Alloys ; adverse effects ; Cobalt ; adverse effects ; Dust ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Tungsten ; adverse effects

Chromium Alloys ; adverse effects ; Cobalt ; adverse effects ; Crowns ; adverse effects ; Dental Porcelain ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; etiology

OBJECTIVEWe sought to master the clinical characteristics and prognosis of hard mental lung disease, improving this disease's diagnosis and treatment quality.

METHODSWe recruited two suspected patients with hard mental lung disease and collected their occupational history, examination results of occupational health, and past medical records. By virtue of laboratory tests, high Kv chest radiography, CT and HRCT of chest, fiberoptic bronchoscopy and ECG examination, diagnostic report was synthesized respectively by respiratory physicians and pathologist from three different agencies. Then the report was submitted to diagnosis organizations of occupational disease, and diagnostic conclusion of occupational disease was drawn after discussion by at least three diagnosticians of occupational disease.

RESULTSWe found that both of the two suspected patients were exposed to dusts of hard metal, and length of exposure service ranged from 8 to 9 years. Clinical manifestations were dominated by dry cough, wheezing after activities, and pathological manifestation was characteristic giant cell interstitial pneumonia. The prognosis and outcome of the disease were different.

CONCLUSIONAccording to exact occupational exposure history, clinical manifestations, combined with the results of high Kv chest radiography, CT of chest and pathological manifestation, it can be diagnosed with hard mental lung disease.

Alloys ; adverse effects ; Bronchoscopy ; Cobalt ; adverse effects ; Dust ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Lung Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Occupational Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Tungsten ; adverse effects

We report a case of occupational asthma caused by cobalt associated with systemic symptoms. He was a non-atopic, ex-smoker and had worked in a glassware factory for 14 months. A skin prick test with CoSO4 up to 100 mg/ml showed a negative result. A bronchoprovocation test with CoSO4 demonstrated an isolated asthmatic response with systemic symptoms such as fever, arthralgia and myalgia. Although an initial methacholine bronchial challenge test showed a negative result, the following methacholine bronchial challenge test which was done 24 hours after the challenge testing demonstrated an increased airway hyperresponsiveness at 2.5 mg/ml which recovered 7 days later. An intradermal skin test with 10 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml CoSO4 solution demonstrated positive responses respectively(13 x 12/40 x 32, 20 x 15/40 x 37 (mm), histamine 16 x 14/64 x 50). A patch test including cobalt showed a negative result. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after the cobalt inhalation testing and other laboratory findings showed no evidence of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. These results suggested that cobalt could induce occupational asthma with systemic illness in an exposed worker.
Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic/chemically induced ; Asthma/*chemically induced ; Case Report ; Cobalt/*adverse effects ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; *Occupational Exposure ; Respiratory Function Tests

BACKGROUND: Many studies have investigated heavy metal exposure could increase the occurrence of congenital heart defects (CHDs). However, there are limited data regarding the relationship between cobalt exposure and CHD occurrence in offspring. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between cobalt exposure in mothers and the risk of CHDs in offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In order to explore the association between cobalt exposure and occurrence of congenital heart defect (CHD), a case-control study with 490 controls and 399 cases with CHDs in China were developed. The concentrations of cobalt in hair of pregnant woman and fetal placental tissue were measured and processed by a logistic regression analysis to explore the relationship between cobalt exposure and risk of CHDs. RESULTS: The median concentration of hair cobalt in the control and case group was 0.023 ng/mg and 0.033 ng/mg (aOR, 1.837; 95% CI, 1.468-2.299; P < 0.001), respectively. And the median (5-95% range) fetal placental cobalt concentrations were 19.350 ng/g and 42.500 ng/g (aOR, 2.924; 95% CI, 2.211-3.868; P < 0.001) in the control and case groups, respectively. Significant differences in the middle level of cobalt in hair were found in the different CHD subtypes, including septal defects, conotruncal defects, right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (P < 0.001). Dramatically, different cobalt concentrations in fetal placental tissue were found in all subtypes of cases with CHDs (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The finding suggested that the occurrence of CHDs may be associated with cobalt exposure.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Cobalt ; adverse effects ; Female ; Hair ; chemistry ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; chemically induced ; Humans ; Maternal Exposure ; adverse effects ; Placenta ; chemistry ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; chemically induced ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy, side effects and influence of two chemotherapy regimens, paclitaxel liposome combined with platinum and paclitaxel combined with platinum, on the survival rate in patients with cervical carcinoma receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty two cases with primary cervical carcinoma diagnosed and treated in the Jiangxi Maternal and Children Hospital between January 2008 and November 2009 were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Seventy one cases were included in the paclitaxel group and 91 in the paclitaxel liposome group. The chemotherapy doses were as followings: paclitaxel liposome and paclitaxel 135 mg/m(2); cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) or carboplatin AUC 4 - 6, repeated every 21 days for two or three times. Radical radiotherapy was given to both groups at the same time. The efficacy was evaluated by the tumor regression and the patients were followed-up for six months.

RESULTSThe overall response rates of paclitaxel group and paclitaxel liposome group were 90.1% and 89.0%, respectively (P > 0.05). The 1-year cumulative survival rate was 91.4% for the paclitaxel group and 89.2% for the paclitaxel liposom group (P > 0.05). The incidence rate of adverse effects such as rash, gastrointestinal toxicity, bone marrow suppression and muscle/joint pain in the paclitaxel liposome group was significantly lower than that in the paclitaxel group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference regarding the hair loss, liver damage, and peripheral neuritis (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPaclitaxel liposome plus platinum is a safe and effective therapeutic regimen for stage IIa-IV cervical carcinoma. However, the long-term efficacy of this regimen should be further observed.

Adenocarcinoma ; pathology ; therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Brachytherapy ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; pathology ; therapy ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Cobalt Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use ; Exanthema ; chemically induced ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; chemically induced ; Humans ; Iridium Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use ; Liposomes ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy

AIMTo study the effects of bone marrow MSCs transplantation on the apoptosis of alveolar wall cells and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax of lung tissue in papain and Co60-induced pulmonary emphysema rats.

METHODSFemale Lewis rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, emphysema group, emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. Rats were sacrificed at days 14 and 28 after treatment. Morphologic analysis of the lung tissue was performed. The apoptosis of the lung cells was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were determined by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSEmphysematous changes of the lung tissue were observed in emphysema group and emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. However, the emphysematous change in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was improved compared with the emphysema group. There was significant difference in the number of alveolar counted per unit area (MAN), mean alveoli area (MAA) and mean linear interval(MLI) between emphysema group and emphysema + MSCs transplantation group. The apoptotic index of the alveolar wall cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was less than that in the emphysema group. The percentage of Bcl-2 positive cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly higher than that in the emphysema group. The percentage of Bax positive cells in emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly lower than that in the emphysema group. The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax of emphysema + MSCs transplantation group was significantly higher than that in the emphysema group.

CONCLUSIONBone marrow MSCs transplantation inhibits the apoptosis of alveolar wall cells, upregulates the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulates the expression of Bax. This may be part of the reason that bone marrow MSCs transplantation improves the papain and Co60-induced pulmonary emphysema.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cells, Cultured ; Cobalt Isotopes ; adverse effects ; Female ; Lung ; cytology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Papain ; adverse effects ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Alveoli ; drug effects ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Rats ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the inhibitory effect of Ganoderma lucidum, the extract of chloroform, the extract of ethyl acetate and the remains after two-time extraction on BEL-7402 and MGC-803 cells and their protective effects on HL-7702 cells pre-and post-exposed to cisplatin (DDP) and various doses of 60Co gamma irradiation.

METHODThe antitumor activity and protective effects on damaged HL-7702 cells induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy of ganoderma lucidum were determined by MTT technique.

RESULTThe anticancer activity of the extract of chloroform Ganoderma lucidum was the best: at the concentration of 0.125 mg x mL(-1), the inhibitory rate was over 50%. To the HL-7702 cells damaged by DDP, four kinds of extracts didn't exert restoring effect, but the pretreatment with the extract of chloroform reduced the damaged degree significantly. To the 60Co gamma irradiated HL-7702 cells, only the extract of chloroform exerted restoring effect to some extent when exposed to middle or high dose of irradiation. The pre-administration of four kinds of extracts reduced the damaged degree by radiation.

CONCLUSIONThe extract of chloroform exerts notable antitumor effects on cancer cells and protective effects on damaged normal cells induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; Cobalt Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Reishi ; chemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effect of Liujunzi decoction combined with Zuojin pills in treating the radioactive duodenitis and their mechanism, and compare with clinical routine acid suppressants combined with mucous membrane protective preparations to study the mechanism of their efficacy.

METHODAccording to the study of Williams J P and characteristics of duodenitis, and by reference to the radiation enteritis modeling standard, we took the lead in establishing the mouse radioactive duodenal injury model. The model mice were randomly divided into the control group (n = 26), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group (n = 16) and the western medicine (oral administration with famotidine 0.5 mL + almagate suspension 0.3 mL per mouse, once a day) group (n = 16). After the standard administrating, such objective indexes as general condition, weight, changes in health score, pathology and expression of inflammatory factors were observed to evaluate the efficacy.

RESULTThe radioactive duodenitis model of mice was successfully established with 12 Gy. Mice in the control group suffered from weight loss, anorexia, low fluid intake, loose stools, and occasionally mucous bloody stool, poor spirit, dim fur, lack of exercise and arch back. Mice in drug intervention groups were generally better than those in the pure irradiation group. The IL-6, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha mRNA expressions in spleen and mesenteric lymph node tissues in TCM and western medicine groups showed a declining trend compared with the control group. Their concentrations in peripheral blood serum also slightly changed. The TCM group revealed notable advantage in reducing inflammatory factors. The microscopic observation showed that a better mucosa repair in intervention groups than the pure irradiation group. The improved Chiu's scoring method showed a statistical significance in the difference between TCM and western medicine groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLiujunzi decoction combined with Zuojin pills could treat acute radiation enteritis, regulate organic immunity, and inhibit acute injury, promote local tissue repair, with the potential to resist such adverse effects as radiation intestinal fibrosis. The regulation of inflammatory factor release is one of efficacy generation mechanisms.

Animals ; Cobalt Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Duodenitis ; blood ; drug therapy ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mucous Membrane ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Radiation Injuries, Experimental ; blood ; drug therapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

BACKGROUNDThe emergence of drug-eluting stents (DES) has dramatically reduced the incidence of in-stent restenosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sirolimus-eluting cobalt-chrome stents (Firebird 2) for treating patients with coronary artery disease.

METHODSSixty-seven patients with de novo or non-stented restenostic coronary lesions were chosen to receive the Firebird 2 stent as the final treatment (Firebird 2 group). Another 49 consecutive patients were implanted with bare cobalt alloyed stents (Driver, Medtronic) within the previous six months and served as historical controls (control group). Baseline clinical characteristics, angiographic features, procedural results, 30-day, 6-month and 12-month clinical follow-up regarding the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), as well as the primary endpoint of late lumen loss at 6-month angiographic follow-up were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe demographic characteristics were similar between the two groups despite more patients in the Firebird 2 group who underwent previous percutaneous coronary intervention (22.4% vs 8.2%, P = 0.0418) and who had diabetes mellitus (29.9% vs 12.2%, P = 0.0253). In the Firebird 2 group, the mean diameter of the reference vessel was smaller ((2.79 +/- 0.46) mm vs (2.98 +/- 0.49) mm, P = 0.0175) and more stents were implanted for each lesion (1.28 +/- 0.52 vs 1.10 +/- 0.30, P = 0.0060). Other angiographic, procedural results and the device success rate were similar between the two groups. The MACE rate at 30-day and 3-month was the same, but significantly fewer MACE occurred in the Firebird 2 group at 6- and 12-month follow-up (1.5% vs 12.2% at 6 month, P = 0.0168; 1.5% vs 26.5% at 12 month, P < 0.0001). The primary endpoint of late lumen loss at 6-month angiographic follow-up was significantly reduced in the Firebird 2 group (in-stent: (0.05 +/- 0.09) mm vs (0.98 +/- 0.61) mm; in-segment: (0.05 +/- 0.18) mm vs (0.72 +/- 0.59) mm; P < 0.0001) than the control group. One patient in the Firebird 2 group had in-segment restenosis (1.3%) while the rate in the control group (38.1%) was significantly higher, P < 0.0001. Intravascular ultrasound examination was performed in 70.1% of patients in the Firebird 2 group and revealed that the percentage of volumetric obstruction was (1.26 +/- 1.05)%. No stent thrombosis was observed in either group at 12-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONThe Firebird 2 sirolimus-eluting cobalt alloyed stent is safe and feasible in treating patients with coronary artery disease.

Aged ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; methods ; Cobalt ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Coronary Thrombosis ; etiology ; Coronary Vessels ; diagnostic imaging ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Sirolimus ; administration & dosage ; Stents ; adverse effects ; Ultrasonography, Interventional