The prevalence of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) has increased recently due to the increased use of cross-sectional abdominal imaging and the ageing global population. Current diagnostic techniques are inadequate to distinguish between PCLs that require surgery, close surveillance, or expectant management. This has resulted in increased morbidity from both inappropriately aggressive and conservative management strategies. Needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (nCLE) has allowed microscopic examination and visual delineation of the surface epithelium of PCLs. Landmark studies in this decade have correlated nCLE and histological findings and identified characteristics differentiating various types of PCLs. Subsequent studies have confirmed the high diagnostic yield of nCLE and its diagnostic utility in PCLs with an equivocal diagnosis. Moreover, nCLE has been shown to improve the diagnostic yield of PCLs. This will help avoid unnecessary pancreatic surgery, which carries significant morbidity and mortality risks. The early detection of high-grade dysplasia in PCLs will provide early surgical treatment and improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer. Despite the high upfront cost of nCLE, the improved diagnostic accuracy and resultant appropriate management have resulted in improved cost effectiveness. Refining the procedure technique and limiting the procedure length have significantly improved the safety of nCLE. A structured training program and device improvements to allow more complete mapping of the pancreatic cyst epithelium will be crucial for the widespread adoption of this promising technology.

Rapid advancement of physiology education has occurred since the twentieth century due to the emergence of new pedagogies and collaborative effort of physiologists worldwide. Physiological organizations and institutions contribute to the teaching of physiology through international congresses, education symposia, teaching workshops, exchange programs, and journal publications. The Internet and information technologies play a crucial role in the promotion and improvement of computer-based physiology education across different countries. Interactive teaching practices and problem-based learning have also become globally applied strategies to enhance students' motivation and facilitate learning effectiveness. In this article, we review the global development and implementation of pedagogical approaches to the teaching of physiology, as well as the emerging trends and practices for physiology education in the future.
Humans ; Learning ; Motivation ; Physiology

In recent years, iron has been regarded as a common pathological feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA). A number of genes involved in iron transport, storage and regulation have been found associated with initiation and progression of neurodegeneration. However, whether iron abnormalities represent a primary or secondary event still remains unknown. Due to the limitation in transgenic rodent model construction and transfection systems, the progress in unraveling the pathogenic role of different iron-related proteins in neurodegenerative diseases has been slow. Drosophila melanogaster, a simple organism which has a shorter lifespan and smaller genome with many conserved genes, and captures many features of human nervous system and neurodegeneration, may help speed up the progress. The characteristics that spatial- and temporal-specific transgenic Drosophila can be easily constructed and raised in large quantity with phenotype easily determined turn Drosophila into an excellent in vivo genetic system for screening iron-related modifiers in different neurodegenerative conditions and hence provide a better picture about the pathogenic contribution of different iron-related protein abnormalities. It is believed that identification of important iron-related genes that can largely stop or even reverse degenerative process in Drosophila models may lead to development of novel therapeutic strategies against neurodegenerative diseases.
Alzheimer Disease ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drosophila melanogaster ; Friedreich Ataxia ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Iron ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; physiopathology ; Parkinson Disease ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution of abnormal hilit syndromes in traditional Uighur medicine (TUM) among human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients, and to find out the clinical characteristics of abnormal savda syndrome type HIV/AIDS patients.

METHODSBetween June and July in 2012, 307 eligible HIV/AIDS patients from in-patient department and out-patient clinics of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region the Sixth People's Hospital in Urumqi were investigated. TUM syndrome differentiation was performed by a senior TUM physician. Each participant completed a Sign and Symptom Check-List for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (SSC-HIV) questionnaire. Depression was evaluated by using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression Questionnaire. Blood specimen was collected from each participant to test the levels of blood chemicals.

RESULTSOf 307 HIV/AIDS patients, 189 (61.6%) were abnormal savda syndrome type, 118 (38.4%) were non-abnormal-savda syndrome type. Mean CD4 counts of abnormal savda syndrome type patients was (227.61±192.93) cells/µL, and the prevalence of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated cystatin C were 49.7%, 28.6%, and 44.7%, which were significantly higher than those in the non-abnormal-savda syndrome type patients (26.3%, 16.0% and 25.0%,P<0.05). In addition, depression (79.9%) and HIV/AIDS-related symptoms such as fatigue (42.3%), back aches (40.7%), lack of appetite (33.9%), night sweats (31.7%) were more common among abnormal savda syndrome patients (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONAbnormal savda syndrome is the dominant syndrome among HIV/AIDS patients, and they present a more sever clinical manifestation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; diagnosis ; Adult ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; China ; ethnology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Infections ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires