Pharmacology of the internal anal sphincter and its relevance to faecal incontinence

1 The internal anal sphincter (IAS) has a spontaneous tone and is the main contributor to the maintenance of faecal continence. The spontaneous resting tone exhibited by the sphincter can be modified by neurotransmitters from the autonomic and enteric nervous systems. 2 In this review, the influence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems on IAS tone are discussed and the putative roles of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, vasoactive intestinal peptide and adenosine triphosphate in non‐adrenergic non‐cholinergic transmission are considered. 3 Faecal incontinence is a common condition that places a heavy financial burden on the health service and severely affects patients’ quality of life. Resting anal pressure is reduced in patients with faecal incontinence and agents that increase sphincter tone tend to relieve symptoms. The results of clinical studies of the use of phenylephrine to treat faecal incontinence are reviewed. 4 It is concluded that the IAS is a potential target for drug development for the treatment of faecal incontinence.     

对诊断PADAM的游离睾酮指数的评估

目的 评价诊断中老年男子部分雄激素缺乏综合征（PADAM）的游离睾酮指数（FTI）.方法 对129例45岁以上健康男性的FTI进行年龄相关分析.以推算的游离睾酮（CFT）值为依据,对FTI进行有效性检验.结果 男子在中老年期FTI与增龄呈明显的负相关.FTI敏感性97.78%,特异性58.33%.结论 计算简单的FTI可用于PADAM病人的筛选和随访,尤其对70岁以上男子是血清FT较为有效的参数.     

Iniencephaly and long-term survival: a rare case report

Introduction Iniencephaly, a neural tube defect involving occiput and inion and combined with rachischisis of the cervical, thoracic spine, and retroflexion position of the head is a very rare congenital abnormality of the fetus–newborn with a 0.1–10 of 10,000 prevalence. This abnormality’s prognosis is thought to be dismal. This abnormality can be associated with other abnormalities such as anencephaly, encephalocele, hydrocephalus, cyclopia, absence of the mandible, cleft lip and palate, cardiovascular disorders, diaphragmatic hernia, renal abnormalities, overgrowth of the arms compared to the legs, and club food and gastrointestinal atresia. Discussion Most of the patients are dead born, and the others die in a few hours. There are only six previously documented long-term survivors. In our case, our patient with iniencephalic signs and findings is still living. She is 2 years old now. We think that this patient presents a mild form of iniencephaly.     

Ill-health as a household norm: Evidence from other people's health problems

This paper proposes that an individual's self-assessed health (SAH) does not only suffer from systematic reporting bias and adaptation bias but is also biased owing to confounding health norm effects. Using 13 waves of the British Household Panel Survey covering the period 1991–2005, I show that, while there is a negative and statistically significant correlation between SAH and individuals' own health problem index, this negative effect reduces with the average number of health problems per (other) family member. The relative health bias is small, however, which implies that measures of SAH may not suffer seriously from systematic health norm bias. This is an important finding for researchers working with SAH data as it indicates that we do not have to worry too much about controlling for confounding influences from the health of other household members when estimating SAH regression equations.     

Policy determinants affecting the hunger millennium development goal

The possible effect of Government Consumption (a component of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)) on attainment of the hunger Millennium Development Goal (MDG1) was analyzed by evaluating the effect of macroeconomic, social, demographic and policy variables on average undernourished population. Eighty-four developing countries with data available on undernourished population were included in an ecological study. Regression models were applied to explore possible determinants of Undernourished between 1990 and 2004 and consequent achievement of the projected 2004 MDG1. In 2004, 1.4% of the overall undernourished population in the studied countries [70.16 million people] was in excess of the projected level required to meet MDG1. The multiple linear regression showed significant associations between Undernourished and poverty levels, the Gini Index, rural population and Government Consumption. The multiple logistic regression showed significant associations between achievement of projected 2004 MDG1 levels and Government Consumption and the Gini Index. The significant associations between Undernourished and Government Consumption suggest that the effects of GDP components on social conditions call for more thorough research and that policymakers such as governments and international financial institutions need to ensure that changes in distributive and redistributive policies do not negatively affect the possibility of achieving MDG1.     

Intravenous fate of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-based polyplexes

The objective of this study was to assess the in vivo fate of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (pDMAEMA)-based polyplexes after intravenous administration into mice. Circulation kinetics and tissue distribution in terms of plasmid localization and transfection efficiency were assessed. To gain more insight into the observed biodistribution and gene expression profile, the interaction of pDMAEMA-based polyplexes with blood components (erythrocytes and albumin) was investigated in vitro. In the case of i.v. injection of positively charged polyplexes at a dose of 30 microg DNA most of the radioactivity was found in the lungs and the liver 60 min after injection. In the case of pDMAEMA/DNA polyplexes with a negative charge, uptake occurred mainly by the liver. Administration of positively charged complexes at a 30 microg DNA dose resulted in reporter gene expression primarily in the lungs. Injection of negatively charged complexes and naked plasmid did not result in luciferase expression in any of the organs examined. In vitro turbidity experiments showed the induction of a charge dependent aggregation process upon addition of albumin to the polyplexes pointing out to the involvement of aggregate formation in the dominant lung uptake of the positively charged polyplexes. Also, incubations of polyplexes after pre-incubation with a physiological concentration of albumin with washed erythrocytes confirmed that polyplexes induce the formation of extremely large structures. This paper underlines the need for the design of systems with reduced interaction with blood components to promote the delivery of DNA to target tissues outside the lungs.     

三氧化二砷对CO2气腹下小鼠肿瘤腹壁戳口种植影响的实验研究

目的 研究腹腔内注射三氧化二砷(arsenic trioxide,As2O3)对小鼠CO2气腹下肝癌H22转移的影响. 方法 昆明鼠40只(清洁级),中腹部穿刺置入1 mm套管针,自套管针注入1×106肿瘤细胞后,建立CO2气腹,压力8 mm Hg,时间30 min.术后随机分4组,每组10只,分别腹腔内注入生理盐水,1 ml;As2O3(2 mg/kg),1 ml;As2O3(4 mg/kg),1 ml;As2O3(4mg/kg)+肝素(10 U/ml),共1 ml.气腹后第3、7天测量肿瘤黏附因子(CD44)、血管内皮生长因子(vascular endothelial growth factor,VEGF)的变化;比较各组生存状态、腹围、体重变化及转移瘤直径.结果 气腹后第3、7天,与对照组相比,各As2O3组CD44、VEGF表达均明显降低(P＜0.05).2个高剂量组的气腹后第3天VEGF、第7天CD44比低剂量组降低明显(P＜0.05).4组戳口种植率分别为9/10、8/10、7/10、6/10,差异无显著性(x2=2.667,P=0.446). 结论 As2O3对CO2气腹腹腔镜肿瘤生长转移有抑制作用.     

亚低温治疗患者鼻饲营养并发症的观察及护理

报道48例亚低温治疗患者采用一次性投给、间歇滴注和连续输注营养膳的方式鼻饲营养，其并发症有：腹泻、腹胀、肠蠕动亢进，便秘，食物反流，吸入性肺炎，代谢紊乱，高血糖，水、电解质失衡，鼻胃管堵塞等。护理中体会到亚低温治疗患者鼻饲营养的时机最好在急性期1～2d后，应用鼻饲泵连续输注，适时使用胃肠动力药西沙比利．掌握营养膳的配制和正确的鼻饲方法，严密观察，发现异常及时处理，可大大降低并发症的发生。     

军队在职干部腰身指数与心血管危险因素相关性探讨

目的 研究用腰身指数（腰围/身高比值WHtR）作为腹型肥胖指标探讨与心血管危险因素的相关性。方法 对2005年3月～2006年12月入住广州疗养院的军队在职干部共495人进行身高、体重、腰围、血压、心率、生化等检测,并进行统计学分析。结果 腰身指数异常组的年龄、体重、SBP、DBP、FBS、TC、TG以及尿酸均显著高于腰身指数正常组,HDL-C的结果则相反（P〈0.01～P〈0.001）;同时腰身指数与年龄、体重、SBP、DBP、FBS、TC、TG呈显著正相关,与HDL-C呈显著负相关（P〈0.05～P〈0.001）。结论 腰身指数可作为有效的腹型肥胖参考指标,腰身指数异常者其心血管危险因素水平比正常者高,及时控制腰身指数可以有效改善人群的健康状况。     

强脉冲光治疗浅表(皮肤)血管瘤临床观察

目的：观察强脉冲光（IPL）治疗浅表（皮肤）血管瘤的疗效。方法：选择60例浅表（皮肤）血管瘤患者,随机分为治疗组和对照组,治疗组用535nm、580nm强脉冲光治疗皮损,每三周治疗一次,三次为一个疗程;对照组采用波长为532nm的Q开关Nd：YAG激光治疗,每两周治疗一次,三次为一个疗程。观察两组皮损的治愈率、并发症等情况,并行统计学处理。结果：治疗组皮损三次治愈率明显高于对照组（P〈0.01）,患处瘢痕形成及炎症性色素沉着发生率均低于对照组。结论：强脉冲光（IPLTM）治疗浅表（皮肤）血管瘤效果满意。