Can we increase our life span? The role of nuclear gerontology

Elderly people, those above 60 or 65 years old differ from younger people in many ways. Nuclear medicine can play a role in the diagnosis of diseases of the elderly and thus help, in social adjustment and in care for the elderly people. The question is why adult stem cells have a certain limit of reproduction, since their DNA in a normal physical environment can theoretically live very much longer. The elderly are prone to suffer more diseases than the young. It is important that the elderly should use water soluble and not lipid soluble drugs. There are many more to write about the elderly. We have tried to be brief in order to show the importance of using nuclear medicine in gerontology. Let us mention here that the word gerontology means in greek "talk about the elderly" (gerontas is the old man and logy is to talk about). Elderly people are a large part of our society and we do have every reason, every interest and responsibility to keep this part of our society healthy, useful and productive.     

Liver and peripheral blood concentration ratio (L/P) as a marker of postmortem drug redistribution: a literature review

The liver to peripheral blood (L/P) ratio, based upon review of previously published works, was evaluated as a marker of postmortem redistribution (PMR). Literature supported the proposed model that drugs exhibiting an L/P ratio of less than 5 are prone to little or no PMR, while those with an L/P ratio greater than 20–30 have propensity for significant redistribution. Many antidepressants, including both tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, were markedly differentiated from drugs previously verified to be free from, or exhibit little, PMR. The magnitude of the liver to blood concentrations also appeared to provide an advantage over the conventional central to peripheral blood ratio model of PMR by demonstrating a wide range of values (1.6–97) for interpretation of drugs’ potential for, and variations in, redistribution.     

健康老人血液中微量元素ICP - MS分析研究

 目的了解健康老年人血清与血细胞中Mn、Fe、Co、Cu、Zn、Se、Cd等微量元素的含量,为防治老年疾病提供依据.方法取研究对象静脉血4 ml,经高速冷冻离心机离心15 min,分离出血清、血细胞,然后经硝化、赶酸、定容等处理,用ICPMS分析.结果老年组血清中Zn与Se的含量显著高于青年组(P＜0.01),老年组血细胞中Mn与Cu的含量显著低于青年组(P＜0.05),其他元素的含量在青年组与老年组之间虽有差异,但均无统计学意义.结论:与青年人相比,老年人体内微量元素发生显著变化,应从微量元素入手研究与防治老年疾病.     

A fatal paramethoxymethamphetamine intoxication

During the last years in Germany a marked increase in the use of amphetamines such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) has been observed. The use of these recreational drugs is especially common among young people participating in rave parties. Occasionally ring-methoxylated phenethylamine derivatives like paramethoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) or paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) are found in street drugs offered as ecstasy. These compounds exhibit a higher toxicity than the methylenedioxyamphetamine derivatives. We report on the death of a 22-year-old man after the ingestion of ecstasy pills containing PMMA and PMA. The PMMA concentration in femoral blood was 0.85 mg/l. Besides PMA (0.61 mg/l), amphetamine (0.21 mg/l), benzoylecgonine (<0.01 mg/l) and ethanol (0.46 per thousand ) were found in the blood. The case reflects the well-known fact that street drugs offered as ecstasy pills contain not necessarily MDMA but frequently differ in composition even if they have the same logo. Users of these pills therefore always take the risk of consuming pills with dangerous life-threatening ingredients. In many laboratories paramethoxyamphetamines are not detectable in routine analytical procedures. If the cause of an intoxication cannot be discovered by analytical routine methods, rarely occurring designer drugs such as PMA or PMMA should also be kept in mind.     

The effect of respiratory aerosol inhalers and nasal sprays on breath alcohol testing devices used in Great Britain

Subjects suffering from respiratory diseases occasionally experience difficulty when attempting to provide breath samples to satisfy the requirements of breath alcohol testing devices. In order to assist ventilation, such subjects may resort to the use of an aerosol inhaler. Twenty aerosol inhalers containing drugs which exhibit an effect on the respiratory system and five nasal sprays used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever, have been tested for interference on the range of breath alcohol measuring devices used by the police in Great Britain. No interference attributable to the contents of any of the aerosol inhalers or nasal sprays tested was observed on any of the instruments in police use.     

Useful known and unknown views of the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates and his teacher Democritus

Hippocrates is considered to be the father of modern medicine because in his books, which are more than 70. He described in a scientific manner, many diseases and their treatment after detailed observation. He lived about 2400 years ago. He was born in the island of Kos and died at the outskirts of Larissa at the age of 104. Hippocrates taught and wrote under the shade of a big plane tree, its descendant now is believed to be 500 years old, the oldest tree in Europe--platanus orientalis Hippocraticus--with a diameter of 15 meters. Hippocrates saved Athens from a plague epidemic and for that was highly honored by the Athenians. He considered Democritus--the father of the atomic theory--to be his teacher and after visiting him as a physician to look after his health, he accepted no money for this visit. Some of his important aphorisms were: "As to diseases, make a habit of two things -to help or at least to do no harm". Also: "Those by nature over weight, die earlier than the slim.", also, "In the wounds there are miasmata causing disease if entered the body". He used as a pain relief, the abstract from a tree containing what he called "salycasia", like aspirin. He described for the first time epilepsy not as a sacred disease, as was considered at those times, but as a hereditary disease of the brain and added: "Do not cut the temporal place, because spasms shall occur on the opposite area". According to Hippocrates, people on those times had either one or two meals (lunch and dinner). He also suggested: "...little exercise...and walk...do not eat to saturation". Also he declared: "Physician must convert or insert wisdom to medicine and medicine to wisdom". If all scientists followed this aphorism we would have more happiness on earth.     

老年急性粟粒型肺结核影像特点(附33例分析)

目的：提高老年急性粟粒型肺结核影像诊断准确性。方法：分析３３例老年急性粟粒型肺结核Ｘ线及ＣＴ表现。结果：老年急性粟粒型肺结核除少数表现为单纯粟粒灶“三均匀”特点外，多数表现为粟粒灶和两种或多种性状病变共存，粟粒灶密集程度降低，分布不均匀性增多。结论：老年急性粟粒型肺结核由于肺部合并症多，影像学呈不典型表现     

地震灾害批量伤员医学救援的组织与实施

近百年来,全球共发生里氏7级以上地震40余起,在中国就发生10起,造成60万人罹难,占全球因地震死亡人数的53％.2008年5月12日,中国四川汶川发生里氏8.0级特大地震,共造成6.9万人死亡,1.8万人失踪,37万人受伤,其中重伤员1万余名,伤情以外伤为主,骨折伤占74％.2010年4月14日,中国青海玉树发生7.1级强烈地震,共有269S人死亡,270人失踪,1.1万余人受伤,其中重伤员3100多名,骨折伤占58.4％.两次地震发生后,中国军队卫勤依法行动,迅即反应,尽遣精锐,高效指挥,科学组织,全面参与医学救援行动.在汶川地震中,共派出397支机动卫勤分队,7061名卫生人员,累计收治伤员6.9万人次,实施手术2.2万例.在玉树地震中,共派出25支机动卫勤分队,2025名卫生人员,实施手术1635例,创造了救治高原寒区批量地震伤员和高原病患者“零死亡”的奇迹.中国军队卫勤卓有成效的现场救治,使得两次地震在一周内救治伤病员的数量都达到了总数的60％,收治转运后送伤病员数占总数的80％,有效地发挥了突击队和主力军的作用,为夺取抗震救灾的最后胜利作出了重要贡献.中国军队卫勤在两次地震医学救援实践中得到的启示:一是必须创新医学救援理论;二是必须搞好军地组织协同;三是必须加强专业救援力量;四是必须加强配套手段建设;五是必须深化国际交流与合作.     

武警某队属医院部队官兵皮肤科用药回顾性分析

目的 分析武警某队属医院部队官兵皮肤科病种构成和各项用药数据,了解药品使用情况,为医院相关药物和卫勤保障药品配置工作提供科学依据.方法 收集医院2018—2019年皮肤科部队患者门诊和巡诊处方,采用回顾性研究方法,对门诊和巡诊处方诊断主要皮肤疾病构成、不同给药途径药品处方构成、各类药品处方构成以及口服药品用药频度等进行...     

手术治疗口腔内科疾病和常规治疗临床效果对比

目的：观察探讨手术治疗和常规治疗在口腔内科疾病治疗中的临床效果,为临床治疗口腔疾病提供更多参考。方法选取2013年5月－2015年5月收治的口腔疾病患者180例,随机分为对照组和观察组（每组90例）,对照组病人给予常规药物治疗,观察组给予手术治疗。最后比较分析两组患者护理满意度以及临床效果等指标。结果在患者护理满意度方面,对照组为77.7％,观察组为96.7％,对照组明显低于观察组（χ2＝8.245,P＜0.05）;在恢复率方面,对照组为80.0％（72／90）,观察组为97.8％（88／90）,观察组明显优于对照组,两组差异显著具有统计学意义（χ2＝4.635,P＜0.05）。结论手术治疗口腔内科疾病相对于常规药物来说,效果更加显著,可以明显提高患者恢复率以及护理满意度,具有极高的临床推广价值。     

Timer error and beam quality variation during "ramp-up" of a superficial X-ray therapy unit.

Superficial and orthovoltage therapy machines generally exhibit a "ramp-up region" during which the dose rate increases from zero to the steady state output. This can produce a significant dose deficit, which can be made up by adding a correction to the treatment time. This correction, which can be determined from the intercept of the dose versus time plot, takes no account of either the true duration of the ramp-up region or the beam quality variation while it takes place. A new method for investigating the ramp-up region is proposed, and the results are presented for a 100 kVp beam. Measurements of beam quality in terms of half value layer (HVL) have been made as a function of time. A change in HVL from an average of 2.9 mm aluminium in the ramp-up region to 3.1 mm for the steady state region has been observed. A significant random variation in the time between initiation of the radiation and the beginning of the ramp-up region was also observed which was traced to a time varying signal in the control system.     

Correction of physiologically induced global off-resonance effects in dynamic echo-planar and spiral functional imaging.

In functional magnetic resonance imaging, a rapid method such as echo-planar (EPI) or spiral is used to collect a dynamic series of images. These techniques are sensitive to changes in resonance frequency which can arise from respiration and are more significant at high magnetic fields. To decrease the noise from respiration-induced phase and frequency fluctuations, a simple correction of the "dynamic off-resonance in k-space" (DORK) was developed. The correction uses phase information from the center of k-space and a navigator echo and is illustrated with dynamic scans of single-shot and segmented EPI and, for the first time, spiral imaging of the human brain at 7 T. Image noise in the respiratory spectrum was measured with an edge operator. The DORK correction significantly reduced respiration-induced noise (image shift for EPI, blurring for spiral, ghosting for segmented acquisition). While spiral imaging was found to exhibit less noise than EPI before correction, the residual noise after the DORK correction was comparable. The correction is simple to apply and can correct for other sources of frequency drift and fluctuations in dynamic imaging.     

Forensische Gerontologie – Bilanz und Prognose

The dramatically progressing changes in age distribution confront our discipline with new issues. The main forensic problems result from geriatric nursing (1.7 million), in particular neglect and violence are involved. Nursing maltreatment is at the fore front. Competition intensifies due to the permanently increasing numbers of ambulant nursing services (1998: 11 730), especially since quality controls only take place on special occasions (e.g. filing of complaint). Thus, nursing maltreatment frequently remains undiscovered or is only detected after a postmortem examination. Annually, approximately 16 000 (!) people over the age of 60 become victims ¶of criminal violence in the Federal Republic of Germany. Knowledge from other fields of forensic traumatology (e.g. traffic medicine) gains special importance in connection with the injuries sustained. The danger of a limitation of therapy increases in injured elderly people and in diseases mainly due to financial reasons. The reasons for propagating active euthanasia, partially arising from the social sector, are discussed. Here, long-term therapy with e.g. psychoactive drugs also lead to further problems. Legal medicine as an “early warning system” and co-ordinator of all prevention possibilities plays a central role in the recognition of new dangers for old people.     

Principles of treatment of early stage glaucoma: surgery vs. therapy (review of literature)

Swift development of ophthalmopharmacology in last years has led to loss of starting positions surgery in glaucoma treatment, especially in early stage. Medical therapy is considered safer and not less effective in spite of problems of compliance, intolerance to hypotensive drugs in some patients with ocular surface diseases and less significant reduction of baseline intraocular pressure. There are many glaucoma guidelines refer to this data which led to significant decrease of proportions of surgery. Whether such an approach is applicable in all cases?     

高压氧联合静脉用药治疗脑血管病130例临床疗效分析

目的 探讨高压氧（HBO）治疗同时在氧舱内联合静脉用药与单纯药物治疗脑血管病的临床疗效。方法 230例患者随机分为两组，HBO治疗组130例，在HBO舱内静脉用药，对照组100例单纯药物治疗。结果 HBO组130例总有效率96．2％，对照组总有效率70．0％。HBO联合舱内静脉给药治疗疗效明显高于单纯药物治疗（P〈0．01）。结论 HBO治疗同时在舱内联合静脉用药可提高HBO治疗和药物治疗疗效，达到HBO治疗与药物治疗共同提高的双重效果。     

Dynamics of food transit in gastrectomized patients with and without dumping syndrome studied with the gamma camera and a marked meal

Scintigraphy was performed on a group of patients following the administration of a solid radiolabelled meal. As a tracer, human albumin microspheres were used with 99mTc, mixed with fresh scrambled eggs, eaten as a sandwich in two slices of white bread. The analysis of transit and emptying-rate of the radiolabelled meal in the gastric or derivative loop areas was performed by means of a medium field (300 mm) gamma camera interfaced with a digital computer; the data were collected at 15" frames for 90'-120'. Twenty-nine patients were examined who had undergone sub-total gastrectomy: 11 of them were "dumpers" and 18 "non-dumpers"; moreover, 9 volunteers without any history of gastrointestinal diseases and 11 patients with different gastric disorders were checked. In the first group of gastrectomized patients the half-emptying time (T50) was significantly shorter than in the 11 people being checked (Md = 27.5 +/- 10.8 versus 69.6 +/- 19 minutes); in "non-dumpers" T50 was even shorter (Md = 24.2 +/- 13 min). There was no significant statistical difference between the two classes of gastroresected patients in both T50 and emptying-rate of the radioactive solid food, which excludes the accelerated transit as a factor in the functional post-prandial symptoms of the dumping syndrome. On the contrary, the dynamic selective analysis of the radiolabelled food transit through derivative afferent and efferent loops showed different patterns in the two groups of gastroresected patients: the progression of the propulsive wave was very irregular and constantly hyperperistaltic only in the dumpers.     

Family and environmental factors of drug addiction among young recruits

Drug addiction in a family results from three factors: (1) effect of pathological families on young people's behavior, (2) easy access to drugs, and (3) influence of groups of people of the same age. In the present study, it was investigated to what extent individual factors related to family and environment affect the extent of drug addiction among recruits. The study included 559 subjects. The results proved direct interdependence between the family condition and the extent of narcomania. Drug addicts came mostly from incomplete and pathological families. The main family factors of drug addiction, according to the results obtained, are family atmosphere, strength of family ties, sense of family happiness, structure of authority in the family, and alcoholism. In families where there is warmth and love, children do not or rarely take drugs. Drug addicts come from families where there is ill will and hostility (p < 0.05). Drug addicts have weaker family ties than do those who do not take drugs (w2 = 0.26, p < 0.05). In families where there was contact with drugs, authority belonged to the mother to a greater degree (54.4%) than to the father (23.6%). In 46.3% of the studied drug addicts' families, alcohol was drunk. The results of the investigations approximate results of other studies conducted among young people in Poland and elsewhere in the world.     

Calcified filariasis of the breast: report of four cases

Circumscribed to endemic areas throughout tropical countries, filariasis is a rare and unknown disease in Europe. We report four cases of calcified filariasis involving the breast, supporting the diagnosis on the typical mammographic appearance of the calcified worms and the past history of filarial infection. Few reports have been published in the radiology literature about this infrequent manifestation of the parasitation. The purpose of this article is to show the mammographic characteristics of this disease that soon will be seen frequently in developed countries due to the increasing population from the endemic areas.     

The prevalence of doping in Flanders in comparison to the prevalence of doping in international sports

For many years, doping has been considered a major problem in sports. Recent doping cases have shocked the general public and press reports have further generated the idea that a great number of athletes are doped. In this study statistical data provided by the International Olympic Committee (1996 - 2000) to IOC accredited laboratories and results from the Flemish anti-doping program (1993 - 2000) are discussed. During these periods, the average percentage positive samples in the IOC accredited laboratories and in Flanders were 1.8 % and 4.1 %, respectively. The percentage of positive samples was significantly higher for in-competition than for out-of-competition samples. During the period 1993 - 2000, doping was detected in all sports in Flanders, for which a representative number of samples (n > 50) was tested except mini-soccer, where no positive doping samples were found. The use of doping among male athletes is significantly higher than for female athletes. Bodybuilding and power lifting had the highest incidence of positive cases in Flanders. The distribution of detected drugs among the different groups of prohibited substances shows a significant increase in the number of samples containing cannabis over the last years. The occurrence of cannabis in all sports and the high frequency of detection in Flanders, indicate that cannabis is predominantly misused as a "social" drug rather than for doping purposes. In Flanders, multiple prohibited substances were detected in 41 % of all positive cases. At least 27.6 % out of those were due to co-administration of drugs.