Eight years'' experience with a structured clinical examination

A structured clinical examination has been an integral component of the final-year examinations conducted by the Departments of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Adelaide for the last 8 years. It has been used as an alternative to the traditional clinical examination. This paper describes the results of ongoing student and examiner surveys carried out to determine their views and satisfaction with this new approach. It also briefly discusses the feasibility of introducing such an examination into a conventional medical school environment. The surveys showed a remarkable level of acceptance and support by both students and examiners. This positive reaction has been maintained over the 8-year period. The main reasons seem to be its perceived relevance and fairness. Students also appear to be directing their learning in a direction thought desirable by teachers. No significant problems have been encountered with the practical implementation of the method.     

左心室造影功能成像的临床应用

为探讨左心室造影功能成像的价值与限度，我们选择冠脉及左心室造影者38例行左室功能成像，观察左室壁运动情况并与节段法室壁运动定量分析比较。结果示左室收缩正常18例，其各节段EF值平均39％，节段性收缩减弱7例，无收缩3例，矛盾收缩4例，普遍性收缩减弱6例，病变节段的EF值平均5～19％，明显低于正常者（P＜0．01）。结论：左室功能成像效果直观且客观，可作为室壁运动定量分析的一个重要补充。     

Glue embolisation of a ruptured pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysm

Embolisation of a mycotic aneurysm of the anterior pancreaticoduodenal arcade was performed in an emergency situation using a microcatheter and tissue adhesive, after unsuccessful surgical therapy. The polymerising agent occluded the outflow vessel, the aneurysm and the feeding artery successfully. Correspondence to: F. Hammer     

Small-airways dysfunction in never smoking asbestos exposed Danish plumbers

Summary Among 701 Copenhagen plumbers we examined the lung function of 23 never smokers, who had removed asbestos insulation and intermittently been exposed to high levels of asbestos for about 25 years without being exposed to welding fume. The plumbers had significantly lower TLC, MEF₂₅, MEF₅₀, closing volume and closing capacity in comparison to 23 never smoking electricians without asbestos exposure. There was no reduction in TL_CO. Pulmonary clearance of aerosolized ^99mTc-DTPA was normal indicating that the asbestos had not induced increases in pulmonary epithelial permeability. However, in 11 of the 23 plumbers the ^99m-Tc-DTPA ventilation scintigrams had a slightly irregular and spotty appearance, which together with the results of the lung function tests are suggestive of small airways' dysfunction. None of the subjects had symptoms or clinical signs of lung disease.     

Neuroprotection with felbamate: a 7- and 28-day study in transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils

The use of glutamate antagonists and GABA agonists may protect neurons from the effects of transient ischemia. Felbamate is a new antiepileptic drug with glutamate antagonist and GABA agonist properties, We tested the efficacy of felbamate in a gerbil model of transient forebrain ischemia. Damage assessment was done with silver staining at 7 and 28 days after 5 min of bilateral carotid occlusion, Cerebral cortex, hippocampus (CA1 and CA4), thalamus and striatum were evaluated on a 4-point scoring system, The animals sacrificed at 28 days were also tested in a water-maze task to assess recovery of function, The initial dose of felbamate (300 mg/kg) was given 30 min before the ischemic insult in one set of animals and 30 min after the insult in another set of animals. There were 8 animals tested per group (total: 48 animals). There was significant neuronal protection with the use of felbamate, both before and after ischemia in all regions of the brain. Protection was seen in animals sacrificed at 7 and 28 days, Protection was moderate when felbamate was used before ischemia. It was highly significant when felbamate was given 30 min after the insult. Behavioral studies however did not show any difference in the felbamate treated animals versus the saline treated controls. The structural protection with felbamate was very significant when used in the post-ischemic period. This window for protection merits further evaluation in relation to the clinical setting of stroke.     

Effects of famotidine and cimetidine on plasma levels of epidurally administered lignocaine

The effects of two H2-receptor antagonists, famotidine and cimetidine, on the plasma levels of epidurally administered lignocaine were studied. Group A (n = 20) received famotidine 20 mg orally the night before surgery and 20 mg intramuscularly 60 minutes before induction of anaesthesia. Group B (n = 15) received cimetidine 200 mg orally the night before the surgery and 400 mg orally 60 minutes before the anaesthetic induction. Group C (n = 20) received neither famotidine nor cimetidine and served as controls. Twelve millilitres of 2.0% lignocaine with adrenaline 1:200,000 was injected into the epidural space in all patients, after the establishment of general anaesthesia with nitrous oxide, oxygen, and enflurane (0.3-0.5%). The patients who received cimetidine showed significantly higher plasma concentrations of lignocaine compared with either group A or group C at all investigation times (p less than 0.01). The mean peak plasma concentrations were 2.4 (SEM 0.1), 3.2 (SEM 0.2) and 2.3 (SEM 0.1) micrograms/ml in group A, B, and C, respectively. This study suggests that famotidine is preferable to cimetidine for control of gastric acidity before the use of lignocaine as the epidural anaesthetic.     

雌激素,胎盘生乳素,钙,磷与妊高征的关系

目的：探讨雌激素，胎盘生乳素，钙在妊高征发病中的作用及其相互关系，方法：采用放射免疫法及离心分析钙试剂，测定了４２例妊高征患者血清雌二醇，胎盘生乳素，钙，磷及尿钙，磷的含量，３４例同期门诊正常孕妇作为对照组，结果：轻度妊高征患者血清雌二醇明显增加（Ｐ〈０．０５）。重度妊高征患者血清胎盘生乳素显著减少（Ｐ〈０．０５），轻，中，重度妊高征患者血钙，尿钙含量显著降低（Ｐ〈０．０５，Ｐ〈０．０１，Ｐ〈０．     

Neuronal dysfunction in heart failure assessed by cardiac 123-iodine metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy

In patients with chronic heart failure, increased sympathetic activity and cardiac sympathetic neuronal dysfunction are present and have been related to unfavourable clinical outcome. Modification of these alterations with the objective to improve prognosis has become an important aim of pharmacological therapy for these patients. A noninvasive technique to assess sympathetic neuronal function at the cardiac level may be valuable in evaluating newly developed therapeutic strategies. 123-iodine metaiodobenzylguanidine can be used visualize cardiac sympathetic nerve function and activity. Single photon emission computerized tomographic is preferred to planar scintigraphy since it does not depend on superposition of other anatomical structures and may allow assessment of regional cardiac 123-iodine metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake. Although the quantitation of cardiac uptake in these tomographic images has several limitations, the use of the left ventricular cavity as a reference, calibrated by the 123-iodine activity in a blood sample drawn at the time of acquisition, may have clinical applications, with respect to the evaluation of therapeutical intervention in patients with heart failure.Abbreviations BS blood sample - CD count density - dP/dt change in pressure over time - [¹²³I] 123-iodine - K_m affinity constant - MIBG metaiodobenzylguanidine - MB_q mega Bequerel - SPECT single photon emission computerized tomography - V_m capacity constant     

人左、右心室阻抗微分心动图的比较研究

作者利用Ⅱ导心电图、心音图、颈动脉搏动图、右（或左）心室阻抗微分心动图同步描记的方法。对人左、右心室阻抗微分心动图进行了比较分析。结果显示:人的左、右心室阻抗微分心动图图形相似，波形稳定，转折明显，均有清晰的生理标志点。两种图形各相应生理标志点在时相上存在着区别．且人的左、右心室阻抗微分心动图能分别反映人的左、右心室收缩和舒张过程，说明利用人的左、右心室阻抗微分心动图能分别测定人的左、右心室收缩时间间期与舒张时间间期值，鉴别和评定左、右心室的功能。     

Contrasting effects of electroconvulsive shock on rnRNAs encoding the high affinity kainate receptor subunits (KA1 and KA2) and cyclophilin in the rat

Kainate-preferring glutamate receptors may contribute to the glutamatergic responses to seizures. The cloning of their encoding genes overcomes limitations of the receptor ligands available for their investigation. We have examined the expression of the high affinity kainate receptor subunits KA1 and KA2 mRNAs in the rat hippocampus, using electroconvulsive shock (ECS) as a seizure paradigm not confounded by neurotoxicity. A single shock reduced the levels of KAI mRNA in the CA3c region, while increasing the expression of KA2 mRNA in the dentate gyrus. Following repeated ECS (5 shocks over 10 days), KAI mRNA was reduced in CA3c and in CA3a-b but was unchanged in dentate gyrus. KA2 mRNA, on the other hand, significantly increased in dentate gyrus, and to a lesser extent in CA3c and CA1. All changes in KAI and KA2 mRNAs had returned to baseline 3 weeks after the last shock. We also measured the expression of cyclophilin mRNA, and found it to be reduced in all hippocampul subfields, and in the parietal cortex, after a single ECS. It returned to control levels after repeated ECS but was again reduced following 3 weeks recovery from repeated ECS. These results indicate that the expression of KA1 and KA2 not only change in opposite directions in the rat hippocampus after ECS, but that the alterations are anatomically and temporally regulated. In the respect that cyclophilin is regarded as a housekeeping gene, the reduction in its mRNA suggests that ECS may have more persistent and widespread effects on brain gene expression than previously suspected.