Diagnosis and surgical treatment of congenital bronchoesophageal fistula in adult / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and surgical treatment of adult congenital bronchoesophageal fistula.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eleven cases of adult congenital bronchoesophageal fistula that were diagnosed and surgically treated between May 1990 and August 2010 had been reviewed. There were 7 male and 4 female patients, ranging in age from 28 to 66 years (mean 48.7 years). The chief clinical presentation included coughing and sputum in 10 cases, recurrent bouts of coughing after drinking liquid food in 6 cases, hemoptysis in 6 cases, low fever in 4 cases, chest pain in 3 cases. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis ranged from 5 to 36 years (mean 16.8 years). The diagnosis of bronchoesophageal fistula was confirmed most by esophagography. Associated diseased lung was resected in all patients (lobectomy in 10 cases and pneumonectomy in 1 case). The operation included right thoracotomy in 7 cases and left thoracotomy in 4 cases. The fistula was completely resected in 10 cases. The tract was simply divided and the end was sutured in 1 case.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The postoperative course was uneventful in 10 patients who were discharged from hospital 10 to 18 d after operation. One patient suffered from esophageal fistula and received second operation. Regular follow-up was conducted on all 11 patients, proving that 3-year survival rate was 11/11 and 5-year survival rate was 9/11.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Persistence of congenital bronchoesophageal fistula into adulthood is rare. The main symptom is nonspecific coughing and bouts of coughing after drinking liquid food. The most useful diagnostic method is the esophagography. Even though it is benign disease, life-threatening complications might occur and it must be treated surgically as soon as the diagnosis is established.</p>

Prognostic analysis of partial atrium or large blood vessel resection for treatment of locally advanced lung cancer / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the value of partial atrium or large blood vessel resection for the treatment of locally advanced lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-five patients with locally advanced lung cancer (T(4)N(0)-N(2)M(0)) underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy combined with intrapericardial vascular management or partial resection of the atrium. Of the 35 patients , 15 underwent left pneumonectomy combined with partial resection of the left atrium, 3 had pneumonectomy and partial resection of pulmonary artery trunk, 11 received right pneumonectomy and partial resection of the left atrium, 3 had middle and lower lobectomies and partial resection of the left atrium, and 3 underwent right upper lobectomy, partial resection of the superior vena cava and replacement of artificial blood vessel.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No death occurred in the 35 patients. Postoperative arrhythmia occurred in 4 cases and respiratory failure in 2 cases. The 1, 2, 3 and 4 year survival rates of the patients were 79.2% (19/24), 53.3% (8/15), 46.2% (6/13) and 36.4% (4/11), respectively. Pathologically, 27 patients had squamous carcinoma, 3 had adenocarcinoma, 3 had adenosquamous carcinoma and 2 had large cell carcinoma. In TNM staging, 6 were in T(4)N(0)M(0), 11 in T(4)N(1)M(0) and 18 in T(4)N(2)M(0).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Pneumonectomy or lobectomy combined with intrapericardial vascular management or partial resection of the atrium can enhance the possibility of radical resection of locally advanced lung cancer and increase the long term survival rate.</p>

Early surgical treatment of bronchopleural fistula after pneumonectomy / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the method of early surgical treatment of bronchopleural fistula after pneumonectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twelve patients (9 males and 3 females with a mean age of 58.6-/+5.7 years) with bronchopleural fistula after pneumonectomy received a reoperation within 72 h after a definite diagnosis. Empyema was found in none of the 12 cases. Fistula occurred within 4 to 17 days (8 days in average) after the operation. The fistula of the residual main bronchus was resected, and the thoracic cavity was asepticized by flushing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ten patients were discharged with complete healing. One patient was discharged following open drainage with daily change of the wound dress. One patient died due to multiple organ failure. The hospital stay of the patients ranged from 18 to 49 days (31 days in average) after the reoperation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Bronchopleural fistula after pneumonectomy, in case that empyema and multiple organ failure do not occur, can be healed by closing the fistula with the stapling device in early stage. Flushing the thoracic cavity is also necessary after the reoperation.</p>

Specific promoters used in plant gene engineering / 生物工程学报

The choice of specific promoters used within a transgene construct is a vital strategy to achieve the transgene regulation in the temporal, spatial and measurable manner. The strategy has been widely used in diverse aspects of plant gene engineering, such as quality improvement, resistance breeding and bioreactor. In this paper, we describe the structure feature, classification and research method of the specific promoter and its application progresses in plant gene engineering.