Recombinant human relaxin as a cervical ripening agent

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human relaxin (rhRIx) as a cervical ripening agent in women with an unfavourable cervix before induction of labour at term.
Design A multi-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial performed in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Oxford. Women were treated with 0, 1, 2 or 4 mg of rhRIx in a gel vehicle administered intravaginally. Analysis of variance tests were performed on all continuous variables, and Cochran Mantel-Haenszel tests employed for all discrete variables.
Participants Ninety-six women at 37 to 42 weeks of gestation with a singleton pregnancy and a modified Bishop score of 4 were recruited.
Results There was no significant difference in the change in modified Bishop score between the four treatment groups. The lengths of the first and second stages of labour were similar in all 4 groups. PGE₂ and oxytocin requirements were similar in all groups, as was the mode of delivery. There was no evidence that relaxin was absorbed systemically when given in this way.
Conclusion Recombinant human relaxin 1 to 4 mg, administered as an intravaginal gel, has no effect as a cervical ripening agent before induction of labour at term.     

Primary Endodermal Sinus Tumor of the Vulva: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background.Extragonadal endodermal sinus tumors arising in the external genitalia represent an exceedingly rare malignancy in women. Six cases of endodermal sinus tumors of the vulva have been reported to date, with three cases failing to respond to conservative surgery and vincristine-based chemotherapy. We report a seventh case of vulvar endodermal sinus tumor that was treated with radical surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy.Case.RT is an 18-year-old female who presented with a vulvar mass that was diagnosed as endodermal sinus tumor at the time of biopsy. She was subsequently treated with modified radical vulvectomy and ipsilateral groin lymphadenectomy, followed by bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin chemotherapeutic regimen. She has since remained free of disease for 18 months as evidenced by serum α-fetoprotein and physical exam at 18 months.Conclusions.Vulvar endodermal sinus tumors represent a very small number of germ cell tumors in women. Based on the previous accounts, this disease appears to be more fatal than endodermal sinus tumor arising at other sites. These tumors also have a predilection for local metastasis. Due to the previous accounts, we chose to treat this patient with radical surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. This treatment regimen has resulted in a disease-free state for 18 months.     

Validity and cost-effectiveness of diagnostic procedures in CS2 poisoning

To determine relatively useful diagnostic procedures of carbon disulfide (CS2) poisoning in terms of validity and cost-effectiveness, several diagnostic tests are evaluated on 1,552 people by prevalence ratio (exposed/nonexposed), dose-response relationship, sensitivity and specificity, and the cost of the tests. Several symptoms with high kappa indices are found to be useful in various combinations, showing a consistent dose-response relationship and high exposed-nonexposed ratio. In clinicopathologic tests on functions of the kidney, liver and hematopoietic systems, eight items out of 22 have been shown to have significant dose-response relationship, mostly in liver function tests. A thorough dental examination failed to identify any useful indicator peculiar to the CS2 poisoning. Unlike Western people, the prevalence of coronary heart disease among Koreans was too low to be useful in the diagnosis of CS2 poisoning. Among four elective tests, i.e., Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nerve conduction velocity (NCV), and fluorescent angiography (FAG), the NCV appeared to be a more sensitive and specific test than the others are. Combinations of the tests improved the probability of diagnosing CS2 poisoning cases when any one test out of four was positive. Addition of other valid tests increased the probability of excluding non-cases. It was concluded that diagnosis of CS2 poisoning could be made validly and inexpensively if the diagnostic tests were carefully chosen step by step.     

乳腺癌术后胸壁及区域淋巴结复发的治疗

本文对我科1985年6月至1988年6月收治的52例乳腺癌术后复发病例进行了分析。全部病例均完成了放射治疗，其中39例与化疗联合。全组病例局部控制率为59．6％，1年及2年生存率分别为80．8％和51.9%，本文结果提示，单纯胸壁复发的病例，预后明显好于胸壁及区域淋巴结同时复发的病例（P＜0．05)，与化疗联合对局部控制率无影响，但能显著提高长期生存率（P＜O．01）。     

Sequential production and activation of matrix-metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) with breast cancer progression

The degradation of the basement membrane by matrix-metalloproteinase(MMP) and serine protease is a critical pointin tumor invasion and metastasis. We measured theactivity of MMP-9 from 28 normal, 12 benignand 126 breast cancer tissues using gelatin zymographywith an image analysis system. ProMMP-9 was expressedin 17.5% of the cancer patients compared to2.5% in 40 non-cancerous tissues (p=0.014).The mature form of MMP-9 (82 kD) wasexpressed only in T2–T4 stages. During the earlyphase of breast cancer (DCIS and T1 stage)progression, only production of proMMP-9 increased. However, asthe cancer grew or invaded skin (T2–T4), orwith lymphovascular permeation, both production and activation ofMMP-9 increased. In conclusion, proMMP-9 production was themain cause of increased MMP-9 activity during theearly phase, while both production and activation increasedin the late phase of breast cancer.     

百合更年安冲剂主要药效学研究Ⅰ

百合更年安部皮１．５、３．０、６．０ｇ／ｋｇ给小鼠灌胃，中、大剂量组均能显著抑制活动，减少被动活动能对抗去水吗啡引起动物的运动增加；与戊巴比妥钠有协同作用；有一定的镇痛效果。对交感神经兴奋有对抗作用。     

Hydrogen peroxide inhibits gap junctional intercellular communication in glutathione sufficient but not glutathione deficient cells

Cell to cell communication via gap junctions is essential in the maintenance of the homeostatic balance of multicellular organisms. Aberrant intercellular gap junctional communication (GJIC) has been implicated in tumor promotion, neuropathy and teratogenesis. Oxidative stress has also been implicated in similar pathologies such as cancer. We report a potential link between oxidative stress and GJIC. Hydrogen peroxide, a known tumor promoter, inhibited GJIC in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells with an I50 value of 200 microM. Inhibition of GJIC by H2O2 was reversible as indicated by the complete recovery of GJIC with the removal of H2O2 via a change of fresh media. Free radical scavengers, such as t-butyl alcohol, propylgallate, and Trolox, did not prevent the inhibition of GJIC by H2O2, which indicated that the effects of H2O2 on GJIC was probably not a consequence of aqueous free radical damage. The depletion of intracellular GSH reversed the inhibitory effect of H2O2 on GJIC. The treatment of glutathione- sufficient cells with H2O2 resulted in the hyperphosphorylation of connexin43, which is the basic subunit of the hexameric gap junction protein, as determined by Western blot analysis. TPA, a well-known tumor promoter, also inhibits GJIC via hyperphosphorylation of GJIC, which is a result of protein kinase-C activation. However, H2O2 also induced hyperphosphorylation in GSH-deficient cells that had normal rates of GJIC. Therefore, the mechanism of GJIC inhibition must be different from the TPA-pathway and involves GSH.      

冠心病中医辨证与血脂脂蛋白关系的探析

首先对９０例冠心病和５５例正常人的总胆固醇（ＴＣ）、甘油三酯（ＴＧ）、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（ＨＤＬ－Ｃ）、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（ＬＤＬ－Ｃ）及其比例水平进行比较，结果表明，冠心病组的ＴＧ、ＬＤＬ－Ｃ、ＴＣ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ、ＬＤＬ－Ｃ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ、ＴＣ－ＨＤＬ－Ｃ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ均升高，而ＨＤＬ－Ｃ则降低。接着对冠心病患者进行中医辨证分型，结果表明，血ＴＧ、ＴＣ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ、ＬＤＬ－Ｃ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ、ＴＣ－ＨＤＬ－Ｃ／ＨＤＬ－Ｃ在本虚证型之间及标实证型之间，分别按气虚、阳虚、阴虚、血瘀、痰浊、痰瘀型排列依次升高，而ＨＤＬ－Ｃ则依次降低。其中以痰瘀型血脂异常最为明显     

鼻咽癌微血管与远处转移关系的初步研究

目的 研究肿瘤血管参数改变在鼻咽癌远处转移中的及其评价预后的作用；并由此探讨抗篾这生成治疗预防鼻咽癌远处转移的可能性。方法 选择５２例初治转移鼻咽癌，与另５２例初治无转移且长期无瘤生存的鼻咽癌在性别、年龄、Ｔ分期和Ｎ分期方面进行一对一配对，取其组织进行微血管的免疫组化染色和计算机图象分析，配对比较４个参数；微血管计数、微血管相对面积、平均血管面积和平均血管周长。并分析这些参数在各型转移鼻咽癌中的差     

国人（195例）重心动摇计检查正常值的测定

目的：为测得正常中国人重心动摇检查各项正常值。方法：１９５例无晕与平衡障碍的人行重心动摇检查，得到各项测试值，结果：与日本学会标准比较，睁眼与闭眼外周面积值各年龄组无益氏于日本学会标准，其余各项数值相仿。结论；国人重心动摇应参照中国人的正常值。