鼻咽癌中与已知基因同源的差异表达cDNA序列

采用新近发展的ｃＤＮＡ代表性差异分析法筛选鼻咽癌中不表达的或表达降低的ｃＤＮＡ序列。结果显示：有９个与已知基因高度同源的ｃＤＮＡ序列。通过对这些已知基因的结构和功能分析,发现有与细胞骨架成分相关的基因：αａｃｔｉｎｉｎ,ｅｚｒｉｎ和细胞角蛋白１３;直接与瘤基因和抑瘤基因相互作用的基因：鲨烯合成酶和ＴＲＩＰ１基因;直接参与ＤＮＡ合成以及调控基因转录和翻译的基因：ＴＡＦⅡ６８和组蛋白Ｈ１０;另外还有人类补体因子Ｂ及类转运ＲＮＡ合成酶的基因。这些基因大多具有相当于抑瘤基因的功能。从而进一步说明鼻咽癌的发生是多基因相互作用的结果。     

类风湿性关节炎患者血清IL-6、TNF水平变化及其意义探讨

采用细胞生物学方法测定类风湿性关节炎（ Ｒ Ａ）１４ 例血清 Ｉ Ｌ－ ６ 、 Ｔ Ｎ Ｆ 水平,均显著高于正常对照组（ Ｐ＜ ０ ．００１） 。相关分析显示 Ｉ Ｌ－ ６ 与 Ｔ Ｎ Ｆ 水平变化呈正相关（ Ｐ＜ ０ ．０１） , Ｉ Ｌ－ ６ 、 Ｔ Ｎ Ｆ 与血沉亦呈正相关（ Ｐ＜０ ．０５） 。认为, Ｉ Ｌ－ ６ 、 Ｔ Ｎ Ｆ 参与 Ｒ Ａ 的发病,两者在致病中有协同相同;其水平变化与 Ｒ Ａ 的活动性及血沉相关。     

颈椎椎间盘与后部结构断层解剖及影像学研究

选用43具青年尸体,蛛网膜下腔注入铸型造影剂,低温冷冻,以椎间盘为中心制作断层标本,同时选取40例正常健康人进行超声、CT及MR扫描图像分析.发现同组中不同椎间盘水平测量数据的大小不同;解剖学与影像学各测量结果进行比较无显著性差异.     

Gender differences in motion sickness history and susceptibility to optokinetic rotation-induced motion sickness

PURPOSE: The present study investigated gender differences in motion sickness history and susceptibility to optokinetic rotation-induced motion sickness. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study included two phases. In Phase 1, 485 subjects filled out a survey of previous incidence of motion sickness. Results indicated that women reported significantly greater incidence of feeling motion sickness than did men on buses, on trains, on planes, in cars, and on amusement rides before the age of 12 yr; and on buses, on trains, on planes, in boats, on ships, in cars, on amusement rides, and on swings between the ages of 12 and 25 yr. Women also reported significantly higher incidence of being actually sick than did men on buses before the age of 12 yr and on buses, on ships, and in cars between the ages of 12 and 25 yr. In Phase 2, each of the 47 subjects viewed an optokinetic rotating-drum for 16 min. Subjects' subjective symptoms of motion sickness (SSMS) were obtained during drum rotation. The results showed that there were no significant differences on SSMS scores between men and women. CONCLUSION: Although women reported greater incidence in motion sickness history, women did not differ from men in severity of symptoms of motion sickness while viewing a rotating optokinetic drum.     

No mutation of G209A in the alpha-synuclein gene in sporadic Parkinson's disease among Taiwan Chinese

The role of genetics in Parkinson's disease (PD), previously controversial, is now supported by several studies. A major breakthrough has been the discovery of a single gene defect in familial Parkinson's disease. A single base pair change at position 209 from G to A (G209A) in the fourth exon of the alpha-synuclein gene has been identified in cases of familial PD. We looked for this mutation in 65 cases of sporadic PD in Taiwan Chinese patients but found none of these patients with this mutation. We conclude that mutation of G209A in the alpha-synuclein gene plays no role in sporadic PD among Taiwan Chinese.     

Reduction of intracerebral hemorrhaging in a rabbit embolic stroke model

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of a spin trap agent and a CD18 antibody administered after stroke induction on intracerebral hemorrhaging. The drugs can prevent leukocyte adhesion. METHODS: A rabbit embolic stroke model that produces intracerebral hemorrhage was used. RESULTS: A time course study showed that hemorrhaging was grossly apparent in approximately 50% of the subjects at 5 hours and in 75% at 24 hours after embolization. MDL 101,002, a spin trap agent, administered IV 5 minutes after embolization, significantly decreased the volume of hemorrhage. It also improved the behavior score relative to vehicle-treated rabbits. The CD18 antibody tended to decrease hemorrhage volume. CONCLUSION: The beneficial effect of MDL 101,002 may be caused by inhibition of free radical injury to brain tissue, thereby protecting brain microvessel integrity. Acute therapy for intracerebral hemorrhage may be feasible.     

A photothrombotic ring stroke model in rats with or without late spontaneous reperfusion in the region at risk

This study aimed at developing a dual setup of the photothrombotic ring stroke model with or without late spontaneous reperfusion in the region at risk and to explore the morphological consequences. The exposed crania of adult male Wistar rats were subjected to a ring-shaped laser-irradiation beam (o.d. 5.0 mm, 0.35 mm thick) for 2 min simultaneously with intravenous erythrosin B (17 mg/kg) infusion. Transcardial carbon-black perfusion revealed that a laser intensity of 0.90 W/cm(2) resulted in late, that is, starting at 72 h, spontaneous reperfusion, whereas the lowest laser intensity that produced lack of reperfusion at 7 days post-irradiation was 1.84 W/cm(2). Laser-Doppler flowmetry showed prompt cortical cerebral blood flow (cCBF) reduction both in the ring lesion and region at risk (12% and 25% of control values) after high-intensity irradiation; these reduced flow values were more rapid and pronounced than in the low-intensity irradiation setup as previously shown. The high- compared with low-intensity irradiation setup produced more frequent occurrence of thrombi in the ring-lesion region and a larger ischemic cortical lesion with a more rapid pace of ischemic cellular changes in the ring-lesion region and the region at risk. The region at risk transformed into pannecrosis in the high-intensity, but recovered morphologically in the low-intensity irradiation setup. This dual photothrombotic setup with or without spontaneous reperfusion enables the study of events related to ischemic cell survival or death in an anatomically predefined region at risk.     

On the use of survival analysis techniques to estimate medical care costs.

Measurement of treatment costs is important in the evaluation of medical interventions. Accurate cost estimation is problematic, when cost records are incomplete. Methods from the survival analysis literature have been proposed for estimating costs using available data. In this article, we clarify assumptions necessary for validity of these techniques. We demonstrate how assumptions needed for valid survival analysis may be violated when these methods are applied to cost estimation. Our observations are confirmed through simulations and empirical data analysis. We conclude that survival analysis approaches are not generally appropriate for the analysis of medical costs and review several valid alternatives.