神经肽Y对免疫细胞活性的影响

神经肽Y（NPY）是广泛分布于中枢神经系统和外周神经各部位的神经肽类物质。本实验观察NPY在体外对几种免疫细胞活性的直接作用。结果表明，NPY对小鼠T淋巴细胞丝裂原反应性和NK细胞的杀伤活性均无明显影响（P＞0．05），对巨噬细胞分泌溶菌酶有明显抑制作用（P＜0．05）；而对B淋巴细胞丝裂原反应性则有明显的促进作用（P＜0．05）。上述结果提示，NPY对部分免疫细胞功能的影响因细胞种类而异。     

雌酮对蟾蜍神经—肌接头传递的影响

在蟾蜍离体坐骨神经－缝匠肌制备的肌细胞终板进行细胞内记录，研究了雌酮对神经－肌接头传递的影响。结果表明：雌酮加于浸浴液能增加１０μｇ筒箭毒处理组和１０ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ ＭｇＣｌ２处理组制备的终板电位振幅，但前者的增加更显著；雌酮加入浸浴液３０分钟后引起小终板电位的振幅和频率明显增加，但波形不改变，静息膜电位也不改变。这些结果提示，雌酮能增加神经－肌接头传递，且主要通过突触前机理的作用。     

Apolipoprotein E—associated risk for Alzheimer's disease in the African-American population is genotype dependent

As a part of our ongoing study on Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly African Americans, we obtained clinical assessment and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype data on 288 individuals (including 60 with AD). The ApoE σ4 allele frequency was significantly increased in AD patients compared with controls. The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for AD in σ4 homozygotes was 4.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71–13.64) compared with the σ3/σ3 genotype, but the OR for AD with the σ3/σ4 genotype did not reach significance (1.20; 95% CI, 0.58–2.45). These findings suggest that the association between ApoE σ4 and AD is weaker in African Americans than in whites.     

FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOME RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIAN GENERAL PRACTICE: RESULTS FROM THE ANBP2 PILOT STUDY

1. The present study aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a 5 year cardiovascular outcome trial of the treatment of 6000 elderly hypertensive patients in Australian general practices. 2. General practitioners (GPs) were invited to participate by mail and personal follow-up. Patient records were reviewed to identify subjects for a blood pressure (BP) screening programme. Blood pressure was measured on three occasions and eligible subjects were included if the average BP was 160 mmHg systolic or 90 mmHg diastolic if systolic BP was 140 mmHg. 3. Seven hundred and forty-one GPs were approached and 89 were enrolled in the study (12% of mail invites and 75% of those receiving a personal contact). In 16 practices where screening was completed, 82 000 records were reviewed to identify 4% patients eligible for screening. Twenty-two per cent of eligible subjects attended screening. Of 1938 subjects screened, 180 (9%) had BP 5=160/90 mmHg. Forty-seven percent of subjects (n = 916) were receiving antihypertensive therapy and 184 (20%) were withdrawn from therapy. One hundred and sixteen (63%) of these subjects had BP return to study entry levels within 6 weeks. Fifty-seven newly diagnosed and 81 previously treated subjects were randomized (7% of the screened population). 4. Based on the high participation rate of GPs, the response rate of patients to attend a BP screening programme and the 7% randomization to screening ratio for entry into the study, the ANBP2 pilot study has demonstrated that it is feasible to recruit subjects from Australian general practices to a cardiovascular outcome trial.     

Lyme disease presenting as urinary retention

We report a case of Lyme disease that presented with urinary retention. The individual then experienced lower extremity paralysis. Paralysis and urinary retention resolved with intravenous ceftriaxone antibiotic. To our knowledge this is the first report of a urological manifestation as the initial clinical presentation of Lyme disease. Recognition of clinical symptoms and urological complications of Lyme disease also are discussed.     

Pathobiology of canine cyclic hematopoiesis (review)

Canine cyclic hematopoiesis (CH) was first described in Gray Collies as the lethal gray syndrome, and was subsequently shown to be a counterpart of human cyclic neutropenia (CN). The disease is characterized by a recurrent cyclic change in the levels of neutrophils and other blood elements at approximately 12-day intervals. It is caused by an autosomally recessive gene with pleiotropic effects or a CH gene which is closely linked to a gray color gene. The infectious insult on affected animals is periodic but its clinical and pathologic effects are continual and cumulative Affected dogs die after weaning and rarely survive over 6 months of age. There is evidence of immunoregulatory defects in these dogs. Reciprocal bone marrow transplantation indicates that the defect resides in the bone marrow, but the actual site and mechanism of the defect has not been established. The disease in Gray Collies represents a unique model system for studying the mechanism of cyclic hematopoiesis and hematopoietic regulation. Studies of the disease have made conceptual contributions toward understanding and treatment of human cyclic neutropenia.     

Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.     

Radioimmunoassay of paralytic shellfish toxins in clams and mussels

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology -