辛夷挥发油的抗炎、抗过敏作用

辛夷挥发油腹腔注射(50,100mg/kg)能明显对抗二甲苯所致小鼠耳廓肿和蛋清所致的大鼠足跖肿。辛夷挥发油(20,30,40mg/ml)能对抗SRS-A、HA所致的豚鼠离体回肠的收缩作用,并能对抗致敏豚鼠回肠的过敏性收缩,这证明辛夷挥发油具有明显的抗炎、抗过敏作用。     

The incidence of refractive errors among school children in Hong Kong and its relationship with the optical components

This study aims to provide information about the prevalence of refractive errors among Chinese school children in Hong Kong, and its relationship with the optical components of the eye. Subjective refraction, corneal curvatures and ocular biometry were performed on 383 school children from age six to 17 years. The prevalence of myopia increases from 30 per cent at age six to seven to 50 per cent (girls) and 70 per cent (boys) at age 16–17. The mean spherical equivalent refraction gradually changes from plano at age six to seven to -2.00 D of myopia at age 1617. Our results are different from Caucasian data but comparable with those of other studies of Chinese in Asia. The increase in myopia correlates well with the axial length of the eye. Further studies are needed to investigate the cause for the development of myopia.     

Assessment of congenital heart defects by dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography: methods of data acquisition and clinical potential

To evaluate the use of three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography in the diagnosis of congenital heart defects, we studied 238 patients aged 3 days to 19 years (mean 4.3 years) with normal hearts ( n = 13) or a variety of congenital heart defects (n = 225) Three different modalities of data acquisition suitable for reconstruction were applied For parallel scanning, the transducer is held in a 6-cm long scan frame and then moved over the thorax, or in the subcostal position, by a stepper motor using 0.5-mm steps with acquisition of perpendicular parallel images of the heart For rotational scanning, the transducer is rotated at sectors of 2° over a span of 180° For fan-like scanning, the transducer is moved in an arc 45° each way from its vertical axis Movement of the transducer is computer-controlled and performed with electrocardiography and respiratory gating Between 80 and 120 slices of the heart are thus obtained, which form the dataset This dataset can then be "sectioned" in any desired plane, thus permitting generation of views simulating intraoperative perspectives Ventricular septal defects and atrioventricular valves can be displayed as viewed via the atrium Muscular ventricular septal defects can be viewed as seen through a ventriculotomy Obstruction in the left ventricular outflow tract can be viewed as via an aortotomy, and so on We conclude that this new imaging modality has a vast potential and may facilitate planning of intracranial surgery.     

Different Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on K+ Currents Expressed in Xenopus Oocytes

Estrogen has received considerable attention recently as a potential therapeutic agent in vascular pathophysiological states such as stroke. The mechanisms by which estrogen influences cerebral arteries are incompletely understood. The present study was to examine the effect of ovariectomy and chronic estrogen or tamoxifen treatment on vascular reactivity in rat posterior communicating cerebral arteries with intact endothelium. Changes in vascular tension were measured by microvessel myograph. Ovariectomy significantly enhanced the constricting responses to endothelin I, but not to phenylephrine. Chronic treatment with estrogen or tamoxifen partially reversed or abolished the effect of ovariectomy. The contraction induced by high K⁺ solution was also enhanced in the ovariectomized rats and this enhancement was abolished by estrogen or tamoxifen treatment. Ovariectomy potentiated the relaxant response to nicardipine but not NS 1619. Estrogen but not tamoxifen reversed the effect of ovariectomy. The present results indicate that chronic tamoxifen may not act as an antagonist of estrogen, instead, chronic treatment with estrogen and tamoxifen has similar effect in inhibiting the increased vascular tension induced by ovariectomy. This study suggests the influence of physiological level of estrogen on vascular contractility. It is at present unknown what may have caused increased relaxant effect of nicardipine, a L-type Ca²⁺ channel blocker. More experiments are needed to show the role of endothelium in the altered vascular contractility in the ovariectomized and estrogen-treated rats. (supported by UPGC Direct Grant).     

6-取代苯基-3(2H)哒嗪酮的合成、抗惊活性及其构效关系的研究

本文报道了14个6-取代苯基-4,5-二氢-3(2H)哒嗪酮和15个6-取代苯基-3(2H)哒嚎酮的合成及其抗电惊活性。其ED₅₀值表明,以2′,4′-二氯苯基-3(2H)哒嗪酮的抗惊作用为最强。构效分析表明,苯环上的取代基对化合物的抗惊活性有明显影响,吸电子取代基和疏水性参数值较大的取代基有利于提高化合物的抗惊活性。     

血管内皮生长因子在口腔颌面骨组织工程中的应用

目的:了解血管内皮生长因子促进骨再生和修复作用的机制及应用方式,探讨其在口腔颌面骨组织工程中的应用前景。资料来源:应用计算机检索PubMed数据库1994-01/2006-02有关血管内皮生长因子促进成骨的文章,检索词“Vascular endothelial growth factor,Bone formation,Maxillofacial bone,Bone defect”,限定文章语言种类为English。同时计算机检索中国期刊全文数据库1994-01/2006-02期间的相关文章,检索词“血管内皮生长因子、成骨、颌骨”,限定文章语言种类为中文。资料选择:对资料进行初审,选取符合要求的有关文章找全文。纳入标准:①血管内皮生长因子及其受体分子结构方面的文章。②血管内皮生长因子促进成骨作用的基础研究和临床研究。③血管内皮生长因子在颌骨组织工程中应用的基础研究和临床研究。排除标准:重复或类似的同一研究、Meta分析、个案报道。资料提炼:共收集到186篇有关血管内皮生长因子促进成骨作用的文章,排除重复或类似的同一研究,30篇符合要求(其中2篇为血管内皮生长因子及其受体分子结构方面的文献,18篇为血管内皮生长因子促进成骨作用的基础研究和临床研究方面的文献,10篇涉及血管内皮生长因子在颌骨组织工程中应用的研究)。资料综合:①国内外有关血管内皮生长因子促进成骨作用的机制为:通过促进内皮细胞增殖、血管生成,调节骨组织血供并参与骨的发育形成;作为旁分泌因子参与骨形成代谢;通过调节成骨细胞和破骨细胞的活性促进骨组织的再生、修复和重建。②血管内皮生长因子在骨组织工程中的应用方式主要有外源性应用和内源性应用,外源性应用就是将外源性血管内皮细胞生长因子加入到支架和细胞的复合体中,使它通过促进血管化、调节参与成骨的多种因子及成骨细胞和破骨细胞的活性,提高成骨效能。内源性应用就是利用基因技术,将人血管内皮细胞生长因子基因转入种子细胞,使种子细胞持续的产生血管内皮细胞生长因子,为骨形成提供足够的血管化和调节骨细胞的活性。③动物实验已证实血管内皮生长因子对颌骨牵张成骨和颌骨缺损修复起着促进作用。结论:应用外源性和内源性血管内皮生长因子构建的组织工程骨可促进骨形成和骨缺损修复,用它来加快颌面骨组织工程的骨形成和缩短疗程在理论上是可行的。     

A ninth locus (RP18) for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa maps in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 1

We studied a large Danish family of seven generations in which autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP), a heterogeneous genetic form of retinal dystrophy, was segregating. After linkage had been excluded to all known adRP loci on chromosomes 3q, 6p, 7p, 7q, 8q, 17p, 17q and 19q, a genome screening was performed. Positive lod scores suggestive of linkage with values ranging between Z = 1.58-5.36 at theta = 0.04-0.20 were obtained for eight loci on proximal 1p and 1q. Close linkage without recombination and a maximum lod score of 7.22 at theta = 0.00 was found between the adRP locus (RP18) in this family and D1S498 which is on 1q very near the centromere. Analysis of multiply informative meioses suggests that in this family D1S534 and D1S305 flank RP18 in interval 1p13-q23. No linkage has been found to loci from this chromosomal region in six other medium sized adRP families in which the disease locus has been excluded from all known chromosomal regions harbouring an adRP gene or locus suggesting that there is (at least) one further adRP locus to be mapped in the future.      

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptobacillus moniliformis</Emphasis> septic arthritis: a clinical entity distinct from rat-bite fever?

Background  

Streptobacillus moniliformis is a zoonotic agent associated with rodent contacts. Although it is more commonly reported to cause rat-bite fever with reactive arthritides, it can also lead to pyogenic infection of the joints.