Berson, Yalow, and the JCI: the agony and the ecstasy

The isolation of insulin in 1921 by Banting, Best, Collip, and Macleod stands as one of the most dramatic stories in modern medical investigation. Only two years passed between the initial experiments in dogs to widespread human application to the awarding of the Nobel Prize in 1923. Insulin-related research has also served as a focus, at least in part, for the work of three other Nobel Prize recipients: determination of the chemical structure of insulin by Frederick Sanger in 1958; determination of the three-dimensional structures of insulin and vitamin B12 by Dorothy Hodgkin in 1964; and finally, the development of immunoassay by Solomon Berson and Rosalyn Yalow in 1959-1960, which led to a Nobel Prize for Yalow in 1977 (five years after the untimely death of Berson). The history of Yalow and Berson's discovery and its impact on the field is an illustration of the adage that every story has two sides.     

Patellar hypomobility and the flexibility of the iliotibial band and the femoral quadriceps

Background. The aim of our study was to determine whether or not the flexibility of the iliotibial band and femoral quadriceps have an impact on patellar hypomobility, due to their connections with the patellar stabilizers. Material and methods. We examined 62 patients (44 females, 18 males) with a median age of 15 years (range 9-19). All these patients had patellofemoral dysfunction in the tested knees (101). The medial and distal glide of the patella were tested with a manual test according to Kaltenborn's scale. Ober's test was performed to test the tightness of the iliotibial band. The flexibility of the quadriceps femoris was tested while the patient was lying prone with the tested leg on the couch and the other beside it. Results. Statistical analysis based on the c2 test (P=0.05) found no dependence between the flexibility parameters of the iliotibial band or the femoral quadriceps and the parameters of patellar hypomobility. Of the tested joints, 37.6% showed hypomobile patella and positive Ober's test, while 34.7% had hypomobile patella and a positive test for femoral quadriceps flexibility. Conclusions. The flexibility of the iliotibial band and femoral quadriceps has no direct influence on passive patellar hypomobility, but can affect the biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint and the location of the point of contact on articular surfaces during dynamic knee work. The flexibility of these muscles should be a diagnostic factor in patients with patellofemoral dysfunction.     

Tibetan Buddhism and the resolution of grief: the Bardo-thodol for the dying and the grieving

This article is a contribution to the cross-cultural study of grief. The Bardo thodol (sometimes translated the Tibetan Book of the Dead ) and the ritual associated with it provides a way to understand how Buddhism in Tibetan culture manages the issues associated with what is called grief in Western psychology. The resolution of grief in the survivors is intertwined with the journey to rebirth of the deceased. The present article describes (a) the progression of the deceased, (b) the rituals by which survivors separate from the physical incarnation of the deceased, (c) how, by channeling the feelings of grief to support the progress of the deceased, grief is brought to a positive resolution, and (d) the continuing bond survivors maintain with the dead even though the dead has moved on to the next life.     

流行性出血热的肾脏和腹水超声改变及其临床意义

报道确诊为流行性出血热的７８例病人的肾脏和腹水的Ｂ超表现，结果显示患者早期即可有肾脏肿大，肾锥体肿胀，中心集合系统受压变窄，肾实质回声增粗、增强、肾周暗带等特征性改变，并可出现不同程度的腹水。根据这些改变可早期确诊。并依据声像图进行分型。这对临床分期，估计预后，指导治疗均有重要意义。     

班宜奎,任庆华,金娜英,孙垚,张勇

大脑与肠道以肠道菌群为介导进行双向交流,称为微生物—肠—脑轴。缺血性脑卒中(Ischemic Stroke,IS)发生后会引起肠道菌群失调,肠道菌群的失调又会影响到IS的发展和预后。研究者们通过大量研究发现肠道菌群与IS病理上密切相关,或许可以作为IS早期诊断和防治的指标之一,并且发现调节肠道菌群可以影响IS的预后。现就微生物—肠—脑轴相关性以及相应的干预方法进行综述,以期为IS的治疗提供新的思路。