青少年高血压的研究进展

随着人们生活和行为方式的改变,高血压发病明显呈年轻化趋势。在青少年时期识别高血压病高危人群有助于早期进行有效干预和治疗,降低未来高血压的发生率及其严重性。现试从青少年高血压的诊断、发病因素、特点、治疗策略等方面的研究进展作一综述。     

Morbidity in cardiovascular diseases in immigrants in Sweden

INTRODUCTION: Although immigration to Sweden has increased in the last few decades, the incidence rates of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease in immigrants are unknown. The aim of the present study is to estimate whether place of birth affects the incidence rates of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was designed as a follow-up study on morbidity in cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 1998, including three and a half million persons with age range 35-64 years, of whom 550 000 were born abroad, from the database MigMed consisting of the whole Swedish population. Incidence rates and relative risks were estimated by indirect standardization and a proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The age-adjusted risk of coronary heart disease was higher in most foreign-born groups than in Swedes. For example, in nine of 12 male groups, the relative risks varied between 1.1 and 2.2, and in seven of 12 female groups, the relative risks varied between 1.4 and 2.5. When also adjusting for level of education and employment status, the risks were still high, but on a lower level. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign-born people possess an over-risk of cardiovascular or coronary heart disease(CVD/CHD) compared with Swedish-born persons, also when level of education and employment status are taken into account.     

C·肉毒杀鼠素(冻干剂)应用研究

目的为研究C·肉毒杀鼠索对杀灭达乌尔黄鼠(简称黄鼠)的大面积应用情况和对家畜、家禽的毒害作用,进行了C·肉毒杀鼠素的应用研究.方法大面积投毒采用ES-2药饵撒播机[1],间隔约80m进行条投.羊、鸡采用直接灌胃.结果大面积应用的灭鼠率为83.72%.对羊、鸡最高剂量分别为500万MLD、150万MLD,均未出现中毒现象.结论 C·肉毒杀鼠素是较为理想的草原大面积杀灭黄鼠的理想、首选药物.     

高龄老年高血压的临床研究进展

随着社会老龄化进程的加快,80岁以上高龄老人的绝对数量以及占总人口的比例均在增加,如何提高高龄老年高血压的防治水平备受关注。现试从高龄老年高血压的临床特点、治疗策略等方面的临床研究进展作一综述。     

中国老年性耳聋的研究与干预进展

老年性耳聋已成为影响我国老年人生活质量的最主要的慢性病之一。助听器是目前帮助听力损失的老年人克服交流障碍的主要手段。在我国,数字助听器已逐渐取代模拟助听器并且体现出了更好的效果。但是老年听力损失患者中使用助听器的比例仍然很小。人工耳蜗植入也已被应用在老年患者中。我国针对老年人的听力康复服务还有较长的路要走。     

糖尿病大鼠心室肌细胞钾通道的改变

目的研究糖尿病大鼠心室肌细胞钾通道的改变及增加葡萄糖代谢对其的作用。方法取体重150～200g的雄性SpragueDawley大鼠,腹腔注射链脲菌素(STZ)建立糖尿病模型,采用酶解法获得单个心室肌细胞,应用膜片钳全细胞记录技术记录钾电流。结果糖尿病大鼠心室肌细胞瞬间外向性钾流(Ito)密度较对照组显著降低[ 60mV时,分别为(15.90±1.19)pA/pF(n=25)和(28.55±0.97)pA/pF(n=12),P<0.001];分别用100nmol/L胰岛素及1.5mmol/L二氯乙酸在体外预处理心室肌细胞4～5h和3～4h使Ito密度恢复至对照组水平[ 60mV时,分别为(29.40±0.38)pA/pF(n=20)和(27.35±0.97)pA/pF(n=12)]。结论糖尿病大鼠心室肌细胞钾通道功能发生改变,增加葡萄糖代谢可逆转这一改变,提示葡萄糖代谢与Ito功能间存在一定关系。     

Epstein-Barr virus in malignancies in renal transplant recipients in Japan

A role for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the development of malignancies including lymphomas, and carcinoma of the stomach, nasopharynx, thymus and salivary gland is suggested. It is indicated that EBV evokes polyclonal-B-cell-proliferative diseases in immunocompromised hosts, such as transplant patients, which results in monoclonal malignant lymphomas. The suppression of immune functions in these patients is thought to lead to incomplete elimination of the cells expressing EBV latent infection genes. To examine the etiological role of EBV in the development of malignancies following renal transplant in Japan, 42 malignancies in 1744 cases of renal transplant were studied for the presence and type of EBV. The polymerase chain reaction revealed that 5 malignancies were positive for EBV, all type A: 2 of 2 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), 2 of 8 cases of gastric adenocarcinoma of the common type, and 1 of 2 cases of gastric plasmacytoma. In situ hybridization revealed positive signals in the nucleus of tumor cells in 2 cases of NHL and 1 of plasmacytoma. Positive signals were found in the small lymphoid cells but not in the tumor cells in 2 cases of gastric carcinoma. On the basis of these findings, a role for EBV in the development of malignancies in renal transplant patients is unlikely except for lymphoid neoplasias.Abbreviations PCB polymerase chain reaction - EBV Epstein-Barr virus - NHL non-Hodgkin's lymphoma     

Sex Differences in Ethanol-induced Dopamine Release in Nucleus Accumbens and in Ethanol Consumption in Rats

In vivo microdialysis was used to examine changes in nucleus accumbens and striatal dopamine, dihydrophenylacetic acid (DO-PAC), and homovanillic acid (HVA) following acute administration of ethanol (0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 g/kg) in male and female Long-Evans rats. Following dialysis, rats were trained to bar-press for oral ethanol reinforcement. In nucleus accumbens, females showed significant increases in extracellular dopamine following 0.25 or 0.5 g/ kg ethanol, but did not show significant increases over baseline at the higher doses. Males showed slight increases in dopamine at the lower doses and decreased dopamine at 2.0 g/kg. In striatum, both sexes showed increased dopamine at the lower doses and decreased dopamine at 2.0 g/kg. There were slight increases in nucleus accumbens DOPAC and HVA at some doses in both sexes, but no changes in striatal metabolite levels. In addition to showing increased responsiveness to ethanol-induced mesolimbic dopamine stimulation, females consumed more ethanol than males during behavioral testing. The pattern of both greater ethanol-induced nucleus accumbens dopamine release and greater ethanol consumption in females supports the hypothesis that ethanol reward is mediated, at least in part, by the mesolimbic dopamine system.     

Dead in Bed Syndrome in Young Diabetic Patients in Norway

The incidence of unexplained deaths (‘dead in bed syndrome’) in Norwegian diabetic patients under the age of 40 was investigated during the period 1981–1990. During this 10-year period there were 240 deaths of all causes in the age group 0–39 years. Sixteen of these cases fulfilled the following criteria of the ‘dead in bed syndrome’: (1) patient found dead in an undisturbed bed; (2) patient observed to be in good health condition the day before; (3) no clinical evidence of late complications (except background retinopathy in two cases). Of the 16 cases ascertained, 10 were males and 6 females. The age range was 7–35 years, and the duration of diabetes varied between a few months and 26 years. Autopsy, performed in 13 cases, did not reveal any cause of death. Nine patients had been using insulin regimens with multiple daily doses. Twelve patients were reported as having had frequent episodes of hypoglycaemia, with nocturnal episodes in 10 cases. There was apparently an increasing incidence of unexplained deaths during the study period, with 12 of 16 cases occurring in the years 1988 to 1990.     

Pulmonary sporotrichosis in Oklahoma in susceptibilities in vitro

Six cases of pulmonary sporotichosis were observed in 2 institutions in Oklahoma City, Okla. Three of the patients were treated with iodides with or without surgery. Although one patient required a second course of iodides, the patients have remained well after at least 34 months of follow-up. Three patients treated with amphotericin B, single course as well as multiple courses, and other antifungal agents (hydroxystilbamidine and miconazole) have all relapsed. These cases and a reviewed of more than 40 cases of pulmonary sporotrichosis susceptibilities of Sporothrix schenckii that we observed in vitro suggest that amphotericin B is not an effective agent for the treatment of pulmonary sporotrichosis. It is our opinion that the treatment of choice for pulmonary sporotrichosis is a supersaturated solution of potassium iodide. If the patient is allergic to the medication or fails to respond, then a combination of amphotericin B plus flucytosine may be tried.     

Zonal Differences in Ethanol-Induced Impairments in Fluid-Phase Endocytosis in Rat Hepatocytes

We have previously shown that ethanol administration impairs the processes of fluid-phase endocytosis (FPE) and receptor-mediated endocytosis (RME) in isolated rat hepatocytes after as early as 1 week of ethanol administration. The defects in RME were most prominent in the perivenule (PV) region of the liver lobule, the area wherein alcoholic liver disease has been shown to start and predominate. We undertook the present study to see if changes in FPE were likewise more apparent in the PV versus the periportal (PP) region of the liver. For these studies, we fed male Sprague-Dawley rats with an ethanol-supplemented liquid diet or an isocaloric control diet for 1 or 5 weeks. PV and PP hepatocytes were isolated using a digitonin-collagenase perfusion method. Internalization and efflux of the marker dye, Lucifer Yellow, was then examined in the cell populations. After as early as 1 week of feeding, cells from the PV region in ethanol-fed animals showed dramatic impairments in the net internalization of dye, compared with PV cells from the pair-fed controls, and these changes persisted throughout the 5-week feeding period. In contrast, internalization of Lucifer Yellow in cells from the PP region of the liver were not different between control and ethanol animals. Because net internalization represents the balance between uptake into the cells versus efflux from the cells, we examined these components individually. Early uptake of the dye into the cell was not altered by ethanol treatment. The decreased net internalization seemed to be caused by enhanced efflux of the dye, which was significantly increased in PV cells, compared with the same cell type in control animals. Cells from the PP region of the ethanol-fed animals did not exhibit altered efflux after either 1 or 5 weeks of feeding. These results indicate that ethanol-induced impairments in FPE are more dramatic in the PV region of the liver, and these impairments seem to result from an ethanol-induced enhancement of efflux.     

Gender differences in health in Havana versus in Mexico City and in the US Hispanic population

Health progress in the 1960s and 1970s placed Cuba at the vanguard of longevity in Latin America and the Caribbean. This success has often been attributed to equity of access to the health care system and its cost-effectiveness in the country. Cuba also has a small gender gap in life expectancy. In this study, we examined how this pattern is reflected in the gender differences in health among the population aged 60+ in Havana. We compared gender differences in health in samples drawn from Havana, Mexico City, and the US Hispanic population: three geographic settings with very different political, health care, and social systems. The data come from the Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean and the 2000 Health and Retirement Study. Age-adjusted prevalence and logistic regressions were estimated for poor self-rated health, limitations on activities of daily living, depression, and mobility limitations. While an absolute female disadvantage in health was apparent in all three populations, the relative gender differences were inconsistent across all four health domains. Gender differences were most pronounced in Havana, even after adjusting for age, socio-economic status, family characteristics, and smoking behaviour. Despite having higher overall life expectancy and more equitable and universal access to primary care and preventive medicine, women in Havana appear to have a larger burden of ill health than women in less equitable societies. The study provides indirect evidence that Cuba faces challenges in combating the health threats posed by chronic diseases and other diseases and conditions common among the population aged 60+.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s10433-020-00563-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

DDE-induced changes in aromatase activity in endometrial stromal cells in culture

Environmental toxicants are thought to play a role in several estrogen-dependent diseases including breast cancer and endometriosis. Toxicant-induced increased aromatase activity, an enzyme complex that catalyzes the final rate-limiting step in the conversion of androgens to estrogens, has been reported in assays using placental microsomes and cancer cells in vitro. These data suggest that environmental toxicants can increase aromatase activity and thus increase local tissue estrogen levels, which could have implications for estrogen-dependent functions in target tissues. The objective of this study was therefore to quantify the effect of the stable breakdown product of DDT, 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p′-DDE), a toxicant broadly detected in human adipose tissue, serum and follicular fluid, on aromatase activity in the endometrium, an estrogensensitive target tissue. Specifically, the effect of increasing log concentrations of p,p′-DDE on aromatase activity was determined in cultures of endometrial stromal cells (ESC). Relative to controls p,p′-DDE treatment significantly increased aromatase activity in ESC (135%). Moreover, ESC cells treated with p,p′-DDE were immunopositive for aromatase, whereas no aromatase staining could be demonstrated in control cultures. Our data demonstrate that p,p′-DDE treatment can increase aromatase activity in ESC in culture.     

Challenges in diabetology research in India

Background

Diabetes emerges out to be a major epidemic in recent years that engulfs both developed and developing countries across the globe. India, a country witnessing rapid socioeconomic progress and urbanization carries a considerable share of the global diabetes burden. There has been an incongruity between disease burden and the technical capacity to make use of existing knowledge or to generate new knowledge to combat diabetes in India.

Decreases in Dopamine Receptors but not in Dopamine Transporters in Alcoholics

It has been hypothesized that ethanol's actions on the dopamine (DA) system may participate in addiction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the DA system in the brain of alcoholics. We evaluated 10 alcoholics and 17 nonalcoholics using positron emission tomography and [¹¹C]raclopride to measure DA D2 receptors. In addition, in 5 of the alcoholics and 16 of the nonalcoholics, we also measured DA transporters with [¹¹C]d-threo methylphenidate. The ratio of the distribution volumes in striatum to that In cerebellum, which corresponds to B_max/K_d+ 1, was used as model parameter of DA D2 receptor and transporter availability. Dopamine D2 receptor availability (B_max/K_d) was significantly lower in alcoholics (2.1 ± 0.5) than in nonalcoholics (2.7 ± 0.6) (p < 0.05) and was not correlated with days since last alcohol use. Alcoholics showed DA transporter values similar to those in nonalcoholics. The ratio of DA D2 receptor to transporter availability was significantly higher in nonalcoholics (1.4 ± 0.1) than in alcoholics (1.1 ± 0.1) (p < 0.005). Alcoholics showed significant reductions in D2 receptors (postsynaptic marker) but not in DA transporter availability (presynaptic marker) when compared with nonalcoholics. Because D2 receptors in striatum are mainly localized in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cells these results provide evidence of GABAergic involvement in the dopaminergic abnormalities seen in alcoholics.