Development of a non-invasive treatment system for urinary incontinence using a functional continuous magnetic stimulator (FCMS)

A system composed of a functional continuous magnetic stimulator (FCMS) and a saddle-type coil has been developed for non-invasive treatment of urinary incontinence, especially stress incontinence and urge incontinence. The FCMS conditions were as follows: 2 kW maximum electrical power consumption, 800 V maximum capacitor voltage, 720 μs pulsewidth (180 μs rise time), and 5–30 Hz frequency. A frequency between 5 and 10 Hz is used to treat urge incontinence and a frequency between 25 Hz and 30 Hz is used to treat urge incontinence. The coil (120 mm long, 90 mm wide and 50 mm thick) fits the most suitable region for this treatment, the region from the anus to the perineum. The coil is cooled to maintain a coil temperature between 20 and 25°C so that it can be used efficiently and safely. In experiments with anaesthetised dogs, it was confirmed that the urethral pressure increased when the circumference of the perineum received continuous magnetic stimulation of 720 μs pulsewidth (180 μs rise time), 10Hz frequency and about 520 V capacitor voltage. This result suggests that magnetic stimulation can be effective as a urinary incontinence therapy.     

人体腰椎活动节段应力分布的实验研究

本文采用三维光弹性实验方法观察了正常腰椎活动节段的应力分布。用精密浇铸,严格几何相似的光弹性环氧树脂腰椎和硅橡胶椎间盘模型进行三维光弹性实验,并观察腰椎的等应力差图和有效应力值分布。本实验观察到,腰椎椎体上下缘应力分布较均匀对称,其后缘应力大于前缘,后部结构应力较小。作者认为,三维光弹性实验方法具有直观性强,能有效和准确地确定腰椎的应力分布,对腰椎生物力学研究具有重要的实用价值。腰椎后缘应力大于前缘,使椎体后缘承载较大,将会增加腰椎间盘退变和损伤的机会,这可能是引起腰腿痛的重要因素。     

Lung tissue rheology and 1/f noise

The mechanical properties of lung tissue are important contributors to both the elastic and dissipative properties of the entire organ at normal breathing frequencies. A number of detailed studies have shown that the stress adaptation in the tissue of the lung following a step change in volume is very accurately described by the functiont ^−k for some small positive constantk. We applied step increases in length to lung parenchymal strips and found the ensuing stress recovery to be extremely accurately described byt ^−k over almost 3 decades of time, despite the quasi-static stress-length characteristics of the strips being highly nonlinear. The corresponding complex impedance of lung tissue was found to have a magnitude that varied inversely with frequency. We note that this is highly reminiscent of a phenomenon known as 1/f noise, which has been shown to occur ubiquitously throughout the natural world. 1/f noise has been postulated to be a reflection of the complexity of the system that produces it, something like a central limit theorem for dynamic systems. We have therefore developed the hypothesis that thet ^−k nature of lung tissue stress adaptation follows from the fact that lung tissue itself is composed of innumerable components that interact in an extremely rich and varied manner. Thus, although the constantk is no doubt determined by the particular constituents of the tissue, we postulate that the actual functional form of the stress adaptation is not.     

16例应激性溃疡的临床诊治体会

目的 报告应激性溃疡的临床诊治体会。方法 全组16例,男12例,女4例。术前均无溃疡病史,血红蛋白检查均正常。术后早期应用糖皮质激素9例,出血前发生肺不张、严重呼吸道感染、呼吸功能不全6例,低血容量休克5例,急性重症出血坏死性胰腺炎4例,食管癌、贲门癌术后6例,严重烧伤(80％(?)Ⅱ°)1例。14例保守治疗,2例保守治疗无效而手术治疗。结果14例经治疗后(2例手术治疗)痊愈出院,2例死亡。结论 应激性溃疡大出血患者多病情危重,难以忍受二次手术,死亡率约为50％,因此应采取有效的保守治疗,对于保守治疗无效、大出血休克或胃肠穿孔者应及时手术治疗。     

Identification of genes induced in alkaloid-producing cultures of Claviceps sp.

In order to identify genes which are expressed during alkaloid synthesis in an axenic culture of Claviceps sp. (strain ATCC 26245), a cDNA library from a producing culture was differentially screened with cDNA from producing (cDNA+) and non-producing (cDNA–) cultures, respectively. Altogether, ten cDNA clones were obtained, the alkaloid-synthesis-correlated expression of which was confirmed by Northern analyses. Evaluation of their nucleotide and derived amino-acid sequences identified one gene unequivocally, coding for dimethylallyltryptophan-synthase (DMAT-S), the initial enzyme of the specific alkaloid pathway. For two other genes significant homologies to known fungal genes were detected: one clone showed homology to the Neurospora crassa ccg1 gene, coding for a clock-regulated putative general stress protein; seven cDNA clones, derived from the same gene, which is highly expressed under these conditions, contained typical hydrophobin domains and long stretches of asparagine/glycine repeats (like QID3 from Trichoderma harzianum), thus probably representing a cell-wall constituent. These data show that this is not only a successful approach to clone genes specific for the alkaloid-pathway of C. purpurea, but also of genes which might be involved in the differentiation of sclerotial hyphae, the prerequisite for alkaloid synthesis. Received: 22 November 1996     

CONSISTENCY OF PERFORMANCE CHANGE AND AUTONOMIC RESPONSE AS A FUNCTION OF EXPRESSED ATTITUDE TOWARD A SPECIFIC STRESS SITUATION

A persistent problem in stress research has been that some individuals may show impairment, while others show improvement or no change in performance under stress. Attempts to relate this variance in performance to general anxiety or other personality variables have generally not been too successful. Based upon responses to a fear of shock item in an attitude questionnaire, Ss were classified as “high fear of shock” or “low fear of shock” types. Half of the Ss in each group were assigned a perceptual-motor task; the others were assigned a cognitive-interference task. After training, all Ss were informed that they would be required to maintain their training performance levels in a situation in which they would be shocked if performance declined. Performance and heart rate measures taken during training were compared with the same measures taken under the threat-of-shock conditions. Results indicate significant differences between groups in both performance and physiological activity with “high fear of shock”Ss exhibiting relatively greater performance impairment and increased heart rate.     

大学生日常琐事应激与健康的关系

目的探讨日常琐事应激与大学生健康的关系,检验日常琐事应激对健康的预测作用。方法采用自测健康量表和经修订的日常琐事应激量表对153名大学生施测,考察自测健康和日常琐事应激的关系。结果大学生日常琐事应激频率对生理健康预测显著;认知评价和个体应对对心理健康预测显著;个体应对对社会健康预测显著;应激频率和个体应对对总体健康预测显著。结论大学生日常琐事应激与健康关系密切,可作为预测个体身心健康的有效预测源。     

Contribution of adrenomedullin to homeostatic response to cold stress in rat model

Acute stress known to stimulate sympathetic activity as well as the hypothalamo-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, produces a significant increase in adrenomedullin (ADM) levels in the pituitary gland, plasma and adrenal glands, all of which are key components of HPA axis, suggesting a regulatory or protective role for ADM in countering HPA activation following a variety of physiological and psychological stressors. This study was conducted to assess a rat model for in depth investigation of biochemical mechanisms and consequences of cold stress. Four groups of Sprague–Dawley rats were observed for their serum total protein, glucose, trigliceride and cholesterol levels as well as their blood pressures after housing at room temperature, administration of ADM (1.0 nm/kg), exposing to cold stress (8 °C for 48 h) and exposing to ADM injection in addition to cold stress. The results suggest that application of ADM in addition to cold stress may act via receptors on different end-organs and causes altered metabolic regulation taking partial or total occupation of ADM receptors, stimulated in response to cold application induced physiologic ADM release before pharmacological ADM administration.     

Microfilament system in the microvascular endothelium of the palmar fascia affected by mechanical stress applied from outside

The effect of externally applied mechanical stress was investigated by thin section electron microscopy of the microvessels in the unaffected palmar fascia in the carpal tunnel syndrome and in patients with Dupuytren's contracture before and after application of a continuous elongation device. In the unaffected palmar fascia the microfilaments of the endothelial cells were connected to a few adherens junctions and focal contacts; stress fibres were absent. In the cord of Dupuytren's disease the microfilaments were increased in quantity. The length ratios of the connections with the lateral and basal cell membrane were significantly higher than in the control group and increased to an even greater extent in the continuously extended fascia. Stress fibres appeared in the endothelial cells of postcapillary venules in the nonextended cord and in the endothelium of both arterioles and venules after extension elongation. The numerous intermediate filaments and the rare microtubules remained unchanged in the endothelial cells of all palmar fasciae analysed. In the endothelial cells of the microvessels the mechanical stress applied from outside mainly affected the contractile component of the cytoskeleton.