高血压与临床很可能帕金森病关系的初步探讨

目的 探讨林县营养缺乏人群高血压与临床很可能帕金森病(Clinically Probable Parkinson’s disease，PPD)之间的关系，为早期防治帕金森病(PD)提供理论依据。方法 采用前瞻性队列研究方法。人群血压资料来源于1985年林县营养干预试验开始时研究对象的基线调查。病例的诊断，通过两个步骤完成，即第一步采用调查问卷与体格检查相结合的办法，对队列人群进行PPD的筛查，第二步对可疑病例，由中美神经科专家联合诊断，并依据英国帕金森病协会脑库临床诊断标准进行PPD的临床诊断。资料处理采用线性趋势检验，及非条件Logistic回归。结果 单因素分析显示：高血压与PPD有统计学关联，其RR值为1．648(1．147～2．368)；用年龄、性别、吸烟、饮酒等可能的混杂因素进行调整后，上述关联依然存在。分性别后统计显示，男性高血压与PPD无统计学关联。女性高血压与PPD统计学上有显著性相关，其RR值调整前为2．347(1．347～4．091)，经混杂因素进行调整后关联依然存在。随着血压的增高，其对应的RR值也随之增加，经线性趋势检验(X^2=11．325，P=0．003)，表明血压与PPD存在剂量-反应关系。结论 在林县营养缺乏地区，高血压是55岁以后女性居民罹患PPD的危险因素之一，并且患PPD的危险性随血压的增高而增加。     

Sleep loss and daytime sleepiness in the general adult population of Japan

Presynaptic dopamine metabolism was studied in a group of patients with schizophrenia and in an age- and gender-matched normal control group using 6-[(18)F]fluoro-L-DOPA ((18)F-DOPA) and positron emission tomography (PET). Nineteen patients, nine drug-free, 10 on neuroleptics, and 13 normal control subjects underwent PET scans using (18)F-DOPA. The neuroleptic-treated patients were taking typical neuroleptics (N=4) or the atypical neuroleptic, clozapine (N=6). The ratio of specific/non-specific activity was calculated for eight cortical and subcortical regions of interest. Medication-free patients had a significant reduction in (18)F-DOPA uptake in the ventral striatum (P=0.04) and significantly increased uptake in the posterior cingulate (P=0.02) compared with normal control subjects. The 18F-DOPA PET technique proved to be useful and sensitive in detecting changes in dopamine metabolism in patients with schizophrenia in vivo. The results of this study provide evidence of an aberrant dopamine system in schizophrenia.     

Common firing patterns of hippocampal cells in a differential reinforcement of low rates of response schedule.

Lesion studies show that the hippocampus is critically involved in timing behavior, but so far there has been little analysis of how it might encode time. We recorded the activity of 266 CA1 neurons, 51 CA3 neurons, and 219 entorhinal neurons from rats performing on a differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL) 15 sec schedule in which reinforcement was contingent on responses that occurred at least 15 sec after the preceding response. The unit data were analyzed using two different methods. First, each unit was subjected to an ANOVA that examined the effects of the following: (1) the outcome of the previous response (reward or nonreward); (2) the outcome of the response on which the firing of the cell was synchronized; and (3) time. This showed that, for CA1, CA3, and entorhinal cortex, changes in unit activity were related to all aspects of the task, with the firing of >90% of units recorded in each region being related to at least one of the three factors. Second, intercorrelations between the firing profiles of individual units revealed several functional categories of hippocampal neurons but no clear categories of entorhinal neurons. Of the hippocampal categories, the most common profile was an initial increase in unit activity at the beginning of the DRL interval, followed by a gradual decrease throughout the interval. We suggest that this profile reflects temporal decay in circuits that may code details of the previous trial and that could be used to "time" the DRL interval.     

球瓣比和球囊长度与儿童经皮球囊肺动脉瓣成形术疗效的关系

目的通过分析不同的球瓣比和球囊长度对儿童经皮球囊肺动脉瓣成形术(PBPV)近期及中远期疗效的影响，探讨最适宜的球瓣比和球囊长度。 方法1987~2005年山东省立医院儿科诊治119例肺动脉瓣狭窄患儿，使用不同球瓣比和长度的扩张球囊行PBPV术，扩张前后测量右室与肺动脉间的峰值压力阶差，并行左侧位右室造影，测量瓣环大小并观察有无右室流出道激惹。术前、术后定期行经胸超声心动图检查，估测最大跨肺动脉瓣压力阶差，并观察肺动脉瓣形态及其反流情况。 结果超大球囊法行PBPV术后，患儿的近期及中远期跨肺动脉瓣压差持续下降，且压差下降率不随球瓣比的增加而增大；术后未发现有肺动脉瓣再狭窄者，所有患儿均有不同程度的肺动脉瓣反流，且反流的程度随时间的延长而加重，并与球瓣比成正相关。对于年龄较小(≤6岁)的儿童，球瓣比大且长度≥40mm的球囊较易引起右室流出道痉挛及三尖瓣反流。中远期三尖瓣反流的发生可能间接继发于肺动脉瓣反流所引起的右室容量负荷过重。 结论PBPV治疗肺动脉瓣狭窄，最佳的球瓣比为1.0~1.2，疗效满意且并发症少；6岁以下儿童宜使用长度<40mm的球囊，可减少右室流出道痉挛及近期三尖瓣反流的发生。     

Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions pattern as a prognostic indicator for hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pre-operative transient otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) patterns are predictive of successful hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Tertiary referral medical center. PATIENTS: A convenience sample was identified in whom pre-operative TEOAE data were available in patients undergoing acoustic neuroma surgery from 1993-2004. Ninety-three patients were identified who met this inclusion criterion. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects underwent attempted hearing preservation surgery via middle cranial fossa or retrosigmoid approaches. Routine audiometry, ABR, and TEOAE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pre- and post-operative pure tone and speech results were categorized into hearing classes A, B, C, and D as described in the American Academy of Otolaryngology guidelines (1995). Hearing preservation was defined by maintenance of the pre-operative hearing class or downgrade to within one hearing class post-op. Pre-operative TEOAE results were divided into five frequency bands and described as positive in each band if there was a response above the noise floor with >50% reproducibility. RESULTS: Hearing was preserved in 51 patients (55%). Of these, 11 (22%) had positive TEOAE response in all five frequency bands measured (1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 kHz), whereas 40 (78%) had TEOAE responses ranging from 0 to 4 frequency bands. 42 patients failed to preserve their hearing. Of these, only three (7%) had positive TEOAE in all five frequency bands, and 39 (93%) had TEOAE responses ranging from 0 to 4 frequency bands (p<0.05). Other variables of prognostic significance to hearing preservation in our series included smaller tumor size, tumor location within the IAC, better pre-operative hearing, and shorter latencies on ABR. Logistic regression was then used to compare the prognostic value of TEOAE against these variables. In our series, ABR latencies and 5 frequency band response on TEOAE showed the highest significant correlation to hearing preservation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: A robust pre-operative TEOAE frequency band pattern may be used as a favorable prognostic indicator for potential hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery. The prognostic value may be enhanced when combined with other prognostic factors such as tumor size, tumor location, pre-operative ABR and audiometric results.     

Value of lying-down nystagmus in the lateralization of horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

BACKGROUND: Horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is characterized by horizontal direction-changing nystagmus induced by lateral head turning in supine position. According to Ewald's second law, the direction of head turning that creates a stronger response represents the affected side in geotropic nystagmus and the healthy side in apogeotropic nystagmus. However, it may not always be possible to lateralize the involved ear only by comparing the intensity of the nystagmus. We studied the values of nystagmus induced by position change from sitting to supine in the lateralization of horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. METHODS: A retrospective study of 54 patients who had been diagnosed as having horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo at the Dizziness Clinic of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from May 2003 to February 2004 was performed. The directions of the nystagmus induced by lying down were compared with those determined by Ewald's second law. RESULTS: Of the 54 patients, 32 (20 apogeotropic and 12 geotropic) showed horizontal nystagmus induced by lying down. The nystagmus tended to be ipsilesional in apogeotropic patients (80%) and contralesional in their geotropic counterparts (75%). CONCLUSION: In horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, lying-down nystagmus mostly beats toward the involved ear in the apogeotropic type and directs to the healthy ear in the geotropic type. The direction of lying-down nystagmus may help lateralizing the involved ear in horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.     

Finger-assisted stretching technique for cesarean section.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the perioperative outcomes of two cesarean section methods, the finger-assisted stretching technique (FAST), based on a modified Joel-Cohen method, with the traditional technique. METHODS: A retrospective review of the records of 416 women who underwent cesarean sections at Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea, between May 1993 and December 2001 was performed. Of the 416 women, 283 underwent cesarean sections with FAST and 133 with the traditional technique. RESULTS: Operative time was significantly shorter with FAST (15.3 vs. 42.6 min, P<.05), and FAST was associated with lower blood loss (601 vs. 928 mL, P<.05) and shorter hospital stay (3.7 vs. 6.5 days, P<.05). There were no significant differences in wound infection, voiding difficulty, and postoperative adhesions between the two methods. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FAST may be the better technique.     

Tissue microarray: an effective high-throughput method to study the placenta for clinical and research purposes.

OBJECTIVE: Tissue microarray (TMA) technology allows simultaneous examination of the expression of many molecular markers (protein, mRNA, DNA, etc.) with high-throughput. The application of this technology, to date, has been largely confined to the study of cancer. Placental pathology poses unique challenges because of the size of the organ, its complex anatomy, as well as its histological heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and efficiency of TMAs for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization of placental tissues. STUDY DESIGN: TMAs were constructed using an automated tissue arrayer. Standard 0.6-mm or 1-mm microarray needles were used. Villous parenchyma, basal plate, and chorioamniotic membranes were targeted in each block. Five mum-thick TMA sections underwent immunohistochemical analysis of both cytoplasmic and nuclear antigens using a panel of antibodies against a variety of cytoplasmic [cytokeratin-7, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and protein Z], membranous (endoglin), and nuclear (c-fos and c-jun) antigens. mRNA in situ hybridization for surfactant protein A (SP-A) and chromogenic in situ hybridization for the Y chromosome (DYZ1) were also performed. RESULTS: Validation of TMA immunoreactivity demonstrated comparable results with corresponding whole sections. When a two-tiered scoring system (positive/negative) was employed, there was agreement between two and three cores and whole tissue sections (kappa>0.7). When a three-tiered scoring system (negative, weak-positive, or strong-positive) was used, the data from three cores showed the highest agreement with whole tissue sections (kappa >0.7). In situ hybridization experiments for mRNA and DNA were also successful in that the signals were readily detectable. Successful transfer from the donor block to the recipient block differed according to the anatomical compartment. The transfer efficiency of villous parenchyma, basal plate, and chorioamniotic membranes were 96.9% (875/903), 76.7% (115/150), and 75.4% (224/297), respectively. CONCLUSION: TMA is a practical and effective tool for high-throughput molecular analysis of the human placenta. Duplicate and triplicate cores offer agreement with whole tissue sections for two-category distinction immunostaining. TMA also affords relevant results from in situ hybridization experiments for mRNA and DNA. The major advantages are the conservation of tissues and reagents, simultaneous comparison of molecular markers in different anatomical compartments of the placenta, and reduction of experimental error.