Circular dichroism detection in high-performance liquid chromatography: Evaluation of the anisotropy factor

The application of a circular dichroism (c.d.) detection system in HPLC using a chiral stationary phase is presented. The simultaneous measurement of the absorbance and c.d. signal allows the evaluation of the anisotropy factor (g = Δ/) and thus the determination of the enantiomeric excess (e.e.) of the eluates. When this detection system is used in preparative chiral chromatography the collection of the enantiomeric fractions can be readily optimized.     

Score Statistic to Test for Genetic Correlation for Proband-Family Design

In genetic epidemiological studies informative families are often oversampled to increase the power of a study. For a proband‐family design, where relatives of probands are sampled, we derive the score statistic to test for clustering of binary and quantitative traits within families due to genetic factors. The derived score statistic is robust to ascertainment scheme. We considered correlation due to unspecified genetic effects and/or due to sharing alleles identical by descent (IBD) at observed marker locations in a candidate region. A simulation study was carried out to study the distribution of the statistic under the null hypothesis in small data‐sets. To illustrate the score statistic, data from 33 families with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) were analyzed. In addition to the binary outcome DM2 we also analyzed the quantitative outcome, body mass index (BMI). For both traits familial aggregation was highly significant. For DM2, also including IBD sharing at marker D3S3681 as a cause of correlation gave an even more significant result, which suggests the presence of a trait gene linked to this marker. We conclude that for the proband‐family design the score statistic is a powerful and robust tool for detecting clustering of outcomes.     

Studies of the effects of dietary zinc on the immune organs and cellular immunity in the rat

ＳｔｕｄｉｅｓｏｆｔｈｅｅｆｆｅｃｔｓｏｆｄｉｅｔａｒｙｚｉｎｃｏｎｔｈｅｉｍｍｕｎｅｏｒｇａｎｓａｎｄｃｅｌｌｕｌａｒｉｍｍｕｎｉｔｙｉｎｔｈｅｒａｔＷｕＪｉａｈｕｉ（吴嘉惠）；ＷｕＳｈｕｉｂｉｎｇ（吴水冰）；ＢａｉＪｉａｓｉ（白家驷）；ＫｏｎｇＸ...     

The last 10 years in a burn centre in Ankara, Turkey: an analysis of 5264 cases

This is a retrospective study analysing 5264 patients treated in the burn centre at Gülhane Military Medical Academy from 1 January 1986 to 31 December 1995. Our burn centre is not only the firs, but one of the best established and supported in Turkey. Our present study has the largest patient group of other previously published studies from Turkey. Of the total patients studied, 4464 patients had minor burns and were treated on an outpatient basis and 800 patients had moderate to major burns. Although our centre is in a military area in Ankara, only 1047 (20 per cent) patients were military personnel and the military-related burn causes comprised only 6 per cent of the total. The remaining 4217 (80 per cent of the total patients) were civilians. Flame injuries were also more frequent in military patients than civilians. Minor burns were most common in the age group 0–10 years old (40 per cent) and moderate to major burns in the age group 21–30 years (54 per cent). Scalds were the main cause of paediatric burns. Male patients were dominant. The overall mortality among inpatients was 18.2 per cent and mean total body surface area (TBSA) was 57.6 per cent in patients who died. 134 patients demonstrated inhalation injury and 82 per cent of these patients died. The epidemiological pattern of our patients is similar to that in other studies from developed countries, although some ethnic causative factors could be found. Our study indicates that emergency measures should be taken to prevent flame injuries at military barracks and industrial workplaces and scalding accidents to children at home and throughout the country.     

人脑星形细胞瘤PTEN基因的突变

目的 探讨phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)基因突变在人星形细胞瘤发生和恶性进展中的作用。方法 应用聚合酶链反应－单链构象多态性结合银染技术检测星形细胞瘤PTEN基因第5外显子区域的突变情况。结果 10例正常脑组织和10例良性脑膜瘤均无点突变发生,62例星形细胞瘤中7例（11．29％）有点突变发生,并且点突变发生与星形细胞瘤病理分级明显相关（P＜0．05）,其中高恶性度星形细胞瘤（Ⅲ－Ⅳ级）突变率（18．91％）明显高于低恶性度（Ⅰ－Ⅱ级）星形细胞瘤（P＜0．05）。结论 PTEN基因突变与星形细胞瘤病理分级关系密切,属于星形细胞瘤恶性进展的后期事件。     

Estimating and Characterizing COVID-19 Deaths,Puerto Rico,March–July 2020

ObjectivesUsing the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) classification guidelines, we characterized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–associated confirmed and probable deaths in Puerto Rico during March–July 2020. We also estimated the total number of possible deaths due to COVID-19 in Puerto Rico during the same period.MethodsWe described data on COVID-19–associated mortality, in which the lower bound was the sum of confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths and the upper bound was excess mortality, estimated as the difference between observed deaths and average expected deaths. We obtained data from the Puerto Rico Department of Health COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance System, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System, and the National Center for Health Statistics.ResultsDuring March–July 2020, 225 COVID-19–associated deaths were identified in Puerto Rico (119 confirmed deaths and 106 probable deaths). The median age of decedents was 73 (interquartile range, 59-83); 60 (26.7%) deaths occurred in the Metropolitana region, and 140 (62.2%) deaths occurred among men. Of the 225 decedents, 180 (83.6%) had been hospitalized and 93 (41.3%) had required mechanical ventilation. Influenza and pneumonia (48.0%), sepsis (28.9%), and respiratory failure (27.1%) were the most common conditions contributing to COVID-19 deaths based on death certificates. Based on excess mortality calculations, as many as 638 COVID-19–associated deaths could have occurred during the study period, up to 413 more COVID-19–associated deaths than originally reported.ConclusionsIncluding probable deaths per the CSTE guidelines and monitoring all-cause excess mortality can lead to a better estimation of COVID-19–associated deaths and serve as a model to enhance mortality surveillance in other US jurisdictions.     

PEG-Hemoglobin as a resuscitation solution in the treatment of hypovolemic shock in the anesthetized rat

This study was designed to determine the advantages of using the hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, polyethylene glycol conjugated bovine hemoglobin (PEG-Hb), as an additive to Ringer's lactate solution (RLS) for the treatment of acute hemorrhage in anesthetized female rats. Different compositions of PEG-Hb and RLS were administered intravenously in a paradigm that provided 30 ml/kg of resuscitation fluid following an episode of 15 min of hypotension. Hypotension was achieved by the removal of blood (1 ml/min) from the femoral vein until the mean arterial pressure was lowered to or below 50 mmHg and subsequently maintained until resuscitation. Short-term cardiovascular assessment showed that resuscitation fluids containing PEG-Hb resulted in higher mean arterial pressure, aortic blood flow, renal blood flow, and less dramatic shifts in arterial base excess and respiratory blood gases than plain RLS. The long-term survival experiment showed lower lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase levels in most groups resuscitated with solutions containing PEG-Hb, but no differences in survival (100%) were observed. The data suggest that the addition of PEG-Hb to RLS improves its resuscitative effects. Specifically, a solution of 50% RLS:50% PEG-Hb appeared to have the most favorable cardiovascular and metabolic effects in this anesthetized rat hypovolemic shock resuscitation model. Presumably, the improved effects seen with the addition of PEG-Hb were due to its innate plasma expansion and oxygen-delivery capabilities.     

叶天士《未刻本叶氏医案》养阴十法

《未刻本叶氏医案》养阴法别具特色，其中有润燥养阴法、行气益阴法、酸甘济阴法、益气存阴法、润肺养阴法、清胃培阴法、醒中清养法、柔肝敛阴法、滋阴养真法、固摄济阴法十法，叶天士养阴法立法全面，组方遣药别具特色，尤以原法原味，生鲜清灵见长，浑朴简约而生辉，其清新的思维在当今临床上依然有着强大的生命力和指导意义。     

Abnormalities in the serum insulin-like growth factor-1 axis in women with hyperandrogenism

Objective: To study the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis in hirsute women.

Design: Controlled clinical study.

Setting: Tertiary care institutional hospital.

Patient(s): Forty hirsute women and 17 women with normal menstrual cycles.

Intervention(s): Basal and ACTH-stimulated samples were obtained, and sampling was repeated 1 (gonadal stimulation) and 21 (gonadal suppression) days after a single 3.75-mg IM dose of triptorelin. Controls did not receive triptorelin for ethical reasons.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum GH, IGF-1, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), insulin, glucose, total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, E₂, and gonadotropin levels. Basal and ACTH-stimulated steroid precursors were measured.

Result(s): Patients with idiopathic hirsutism were identified by normal serum androgen levels (n = 17). Those with functional ovarian hyperandrogenism (n = 15) were identified by an increase in the serum testosterone level that normalized during gonadal suppression, whereas those with functional adrenal hyperandrogenism (n = 8) were identified by an initial increase in the testosterone level that persisted during gonadal suppression. The adrenal hyperandrogenism group had increased IGF-1 levels compared with the control, idiopathic hirsutism, and ovarian hyperandrogenism groups. Patients with ovarian hyperandrogenism had normal IGF-1 concentrations, but their IGFBP-3 concentrations were lower than those of controls. No differences were observed in GH levels between any of the groups. These results persisted when the influence of age was corrected for.

Conclusion(s): The IGF-1 axis appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of hyperandrogenism, especially in patients with adrenal hyperandrogenism, who have a clear increase in IGF-1 levels. Moreover, patients with ovarian hirsutism have decreased IGFBP-3 concentrations, which might enhance IGF-1 bioavailability.     

疾病危险因素效应的比较方法

为探讨对两个暴露因素所产生的疾病效应作比较的合理指标 ,应用超额危险性的概念建立比较指标和用 Taylor公式推导其方差。结果显示 ,相对超额危险性是比较两个暴露因素的疾病效应的合理指标。