Low level of response to alcohol as associated with serotonin transporter genotype and high alcohol intake in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: A low level of response to alcohol has been associated with both the genetic constitution of the regulatory region (SLC6A4) of the human serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) transporter (5-HTT) and with future alcohol intake and an increased risk for alcoholism. To date, all studies of relevant polymorphisms have been carried out in populations in the United States. METHODS: Data were extracted from a subset (n = 243) of a cohort of children who have been observed since birth through evaluation of the family history of alcoholism and psychosocial risk influences. At age 16 years, the response to alcohol was assessed with the Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire, and the average amount of alcohol intake per month was assessed during the prior 6 months. Additional variables that were measured included the 5-HTT genotype, externalizing behavior, and sociodemographic variables, such as gender and age. RESULTS: The level of response to alcohol was significantly lower among carriers of two long alleles of the 5-HTT regulatory region compared with carriers of one or two short alleles (Mann-Whitney U = 5225.0, p = .005). In a multiple regression analysis, the level of response to alcohol and externalizing behavior but not psychosocial factors significantly predicted the average amount of alcohol intake per month. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that, independent of the assessed psychosocial variables, the 5-HTT genotype correlated with the level of response to alcohol and predicted alcohol intake among 16-year-old adolescents.     

Skp2、p27kip1在大肠癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的研究Skp2、p27kip1在大肠癌组织中的表达,探讨它们之间的关系及其临床意义。方法采用免疫组化方法检测Skp2、p27kip1蛋白在83例大肠癌、18例大肠腺瘤和20例大肠正常黏膜中的表达。结果大肠癌组织中Skp2蛋白阳性率(28.65±12.60)%,显著高于大肠腺瘤组织(17.28±10.66)%(P<0.01)和大肠正常黏膜组织(6.60±5.54)%(P<0.01)。Skp2蛋白表达与细胞分化程度、肿瘤分期及淋巴结转移呈正相关(P<0.01)。大肠癌组织中p27kip1蛋白阳性率(24.61±11.27)%,显著低于大肠腺瘤组织(49.94±13.22)%(P<0.01)和大肠正常黏膜组织(65.40±15.74)%(P<0.01)。p27kip1蛋白表达与细胞分化程度、肿瘤分期及淋巴结转移呈负相关(P<0.01)。大肠癌组织中Skp2与p27kip1表达呈负相关(r=-0.430,P<0.01)。结论大肠癌中Skp2蛋白的过度表达与p27kip1蛋白降解有关,提示Skp2蛋白可能在大肠癌的发生发展中起重要作用。     

Economic Issues in the Treatment of BPH

The long-term cost of effective management for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) remains an important issue in pharmacoeconomics because about 25% of men aged 50 yr and older experience voiding problems due to BPH. With the ageing population and the increase in the percentage of patients with BPH for whom any type of treatment can be considered, a substantial increase in total costs to society can be expected. The up-front costs of interventional approaches to BPH are being replaced by a pattern of long-term medical and preventive therapy. The age-adjusted rate of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) reached a high point in 1987 and TURP rates, but not costs, have been in decline ever since. Mean 1-yr treatment costs (medical therapy and TURP) have been estimated in a pan-European study to be 858 Euros per patient, 75% of which were medication costs. Using a 2-yr time frame for treatment, Medicare costs for finasteride, terazosin, and TURP have been estimated as $3874, $2161, and $1820, respectively. The available models of the total long-term cost for all therapies for BPH remain compromised by a lack of inclusion of indirect costs, the lack of true long-term data and, critically, the lack of human cost information (patient preference). Only medical therapy provides a preventive as well as symptomatic potential and, if all of the issues were fully incorporated, it is likely that medical therapy would be increasingly recognised as economically preferable.     

IIEF-5与NEVA检测在阴茎勃起功能障碍诊断中的意义

目的探讨应用国际勃起功能评分5(IIEF-5)问卷表结合夜间阴茎勃起测定系统(NEVA)筛选勃起功能障碍(ED)的可行性及意义。方法148例门诊ED病人,应用IIEF-5问卷表评分,再通过NEVA测定仪监测夜间阴茎勃起情况,次日数据输入主机回放并分析。结果93例为心理性ED;在19~69岁的5个年龄组中,重度ED的比例由11.8%到55.0%,NEVA中度异常者IIEF积分(12.98±2.58)分,NEVA重度异常者IIEF积分(7.32±1.04)分。结论NEVA能有效地鉴别心理性与器质性ED,IIEF-5评分值与NEVA检测阴茎勃起时血容量变化值有相关性。IIEF-5与NEVA检测结合,能提高诊断和评估ED的可靠性。     

鸡抗内毒素卵黄抗体IgY的制备

目的：研究分别应用内毒素（LPS）、类脂A(LipidA)和大肠杆菌突变株15免疫鸡后其蛋黄中抗内毒素抗体IgY的产量、纯度、效价并筛选最佳免疫抗原。方法：分别应用内毒素（LPS）、类脂A(LipidA)和大肠杆菌J5突变株作为抗原免疫25周龄Leghom鸡，水溶法（WD）提取蛋黄中抗体IgY，双紫外光测定抗体含量，SDS-PSGE电泳检测抗体纯度，细胞酶联染色和ELISA检测抗体特异性、效价及筛选最佳免疫抗原。结果：3种抗内毒素IgY含量和效价分别为14.4mg/ml和1：12 800（J5）、10.61mg/ml和1：12 800（LPS）、9.26mg/ml和1：3200（LipidA），抗体纯度均为95％左右。结论：大肠杆菌突变株J5和内毒素（LPS）为最佳免疫抗原，免疫鸡后其蛋黄中抗内毒素抗体IgY的产量和效价最高。     

Immunohistochemical analysis of TrkA neurotrophin receptor expression in human non-neuronal carcinomas

The Trk family of tyrosine protein kinase receptors plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of neural tissues. It has been recently shown that Trk receptors are also expressed by a wide range of normal non-neuronal tissues in humans in a cell type-specific manner. In the present study, the expression patterns of TrkA in 337 non-neuronal invasive carcinomas of 15 different human tissues were investigated immunohistochemically. Overall, 133 (39%), 101 (30%) and 103 (31%) tumors exhibited strong, moderate and no TrkA Immunoreactivity, respectively. Esophageal and thyroid carcinomas expressed high levels of TrkA, whereas the levels in gastric and colon cancers were low. TrkA expression was detected not only in carcinomas originating from TrkA-positive normal counterpart tissues, Including the esophagus, breast, lung and uterus, but also in those from TrkA-negative tissues/cells of the thyroid, liver and ovary. Immunostaining for nerve growth factor-β, the specific ligand for TrkA, in esophageal and breast carcinomas demonstrated its immunoreactivity in stromal fibroblasts and some TrkA-expressing tumor cells. These results suggest that paracrine/autocrine regulation via stromal/tumoral NGF-tumoral TrkA interaction may be involved In the growth of certain non-neuronal carcinomas.     

Biochemical consequences of 5-fluorouracil gastrointestinal toxicity in rats; effect of high-dose uridine

Selective protection of the normal host tissues from the toxic effects of anticancer agents would allow the use of higher, probably more effective, doses of the drugs. It has been demonstrated that delayed high-dose uridine administration after 5-fluorouracil decreases the extent of myelosuppression and causes faster regeneration of the bone marrow. We studied the biochemical consequences of the gastrointestinal toxicity caused by 5-fluorouracil and the potential of high-dose uridine treatment to influence these adverse effects. 5-Fluorouracil caused dose-related decreases in the biochemical parameters (thymidine kinase, sucrase, maltase, alkaline phosphatase) selected as early markers of the impaired metabolic activity of the intestinal mucosa. The nadir of the biochemical changes was reached between 24 h and 72 h after 5-fluorouracil treatment, and complete regeneration of the mucosa took 6–7 days. Delayed high-dose uridine administration failed to mitigate the severity of the gastrointestinal damage that ensued after 5-fluorouracil treatment, but caused significantly earlier regeneration of the mucosa.     

Ritanserin in the treatment of alcohol dependence – a multi-center clinical trial

Four hundred and twenty-three alcohol dependent subjects were enrolled into a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine the safety and efficacy of the 5-HT₂ receptor antagonist, ritanserin (2.5 mg/day or 5 mg/day), in reducing alcohol intake and craving. All subjects received 1 week of single-blind placebo prior to randomization into the 11-week double-blind phase. Additionally, all subjects received weekly individual sessions of manual-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy. Comparing the single-blind period with endpoint, there was approximately a 23% reduction in drinks/day; 34% fall in the total number of drinking days/week; 22% decrease in drinks/drinking day; and a 37% diminution in alcohol craving for all treatment groups. All treatment groups experienced a beneficial clinical outcome as assessed by the Clinical Global Impression Scale. There was, however, no significant difference between treatment groups on any of these measures of alcohol drinking, craving, or clinical outcome. Subjects were of relatively high social functioning at baseline, and this did not change significantly during treatment. Treatment groups did not differ significantly on either medication compliance or reported adverse events. Ritanserin treatment was associated with a dose-related prolongation of subjects’ QTc interval recording on the electrocardiogram. These results suggest that alcohol dependent subjects can show marked clinical improvement within a structured alcohol treatment program. These findings do not support an important role for ritanserin in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Received: 30 April 1996/Final version: 3 July 1996     

新化合物 A-失碳-17β-羟基-17α-乙炔基-Δ3(5),9(10)-雌甾二烯-2-酮的合成

报道新化合物A-失碳-17β-羟基-17α-乙炔基-Δ^3(5),9(10)-雌甾二烯-2-酮2的合成。文中探讨了用炔钾粗品对A-失碳-Δ^3(5),9(10)-雌甾二烯-2，17-二酮１和Ａ-失碳-６β，１９-环氧-Δ³-雄甾-2，17-二酮3的选择性炔化，分别得标题化合物2（44%）及Ａ-失碳-17β-羟基-17α-乙炔基-６β，１９-环氧-Δ³雄甾-2-酮４（６５％），４经还原性破开环氧、去羟甲基和去醋酰氧基合成了标题化合物２。四步总收率为３４％。     

白血病细胞p16基因突变分析

目的探讨ｐ１６基因突变在白血病发生中的作用及基因突变的机制。方法利用点突变检测仪、水平和垂直板电泳对ｐ１６基因的外显子１、外显子２的ＰＣＲ扩增产物作缺失和点突变分析。结果在白血病３５例临床标本中有２２例发生缺失突变，６例发生点突变，突变率约８０％。在２２例缺失突变病例中，有１０例为不完全缺失突变即有低于外显子５０９ｂｐ的扩增产物。结论ｐ１６基因含有“ＧＣ”ＤＮＡ重复顺序，易发生ＤＮＡ重组及易位和重排。在白血病发生中起重要作用