Comparable efficacy of self-monitoring of quantitative urine glucose with self-monitoring of blood glucose on glycaemic control in non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

AIM: To assess whether self-monitoring of quantitative urine glucose or blood glucose is effective, convenient and safe for glycaemic control in non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Adults with non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes were recruited and randomized into three groups: Group A, self-monitoring with a quantitative urine glucose meter (n = 38); Group B, self monitoring with a blood glucose meter (n=35); Group C, the control group without self monitoring (n=35). All patients were followed up for six months, during which identical diabetes care was provided. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in HbA1c within each group (p < 0.05). At the study conclusion, mean changes in HbA1c from baseline were -1.9% for Group A, -1.5% for Group B and -1.0% for Group C, and the proportion of patients achieving HbA1c ≤ 6.5% were 38.9%, 35.3% and 20.0% respectively. However, no significant differences between the groups were found. The average monitoring frequency was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B. The incidence of hypoglycaemia and quality of life scores were similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that self-monitoring of urine glucose has comparable efficacy on glycaemic control, and facilitates better compliance than blood self monitoring, without influencing the quality of life or risk of hypoglycaemia.

Correlation between cellular phone use and epithelial parotid gland malignancies.

The authors investigated the association between cellular phone use and epithelial parotid gland malignancy. The subjects were 136 cases who were treated for this condition at the authors' hospital from January 1993 to March 2010, and 2051 controls who did not have salivary gland tumours and were admitted to the oral and maxillofacial surgery department during the same period. Logistic analysis was used to examine the relationship between cellular phone use and risk of epithelial parotid gland malignancy and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Overall, the frequency of cellular phone use was not significantly associated with epithelial parotid gland malignancy. Female gender, advanced age, married status, high income, and smoking were associated with an elevated risk of epithelial parotid gland malignancy, especially mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Residence in a rural area was associated with reduced risk of epithelial parotid gland malignancy. The results suggest a possible dose-response relationship of cellular phone use with epithelial parotid gland malignancy. The authors suggest that the association of cellular phone use and epithelial parotid gland malignancy and mucoepidermoid carcinoma requires further investigation with large prospective studies.

Role of circadian clocks in the development and therapeutics of cancer.

Circadian clocks are endogenous molecular time-keeping systems that underlie daily fluctuations in multiple physiological and biochemical processes. It is now well recognized that dysfunction of the circadian system may be associated with a heightened incidence of cancer. This brief review presents evidence supporting the important role played by circadian clocks in the development of cancer and the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents. A number of circadian clock genes have been identified, which include transcription factors that regulate gene expression. Continued research in this area should increase understanding of the role of circadian clocks which could, ultimately, reduce the incidence of cancer in people with disrupted sleep-wake cycles, such as 24-h shift workers and flight attendants, and provide optimal chronopharmacology for cancer treatment.

Styloid process osteochondroma.

Osteochondroma, a benign tumor of the skeleton and auxiliary tissues, is usually seen around the epiphysis of long bone, flat pelvis, scapula and transverse process of vertebra, but seldom in the head and neck region. The incidence of osteochondroma in the jaw bone only accounts for 0.6% of the whole body incidence, with rare reports of osteochondroma protruding into the oral cavity. Primary osteochondroma in the styloid process has not been reported until now. A case of styloid process osteochondroma and its surgical removal are here described.

[Inhibitory effects of Na2SeO3 on Tca8113 cells in vitro and in vivo].

In the study, Na2SeO3 effectively limited the growth and proliferation of Tca8113 cells both in vitro and in vivo. The response was dependent on the dose, the starting administered time, exposed length of selenium and density of inoculated Tca8113 cells. At 1 microgram/ml dose of selenium, there were remarkable inhibitory effects while no detectable inhibitory effect to L929 cells. 1 microgram/ml dose for less than 24 hours, the growth and proliferative ability of Tca8113 cells was reversal whereas more than that period, was irreversal. In vivo experiment, the morbidity of transplanted tumors was remarkably depressed with Se-intraperitoneal injection. At 60 micrograms/ip dose, the weight of nude mice were not reduced and the pathological changes in liver and kidney had not found.

Clinical application of autogenous mandibular bone grafts. Analysis of 166 cases.

Of the 166 patients receiving autogenous mandibular bone grafts during 1972-1987, 55 were used for repair of mandibular bone defect, 67 for correction of maxillofacial malformation and 44 for reconstruction of temporo-mandibular joint. Follow-up showed that 155 patients had satisfactory results after operation.