Evaluation of three test procedures for identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical sources.

A total of 520 clinical and environmental isolates of the family Micrococcaceae that fermented glucose anaerobically were tested for their ability to produce coagulase, thermostable nuclease, and deoxyribonuclease. Of these, 450 isolates coagulated rabbit plasma, produced thermostable nuclease, and were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, 447 of which produced a 3+ to 4+ clot. The remaining three isolates produced a 2+ clot, deoxyribonuclease, and thermostable nuclease. It was found that three of the S. aureus isolates failed to produce deoxyribonuclease. A total of 70 isolates which did not coagulate rabbit plasma and which were thermostable nuclease negative were identified as S. epidermidis. Three of them produced deoxyribonuclease. It is suggested that the thermostable nuclease test be performed on all isolates producing a 2+ (or 1+) clot in the coagulase test before identifying them as S. aureus.     

Does muscle inflammation influence recovery of muscle strength and function in patients undergoing total hip replacement?

BackgroundGenetic markers of muscle inflammation (eg, tumour necrosis factor α [TNFα] and interleukin [IL] 6 are downregulated following repeated transient increases after bouts of exercise. Total hip replacement (THR) typically resolves preoperative pain, although strength deficits of 10–21% persist in the affected hip at 1 year postoperatively. This study assessed whether mRNA expression of TNFα and IL6 in the vastus lateralis (VL) of the operated leg was related to changes in the strength of the operated leg quadriceps in patients following THR.MethodsTen patients were recruited prospectively after ethical approval. Distal VL (5 cm proximal to lateral suprapatellar pouch) biopsy samples were obtained intraoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively, with maximal voluntary contraction of the operated leg quadriceps (MVCOLQ) in Newtons (N), assessed preoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively. RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA expression in the biopsy samples and associations evaluated with Spearman's correlation coefficient.FindingsMean mRNA relative quotient (RQ) for comparison of 6 week intraoperative VL samples was 6·23 [SD 12·85] for TNFα and 17·10 [47·46] for IL6. Preoperatively, mean MVCOLQ was 188·90 N [76·84] and at 6 weeks it was 217·00 N [53·91]. There was no significant relation between TNFα or IL-6 RQ and absolute MVCOLQ at 6 weeks (r=0·115 [p=0·376] and ?0·491 [p=0·075], respectively). No statistically significant relation existed between TNFα mRNA RQ and the improvement in MVCOLQ at 6 weeks (r=–0·498, p=0·071) nor with IL6 and the same measure (r=0·091, p=0·401).InterpretationThere is a trend to correlation that exists for improvement in MVCOLQ with a reduction in TNFα mRNA expression, as well as between absolute MVCOLQ and reduction in IL-6 mRNA expression at 6 weeks postoperatively. Improvement in muscle strength may be mediated by reduced muscle inflammation and the associated reduction in pain in patients with severe osteoarthritis.FundingWales Deanery and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Small Grants Scheme.     

Intra-stride belt-speed variation affects treadmill locomotion

For overground and treadmill locomotion to be mechanically similar, it is required that the belt speed of the treadmill is constant and the same to that of overground locomotion. Variation of the belt speed during a stride causes exchange of energy between the subject and the treadmill. This might be the cause of different kinematic patterns between overground and treadmill locomotion, which have been reported in literature. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the intra-stride belt-speed is variable, and whether differences in kinematic patterns can be attributed to these variations. Nine subjects walked and ran overground and on two treadmills that were differently susceptible to subjects' braking and accelerating forces. It was found that the speed variations during treadmill locomotion affect the kinematic parameters significantly. The amount of intra-stride belt-speed variation was found to depend on the power of the treadmill and the mass of the subject. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.     

Allocation of health care resources in the neonatal and perinatal area �CCPS Symposium 1996

There have been publically expressed concerns about the costs and allocation of neonatal and perinatal health care resources in Canada and elsewhere for the past 15 years. This paper reports information from a symposium held during the 1996 Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) annual meeting sponsored by the CPS Section on Perinatal Medicine. Experts in perinatal epidemiology, health care economics, public policy and finance, and consumer perspectives on the outcomes of neonatal and perinatal intensive care explored the following questions: How should the need for health care resources in the neonatal and perinatal area be objectively determined? When there are competing needs between the maternal-newborn area and other areas, how should these be rationalized? What evidence should be used (or should be available) to support the present use of resources? What evidence should be available (or is needed) to change or introduce new uses of resources? The conclusions indicated that there are no generally accepted methods to determine the allocation of health care resources but that considerations need to include population characteristics, desired outcomes, achievable results, values, ethics, legalities, cost-benefit analyses and political objectives. Information from families and adolescents who required the use of high technology and/or high cost programs will contribute individual, family and societal values that complement cost-efficacy analyses.     

银杏叶醇提取物对异烟肼和利福平肝毒性保护作用的实验研究

目的 :观察银杏叶醇提取物对异烟肼和利福平肝毒性的保护作用及其机制探讨。方法 :分别测定肝损害组和银杏叶醇提取物大、小剂量组小鼠的血清谷丙转胺酶 (SGPT)、肝指数、肝匀浆丙二醛 (MDA)含量、肝微粒体P4 50和线粒体Ca2 ATP酶活性 ,以及肝病理检查 ,并与对照组比较。结果 :银杏叶醇提取物大、小剂量均可对抗异烟肼和利福平引起的MDA、SGPT、肝微粒体P4 50 的增高 (P <0 .0 5) ,以及对抗其引起的形态学改变 ;银杏叶醇提取物大剂量对抗其线粒体Ca2 ATP酶活性的降低。结论 :银杏叶醇提取物可对抗异烟肼和利福平所致肝毒性。     

Susceptibilities of Oral Microbes to Some Medicinal Herbs

目的：检测某些中草药对口腔微生物的抑制杀灭作用。方法：制备七种中草药液提取物,将水浸液提取物分别加至培养基中,观察各种口腔微生物的生长速度,确定水浸 液提取物的最小抑菌量。结果：夏枯草、金银花、厚朴、菊花、威灵仙、秦艽的水浸液提取物对所试验的口腔微生物生长无明显抑制作用,而黄连的水浸液提取物有明显的抑制作用。尤其对牙周致病菌牙龈卟啉菌（初始抑菌量０．２５０ｍｇ／ｍｌ）、伴放线放线杆菌（初始抑菌量０     

人工神经元网络用于复方氯丙嗪的含量测定

将误差反向传播(BP)的人工神经元网络(ANN)模型，用于复方氯丙嗪紫外重叠光谱分 析。对ANN模型的参数进行了优化。采用f(x)二1/(1+e^-x)作为网络节点的输入输出转换函数的三 层神经网络具有较佳性能，当取隐含节点数为15时，该网络预测结果的最小平均相对误差为1.22％， 将研制的ANN模型用于复方氯丙嗪含量测定，其结果与药品标准法和偏最小二乘法(PLs)一致。     

Biochemical and behavioural characterization of EMPA,a novel high-affinity,selective antagonist for the OX2 receptor

Background and purpose:

The OX₂ receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor that is abundantly found in the tuberomammillary nucleus, an important site for the regulation of the sleep-wake state. Herein, we describe the in vitro and in vivo properties of a selective OX₂ receptor antagonist, N-ethyl-2-[(6-methoxy-pyridin-3-yl)-(toluene-2-sulphonyl)-amino]-N-pyridin-3-ylmethyl-acetamide (EMPA).

Experimental approach:

The affinity of [³H]EMPA was assessed in membranes from HEK293-hOX₂-cells using saturation and binding kinetics. The antagonist properties of EMPA were determined by Schild analysis using the orexin-A-or orexin-B-induced accumulation of [³H]inositol phosphates (IP). Quantitative autoradiography was used to determine the distribution and abundance of OX₂ receptors in rat brain. The in vivo activity of EMPA was assessed by reversal of [Ala¹¹,D-Leu¹⁵]orexin-B-induced hyperlocomotion during the resting phase in mice and the reduction of spontaneous locomotor activity (LMA) during the active phase in rats.

Key results:

[³H]EMPA bound to human and rat OX₂-HEK293 membranes with K_D values of 1.1 and 1.4 nmol·L⁻¹ respectively. EMPA competitively antagonized orexin-A-and orexin-B-evoked accumulation of [³H]IP at hOX₂ receptors with pA₂ values of 8.6 and 8.8 respectively. Autoradiography of rat brain confirmed the selectivity of [³H]EMPA for OX₂ receptors. EMPA significantly reversed [Ala¹¹,D-Leu¹⁵]orexin-B-induced hyperlocomotion dose-dependently during the resting phase in mice. EMPA, injected i.p. in rats during the active phase, reduced LMA dose-dependently. EMPA did not impair performance of rats in the rotarod procedure.

Conclusions and implications:

EMPA is a high-affinity, reversible and selective OX₂ receptor antagonist, active in vivo, which should prove useful for analysis of OX₂ receptor function.