Gold: an old drug still working in refractory pemphigus

BACKGROUND: The mainstay of treatment for pemphigus is systemic corticosteroids. Different adjuvants have been used to reduce side-effects of long-term corticotherapy. Gold is an anti-inflammatory drug used in autoimmune diseases, whose use has waned with the advent of new immunosuppressive agents. OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of the use of intramuscular gold treatment of pemphigus vulgaris refractory to previous therapies. METHODS: Thirteen patients with pemphigus vulgaris who had failed to respond to several prior therapies were treated with aurothiomalate, as a steroid-sparing agent. Patients were monitored to assess disease activity and gold toxicity. RESULTS: Seven patients achieved complete remission. Four patients were able to taper prednisone doses, although pemphigus flared when prednisone was discontinued or reduced. Toxicity was observed in the other two patients. CONCLUSIONS: In 53.4% of the patients, the use of chrysotherapy resulted in the complete clearing of the disease, discontinuation of all systemic therapies and induced a long-term clinical remission. Prednisone doses were able to be reduced in the remaining 46.6%. Any side-effects were reversible with drug discontinuation. Gold therapy showed efficacy as a secondary line treatment in refractory pemphigus vulgaris.     

Folic acid in the treatment of acute watery diarrhoea in children: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial

One-hundred and six male children aged 6-23 months with a history of acute watery diarrhoea of less than 72 h duration were randomized to receive either folic acid in a dose of 5 mg at 8-h intervals or placebo for 5 d. There were 54 children in the folic acid group and 52 in the placebo group. The admission characteristics were comparable between the two groups. No significant differences were observed in the intake of oral rehydration solution or stool output between the groups. The mean ± SD of total stool output (g kg⁻¹) was 532 ± 476 vs 479 ± 354 and the duration (h) of diarrhoea was 108 ± 68 vs 103 ± 53 in the folic acid vs placebo group, respectively. The findings, therefore, should have a positive influence on preventing the inappropriate use of folic acid in acute diarrhoea.     

浅谈临床教师的角色素养及道德要求

探讨了临床教师的角色特征;认为临床教师的角色要求与现实状况之间存在反差;据此就其原因进行了分析。提出要强化临床教师的角色意识;在教学实践中自觉加强对其角色素养的自我锻炼和培养。     

营养不良老年人非药物干预临床实践指南

老年人是营养不良的高发人群,营养不良与众多不良临床结局密切相关,严重影响老年人的身体健康和生活质量,给家庭和社会造成沉重负担。因此,采取有效措施改善老年人的营养不良至关重要,非药物干预是改善营养状况的重要措施。然而,国内尚无专门针对营养不良老年人的非药物干预临床实践指南,因此,中国老年护理联盟、国家老年医学中心和国家老年疾病临床医学研究中心的营养专家,通过对老年人营养不良最新的国内外文献的全面检索与分析,采用推荐意见评估、制订及评价(GRADE)分级体系制订了本指南,针对营养不良老年人非药物干预提出9条推荐意见,以期能够改善老年人营养不良状况,提高生活质量。本指南侧重于可经口进食的营养不良老年人,聚焦于肠内营养,肠外营养不在本指南讨论范围内。     

Deposition of amyloid β protein in non-Alzheimer dementias: evidence for a neuronal origin of parenchymal deposits of β protein in neurodegenerative disease

Summary In two elderly patients with frontal lobe dementia and in two others with progressive aphasia an inverse relationship between the severity of protein deposition and the principal pathology of these disorders was noted. Deposition of protein occurred only in areas of cortex where functional (viable) neurones were still present and was absent where neuronal decimation had taken place. Such findings suggest that the presence of functional neurones is necessary for protein deposition to occur and, therefore, that neurones may be the source of the amyloid protein that is deposited within brain parenchyma not only in these disorders but also in other conditions, particularly Alzheimer's disease.Supported by a grant from the North Western Regional Health Authority (DJ) and a B.Sc Intercalated Studentship from the MRC (PWS)     

中学生学业能力倾向测验的初步编制

目的：编制一个适用于中学生的学业能力倾向测验。方法：采用理论与工作分析相结合的编制策略而成的中学生学业能力倾向测验包括A、B两个复本，均由三个分量表含七个分测验组成，分别测量语文．数理及图形等能力。研究样本由河北省石家庄市1424名中学生组成，并对其中468人分别进行信效度检验。结果：①各分测验原始分基本随年级升高而增长；②各分测验难度在0．46～0．54。鉴别指数在0.38～0．52；③各分量表及总分的重测相关系数在0．68～0．92，α系数在0．64～0．89．G系数在0．64～0．92；④探索性因素分析表明各分测验对基本能力因子均有中度以上的负荷，抽取的三个因子解释了总方差的72．18％(A式)和73．53％(B式)；⑤测验分数与长一鞍团体智力测验、与教师评价均呈显著正相关。测验分数在不同年级之间存在显著差异。学习成绩的回归分析可见，测验分数与考试成绩显著正相关，语文及数理分量表进入考试总成绩的回归方程。结论：中学生学业能力倾向测验的条目质量及信效度符合心理测量学的基本要求。     

Progression and regression of cervical lesions: Review of smears from women followed without initial biopsy or treatment

Cervical smears were reviewed from patients in whom a cytological abnormality was followed, after an interval without interference, either by regression to `negative' or else by progression to invasive carcinoma. Twenty-eight cases were from a previously analysed series with positive smears and an interval of at least two years before investigation, resulting from refusal or failure to trace. Slides were also reviewed from 25 cases in which `positive' smears had regressed to negative without escaping from surveillance, and from 10 patients subsequently developing invasive carcinoma whose previous slides, taken several years earlier, showed abnormalities on review. None of these 63 patients had any biopsy or other surgical procedure to the cervix between the initial smear and the outcome.

Slides showing `superficial cell dyskaryosis' and/or well-differentiated `parabasal cell dyskaryosis' were found only among the groups with subsequent regression. Those showing dissociated poorly differentiated dyskaryotic parabasal cells regressed to negative in two cases and progressed to invasion in nine. This suggests that many examples of spontaneous regression correspond to mild dysplasias which are not precancerous, and overdiagnosis must often have resulted in unnecessary surgical procedures in the past.

`Regressing' and `progressing' groups both included cases in which the spatula had removed coherent pieces of undifferentiated epithelium. These are difficult to interpret cytologically. In nine of them (including four which regressed) the cytological picture was that of carcinoma in situ. The remainder (14 cases) were probably examples of reserve cell hyperplasia, and it is noteworthy that, of the 21 cases subsequently progressing to invasive carcinoma, five were preceded by appearances of this type. It is concluded that cell aggregates suggesting an unusual degree of reserve cell hyperplasia are a danger signal and require careful surveillance.

     

白松片对慢性应激抑郁模型大鼠行为学及血浆CORT、ACTH的影响

目的：观察白松片对慢性应激抑郁大鼠模型行为学和血浆CORT、ACTH含量的影响。方法：SD雄性大鼠28只随机分为空白对照组、模型对照组、氟西汀对照组及白松片试验组，选用慢性轻度不可预见性应激加孤养造模，观察各组大鼠敞箱实验和液体消耗等行为学指标变化，采用放射免疫方法检测大鼠血浆皮质醇(CORT)和促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)含量。结果：慢性应激抑郁大鼠体重增加缓慢，敞箱实验中的水平运动、垂直运动得分、清洁动作次数显著减少，中央格停留时间显著延长；糖水消耗明显下降，纯水消耗显著增多，而且其血浆皮质醇和促肾上腺皮质激素含量增加。氟西汀和白松片均显著改善慢性应激抑郁大鼠模型的行为学和神经内分泌变化。结论：慢性轻度不可预见性应激可使大鼠行为及神经内分泌发生异常改变，引起抑郁状态，白松片对此具有一定拮抗作用。