Follicular unit transplantation is an effective method for treating cicatricial alopecia. It is relatively safe and yields satisfactory postoperative results. Extending the results of the present study to Chinese clinical practice is warranted.

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There are anecdotal reports of pulmonary edema after a night of recurrent obstructive apneas (OAs) in humans, but no data on lung water, gas exchange, filling pressure, or cardiac output (Q) exist in these patients. By clamping the endotracheal tube of eight intubated, anesthesized dogs, we created repetitive OAs of 45-s duration at 30-s intervals, for 8 h. Five additional dogs without apneas, but identically instrumented, were studied simultaneously, serving as nonapneic controls. Sa (O(2)) was measured by intraarterial catheter, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (Pcw), continuous cardiac output (Q), and mixed venous oxygen saturation (Sv(O(2))) were measured by flotation catheter. Basal and hourly hemodynamics and blood gases (arterial and venous) under steady state respiration were measured. Venous admixture (Q S/Q T) was calculated by standard equations. Pa(O(2)) from the beginning to the end of the experiment fell from 89.6 to 82.8 mm Hg in apneic animals and from 92.2 to 85.5 mm Hg in controls. The Q S/Q T increased in both groups but more so in the apnea group (3.3 to 19.4%) than in nonapneic controls (3.1 to 7.9%). Neither Q nor Pcw changed significantly in either group. Lung wet/dry weight was 5.40 +/- 0.93 in apneic animals and 5.00 +/- 0.67 in controls. Light microscopy showed gross alveolar fluid in three apneic dogs, and electron microscopy showed interstitial fluid in two additional apneic dogs. One of the lung edema dogs expired of acute heart failure in the seventh hour of the experiment. Worsening of gas exchange and histology suggest that lung edema can result from recurrent OAs.

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Current commercial NEW-producing units are quite large and are not convenient for family using. The developed portable flow-through, NEW-producing unit has great potential in a wide range of applications, such as organic farm, households, and small food industries. The examined sanitizing treatments showed effective control of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes.

The innovative technique combining thread lift with small incision rhytidectomy is a good alternative for the treatment of facial aging.

No abstract

Phoenixin (PNX), a newly identified peptide cleaved from the C-terminus of protein C4orf52, mainly exists in two active isoforms, phoenixin-14 (PNX-14) amide and phoenixin-20 (PNX-20) amide that were first isolated from the rat hypothalamus and bovine heart, respectively. Initial studies demonstrated that PNX is a reproductive peptide, which affects the hypothalamus pituitary genital (HPG) axis through regulating the expression of kisspeptin, GnRH, GnRH receptor, LH and oestrus process. However, further studies indicated that PNX might play a wide range of roles in additional physiological process such as inhibiting visceral pain and eliciting pruritus, inducing anxiety, improving memory retention. Recently, Gpr173, also designated as SREB3, was identified as the cognate receptor of PNX. Whereas, the regulatory mechanism of PNX has not been fully clarified. This review aims to provide the current knowledge of PNX and propose some study directions for future research.