Relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and silicosis in a tungsten mine in China.

To estimate the quantitative relation between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis, 1151 workers exposed to silica dust and employed from 1958 to 1987 in a tungsten mine in China were investigated. The results showed that the ratio of respirable silica dust concentration to total silica dust concentration was 0.529. Then, the total silica dust concentration in historical surveillance and monitoring data was converted to respirable silica dust concentration. The free silica content in respirable dust determined by x ray diffraction averaged 24.7%. Multiple logistic regression was used for the dichotomous dependent variables (presence or absence of silicosis). The independent variables in the multiple logistic regression with presence of silicosis as the dependent variable were age when first exposed, tuberculosis (presence or absence), and cumulative exposure to respirable silica dust. The partial regression coefficient of individual cumulative exposure was estimated as 0.079. It implied a positive association between exposure to respirable silica dust and risk of an attack of silicosis. The exposure limit for respirable silica dust was estimated as 0.24 mg/m3 under given conditions.     

Problems in the design of anticancer agents

Theoretically, two predominant paths for obtaining more selective anticancer agents may be envisaged. These are: (a) to make compounds which distribute only or preferentially in cancer cells; (b) to make compounds that are able selectively to kill or to differentiate cancer cells. Although in the last two decades research into new anticancer drugs has not produced satisfactory results, there is solid ground on which novel strategies can be developed, mainly based on a much greater biological knowledge of human tumours. This article does not review all the possible approaches that may be followed, but simply discusses some ideas and problems mainly taken from the current research of our laboratory.     

台湾产奇特长唇瓢虫雄性外生殖器与两新种描述：...

本文描述了奇特长唇瓢虫Shiro(?)lla mirol(?)ilis Sasaji的雄性外生殖器与本属两新种:附肢长唇瓢虫Sh.oppe(?)nd(?)a sp.n.,阿里山长唇瓢虫Sh.(?) sp.n.,均产于台湾.种类检索如下:1(2).后基线伸达第一腹板1/2略强:阳基侧叶长,无触须状附肢;鞘翅淡黄棕色,具七个黑色斑纹;体 长1.82 mm………………………………………………………阿里山长唇瓢虫Sh.(?)sp.n.2(1).后基线后缘远超第一腹板长度的1/2;阳基侧叶短,具触须状附肢:3(4).前胸背板棕色,具两个暗棕色模糊斑点;鞘翅棕色,具九个黑斑;体长2.12～2.59 m………… …………………………………………………………………………附肢长唇瓢虫Sh.(?)sp.n.4(3).前胸背板淡黄棕色,无斑点;鞘翅淡黄棕色,具六个黑斑,侧面的一对长形;体长2.00～2.26mm …………………………………………………………………………奇特长唇瓢虫Sh.(?)sasaji     

剧烈呕吐致食管破裂1例

剧烈呕吐致食管破裂1例,以呕吐和腹痛为首发表现,累及消化系统及呼吸系统,CT示纵膈气肿,双侧胸腔积液,合并双肺基底段肺不张,左上腹大量气体影.胃镜检查提示距门齿40-45 cm处食管黏膜可见大量白色脓苔附着,脓苔中可见有气泡冒出,考虑为食管穿孔.治疗上以手术为主.     

Factors affecting penetration of zona-free hamster ova

The sperm penetration assay is an expensive, time-consuming test to assess male fertility in vitro. Although some investigators are enthusiastic in its application, others feel that it is not sensitive or specific enough to be used as part of the routine infertility evaluation. Indeed, this bioassay is not a faithful reproduction of in vivo conditions. However, if the SPA is abnormal, it is unlikely that sperm will fertilize a human ovum in vivo. Conversely, a normal SPA does not guarantee successful in vivo fertilization. No bioassay can be absolute in its predictive value, but false-negative results must be kept to a minimum for this bioassay to be of any clinical significance. Each laboratory performing the SPA should optimize the assay for sensitivity, reproducibility, and minimization of false-negative results and then establish normal and abnormal ranges of its own. If the limitations of the SPA are kept in mind, and if we employ it very selectively, it may still be useful.     

Empty sella syndrome in childhood

The empty sella syndrome is common in middle-aged women, usually presenting with headache, and only occasionally associated with endocrine or visual abnormalities. It is rare in childhood. Childhood cases tend to present either with endocrine disturbances, visual symptoms, or with craniofacial syndromes. We present three cases of complete empty sella with childhood onset, each discovered unexpectedly during evaluation of endocrine or visual dysfunction.     

Concentration-dependent metabolism of diazepam in mouse liver

Previous mouse liver studies with diazepam (DZ),N-desmethyldiazepam (NZ), and temazepam (TZ) confirmed that under first-order conditions, DZ formed NZ and TZ in parallel. Oxazepam (OZ) was generatedvia NZ and not TZ despite that preformed NZ and TZ were both capable of forming OZ. In the present studies, the concentration-dependent sequential metabolism of DZ was studied in perfused mouse livers and microsomes, with the aim of distinguishing the relative importance of NZ and TZ as precusors of OZ. In microsomal studies, theK _ms andV _maxs, corrected for binding to microsomal proteins, were 34 μM and 3.6 nmole/min per mg and 239 μM and 18 nmole/min per mg, respectively, forN-demthylation andC ₃-hydroxylation of DZ. TheK _ms andV _maxs forN-demethylation andC ₃-hydroxylation of TZ and NZ, respectively, to form OZ, were 58 μM and 2.5 nmole/min per mg and 311 μM and 2 nmole/min per mg, respectively. The constants suggest that at low DZ concentrations, NZ formation predominates and is a major source of OZ, whereas at higher DZ concentrations, TZ is the important source of OZ. In livers perfused with DZ at input concentrations of 13 to 35 μM, the extraction ratio of DZ (E{DZ}) decreased from 0.83 to 0.60. NZ was the major metabolite formed although its appearance was less than proportionate with increasing DZ input concentration. By contrast, the formation of TZ increased disporportionately with increasing DZ concentration, whereas that for OZ decreased and paralleled the behavior of NZ. Computer simulations based on a tubular flow model and thein vitro enzymatic parameters provided a poorin vitro-organ correlation. TheE{DZ}, appearance rates of the metabolites, and the extraction ratio of formed NZ (E{NZ, DZ}) were poorly predicted; TZ was incorrectly identified as the major precursor of OZ. Simulations with optimized parameters imporved the correlations and identified NZ as the major contributor of OZ. Saturation of DZN-demethylation at higher DZ concentrations increased the role of TZ in the formation of OZ. The poor aqueous solubility (limiting the concentration range of substrates usedin vitro), avid tissue binding and the coupling of enzymatic reactions in liver, favoring sequential metabolism, are possible explanations for the poorin vitro-organ correlation. This work emphasizes the complexity of the hepatic intracellular milieu for drug metabolism and the need for additional modeling efforts to adequately describe metabolite kinetics. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada (MA-9104).