Antibodies to tissue transglutaminase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Subclinical gut inflammation has been described in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Joint involvement has also been reported related to celiac disease. We investigated IgA antibodies to bovine tissue tranglutaminase (tTg) and IgA and IgG antibodies to human tTg and to Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) in patients with AS and PsA. METHODS: We evaluated the frequency of IgA antibodies to bovine tTg, and of IgA and IgG antibodies to human tTg and to ASCA in 43 patients with AS and 75 with PsA. As control groups we considered 79 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 78 healthy blood donors. RESULTS: We detected antibodies as follows: IgA antibodies to bovine tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 3/75 with PsA, 1/79 with RA, and in 9/78 healthy controls; IgA antibodies to human tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 1/75 with PsA, 1/79 with RA, and in 3/78 healthy controls; IgG antibodies to human tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 4/75 with PsA, 5/79 with RA, and in 7/78 healthy controls. IgA ASCA were confirmed in 10/43 patients with AS, 7/75 with PsA, 14/79 with RA, and in 7/78 healthy controls; IgG ASCA were present in 5/43 patients with AS, 4/75 with PsA, 8/79 with RA, and in 8/78 healthy controls. No statistically significant difference was observed in the prevalence of IgA or IgG antibodies to bovine and human tTg and in the frequency and in mean level of IgA or IgG ASCA between the studied groups or between each group and healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Our data fail to show an increased prevalence of autoantibodies associated with celiac and Crohn's disease in patients with AS and PsA.     

Antibodies to iris and retina detected in sera from patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with iridocyclitis by indirect immunofluorescence studies on human eye tissue

Sera from 12 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) with active iridocyclitis were incubated with frozen, sectioned, whole human eye tissue. Antibodies were detected using fluorescein conjugated goat F(ab')2 antibody to human IgG by immunofluorescent microscopy. Immunofluorescence was determined on tissue from the iris, retina, and 3 portions of the ciliary body. Sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis were compared to sera from patients with JRA with and without antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and healthy children. An increased frequency of antibody to the human iris was seen with sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis compared to healthy children's sera. A higher frequency of antibody was also noted to human retina in sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis compared to patients without ANA and healthy children. No increased frequency of antibody was detected to ciliary body. Sera of 7 patients with JRA with iridocyclitis were also compared during a time of inactive eye disease to a time of active disease. No difference in binding to eye tissue was detected at times of inactive disease compared to controls. Our results demonstrate the presence of antibody to iris and retina by immunofluorescence in the sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis.     

Impaired cell-mediated immunity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A controlled study of 23 untreated patients.

Cell-mediated immunity was evaluated in 23 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) prior to therapy and in 23 control subjects. The patients with SLE who had moderate to severe disease activity had significantly fewer positive delayed skin tests to streptokinase-streptodornase (SK-SD) and Candida than the control subjects, and a higher frequency of anergy than either the control subjects or the patients with mild SLE. Significant impairment of lymphocyte transformation to all common antigens tested was found in patients with SLE as compared to both normal subjects and control subjects with disease. Phytohemagglutinin response was reduced in patients with SLE as compared to normal subjects but not to the control subjects with disease. Lymphocyte transformation responses to SK-SD and Candida were also significantly lower in patients with moderate to severe SLE as compared to patients with mildly active SLE. Primary immune response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was impaired in patients with SLE as measured by lymphocyte transformation and total KLH antibody, but not 2-mercaptoethanol resistant antibody. The data indicate defective T-cell function in SLE, and suggest that the impairment relates in part to disease activity.     

Factors affecting early exsanguination and death in blunt thoracic aortic trauma

The traditional approach to blunt thoracic aortic injuries has been expedient diagnosis and operative repair due to the significant risk of early exsanguination and death in initial survivors. Nonoperative management has been advocated in patients with multiple injuries to reduce the operative mortality. However, specific clinical parameters and diagnostic tests that may predict the risk of early exsanguination and death have yet to be identified. A retrospective analysis of 80 patients with these injuries was undertaken to identify factors associated with early exsanguination or death. Available aortograms were also examined and graded to determine their utility in predicting these outcomes. Early exsanguination and death were found to be associated with low systolic blood pressure on admission and with short duration from injury to diagnosis. Exsanguination was also associated with the total number of lesions in thoracic injuries, and mortality with age greater than 30 years. Aortographic appearance was not found to correlate with either outcome. Patients with blunt thoracic aortic injuries should continue to be managed expediently, with immediate surgical repair if not contraindicated by associated injuries, to avoid early rupture.     

Public reactions to people with HIV/AIDS in The Netherlands.

A national telephone survey was conducted to (a) assess present-day public reactions to people with HIV/AIDS in the Netherlands, (b) measure how knowledge about highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is related to public reactions to people with HIV/AIDS, and (c) investigate determinants of willingness to have personal contact with people with HIV/AIDS. Dutch adults (N = 751) participated in a telephone interview conducted to measure cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions to people with HIV/AIDS. This study has shown that public reactions to people with HIV/AIDS seem to be moderately positive in the Netherlands. Knowledge about HAART is related to lower risk perceptions, a positive attitude toward homosexuals, less fear, and more willingness to have personal contact with people with HIV/AIDS. In particular, cognitive and emotional factors are meaningfully related to willingness to have personal contact with people with HIV/AIDS. Implications for Dutch AIDS educational campaigns aimed at stigma reduction are discussed.     

Antigen-induced histamine-release in diagnosis of allergy

Antigen-induced histamine-release from basophils was evaluated in 12 patients with hypersensitivity to grass, 14 patients with hypersensitivity to grains and 14 patients with hypersensitivity to insect-venom using a test with very high sensitivity. - Histamine-release upon stimulation with antigen was found in all patients with grass-hypersensitivity, in 12 of 14 patients with grain-hypersensitivity and in 10 of 14 patients with insect-venom-hypersensitivity. Additionally performed determination of total-IgE proved less valuable, whereas specific-IgE and skin-test showed a higher validity in hypersensitivity to grains.     

The use of glucagon challenge tests in the diagnostic evaluation of hypoglycemia due to hepatoma and insulinoma

We previously found that patients with hypoglycemia due to chronic renal and liver disease had anomalous metabolic responses to glucose and glucagon stimulation. In this study we evaluated the use of glucagon (2 mg, iv) tests in the diagnosis of spontaneous hypoglycemia secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and insulinoma. Twenty-one normal subjects, 45 patients with HCC (11 with hypoglycemia), and 14 patients with insulinoma (all with hypoglycemia) were studied. The fasting blood glucose level was low in all patients with hypoglycemia. The fasting plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations were high in patients with insulinoma and low in patients with HCC and hypoglycemia. The blood glucose responses to glucagon administration were less than normal in patients with HCC and hypoglycemia and within normal limits in patients with insulinoma. The insulinoma patients had increased plasma insulin and C-peptide responses to glucagon despite having low blood glucose levels. Compared with the HCC patients without hypoglycemia, HCC patients with hypoglycemia had impaired plasma insulin and C-peptide responses. The fasting hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and impaired insulin/C-peptide responses to glucagon in patients with hepatoma and hypoglycemia presumably reflect the production of insulin-like substances by the hepatoma. We conclude that glucagon administration results in characteristic responses in these groups of patients and can be of use in the diagnosis of spontaneous hypoglycemia secondary to hepatoma or insulinoma.     

Clinical predictors for sessile serrated polyposis syndrome:A case control study

AIM To compared individuals with serrated polyposis syndrome (SPS) to those with sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) and adenomas in the setting of endoscopists with high adenoma detection rates at a secondary and tertiary academic centre.METHODS Retrospectively we collated the clinical,endoscopic and histological features of all patients with SPS at St Vincent's public and private hospital in the last 3 years.Patients were identified by searching through 2 pathology databases.Variables explored included smoking status,symptoms,and family history of concurrent colorectal cancer,number and location of polyps.Patients with SPS were matched to two cohorts (1) patients with SSA not meeting World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for SPS over 3 years; and (2) patients with exclusively adenomas.The control cases were also matched according to gender and endoscopist.Adenoma detection rates ranged from 25% to 40%.RESULTS Forty patients with SPS were identified and matched with 40 patients in each control group.In total 15452 colonoscopies were performed over the study period which amounts to a prevalence of 1: 384 patients (0.26%) with SPS.Fourteen patients (35%) required more than 1 year to accumulate enough polyps to reach WHO criteria for SPS.The diagnosis of SPS was largely incidental and 5% SPS patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer over 3 years.The chance of detecting a meta-synchronous adenoma was similar in those with SPS(42%) and those with SSA(55%),P = 0.49.The majority of patients(75%) meeting criteria for SPS were women.The mean age of those with SPS (45 years) was significantly lower than both cohorts with SSA(57 years) and adenomas(63 years),P = 0.01.On univariate analysis cigarette exposure,firstdegree family history of colorectal cancer and a high BMI weren't significantly more associated with SPS compared to patients with SSA or patients with adenomas.However,patients with SPS (97%) and patients with SSAs not meeting SPS criteria(98%) were significantly more likely to be Caucasian compared to patients with adenomas (79%),P = 0.01.CONCLUSION The prevalence of SPS in our study was 0.26%.The vast majority of patients diagnosed with SPS were women.As a group,they were significantly younger compared to patients with SSA not meeting WHO criteria and patients with adenomatous polyps by more than a decade.Patients with SPS were no more likely to have a first degree relative with colorectal cancer or smoking history than the other two groups.Patients with serrated polyps were more likely to be Caucasian than patients with adenomas.     

Diabetes education for people with disabilities

The AADE recognizes the special diabetes education and care needs of people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that diabetes educators provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities in response to their particular individual needs. This position statement has been developed to provide guidance to diabetes educators regarding their ethical and legal responsibilities to people with disabilities, and to promote diabetes education for people with disabilities that is equal in quality to that received by people with no current disability.     

Correlation of TIMI risk score with angiographic severity and extent of coronary artery disease in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes

The Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score predicts adverse clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS). Whether this score correlates with the coronary anatomy is unknown. We sought to determine whether the TIMI risk score correlates with the angiographic extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with NSTEACS undergoing cardiac catheterization. We conducted a retrospective review of 688 consecutive medical records of patients who underwent coronary angiography secondary to NSTEACS. Patients were classified into 3 categories according to TIMI risk score: TIMI scores 0 to 2 (n = 284), 3 to 4 (n = 301), and 5 to 7 (n = 103). One-vessel disease was found in patients with TIMI score 3 to 4 as often as in patients with TIMI score 0 to 2 (odds ratio [OR] 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74 to 1.56; p = 0.66). However, 1-vessel disease was found more often in patients with TIMI score 3 to 4 than in patients with TIMI score 5 to 7 (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.18 to 3.95; p = 0.01), and in patients with TIMI score 0 to 2 than in those with TIMI score 5 to 7 (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.66; p = 0.02). Two-vessel disease was more likely found in patients with TIMI score 3 to 4 than in those with TIMI scores 0 to 2 (OR 3.96, 95% CI 2.41 to 6.53; p <0.001) and 5 to 7 (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.12 to 3.75; p = 0.004). Three-vessel or left main disease was more likely found in patients with TIMI score 3 to 4 than in patients with TIMI score 0 to 2 (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.00 to 5.10; p <0.001), and in patients with TIMI score 5 to 7 than in patients with TIMI score 3 to 4 (OR 6.34, 95% CI 3.88 to 10.36; p <0.001). In patients with NSTEACS undergoing cardiac catheterization, the TIMI risk score correlated with the extent and severity of CAD.     

Role of Plasmapheresis in the Management of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Multiple Myeloma: Should We Abandon It?

The aim of the current study was to determine whether plasmapheresis in combination with chemotherapy could significantly remove free light chains (FLC) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and therefore improve renal recovery and patient survival. During the study period, 29 patients with MM and AKI presented to our unit and were treated with two different therapy modalities (plasmapheresis with chemotherapy or bortezomib). At the end of treatment, a significant decrease of FLCs was present in the group treated with plasmapheresis compared to the bortezomib group. Patients treated with plasmapheresis had similar survival compared to patients treated with bortezomib. There was a significantly higher decrease of FLCs and longer survival in patients treated with three or more plasmapheresis sessions than in patients treated with two plasmapheresis sessions. Plasmapheresis therapy still remains a useful and effective method in the treatment of AKI in MM patients. Plasmapheresis significantly reduces FLCs compared to bortezomib especially with higher number of plasma exchange sessions but it must be combined with other chemotherapy agents in order to prolong renal recovery and therefore patient survival.     

Idiopathic neutropenia: antineutrophil antibodies and clinical correlations

PURPOSE: The present study was done to evaluate the clinical characteristics of a large series of adult patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia, and correlate the presence of antineutrophil antibodies, their class (IgG or IgM), and their ability to fix complement with clinical parameters, including other hemocytopenias, splenomegaly, and infections. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-one adult patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia were studied. Serum neutrophil-binding antibodies were measured using paraformaldehyde-fixed granulocytes (PFGs) from normal volunteers as target cells. 125I-labeled staphylococcal protein A was used to detect IgG antibodies while IgM antibodies were detected by using 125I-labeled mouse monoclonal anti-IgM antibody. Sera containing antineutrophil antibodies were tested for their ability to fix complement on donor PFGs by using 125I-labeled monoclonal antibody to the third component of complement. RESULTS: Of the 121 patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia, 71 patients had isolated neutropenia, while 50 had neutropenia combined with either anemia and/or thrombocytopenia. Among the 71 patients with isolated neutropenia, there were 51 females (72%), compared with 28 females (56%) among the 50 patients with combined hemocytopenias (p = 0.083). Patients with multiple hemocytopenias were significantly older (p less than 0.01), were more likely to demonstrate splenomegaly (p = 0.001), and may have had more infectious complications. From all the patients, 36% of sera were shown to have antineutrophil antibodies, with a non-significant trend for these to be found more frequently in patients with multiple hemocytopenias. Sera with mixed IgG-IgM antineutrophil antibodies were significantly more likely to fix complement than those with isolated IgG or IgM antibodies, and among the patients with antineutrophil antibodies, complement-fixing antibodies were significantly associated with multiple hemocytopenias. Splenomegaly was significantly associated both with antineutrophil antibodies (p = 0.008) and with infections (p = 0.007). Antineutrophil antibodies were not associated with infections. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one third of adult patients with idiopathic neutropenia have IgG and/or IgM antineutrophil antibodies demonstrable in their serum. There is a subset of patients with idiopathic neutropenia with multiple hemocytopenias who tend to be older, less likely to show female predominance, more likely to have splenomegaly and infections, and more likely to have antineutrophil antibodies, especially mixed IgG-IgM and complement-fixing antibodies.     

Insulin receptors on circulating blood cells from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes: a comparison with type I diabetes and normal subjects

We studied 125I-insulin binding to erythrocytes from 14 patients with diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatectomy and compared the results with those found in 10 patients with type I diabetes and 25 normal controls. Patients with pancreatogenic diabetes had higher 125I-insulin binding and enhanced tissue sensitivity to exogenous insulin measured with the glucose clamp technique as compared with patients with type I diabetes. Similar binding data were obtained with monocytes from 3 patients with pancreatogenic diabetes. The increase in insulin binding seemed due mainly to an increase in receptor number. The increase in insulin binding to cells from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes in comparison with cells from normal subjects was also seen in young-erythrocyte-rich fractions and in old-erythrocyte-rich fractions obtained from the mixed population of circulating erythrocytes by centrifugation in density gradient of Percoll-Pielografin. These data, in the absence of any sign of major hematological disorders, suggest that the increase in insulin receptors seen in erythrocytes and in monocytes from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes, can mirror a general phenomenon on tissues throughout the body, including major target cells for insulin and correlate with the heightened sensitivity to insulin characteristic of these patients. In conclusion, patients with pancreatogenic diabetes have increased insulin binding as compared to controls and to patients with type I diabetes with chronic hypoinsulinemia of the same degree. Thus, in addition to insulin deficiency, other factor (s), such as glucagon deficiency, are responsible for the clinical and metabolic differences between these two conditions of insulin deficiency.     

Increased sensitivity of lymphocytes from patients with systemic autoimmune diseases to DNA alkylation by the methylating carcinogen N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.

Lymphocytes from patients with various diseases associated with autoimmunity showed both impaired capacity to repair O6-methylguanine (a powerful, promutagenic, directly miscoding base lesion) and increased sensitivity to the cytocidal effects of cellular methylation by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) compared with normal controls and patients with other disorders. Defective repair of O6-methylguanine was significantly associated with arthritis and myositis in the group with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and increased sensitivity to the toxic action of MNU was associated with the presence of immune complexes and the administration of steroids to patients with Behçet's syndrome. The results indicate that lymphocytes from patients with the autoimmune diseases studied are more susceptible to DNA damage with possible relevance to aetiopathogenesis.     

Diet-induced obesity in mice causes changes in immune responses and bone loss manifested by bacterial challenge

Obesity has been suggested to be associated with an increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. However, few studies have examined the effect of obesity on the immune response to bacterial infections. In the present study, we investigated the effect of obesity on innate immune responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, an infection strongly associated with periodontitis. Mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO) and lean control C57BL/6 mice were infected orally or systemically with P. gingivalis, and periodontal pathology and systemic immune responses were examined postinfection. After oral infection with P. gingivalis, mice with DIO had a significantly higher level of alveolar bone loss than the lean controls. Oral microbial sampling disclosed higher levels of P. gingivalis in mice with DIO vs. lean mice during and after infection. Furthermore, animals with DIO exposed to oral infection or systemic inoculation of live P. gingivalis developed a blunted inflammatory response with reduced expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and serum amyloid A (SAA) at all time points compared with lean mice. Finally, peritoneal macrophages harvested from mice with DIO and exposed to P. gingivalis exhibited reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines compared with lean mice and when exposed to P. gingivalis LPS treatment had a significantly reduced recruitment of NF-kappaB to both TNF-alpha and IL-10 promoters 30 min after exposure. These data indicate that obesity interferes with the ability of the immune system to appropriately respond to P. gingivalis infection and suggest that this immune dysregulation participates in the increased alveolar bone loss after bacterial infection observed in mice with DIO.     

Differences in Adjustment between Individuals with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD)-Associated COPD and Non-AATD COPD

Abstract

Smokers who have severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) are at risk for developing COPD earlier in life than smokers without AATD, and are likely to experience challenges adjusting to their illness because they are in a highly productive life stage when they are diagnosed with COPD. This study examined whether individuals with AATD-associated COPD differ from individuals with non-AATD COPD with regard to depression, anxiety, dyspnea, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Cross-sectional data were collected via self-report questionnaires completed by 480 individuals with non-AATD COPD and 578 individuals with AATD-associated COPD under protocols with IRB approval. Multiple linear regression models were used to test whether individuals with non-AATD COPD differed from individuals with AATD-associated COPD with regard to depression, anxiety, dyspnea, and HRQL. All models adjusted for demographic and health characteristics. Individuals with AATD-associated COPD did not report more symptoms of depression or anxiety; however, they did report more dyspnea (B = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.47, p < 0.001) and impairment in HRQL (B = 4.75, 95% CI = 2.10 to 7.41, p < 0.001) than other individuals with COPD. Individuals with AATD-associated COPD were more likely to be a member of a couple (rather than single) and had a higher level of education when compared to individuals with non-AATD COPD. Resources available to persons with AATD-associated COPD, such as being in a serious relationship and having higher education, may offset the effect of age when considering symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with COPD.     

Treatment of nonresponders to standard hepatitis C therapy

Over 40% of patients with chronic hepatitis C fail to achieve sustained virologic response to treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. They represent a growing population of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Those more likely to be nonresponders include patients with genotype 1 (especially with high viral load), advanced fibrosis, or HIV coinfection, as well as African Americans. Prior treatment history must be carefully reviewed and the pattern of nonresponse ascertained to formulate appropriate management strategies. Modi.-able factors associated with poor response should be identified prior to retreatment and addressed to improve the efficacy of retreatment. Patients with mild inflammation and mild fibrosis are at low risk of progression to cirrhosis and may reasonably be offered observation with periodic follow-up. The treatment of naïve patients needs to be optimized in order to minimize the growth of the population of “difficult to treat” nonresponders with chronic hepatitis C.     

Cognitive decline in heart failure

Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in older adults with heart failure (HF). The prevalence of CI is higher among patients with HF than in those without. The spectrum of CI in HF is similar to that observed in the general population and may range from delirium to isolated memory or non-memory-related deficits to dementia. Both HF with reduced ejection fraction and HF with preserved ejection fraction have been associated with defects in different domains of cognition. Numerous risk factors have been shown to contribute to CI in HF. Additionally, various pathophysiological mechanisms related to HF can contribute to cognitive decline. These conditions are not routinely screened for in clinical practice settings with HF populations, and guidelines on optimal assessment strategies are lacking. Validated tools and criteria should be used to differentiate acute cognitive decline (delirium) from chronic cognitive decline such as mild cognitive impairment and dementia. CI in HF has been associated with higher rates of disability and impairment in self-care activities that may in turn increase healthcare cost, hospital readmission and mortality. Early detection of CI may improve clinical outcomes in older adults with HF. Appropriate HF management strategies may also help to reduce CI in patients with HF, and future research is needed to develop and test newer and more effective interventions to improve outcomes in patients with HF and CI.     

酒精性肝硬化与乙型肝炎肝硬化、丙型肝炎肝硬化及自身免疫性肝硬化临床特点对比分析

目的探讨酒精性肝硬化的临床特点及其与乙型肝炎（乙肝）肝硬化、丙型肝炎（丙肝）肝硬化和自身免疫性肝硬化临床特点的异同。方法总结和分析2002--2012年住我院的部分酒精性肝硬化患者（373例）的临床特点,并与同期住院的部分乙肝肝硬化患者（205例）、丙肝肝硬化患者（104例）和自身免疫性肝硬化患者（121例）的临床特点进行对比分析。结果酒精性肝硬化患者好发年龄段为40。59岁（68．36％）,尤其以40。49岁发病率最高,达到43．43％。与其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者相比,酒精性肝硬化患者男性占绝大多数（98．66％）,差异有统计学意义（P〈O．01）。酒精性肝硬化患者的WBC、中性粒细胞绝对值、中性粒细胞绝对值／淋巴细胞绝对值比值和平均红细胞容积均明显高于其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者,差异有统计学意义（P均〈O．01）。酒精性肝硬化患者的AST／ALT比值、TBIL和GGT／ALP比值均明显高于其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者,差异有统计学意义（P均〈0．01）。结论酒精性肝硬化在我国的发病率不断升高,且与乙肝肝硬化、丙肝肝硬化和自身免疫性肝硬化相比有其独特的临床特点。应对酒精性肝硬化给予更多关注。     

Survey of the effect of adding Fluosol-DA 20%/O2 to treatment with various chemotherapeutic agents

The tumor growth delays (TGDs) observed with a series of antineoplastic agents with or without Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing (95% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide) in the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma are shown. All but two of eleven alkylating agents examined showed some degree of positive effect by the addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to drug treatment. The largest effects were seen with busulfan and procarbazine. Melphalan and the nitrosoureas, carmustine, lomustine, semustine, and chlorozotocin, gave increases in TGD ranging from 2- to 6-fold with the addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Modest increases were seen with cytoxan and dacarbazine. Cisplatin showed no additional TGD with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing, and mitomycin showed a negative effect. The addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to bleomycin treatment increased the TGD produced by 5- to 6-fold compared to the drug alone. With vincristine and etoposide at three different doses, TGDs increased 2.4- to 3-fold in combination with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Increases of 1.3- to 1.4-fold in the TGD were observed with methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Adding Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to treatment with several of the drugs examined resulted in significant enhancement of TGD and therefore may lead to an improved therapeutic outcome when added to certain currently used clinical regimens.