains associated to low repopulation rates obtained after current transplantation procedures. The present review focuses on the current knowledge of the stem cell potential for liver therapy. We discuss the characteristics of the principal cell candidates and the methods to demonstrate their hepatic potential in vitro and in vivo. We finally address the question of the future clinical applications of stem cells for liver tissue repair and the technical aspects that remain to be investigated.展开更多
Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided biliary drainage has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to percutaneous and surgical interventions for patients with biliary obstruction who had failed endoscopic retrograde ...Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided biliary drainage has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to percutaneous and surgical interventions for patients with biliary obstruction who had failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).EUSguided biliary drainage has become feasible due to the development of large channel curvilinear therapeutic echo-endoscopes and the use of real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopy imaging in addition to standard ERCP devices and techniques.EUS-guided biliary drainage is an attractive option because of its minimally invasive,single step procedure which provides internal biliary decompression.Multiple investigators have reported high success and low complication rates.Unfortunately,high quality prospective data are still lacking.We provide detailed review of the use of EUS for biliary drainage from the perspective of practicing endoscopists with specific focus on the technical aspects of the procedure.展开更多
AIM:To compare fluoroscopic, endoscopic and guide wire assistance with ultraslim gastroscopy for placement of nasojejunal feeding tubes. METHODS:The information regarding nasojejunal tube placement procedures was retr...AIM:To compare fluoroscopic, endoscopic and guide wire assistance with ultraslim gastroscopy for placement of nasojejunal feeding tubes. METHODS:The information regarding nasojejunal tube placement procedures was retrieved using the gastrointestinal tract database at Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College. Records from 81 patients who underwent nasojejunal tubes placement by different techniques between 2004 and 2011 were reviewed for procedure success and tube-related outcomes. RESULTS:Nasojejunal feeding tubes were successfully placed in 78 (96.3%) of 81 patients. The success rate by fluoroscopy was 92% (23 of 25), by endoscopic technique 96.3% (26 of 27), and by guide wire assistance (whether via transnasal or transoral insertion)100% (23/23, 6/6). The average time for successful placement was 14.9 ± 2.9 min for fluoroscopic placement, 14.8 ± 4.9 min for endoscopic placement, 11.1 ± 2.2 min for guide wire assistance with transnasal gastroscopic placement, and 14.7 ± 1.2 min for transoral gastroscopic placement. Statistically, the duration for the third method was significantly different (P < 0.05) compared with the other three methods. Transnasal placement over a guidewire was significantly faster (P < 0.05) than any of the other approaches. CONCLUSION:Guide wire assistance with transnasal insertion of nasojejunal feeding tubes represents a safe, quick and effective method for providing enteral nutrition.展开更多
The common characteristic criteria of all functional gastrointestinal(GI)disorders are the persistence and recurrence of variable gastrointestinal symptoms that cannot be explained by any structural or biochemical abn...The common characteristic criteria of all functional gastrointestinal(GI)disorders are the persistence and recurrence of variable gastrointestinal symptoms that cannot be explained by any structural or biochemical abnormalities. Functional dyspepsia (FD) represents one of the important GI disorders in Western countries because of its remarkably high prevalence in general population and its impact on quality of life. Due to its dependence on both subjective determinants and diverse country-specific circumstances, the definition and management strategies of FD are still variably stated.Clinical trials with several drug classes (e.g., proton pump inhibitors, H2-blockers, prokinetic drugs) have been performed frequently without validated diseasespecific test instruments for the outcome measurements.Therefore, the interpretation of such trials remains difficult and controversial with respect to comparability and evaluation of drug efficacy, and definite conclusions can be drawn neither for diagnostic management nor for efficacious drug therapy so far. In view of these unsolved problems, guidelines both on the clinical management of FD and on the performance of clinical trials are needed. In recent years, increasing research work has been done in this area. Clinical trials conducted in adequately diagnosed patients that provided validated outcome measurements may result in better insights leading to more effective treatment strategies.Encouraging perspectives have been recently performed by methodologically well-designed treatment studies with herbal drug preparations. Herbal drugs, given their proven efficacy in clinical trials, offer a safe therapeutic alternative in the treatment of FD which is often favored by both patients and physicians. A fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from FD could be proven effective by well-designed clinical trials.展开更多
Stem cells intrigue. They have the ability to divide exponentially, recreate the stem cell compartment, as well as create differentiated cells to generate tissues. Therefore, they should be natural candidates to provi...Stem cells intrigue. They have the ability to divide exponentially, recreate the stem cell compartment, as well as create differentiated cells to generate tissues. Therefore, they should be natural candidates to provide a renewable source of cells for transplantation applied in regenerative medicine. Stem cells have the capacity to generate specific tissues or even whole organs like the blood, heart, or bones. A subgroup of stem cells, the neural stem cells （NSCs）, is characterized as a self-renewing population that generates neurons and glia of the developing brain. They can be isolated, genetically manipulated and differentiated in vitro and reintroduced into a developing, adult or a pathologically altered central nervous system. NSCs have been considered for use in cell replacement therapies in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson＇s disease and Alzheimer＇s disease. Characterization of genes with tightly controlled expression patterns during differentiation represents an approach to understanding the regulation of stem cell commitment. The regulation of stem cell biology by the ATP-binding cassette （ABC） transporters has emerged as an important new field of investigation. As a major focus of stem cell research is in the manipulation of cells to enable differentiation into a targeted cell population; in this review, we discuss recent literatures on ABC transporters and stem cells, and propose an integrated view on the role of the ABC transporters, especially ABCA2, ABCA3, ABCB 1 and ABCG2, in NSCs＇ proliferation, differentiation and regulation, along with comparisons to that in hematopoietic and other stem cells.展开更多
Outcomes assessment in surgery traditionally has included data regarding peri-operative mortality and morbidity, as well as long-term survival and recurrence in surgical oncology. However, quality of life （QOL） is a...Outcomes assessment in surgery traditionally has included data regarding peri-operative mortality and morbidity, as well as long-term survival and recurrence in surgical oncology. However, quality of life （QOL） is another important patient-related outcome measure. QOL data can be used to tailor treatment and improve clinical outcomes by detecting physical or psychological problems in patients that otherwise might be overlooked, but which have profound implications for the effective delivery of care. We review several well-validated QOL instruments developed specifically for use in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, including esophageal, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, and conclude that QOL assessment routinely should be included in clinical trials of novel treatments.展开更多
This paper presents an introduction to the concepts of domestication and foreignization and the theory of Nida＇s ＂dynamic equivalence＂. Then, the paper makes an analysis of ＂dynamic equivalence＂ from the perspect...This paper presents an introduction to the concepts of domestication and foreignization and the theory of Nida＇s ＂dynamic equivalence＂. Then, the paper makes an analysis of ＂dynamic equivalence＂ from the perspective of domestication and foreignization.展开更多
文摘To obtain an accurate 3 D object configuration from images,the essential perspective characteristics must be considered. Several new inverse transformation relations of the perspective image lines are given. Utilizing the analytic transformation relations, an optimization procedure for obtaining the unknown camera parameters of images is presented in this paper. A 3 D reproduction method and examples are introduced.
文摘Dyspepsia refers to group of upper gastrointestinal symptoms that occur commonly in adults. Dyspepsia is known to result from organic causes, but the majority of patients suffer from non-ulcer or functional dyspepsia. Epidemiological data from population-based studies of various geographical locations have been reviewed, as they provide more realistic information. Population-based studies on true functional dyspepsia （FD） are few, due to the logistic difficulties of excluding structural disease in large numbers of people. Globally, the prevalence of uninvestigated dyspepsia （UD） varies between 7%- 45%, depending on definition used and geographical location, whilst the prevalence of FD has been noted to vary between 11%-29.2%. Risk factors for FD have been shown to include females and underlying psychological disturbances, whilst environmental/lifestyle habits such as poor socio-economic status, smoking, increased caffeine intake and ingestion of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs appear to be more relevant to UD. It is clear that dyspepsia and FD in particular are common conditions globally, affecting most populations, regardless of location.
文摘Stem cells from extra-or intrahepatic sources have been recently characterized and their usefulness for the generation of hepatocyte-like lineages has been demonstrated. Therefore, they are being increasingly considered for future applications in liver cell therapy. In that field, liver cell transplantation is currently regarded as a possible alternative to whole organ transplantation, while stem cells possess theoretical advantages on hepatocytes as they display higher in vitro culture performances and could be used in autologous transplant procedures. However, the current research on the hepatic fate of stem cells is still facing difficulties to demonstrate the acquisition of a full mature hepatocyte phenotype, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the lack of obvious demonstration of in vivo hepatocyte-like cell functionality remains associated to low repopulation rates obtained after current transplantation procedures. The present review focuses on the current knowledge of the stem cell potential for liver therapy. We discuss the characteristics of the principal cell candidates and the methods to demonstrate their hepatic potential in vitro and in vivo. We finally address the question of the future clinical applications of stem cells for liver tissue repair and the technical aspects that remain to be investigated.
文摘Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided biliary drainage has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to percutaneous and surgical interventions for patients with biliary obstruction who had failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).EUSguided biliary drainage has become feasible due to the development of large channel curvilinear therapeutic echo-endoscopes and the use of real-time ultrasound and fluoroscopy imaging in addition to standard ERCP devices and techniques.EUS-guided biliary drainage is an attractive option because of its minimally invasive,single step procedure which provides internal biliary decompression.Multiple investigators have reported high success and low complication rates.Unfortunately,high quality prospective data are still lacking.We provide detailed review of the use of EUS for biliary drainage from the perspective of practicing endoscopists with specific focus on the technical aspects of the procedure.
文摘AIM:To compare fluoroscopic, endoscopic and guide wire assistance with ultraslim gastroscopy for placement of nasojejunal feeding tubes. METHODS:The information regarding nasojejunal tube placement procedures was retrieved using the gastrointestinal tract database at Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College. Records from 81 patients who underwent nasojejunal tubes placement by different techniques between 2004 and 2011 were reviewed for procedure success and tube-related outcomes. RESULTS:Nasojejunal feeding tubes were successfully placed in 78 (96.3%) of 81 patients. The success rate by fluoroscopy was 92% (23 of 25), by endoscopic technique 96.3% (26 of 27), and by guide wire assistance (whether via transnasal or transoral insertion)100% (23/23, 6/6). The average time for successful placement was 14.9 ± 2.9 min for fluoroscopic placement, 14.8 ± 4.9 min for endoscopic placement, 11.1 ± 2.2 min for guide wire assistance with transnasal gastroscopic placement, and 14.7 ± 1.2 min for transoral gastroscopic placement. Statistically, the duration for the third method was significantly different (P < 0.05) compared with the other three methods. Transnasal placement over a guidewire was significantly faster (P < 0.05) than any of the other approaches. CONCLUSION:Guide wire assistance with transnasal insertion of nasojejunal feeding tubes represents a safe, quick and effective method for providing enteral nutrition.
文摘The common characteristic criteria of all functional gastrointestinal(GI)disorders are the persistence and recurrence of variable gastrointestinal symptoms that cannot be explained by any structural or biochemical abnormalities. Functional dyspepsia (FD) represents one of the important GI disorders in Western countries because of its remarkably high prevalence in general population and its impact on quality of life. Due to its dependence on both subjective determinants and diverse country-specific circumstances, the definition and management strategies of FD are still variably stated.Clinical trials with several drug classes (e.g., proton pump inhibitors, H2-blockers, prokinetic drugs) have been performed frequently without validated diseasespecific test instruments for the outcome measurements.Therefore, the interpretation of such trials remains difficult and controversial with respect to comparability and evaluation of drug efficacy, and definite conclusions can be drawn neither for diagnostic management nor for efficacious drug therapy so far. In view of these unsolved problems, guidelines both on the clinical management of FD and on the performance of clinical trials are needed. In recent years, increasing research work has been done in this area. Clinical trials conducted in adequately diagnosed patients that provided validated outcome measurements may result in better insights leading to more effective treatment strategies.Encouraging perspectives have been recently performed by methodologically well-designed treatment studies with herbal drug preparations. Herbal drugs, given their proven efficacy in clinical trials, offer a safe therapeutic alternative in the treatment of FD which is often favored by both patients and physicians. A fixed combination of peppermint oil and caraway oil in patients suffering from FD could be proven effective by well-designed clinical trials.
文摘Stem cells intrigue. They have the ability to divide exponentially, recreate the stem cell compartment, as well as create differentiated cells to generate tissues. Therefore, they should be natural candidates to provide a renewable source of cells for transplantation applied in regenerative medicine. Stem cells have the capacity to generate specific tissues or even whole organs like the blood, heart, or bones. A subgroup of stem cells, the neural stem cells （NSCs）, is characterized as a self-renewing population that generates neurons and glia of the developing brain. They can be isolated, genetically manipulated and differentiated in vitro and reintroduced into a developing, adult or a pathologically altered central nervous system. NSCs have been considered for use in cell replacement therapies in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson＇s disease and Alzheimer＇s disease. Characterization of genes with tightly controlled expression patterns during differentiation represents an approach to understanding the regulation of stem cell commitment. The regulation of stem cell biology by the ATP-binding cassette （ABC） transporters has emerged as an important new field of investigation. As a major focus of stem cell research is in the manipulation of cells to enable differentiation into a targeted cell population; in this review, we discuss recent literatures on ABC transporters and stem cells, and propose an integrated view on the role of the ABC transporters, especially ABCA2, ABCA3, ABCB 1 and ABCG2, in NSCs＇ proliferation, differentiation and regulation, along with comparisons to that in hematopoietic and other stem cells.
文摘Outcomes assessment in surgery traditionally has included data regarding peri-operative mortality and morbidity, as well as long-term survival and recurrence in surgical oncology. However, quality of life （QOL） is another important patient-related outcome measure. QOL data can be used to tailor treatment and improve clinical outcomes by detecting physical or psychological problems in patients that otherwise might be overlooked, but which have profound implications for the effective delivery of care. We review several well-validated QOL instruments developed specifically for use in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, including esophageal, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, and conclude that QOL assessment routinely should be included in clinical trials of novel treatments.
文摘This paper presents an introduction to the concepts of domestication and foreignization and the theory of Nida＇s ＂dynamic equivalence＂. Then, the paper makes an analysis of ＂dynamic equivalence＂ from the perspective of domestication and foreignization.
