Contact urticaria from protein hydrolysates in hair conditioners

Protein hydrolysates (PHs) are added to hair-care products (to "repair" broken hair), soaps, bath gels, creams, etc. From one to 22 PHs used in hair-care products (collagen, keratin, elastin, milk, wheat, almond, and silk) were tested in three patient groups: A) 11 hairdressers with hand dermatitis B) 2160 consecutive adults with suspected allergic respiratory disease subjected to routine skin prick tests C) 28 adults with atopic dermatitis.
In group A, all the 22 PHs were tested with scratch and patch tests. In groups B and C, one to three PHs were tested with prick tests. Positive scratch/prick test reactions were seen in 12 patients from three PHs altogether. All were women with atopic dermatitis, and all reacted to at least hydroxypropyl trimonium hydroly:ed collagen (Crotein Q"). In three patients, prick and open tests with a hair conditioner containing Crotein Q were performed with positive results. One patient reported contact urticaria on her hands, and two reported acute urticaria on their head, face, and upper body from a hair conditioner containing Crotein Q. In seven of the eight studied sera, specific IgE to Crotein Q was detected. In conclusion, PHs of hair cosmetics can cause contact urticaria, especially in patients with atopic dermatitis.     

An evaluation of the hypo-osmotic sperm swelling test as a predictor of fertilizing capacity in vitro

The ability of sperm to swell in hypo-osmotic conditions was examined in 211 semen samples from the partners of patients about to undergo oocyte retrieval for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The test was performed using aliquots of semen, the remainder of which was then prepared for IVF. No significant difference was found, in either the percentage of swollen sperm or the type of swelling response, between samples that achieved fertilization in vitro and those that did not, or between any of the diagnostic categories of infertility (tubal damage, unexplained infertility, oligospermia). In samples which achieved fertilization in vitro there were correlations between sperm swelling and sperm motility (r = -0.51) and abnormal morphology (r = 0.33), but no such correlations were demonstrated in samples that failed to achieve fertilization. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the percentage of swollen sperm in semen (mean motility 64%), in samples immediately after preparation for IVF (mean motility 96%) or in capacitated sperm 24 h after preparation (mean motility 91%). These results demonstrate that the hypo-osmotic sperm swelling test does not assist in the prediction of the fertilizing capacity of human sperm in vitro.     

Ultrasound Biomicroscopic Dark Room Provocative Test

Purpose : To compare the clinical application value of Ultrasound biomicrsocpic dark room provocative test with the traditional dark room test in screening primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG).Methods: 22 eyes with PACG in prodromal stage and 30 eyes with deep anterior chamber and wide angle of 15 normal persons were observed in this trail. All 52 eyes were performed traditional dark room provocative test and ultrasound biomicorosopic darkroom test respectively. With different positive diagnostic criteria, the sensitivity of the two methods were compared using chi-squared analysis.Results : After staying in the dark room for 2 hours, In case group, IOP in 10 of 22 eyes rose more than 1. 07kPa(1kPa = 7.5mmHg), in 12 eyes less than 1.07kPa or had no changes; appositional angle closure were found by Goldmann gonioscopy in 8 eyes : 3 eyes in two quadrants, 5 eyes in more than two quadrants; the appositional angle closure was found by UBM in 15 eyes; 3 eyes in one quadrants, 5 eyes in two quadrants, 7 eyes     

Treatment of diabetic autonomic neuropathy with an aldose reductase inhibitor

To evaluate the effects of the aldose reductase inhibitor Ponalrestat (Statil) on diabetic autonomic neuropathy, a double-blind placebo controlled trial was carried out on a group of 34 diabetic patients with documented cardiac autonomic neuropathy. After a 4-week, placebo run-in period, patients were randomised for treatment with 600 mg Statil or placebo for another 24 weeks. Moreover, the reliability of the autonomic nerve function tests was investigated by comparing the results at onset and at week 4. Fifteen patients treated with Statil and 12 with placebo completed the study. Neither symptom scores nor cardiovascular reflexes, pupil reflexes and skin vasomotor reflexes improved after Statil therapy, which led us to conclude that Statil is not effective in the treatment of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Reliability coefficients for cardiovascular reflexes and pupil reflex showed high values, ranging from 60% to 80%. Therefore these methods are recommended in future therapy trials.     

Studies on the optimal conditions for inactivation of Bordetella pertussis organisms with glutaraldehyde for preparation of a safe and potent pertussis vaccine

The optimal conditions for inactivation of Bordetella pertussis organisms with glutaraldehyde for the production of a safe and potent whole cell pertussis vaccine were investigated. Two bacterial harvests from B. pertussis strain 10536 were treated with glutaraldehyde, each with 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1% concentrations of glutaraldehyde for 10, 60 and 120 min. The nine types of glutaraldehyde-inactivated pertussis vaccine (GIPV) and conventional heat-inactivated pertussis vaccine (HIPV) preparations made from two bacterial harvests were comparatively evaluated for the mouse weight gain test (MWGT), potency, and the histamine-sensitization (HS) and leucocytosis-promoting-factor (LPF) tests. The minimum period for killing the B. pertussis organisms with glutaraldehyde was>10 min for 0.025%, 10 min for 0.05% and 5 min for 0.1% concentration. The average loss in opacity varied from 5 to 10% for GIPV preparations and was 14% for HIPV preparations. The GIPV preparations except those inactivated with 0.025% glutaraldehyde for 10 min (GIPV-A) were much less toxic than the HIPV preparations in the MWGT. The GIPV-A preparations did not pass the MWGT. The GIPV preparations were also much less toxic in HS and LPF tests than the HIPV preparation. The potency of GIPV preparations inactivated with 0.05% glutaraldehyde for 10 min (GIPV-D) was similar to that of HIPV preparations. The prolonged treatments with glutaraldehyde reduced the potency. The GIPV-D preparation with good potency and less toxicity was found to be inactivated with glutaraldehyde under optimal conditions. All the preparations were innocuous in the abnormal toxicity test.     

Optimal Selection of Sib Pairs from Random Samples for Linkage Analysis of a QTL Using the EDAC Test

Percentages of extremely concordant and extremely discordant sib pairs are calculated that maximize the power to detect a quantitative trait locus (QTL) under a variety of circumstances using the EDAC test. We assume a large fixed number of randomly sampled sib pairs, such as one would hope to find in the large twin registries, and limited resources to genotype a certain number of selected sib pairs. Our aim is to investigate whether optimal selection can be achieved when prior knowledge concerning the QTL gene action, QTL allele frequency, QTL effect size, and background (residual) sib correlation is limited or absent. To this end we calculate the best selection percentages for a large number of models, which differ in QTL gene action allele frequency, background correlation, and QTL effect size. By averaging these percentages over gene action, over allele frequency, over gene action, and over allele frequencies, we arrive at general recommendations concerning selection percentages. The soundness of these recommendations is subsequently in a number of test cases.     

胎盘组织液氨基酸的含量测定及层析鉴别

本文采用层析法进行鉴定,用氨基酸分析仪测氨基酸的含量,为胎盘组织液的质量标准提供可靠依据。本法准确率为99%。     

药物敏感试验指导肺癌合并恶性胸腔积液的顺铂联合其他药物胸腔内化疗

目的用药物敏感试验预测肺癌合并恶性胸腔积液癌细胞对顺铂联合其他药物的敏感度，观察其在指导此类患者的顺铂联合其他化疗药物胸腔内化疗的价值。方法将44例胸腔积液癌细胞阳性肺癌患者随机分为两组：药物敏感试验组（20例，有2例因体外药物敏感试验失败而被排除）和对照组（22例）。药物敏感试验组患者用三磷酸腺苷-肿瘤细胞药物敏感试验（ATP-TCA）法分别检测胸腔积液癌细胞对顺铂加香菇多糖、顺铂加甘露聚糖肽、顺铂加A群链球菌制剂、顺铂加干扰素、顺铂加金黄色葡萄球菌滤液制剂、顺铂加卡介苗多糖核酸、顺铂加红色诺卡菌细胞壁骨架、顺铂加白细胞介素-2的敏感度，并选择抑瘤率最高的联合化疗药物对患者进行胸腔内化疗，观察治疗后胸腔积液完全缓解率及胸腔积液癌细胞转阴率，并与对照组比较。结果药物敏感试验组患者对各联合化疗药物敏感的例数为：顺铂加香菇多糖14例、顺铂加甘露聚糖肽18例、顺铂加A群链球菌制剂17例、顺铂加干扰素10例、顺铂加金黄色葡萄球菌滤液制剂16例、顺铂加卡介苗多糖核酸15例、顺铂加红色诺卡菌细胞壁骨架17例、顺铂加白细胞介素-216例。药物敏感试验组完全缓解率为65．0％，对照组为27．3％（P〈0．05）。药物敏感试验组胸腔积液癌细胞转阴率为80．0％，对照组为45．5％（P〈0．05）。结论用药物敏感试验指导肺癌合并恶性胸腔积液的胸腔内个体化化疗可提高完全缓解率和胸腔积液癌细胞转阴率，该方法具有临床实用价值。     

磁性附着体用于下颌全口义齿的疗效观察

目的 观察磁性附着体的临床效果。方法 采用Magfit磁性附着体修复11例患者下颌全口义齿。观察固位力及基牙情况。结果 11例患者黏固磁体后固位力明显提高，基牙无松动，牙周指标良好。结论 磁性附着体能满意地解决义齿的固位稳定问题，提高义齿的修复质量。     

Spatial frequency content of the Cardiff and related acuity tests

In the Cardiff acuity test, simple pictures on an otherwise neutral grey card are defined by borders consisting of a relatively broad white band flanked by black bands each half the width of the white band. Higher levels of acuity correspond to the ability to detect figures defined by narrower borders, the figure size remaining constant. It is sometimes implied that the acuity limit corresponding to each card can be equated with different levels of grating resolution, the total width of the border corresponding to the overall grating period. It is shown that although the spatial frequency spectra of the Cardiff figures, like those of other vanishing optotypes, lack very low-frequency components, they have a complex two-dimensional form. The figures have wide spatial bandwidth and no well-defined discrete frequency components. As a result, the relationship between measured Cardiff and grating acuity will vary somewhat, depending upon the particular optical, neural or other deficits of the individual being tested.