Hyperuricemia and gout among Taiwan Aborigines and Taiwanese-prevalence and risk factors

Gout is a metabolic disorder which normally undergoes 4 stages : hyperuricemia, acute gouty arthritis, an intercritical period, and final tophus. Priority associated with gout is hyperuricemia. Only 5% - 10% of patients with hyperuricemia will develop gout. Indeed, the serum uric acid level is correlated with the prospects of gouty attack. Therefore, study of gout epidemiology should focus on the hyperuricemia of a community or ethnic population. Twenty-three million people live in Taiwan,among them, an ethnic minority of 330 000 native inhabitants ( called “Aborigines” ), who live mainly in high mountain areas. The rest are “ethnic Taiwanese”,most of whom came from the southern Mainland Chinese provinces some 400 years ago. Some of the “ethnic Taiwanese” arrived from the central and northern areas of Mainland China 50 years ago.The languages,dietary habits and cultures of the Taiwanese and Aborigines are completely different.     

DNA repair genotypes and phenotypes and cancer susceptibility

The role of DNA repair in the etiology of cancers has been well illustrated in several hereditary syndromes, in which an inherited defect in DNA repair and related biological processes is associated with extraordinarily high incidence of cancer. For example, patients with xeroderma pigmentosum（XP） have germline mutations in genes involved nucleotide excision repair（NER） coupled with more than 1000-fold increased risk of UV-induced skin cancers. However, such associations between inherited DNA repair defect and risk of cancer have not been apparent in the general population.     

Immunoglobulins and Complement in Splenectomised and Autotran splantated Subjects

Serum immunoglobulins and complement factors were investigated retrospcctively in 35 splenectomised (n=28) and autoreplanted (n=7) patients following trauma. The main deficiency of the immune system following splenectomy was a reduction in the concentrations of serum IgM, C_3, and factor B     

Inflammation and Arterothrombosis

Arterial thrombosis is a central pathologic mechanism contributing to myocardial infarction and stroke, together the leading causes of death in China and developed countries. The basic pathologic change is atherosclerosis, the earliest visible lesion of atherosclersis is the fatty streak, which is due to an accumulation of lipidladen foam cells in the intimal layer of the artery. With time , the fatty streak evolves into a fibrous plaque. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has been considered a disorder due to abnormalities in lipid metabolism for long time. In fact, the inciting event of atherosclerosis is likely an inflammatory insult that occurs decades before the disease becomes clinically apparent. The atherosclerotic process is characterized in its earliest stages, by perturbation in endothelial function. Atherosclerosis is likely initiated when endothelial cells overexpress adhesion molecules in response to turbulent flow in the setting of an unfavorable serum lipid profile. The overexpress vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （ VCAM- 1 ） on endothelial surfaces was an early, and necessary, step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.     

Stomach and duodenum

930131 Measurement of gastric emptying innon-ulcer dyspepsia.HOU Xiaohua(侯晓华),et al.Instit Gastroenterol,Union Hosp,TongjiMed Univ,Wuhan,430022.Chin J Intern Med1992;31(10):623-625.Using real-time ultrasonography,we moni-tored gastric emptying indirectly in 26 cases ofnon-ulcer dyspepsia(NUD)and 13 healthyadults by determing the anteroposterior gastricmeasurement of a single section of the stomachin the corpus fundus immediately after drinking500ml water and then every 10 min.for fivetimes.The average time for 50% gastric empty-ing in NUD patients(36.46±13.13,x±s)waslonger than that in healthy adults(23.54±5.93),but the half time of gastric emptying inChina Medical Abstracts(Internal Medicine)     

Notes and News

At the invitation of the Japan Society forOriental Medicine,a teaching group composed ofProfs.Yah Zhenghua and Liu Duzhou,and alecturer,Gao Xuemin,of the Beijing College ofTraditional Chinese Medicine visited Japan fromJanuary 13 to 27,1981,and were warmlyreceived.The teaching group spent seven days of thevisit introducing systematically the clinical ap-     

Notes and News

MONOGRAPH ON SOFT TISSUE INJURYPUBLISHEDAn English translation of Treatment ofSoft Tissue Injury with Traditional Chinese andWestern Medicine has recently been publishedby People's Health Publishing House and is-sued by China Publications Centre.Compilationis by Feng Tianyou,an eminent physician of theOrthopaedic Department of Combined Chineseand Western Medicine,Air Force GeneralHospital,Beijing,China.This medical monograph systematically ex-     

Notes and News

SECOND CONGRESS OF ASSOCIATIONHELD IN WUHANThe Second Congress of China Association ofAcupuncture and Moxibustion took place in Wuhanof Hubei Province from Nov.30th to Dec.3rd.Pre-sent at the meeting were more than 200 delegatesfrom various parts of China.Speaking at the openingceremony were professor Wang Xuetai,vice-presidentof China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibus-tion and secretary-general of the Preparatory Com-mittee for the World Federation of Acupuncture andMoxibustion Societies and also professor Lu Zhijun,     

Questions and Answers

What Are the Commonly-UsedAcupuncture Methods for Treating AcuteLumbar Sprain?     

Stomach and duodenum

920683 The relationship between the fast-ing gastric bile acids and non-ulcer dyspep-sia. FENG Weihua(冯伟华), et al. Dept Bio-chemist, Changhai Hosp, 2nd Milit Med Coll.Shanghai 200433 Chin. J Digest 1992; 12(2):77-79. In the present study, the concentrations ofthe fasting gastric bile acid from 49 patients with     

Homocysteine and atheromatosis

Homoeysteine(Hey)was first linked with athero- selerosis over more than 30 years ago.MeCully reported autoPsy evidenee of extensive arterial thrombosis and ath- eroselerosis in two ehildren wirh elevated plasma Hey eoneentrations and homoeystinuria in 1969.On the basis of this elinieal observation，he put forward the Hey theo叮of arterioselerosis.Subsequent investigations HHey have eonfirmed the assoeiation between and premature athero- selerosis of the eoronary，eerebrovaseular，and PeriP…     

Questions and Answers

Bi-syndrome is the syndrome due to invasionof the exogenous pathogenic factors of wind, coldand dampness, which obstruct the channels andcollaterals, leading to stagnated flow of qi and blood,characterized by such clinical manifestations as     

News and Notes

WORLD CONGRESS ON SCIENTIFICACUPUNCTURE HELD IN VIENNAThe World Congress on Scientific Acupunc-ture,organized by the Austrian Acupunctureand Auricular Therapy Society,was held October17-20,1983 in Vienna,Austria It was attendedby 500 participants from 27 countries includingAustralia,Austria,Belgium,Canada,China,Czechoslovakia,Germany,Greece,Egypt,Eng-land,Finland,France,Hungary,Israel,Italy,Japan,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Swe-den,Syria,Switzerland,Turkey,the USA,theUSSR and Yugoslavia.     

Notes and News

MRS CARSTENS VISITSTCM ACADEMYMrs Carstens,wife of President KarlCarstens of the Federal Republic of Germany,visited the Academy of Traditional Chinese Me-dicine during her stay in Beijing on October11th and 13th.She was warmly received byPresident Ji Zhongpu and Vice President ShangTianyu of the Academy.     

Jejunum and ileum

930134 Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruc-tion:An analysis of 8 cases.WANG Xiuling(王秀玲),et al.Dept Med,Xinhua Hosp,Shanghai2nd Med Univ.Chin J Digest 1992;12(3):148-150.This report describes 8 cases of chronic in-testinal pseudoobstruction.Among them 6 pa-tients underwent exploratory laparotomy,and nomechanical obstructive lesions could be found.The remaining two cases had a clinical syndromecharacterized by symptoms and signs of intesti-nal pseudo-obstruction and a typical abdominal     

Notes and News

AN EXHIBITION ON ACUPUNCTURE,PHARMACOLOGY,HYGIENICS INTRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINEThe Paracelso Institute,in collaboration withthe Friendship Association of Chinese Students andScholars in Italy,held in Rome,Italy,an exhibitionon traditional Chinese medicine,bearing the follow-ing title:     

Notes and News

SYMPOSIUM ON ACUTE ABDOMEN HELDIN TIANJINA symposium on acute abdomen was held inTianjin to cerebrate the 25th Anniversary of theendeavoring of Tianjin Nankai Hospital to work onthe integration of TCM-WM and the 10th Anniver-sary of the founding of Tianjin Institute of AcuteAbdominal Diseases,in May 1985.Some 100 par-ticipants from various parts of the country attendedthe meeting.Dr.Tian Jinfu,director of Bureau ofTCM under the Ministry of Public Health,Dr.Ji     

Notes and News

THE 9TH WORLD ACUPUNCTURECONGRESS TO BE HELD IN MONTREALThe 9th World Congress of the InternationalSociety of Acupuncture will be held April 12-14,1985,in Montreal,Canada.The Congress convenesevery two years.Chinese representatives have at-tended the 6th,7th and 8th congresses held in Paris,Colombo and Sofia respectively.Dr.Oscar Wexu,President of the Canadian College of TraditionalChinese Medicine and Chairman of the Society ofAcupuncture in Ouebec,acting as host,has invited