Contribution of medullary raphé to control of coughing-Codeine trials in cat

In order to determine if a codeine-sensitive control system for cough exists in the medullary raphé four microinjections of codeine (3.3 and 16.5mM; 36.6±0.7nl 1.5 and 3mm rostral to the obex at the depths 1.5 and 3mm; the total dose 1.12±0.3nmol, 9 animals) were performed on pentobarbitone anesthetized spontaneously breathing cats. Amplitudes of abdominal muscle EMG moving averages during mechanically induced tracheobronchial cough decreased by 18% compared to control coughs (p<0.05). The duration between maxima of cough diaphragm and abdominal muscle EMG discharge, cough expiratory phase duration and period of relative motor quiescence between coughs were increased (all p<0.05). Cough number, other cough parameters, and cardiorespiratory characteristics were not altered significantly. Control microinjections of artificial cerebro-spinal fluid had no effect on coughing. Codeine sensitive neurons involved in the generation or modulation of motor pattern of tracheobronchial cough are located in the medullary midline raphé nuclei; however, their contribution to codeine induced cough suppression is limited.     

Recommendations for a lifestyle which could prevent breast cancer and its relapse: physical activity and dietetic aspects

External factors such as eating habits and physical activity have an important impact on breast cancer risk. This paper reviews the literature on the relationship between breast cancer and lifestyle. It aims to produce recommendations regarding physical activity and dietary intake for clinical practice. Although strong clinical evidence of the impact of lifestyle modifications is still lacking, practising healthy eating should be encouraged for the prevention of cancer, its occurrence or relapse. Physical activity is recommended to avoid excessive weight gain. For example, the beneficial effects on the risk of breast cancer could be achieved by walking half an hour per day. Three to five hours per week of moderate physical exercise therefore should be recommended for optimising the reduction of the risk of cancer. For most women, moderate to intense activity, such as heavy housework, brisk walking, or dancing, could provide an effective level of activity to keep reduce the risk of breast cancer.     

The long-term postsurgical prognosis of patients with pineoblastoma

BACKGROUND:

For this report, the authors comprehensively summarized the existing literature on patients with pineoblastoma and identified the variables and treatments that had an impact patient on outcomes.

METHODS:

A comprehensive search identified 109 studies that collectively described the outcomes of patients with pineoblastoma. Individual patient data were classified based on treatment and were subjected to univariate comparisons. Cox regression analysis included comparisons of survival outcomes controlling for age, extent of resection, and treatment group, and between‐group survival comparisons were performed using the Kendall tau (rank correlation) statistic.

RESULTS:

Two hundred ninety‐nine patients met inclusion criteria. The overall survival rate was 54% (175 of 299 patients) at a mean follow‐up of 31 ± 1.9 months (range, 1‐159 months). The analyses demonstrated a markedly worse prognosis for children aged ≤5 years compared with older patients (5‐year survival rate: 15% for children aged ≤5 years vs 57% for children aged ≥5 years; log‐rank P < .00001). In addition, a graded increase in survival was observed with increasing degrees of resection (5‐year survival rate: 84% for patients who underwent gross total resection vs 53% for patients who underwent subtotal resection vs 29% for patients who underwent debulking; log‐rank P < .0001). Multivariate analysis indicated that not achieving gross total resection markedly worsened patient survival (subtotal resection: hazard ratio, 6.47; 95% confidence interval, 2.3‐19; P = .001. debulking: hazard ratio, 9.27; 95% confidence interval, 3.2‐27; P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS:

The current findings emphasize the importance of aggressive surgical resection in the treatment of pineoblastoma. In addition, the authors conclude that clinical trials should not mix young patients with older patients or patients who undergo subtotal resection with patients who undergo gross total resection, because such heterogeneity may alter the variability of responses to treatment and reduce the likelihood of success. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Molecular characterization of Chikungunya virus during an outbreak in South India

Introduction: Re-emergence of Chikungunya is a major public health problem in the southern states of India. Objectives: This study was undertaken to investigate an outbreak of Chikungunya, in June–August 2008 using PCR and determine the prevalent genotypes of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) associated with the outbreak. Materials and Methods: Samples of blood were collected (in heparinized vacutainer tubes) from suspected patients of CHIKV infection from both Government Taluk Hospital in Kerala and a tertiary care hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A one-step RT-PCR was carried out on a block thermo-cycler targeting the E2 gene that codes for the viral envelope protein. The amplicons were verified for 305 bp size by standard agarose gel electrophoresis. The PCR products were purified, sequenced, and compared with other CHIKV strains reported from different geographical regions. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA 4. Results: Altogether 118 samples were collected from patients who presented with sudden onset of fever and/or joint pain, myalgia, and headache. CHIKV infection was confirmed by RT-PCR in 14 patients and all these cases were from Kerala. The positivity correlated with the early stage of the disease as all these patients had fever of less than seven days duration. The study isolates have been allotted the GenBank accession nos. GQ272368–GQ272381. Phylogenetic analysis of recent CHIKV isolates by partial sequencing of E2 region shows that isolates are closely related to strains from neighboring states and the African type. Conclusion: RT-PCR is a useful technique for the early detection of CHIKV infection during outbreaks. Molecular characterization of the strains indicates that majority of the strains have originated from the Central/East African strains of CHIKV.     

Occurrence of tetracyclines,sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones and florfenicol in farmed rainbow trout in Iran

This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones and florfenicol residues in rainbow trout muscle samples (n = 138) obtained from Iranian trout farms. Concentrations of the antibiotics were determined using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. At measurable levels, 63.1%, 16.7%, 19.6% and 40.6% of the samples contained the residues of tetracyclines, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones and florfenicol, respectively. The detected range of concentrations for positive samples was 1.43–101.4 µg/kg for tetracyclines, 4.03–90.4 µg/kg for sulfonamides, 6.75–99.8 µg/kg for fluoroquinolones and 0.11–172.6 µg/kg for florfenicol. The residues of the antibiotics in trout samples did not exceed the maximum residue levels recommended by the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran. However, the high occurrence of tetracyclines and florfenicol in the samples is alarming and could be a potential hazard for public health. Further investigations should be performed to determine the residues of antibiotics in other farmed fish species in Iran.     

Natural occurrence of Aflatoxins in commercial pepper in Iran

During the period from September to November 2014, occurrences of Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) were determined in 76 pepper samples consisting black pepper (n?=?40) and red pepper (n?=?36) obtained from local markets of Isfahan province, Iran. Aflatoxins' (AFs') analyses were carried out by using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. AFB1 levels in 32 (88.9%) of 36 red pepper samples were higher than the Iranian and European maximum permitted level (>5?µg/kg). Total AFs were detected in 41 out of 76 samples (53.9%) while 25 pepper samples (32.9%) had levels of the toxin above the Iranian and European permitted level, that is, 10?μg/kg. This study shows that incidence of AFs' contamination in red pepper in Iran was significantly higher than black pepper (p?相似文献   

Suboptimal treatment of risk factor for atherosclerosis in critical limb ischemia.

AIM: The epidemiology of critical limb ischemia (CLI) is insufficiently studied, and treatment of risk factors for atherosclerosis has received less attention in CLI patients than in patients with coronary or precerebral atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence of CLI and the quality of risk factor treatment in Swedish CLI patients. METHODS: During 14 months, 316 consecutive CLI patients were referred to the Malmo Department of Vascular Diseases. Two hundred and fifty-nine (82%) consented to evaluation of intercurrent disease, medication, ankle and arm blood pressures (BP), plasma glucose and lipid levels, p-homocysteine, cardiolipin antibodies and activated protein C (APC)-resistance. RESULTS: The incidence of CLI was 38/100,000 inhabitants/year. Patient age was 75 +/- 10 years, and BP 147 +/- 26/75 +/- 14 mmHg. Systolic or diastolic BP above recommended levels (140/90 mmHg) occurred in 137 (53%) patients. P-cholesterol was 4.8+/-1.2 mMol/L, but cholesterol above recommended level (5 mMol/L) or LDL above recommended level (3 mMol/L) occurred in 125 (48%) patients. Only 24% of patients met national recommendations for both BP and lipid levels. Diabetes mellitus was previously known in 123 (47%) patients, and another 12 (5%) patients showed diabetic fasting glucose levels during the hospital stay. Eighty-four (32%) patients were active, and 72 (28%) were former smokers. Myocardial infarction or angina pectoris had previously been diagnosed in 123 (47%) patients. P-homocysteine was 17 +/- 7 _mol/l, cardiolipin antibodies occurred in 71 (27%) and APC-resistance in 34 (13%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CLI show high comorbidity in vascular diseases and high prevalence of modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular disease. The use of evidence-based medical therapy is suboptimal in this high-risk group.     

Application of QC_DR Software for Acceptance Testing and Routine Quality Control of Direct Digital Radiography Systems: Initial Experiences using the Italian Association of Physicist in Medicine Quality Control Protocol

Ideally, medical x-ray imaging systems should be designed to deliver maximum image quality at an acceptable radiation risk to the patient. Quality assurance procedures are employed to ensure that these standards are maintained. A quality control protocol for direct digital radiography (DDR) systems is described and discussed. Software to automatically process and analyze the required images was developed. In this paper, the initial results obtained on equipment of different DDR manufacturers were reported. The protocol was developed to highlight even small discrepancies in standard operating performance.