A rare case of male Fournier's gangrene with mixed Actinomyces turicensis infection.

Background: Fournier's gangrene (FG), a urological emergency with high mortality, is an infectious necrotizing fasciitis of the perineal and genital regions. The majority of FG is caused by polymicrobial organisms involving mixed aerobes and anaerobes but rarely reveals Actinomyces species.

Case Presentation: We report a healthy 67-year-old Asian male who presented with rapidly progressive painful swelling of the scrotum.

The role of postmastectomy radiation therapy in patients with immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction: A meta-analysis.

Objective: The controversy remains as to whether immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction with postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) is associated with acceptable complications and aesthetic outcomes. The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide a pooled analysis of comparative clinical studies that evaluated breast cancer patients who were treated with a mastectomy and an immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction to compare the complications and satisfaction of those who underwent or did not undergo PMRT.

Methods: According to the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration, we established a rigorous study protocol.

The Serum Pepsinogen Test as a Predictor of Kazakh Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors and the Kazakh population in Xinjiang has been reported to be one of the highest incidence of GC in the world. Serum pepsinogen (PG) test provides a valuable method for detecting GC, but little study about the role of PG in Kazakh GC. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of PG in Kazakh GC and to elucidate the usefulness of the serum PG test method.

Hydroxyapatite-coated sillicone rubber enhanced cell adhesion and it may be through the interaction of EF1β and γ-actin.

Silicone rubber (SR) is a common soft tissue filler material used in plastic surgery. However, it presents a poor surface for cellular adhesion and suffers from poor biocompatibility. In contrast, hydroxyapatite (HA), a prominent component of animal bone and teeth, can promote improved cell compatibility, but HA is an unsuitable filler material because of the brittleness in mechanism.

Osteopontin (OPN) is an important protein to mediate improvements in the biocompatibility of C ion-implanted silicone rubber.

Medical device implants are drawing increasing amounts of interest from modern medical practitioners. However, this attention is not evenly spread across all such devices; most of these implantable devices can cause adverse reactions such as inflammation, fibrosis, thrombosis, and infection. In this work, the biocompatibility of silicone rubber (SR) was improved through carbon (C) ion implantation.

Role of serum amyloid P in skin graft survival and wound healing in burned patients receiving skin grafts.

Background: Recent studies in animal models suggest that serum amyloid P (SAP) can affect burn wound healing. However, the role of SAP in a clinical setting remains unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 88 patients with third degree burn wounds.

Mechanical and biological evaluations of beta-tricalcium phosphate/silicone rubber composite as a novel soft-tissue implant.

Background: Although silicone rubber (SR) implants are most commonly used and effective for soft-tissue augmentation, they still have been implicated in many adverse reactions. To overcome this problem, a novel composite beta-tricalcium phosphate/silicone rubber (beta-TCP/SR) was prepared by adding beta-TCP into a SR matrix. This study was to evaluate its application potential by investigating the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of beta-TCP/SR.

[Study on the cost of expanded programme on immunization in areas with different economic levels].

Objective: The expanded programme on immunization (EPI) is an important part of the social commonwealth projects providing health care service by the government, which benefits communities. Government has the responsibility for EPI's financing which should be covered by the national budget. It is essential that the cost of EPI service be scientifically estimated to provide propriety information for policy makers.