Bacterial meningitis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Bacterial meningitis was found in 12 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, accounting for 0.65% of the 1850 patients with the tumour diagnosed between 1981 and 1994 in our hospital. In 11 patients, the time-lag between diagnosis of cancer and the appearance of infection ranged from 9 months to 11 years (mean 57 months) whereas in one patient it was only 5 days. Three patients developed mixed bacterial meningitis. Cerebrospinal fluid culture for bacteria was positive in six patients. Three patients (25%) were bacteraemic. Gram-negative bacilli, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were the most common pathogens. Age, sex and histopathology were not risk factors for infection. Conditions predisposing to meningitis included intracranial invasion of the tumor, neutropenia, otitis media, and neurosurgical procedures. All but two patients had intracranial tumour invasion and erosion of the base of the skull. Local spread of micro-organism to the meninges was more important than haematogenous spread. The overall mortality in our patients was 66.7%, much higher than in patients without cancer.      

抗癌药物的研究:4-氯苯氧乙酰胺衍生物的合成

Since compounds Ⅲ and Ⅳ possess retinoid-like action and analogues of Ⅰ inhibit some cancer cells ,seventeen derivatives of chlorophenoxy acetamide were synthesized.Of the seven compounds screened ,two exhibit cytostatic activity(1 and　2).Mass spectra showeda　special expulsion of SO2 and CO from the sulfonamide compounds,Nuclear magnetic resonancesplitting patterns of these compounds also showed interesting features.     

腹膜后平滑肌瘤病误诊1例

1病理报告女,45岁,医务工作者.2003-10入我院肿瘤科.自述6 mo前无明显诱因,出现下腹部隐痛,呈进行性加重,疼痛与体位变化无关,但咳嗽、活动时加重,并向腰、骶部放射,伴有乏力、全身不适.无意中自己在腹部触膜到一5 cm×5 cm大小的包块,故要求住院进一步确诊.患病后食纳尚可,二便正常,质量无变化.     

Effects of winter sea bathing on psychoneuroendocrinoimmunological parameters

ContextMany people claim winter sea bathing gives them energy and health. According to the psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI) paradigm, the stress response elicited by cold water immersion could indeed induce several beneficial psychophysical alterations.ObjectiveTo determine the effects of winter sea bathing on psychological wellbeing, stress and immune markers.DesignA cross-sectional study.Participants228 people, between 19 and 88 years, including 107 winter sea bathers and 121 controls.Main Outcome MeasuresA battery of questionnaires was administered to assess sociodemographic characteristics, self-perception of mental and physical heath, the number, duration and intensity of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) in the last year, and Big Five personality traits. 17 winter sea bathers and 15 controls (mean age 67 years) were further examined to evaluate physiological health, underwent one ear-nose-throat (ENT) examination, and provided saliva samples for measurements of biological markers (cortisol, sIgA, IL-1β, IL-6).ResultsWinter sea bathing was associated with lower levels of self-reported stress and higher wellbeing. The ENT examinations did not reveal signs of URTIs in winter sea bathers, who exhibited significantly higher levels of salivary sIgA compared to controls. Neither salivary IL-1β nor cortisol levels were significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionsWinter sea bathers (even the elderly) had a perception of higher wellbeing and reported better health: thus, they appeared to take advantage of potential distress (cold water exposure) to improve their health.     

The effects of amyloid-beta on hippocampal glutamatergic receptor and transporter expression

正The leading form of dementia worldwide, Alzheimer 's disease(AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder.The underlying causes of AD are not well understood, and no current treatments are preventing the onset or delay progression of the disease.Currently, most investigation is directed towards the amyloid-beta(Aβ) and tau pathologies,     

Beyond “patient-provider race matching.” Black midwives clarify a vision for race-concordant care to achieve equity in Black perinatal health: A commentary on “Do Black birthing persons prefer a Black health care provider during birth? Race concordance in birth”

Racial concordance has been identified as a potential strategy to improve the perinatal health of Black women and birthing people by mitigating implicit bias and improving mutual trust, healthy communication, and satisfaction. In a recent article published in BIRTH: Issues in Perinatal Care, Bogdan-Lovis et al. surveyed 200 Black women to determine whether they possessed a race and gender practitioner preference for their birth practitioner and examined whether race and gender concordance was associated with greater birth satisfaction and perceived respect, trust, practitioner competence, empathy, and use of inclusive communication. In this commentary, written by a group of Black midwives, we respond to the study and offer a vision for race-concordant care that encompasses cultural safety provided in a community-based setting.