Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.     

萘普生对大鼠着床期宫内PGF_(2α)含量及宫内节育器抗生育作用的影响

本文测定了对照组及两个萘普生(前列腺素合成酶抑制剂)处理组大鼠着床期宫内PGF2α的含量。结果表明,对照组、萘普生低剂量组(2mg/kg体重)和高剂量组(20mg/kg体重)的PGF2α含量分别为6.71±0.93、2.19±0.34和1.01±0.18ng/100g组织(三组间P<0.01)。同时,还观察到在本实验条件下,萘普生无明显干扰节育器抗生育作用,药物本身亦未呈现显著抗生育活性。     

Neural network forecasts of the tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures.

A nonlinear forecast system for the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the whole tropical Pacific has been developed using a multi-layer perceptron neural network approach, where sea level pressure and SST anomalies were used as predictors to predict the five leading SST principal components at lead times from 3 to 15 months. Relative to the linear regression (LR) models, the nonlinear (NL) models showed higher correlation skills and lower root mean square errors over most areas of the domain, especially over the far western Pacific (west of 155 degrees E) and the eastern equatorial Pacific off Peru at lead times longer than 3 months, with correlation skills enhanced by 0.10-0.14. Seasonal and decadal changes in the prediction skills in the NL and LR models were also studied.     

Quality of life and exercise performance in patients in sinus rhythm versus persistent atrial fibrillation: a Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Substudy.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine quality of life (QOL) and exercise performance (EP) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) converted to sinus rhythm (SR) compared with those remaining in or reverting to AF. BACKGROUND: Restoration of SR in patients with AF improving QOL and EP remains controversial. METHODS: Patients with persistent AF were randomized double-blind to amiodarone, sotalol, or placebo. Those not achieving SR at day 28 were cardioverted and classified into SR or AF groups at 8 weeks (n = 624) and 1 year (n = 556). The QOL (SF-36), symptom checklist (SCL), specific activity scale (SAS), AF severity scale (AFSS), and EP were assessed. RESULTS: Favorable changes were seen in SR patients at 8 weeks in physical functioning (p < 0.001), physical role limitations (p = 0.03), general health (p = 0.002), and vitality (p < 0.001), and at 1 year in general health (p = 0.007) and social functioning (p = 0.02). Changes in the scores for SCL severity (p = 0.01), functional capacity (p = 0.003), and AFSS symptom burden (p < 0.001) at 8 weeks and in SCL severity (p < 0.01) and AF symptom burden (p < 0.001) at 1 year showed significant improvements in SR versus AF. Symptomatic patients were more likely to have improvement. The EP in SR versus AF was greater from baseline to 8 weeks (p = 0.01) and to 1 year (p = 0.02). The EP correlated with physical functioning and functional capacity except in the AF group at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with persistent AF, restoration and maintenance of SR was associated with improvements in QOL measures and EP. There was a strong correlation between QOL measures and EP.     

The properties of monoclonal antibodies to HIV gag gene proteins]

Immunization of BALB/c mice with natural purified HIV antigen, fusion of spleen cells with myeloma cells and subsequent selection of hybrid clones using recombinant gag antigen of HIV gave hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (MCA) to HIV. The immune blotting method demonstrated that 3 clones interacted with protein p24 and 4 clones with protein p17 of HIV. Competitive EIA led to a conclusion that the resulting MCA detected at least 3 antigenic determinants in proteins, products of gag gene of HIV. The potentials of using these MCA for the detection of viral antigen in HIV-infected continuous cell lines were demonstrated.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a Ca2+/calmodulin-insensitive adenylyl cyclase from rat brain.

Biochemical, immunological, and molecular cloning studies have suggested the existence of multiple forms of adenylyl cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1). An adenylyl cyclase cDNA clone (type II) was isolated from a rat brain library and found to encode a protein of 1090 amino acids that was homologous to but distinct from the previously described Ca2+/calmodulin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase from bovine brain. Expression of the type II cDNA in an insect cell line resulted in an increased level of adenylyl cyclase activity that was insensitive to Ca2+/calmodulin. Addition of activated Gs alpha protein to type II-containing membranes increased enzyme activity. The mRNA encoding the type II protein was expressed at high levels in brain tissue and at low levels in olfactory epithelium and lung. The existence of multiple adenylyl cyclase enzymes may provide for complex and distinct modes of biochemical regulation of cAMP levels in the brain.     

影响肝外伤手术死亡的危险因素分析

目的分析影响肝外伤手术死亡的危险因素,探讨其临床意义。方法根据AAST和ISS标准,回顾性分析90例肝外伤手术病例,对影响手术死亡的危险因素进行单因素比较和Logistic回归分析。结果死亡15例,其中Ⅲ级2例、Ⅳ级4例、Ⅴ级9例,总体手术死亡率17%。Ⅳ~Ⅴ级肝外伤手术方式的单因素比较提示:清创性肝切除术的相对危险度是0.73;而规则性肝切除术、肝静脉或肝后下腔静脉修补术相对危险度分别是1.32、1.52。Logistic回归分析提示:ISS分会和术中失血量是影响手术死亡率的2个独立因素。结论ISS分值、术中失出血量和手术方式是影响肝外伤手术死亡的3个重要因素,娴熟的手术技能和合理的手术方式可以减少术中出血量和降低手术死亡率。