Objective Chitosan has been widely studied in the fields of biomedical materials and tissue engineering,due to its good water solubility,biocompatibility,biodegradability,film-forming property,hemostasis,wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects.Flies maggot shell contains much chitosan,which is one of the excellent raw materials.The aim of this study is to provide integral biological assessment on chitosan trauma dressing.Methods Chitosan samples were subjected to physicochemical analysis (relative molecular mass,degree of deacetylation,and content of heavy metal),bacteriostatic test,skin sensitization,cytotoxicity tests as well as hemolysis test according to national standard of China.Results The relative molecular mass of chitosan was 266 ku,the degree of deacetylation of chitosan was 75％,and the content of heavy metal was less than 10-5.The cytotoxicity level was evalnated at the first level which indicating the low cell toxicity.Skin sensitization test showed that no sensitization reaction was practically detected.The hemolysis rate was 0.769％,which was less than 5％,indicating zero hemolysis.Conclusions Chitosan has good character,which may meet the requirements of biological and medical application.

Objective To realize rapid and non-destructive drug classification and improve the accuracy of drug classification.Methods A model for drug classification based on the combination of principal components analysis and artificial neural network (PCA-ANN) method was introduced.The software for drugs classification was then developed with the utility of MATLAB language.The near infra-red spectrum (NIRS) detection technique was executed on five kinds of drugs (a total of 120 batch samples) and the detection data was collected within the range of 1 350-1 800 nm of excitation wavelength and 0.5 nm of wavelength interval.Results The network training mean square error (MSE) was 5.91e-03,and the prediction error (β) was 2.469％ when the number of the interfering drugs number was less than 5.Conclusions The classification of drugs by NIRS combined with PCA-ANN is feasible and the classification accuracy can be increased.

Hepatotoxicity of cyclosporine A was investigated in 366 patients who received renal allografts, of whom 94 (25.68%) presented hepatotoxicity and 13 (3.55%) died. Hepatotoxicity appeared between 7 and 84 d, and lasted for 5 to 96 d. Our study suggested that cyclosporine A is not suitable for older patients with positive HBsAg and liver disfunction.

An analysis of typical cases of the incentive-restraint mechanism in the development of medical alliances in China , discovered a number of problems as follows .These include poor top-level system design, delayed reform of the medical insurance payment system , poor performance of the two-way referral system, insufficient human resources and their unreasonable distribution , shortage of a performance appraisal and salary incentive system, and low patient support.In this regard, this paper put forward policy recommendations on the pathway to carry out the incentive and constraint mechanism of medical alliances , in terms of such aspects as top-level system design , medical insurance system , personnel and remuneration system, and two-way referral system .

No abstract available.
Aged ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Empyema/complications/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Male ; Nocardia/classification/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Pneumonia/complications/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

A 2-year-old intact female pomeranian dog presented dyspnea, labored breathing, cough, exercise intolerance, machinery heart murmur, and precordial thrill. A left-to-right patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was diagnosed based on two-dimensional echocardiography, thoracic radiography, electrocardiography, and blood work. An angiography was performed to accurately evaluate the size and shape of the duct. An interventional approach for transcatheterial occlusion of the PDA was achieved using an Amplatz(R) Canine Duct Occluder (ACDO), which is a commercially available ductal occluding device. Due to the limited size of the dog's femoral artery, a device smaller [125% of minimal ductal diameter (MDD); recommended size: 150~200% of MDD] than recommended was mounted. After placement of the ACDO, precordial thrill and continuous heart murmur disappeared, and the patient was discharged the next day after stabilization with O2 supply. Upon follow up examination, dyspnea, labored breathing, cough, exercise intolerance, and cardiomegaly were improved with no complications after the procedure. The ACDO was well maintained in position. This case represents successful clinical application of the Amplatz(R) Canine Duct Occluder to achieve closure of a PDA using a slightly smaller device than the recommended size.
Angiography ; Animals ; Cardiomegaly ; Child, Preschool ; Cough ; Dogs* ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Femoral Artery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Murmurs ; Humans ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Respiration

BACKGROUND: The detection of total anti-hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) immunoglobulin (Ig) and IgM is important for diagnosing acute hepatitis A. Our laboratory introduced new commercial automated chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIAs) for use in addition to pre-existing automated CLIA. We evaluated the rate of agreement in the detection of total anti-HAV Ig and IgM in serum samples between two automated CLIAs. METHODS: We analyzed 181 samples those were submitted for testing at Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center. We analyzed the rate of agreement between the ADVIA Centaur XP (Siemens, Germany) and the MODULAR ANALYTICS E170 (Roche, Switzerland) analyzers. We performed reverse transcription (RT)-PCR when there was a discrepancy between the results from the two analyzers. RESULTS: The agreement rates between the ADVIA Centaur XP and the MODULAR ANALYTICS E170 for total anti-HAV Ig and IgM were 97.2% and 98.9%, respectively. Discrepant results were obtained in seven cases; all were found to be HAV-negative based on RT-PCR analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The total anti-HAV Ig and IgM results obtained using the two automated analyzers were comparable. However, in cases of equivocal results tested by the ADVIA Centaur XP for anti-HAV IgM, retesting and follow-up testing of samples are recommended.
Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A Antibodies ; Hepatitis A virus ; Immunoassay ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Luminescence ; Reverse Transcription ; Viruses

BACKGROUND: In support of safe and appropriate utilization of blood products, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Society of Blood Transfusion developed transfusion guidelines in 2009. We evaluated the appropriateness of blood transfusions on the basis of these proposed guidelines. METHODS: We investigated the awareness of the 2009 proposed guidelines and the transfusion guidelines currently in use through a questionnaire administered to the physicians of a tertiary care hospital. We provided the 2009 proposed transfusion guidelines through summarized pop-ups for each blood product that appeared in the hospital information system whenever a physician ordered blood products, and promoted the guidelines by posting it on the bulletin board and the hospital information system for one month. Evaluation of the appropriateness of blood transfusion was conducted by reviewing the medical records of patients who were transfused within one month before and one month after the promotion. Further, we also examined the rates of blood wastage and return. RESULTS: Rates of appropriately transfused blood products changed from 29.4% to 33.1% for red blood cells, from 16.9% to 68.9% for platelets, and from 54.8% to 33.3% for fresh frozen plasma. The decreased appropriate transfusion rate of fresh frozen plasma might be due to the small number of transfusions performed during the short study period. The rates of blood wastage and return decreased from 1.77% to 1.21% and from 3.91% to 3.00%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Promotion of the new transfusion guidelines lowered the incidence of inappropriate transfusions. Continuous promotion and establishment of these guidelines after adjustments according to the status of each hospital are necessary.
Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Plasma ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Healthcare

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks occur in hospitals in many parts of the world. In hospital settings, the possibility of airborne transmission needs to be investigated thoroughly. Materials and Methods: There was a nosocomial outbreak of COVID-19 in a hematologic ward in a tertiary hospital, Seoul, Korea. We found 11 patients and guardians with COVID-19 through vigorous contact tracing and closed-circuit television monitoring. We found one patient who probably had acquired COVID-19 through airborne-transmission. We performed airflow investigation with simulation software, whole-genome sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Results: Of the nine individuals with COVID-19 who had been in the hematologic ward, six stayed in one multi-patient room (Room 36), and other three stayed in different rooms (Room 1, 34, 35). Guardian in room 35 was close contact to cases in room 36, and patient in room 34 used the shared bathroom for teeth brushing 40 minutes after index used.Airflow simulation revealed that air was spread from the bathroom to the adjacent room 1 while patient in room 1 did not used the shared bathroom. Airflow was associated with poor ventilation in shared bathroom due to dysfunctioning air-exhaust, grill on the door of shared bathroom and the unintended negative pressure of adjacent room. Conclusion Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the hematologic ward occurred rapidly in the multi-patient room and shared bathroom settings. In addition, there was a case of possible airborne transmission due to unexpected airflow.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks occur in hospitals in many parts of the world. In hospital settings, the possibility of airborne transmission needs to be investigated thoroughly. Materials and Methods: There was a nosocomial outbreak of COVID-19 in a hematologic ward in a tertiary hospital, Seoul, Korea. We found 11 patients and guardians with COVID-19 through vigorous contact tracing and closed-circuit television monitoring. We found one patient who probably had acquired COVID-19 through airborne-transmission. We performed airflow investigation with simulation software, whole-genome sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Results: Of the nine individuals with COVID-19 who had been in the hematologic ward, six stayed in one multi-patient room (Room 36), and other three stayed in different rooms (Room 1, 34, 35). Guardian in room 35 was close contact to cases in room 36, and patient in room 34 used the shared bathroom for teeth brushing 40 minutes after index used.Airflow simulation revealed that air was spread from the bathroom to the adjacent room 1 while patient in room 1 did not used the shared bathroom. Airflow was associated with poor ventilation in shared bathroom due to dysfunctioning air-exhaust, grill on the door of shared bathroom and the unintended negative pressure of adjacent room. Conclusion Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the hematologic ward occurred rapidly in the multi-patient room and shared bathroom settings. In addition, there was a case of possible airborne transmission due to unexpected airflow.