Correlation of visual field with quality-of-life measures at diagnosis in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS).

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between various clinical measures of visual field and patient-reported measures of symptoms and health status in a large cohort of patients with glaucoma at the time of diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 607 patients in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study received standardized examinations of visual field at enrollment. In addition, they completed a telephone-administered, health-related quality-of-life questionnaire, which included the Visual Activities Questionnaire (VAQ) and a symptom and health problem checklist. RESULTS: The Visual Activities Questionnaire total and subscale scores, particularly the peripheral vision subscale, correlated weakly but significantly with global visual field scores. Symptoms attributed to glaucoma also correlated weakly but significantly to visual field scores. Correlations with other visual field measures, including only central and pericentral test locations in the scores, did not strengthen the association, and simulating binocular visual field scores produced only slightly stronger correlations. CONCLUSIONS: At diagnosis, most patients were relatively free of glaucoma-related impairments. Various visual field measures derived from clinical visual field test data were only modestly associated with patients' perceptions of health-related quality of life. As the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study population is followed up longitudinally, it will be important to see whether these pertinent associations become stronger.     

Cross-species bone marrow transplantation: evidence for recognition of skin-specific antigens across a species barrier (rat----mouse).

We have developed a model to study cross-species bone marrow transplantation and the associated donor-specific transplantation tolerance induced using fully xenogeneic chimeras. Reconstitution of lethally irradiated B10 mice with untreated F344 rat bone marrow cells results in fully xenogeneic chimerism (F344 rat----B10 mouse). Survival of recipients is excellent (greater than 80% at 100 days) and stable rat lymphoid and multilineage chimerism are present throughout the life of the chimeras. Recipients are specifically tolerant to donor-type skin xenografts yet are competent to reject major histocompatibility complex (MHC)--disparate third party strain rat xenografts. Although prolonged, donor-specific skin xenografts underwent chronic rejection which had its onset at approximately 40 days following skin graft placement. We have now examined these chimeras by serial flow cytometry typing to determine whether this is due to skin-specific antigens expressed on skin, but not on the bone marrow elements to which the chimeras were rendered tolerant. In all animals examined, lymphopoietic chimerism persisted unchanged even after the onset of inflammation in the grafts, suggesting the presence of skin specific antigens. This model may provide a method to study tissue and organ specific antigens recognized across a species barrier.     

米诺环素的药物动力学和生物利用度

8名受试者交叉口服2个药厂的米诺环素胶囊后,采用 HPLC 法测定血药浓度,进行相对生物利用度研究。对T_(max)、C_(max)、k、k_a 和 AUC 等的统计分析表明,两种产品无显著差异。口服首次负荷量300mg,然后每隔12h 给予100mg 连续4天,由模拟血药浓度-时间曲线求得的数值与实测浓度相符。     

Hormonal therapy following female genital tract cancer

Following treatment of genital tract cancer, women are often left in an estrogen-deficient state suffering both short- and long-term effects which markedly reduce the quality of life. In the belief that sex hormones may induce an adverse effect on all these women, attending physicians often refuse to prescribe hormonal replacement therapy (HRT). In an attempt to introduce a rational approach to this problem the effect of sex hormones on genital tract cancer growth is reviewed and some general guidelines for administering sex hormones to women following treatment for genital tract cancer are developed. A plea is made to improve the well-being of patients following cancer treatment by considering the judicious use of appropriate hormonal therapy, including estrogens.