Peers as Perceived by Drug Abusers in their Drug-Seeking Behaviour

This paper is pan of a major study in drug abuse. It attempts to investigate from the social learning perspective the importance of peers in the interpersonal relationship and in drug-seeking behaviour among a group of drug abusers including adolescents and adults. The subjects included 100 drug abusers randomly selected from those registered with voluntary organizations for treatment and rehabilitation, and 100 non-abusers individually matched for sex, approximate age, ethnic group, educational stream, and neighbourhood. A questionnaire was constructed to collect biosocial and drug-use data and 11 items of them common to those on the official record were used to check the veridicality of the responses of drug abusers. Exact agreement ranged from 83% to 100%. It is found that peers were identified significantly more by the drug abusers than by the non-abusers to be the person they most associated with, and that peer group influence is a strong motivator in the trigger mechanism of drug-taking.     

EPIDERMOID CARCINOMA OF THE ANUS

Twenty five patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the anus, representing 1.5% of all large bowel malignancies, were seen over a 33 year period. Most patients presented with an advanced lesion which gave rise to a fungating mass, bleeding or pain. Nearly all patients who received either palliative irradiation or refused treatment died within a year of diagnosis. Abdominoperineal resection in 12 patients yielded an encouraging five year survival rate of 68.5%. Therapeutic groin node dissection performed on six occasions led to only one late recurrence. The surgical literature on sphincter saving local excision and therapeutic radiotherapy is reviewed. Currently, radical resection remains the most appropriate treatment for the majority of patients with epidermoid anal cancer.     

食蟹猴疟原虫——斯氏按蚊系统猴疟模型的一些生物学特性和对常用抗疟药物的生物效应

本文证明在一定条件下,斯氏按蚊对食蟹猴疟原虫的感染率为77±0.15%;恒河猴易感性强,对照组的感染率非常稳定,用10⁵个以上子孢子静脉接种恒河猴可100%获得感染。在食蟹猴疟原虫—斯氏按蚊系统猴疟模型上,常用抗疟药如乙胺嘧啶、伯喹显示有病因性预防作用。伯喹剂量达到2.5mg(基质)/kg×5天,合并氯喹20mg(基质)/kg×3天显示有权治作用,氯喹20mg(基质)kg×3天则仅能显示抑制性治疗作用。     

PULMONARY COIN LESIONS: A TEN-YEAR REVIEW OF 239 CASES

The results of a study of 239 resected solitary pulmonary nodules are presented; 66.5% of the resected nodules were malignant, and there were three patients with malignant coin lesions who were under 30 years of age. These findings confirm the generally accepted fact that most solitary pulmonary nodules must be resected if the presence of cancer is to be excluded. Transbronchial biopsy under biplane fluoroscopic guidance through a flexible bronchoscope may provide an effective alternative to early thoracotomy in the future, so that malignant nodules can be diagnosed before operation and patients with benign lesions are spared a thoracotomy.     

Broken and retained rectal thermometers in infants and young children

ABSTRACT. Fifteen patients with broken, and one patient with retained, rectal thermometers were reviewed. All were below the age of five. Histories of struggling in older children and difficult insertion of the thermometers in infants were often present. Rectal examination was definite in identifying the foreign bodies in seven patients. X-ray was diagnostic in eight patients. None had any peritonitis or perforation. Five patients had rectal bleeding which subsided in three days. In the three patients who had procto-sigmoidoscopic examination, all showed abrasions of the anterior rectal wall.     

先天性心脏病相关性肺动脉高压血流动力学特异性研究

目的先天性心脏病相关性肺动脉高压(pulmonary arterial hypertension related to congenital heart disease,PAH-CHD)是肺动脉血流动力学异常所致的一种疾病。研究肺循环血流动力学特异性,有助于了解PAH-CHD发生发展的生物力学因素。方法对5例PAH-CHD患儿和5例无PAH(Non-PAH)的先天性心脏病患儿通过临床及影像资料收集,重建三维血管模型,利用计算流体动力学模拟肺动脉血液流动,对比分析肺动脉血流动力学相关速度流线、壁面剪切力(wall shear stress,WSS)及单位体表面积平均能量损失(·E)差异。结果血流动力学相关指标显示,PAH-CHD患儿左右肺动脉分支处流速和WSS明显升高,主肺动脉处WSS明显降低,·E呈显著增加趋势且与肺动脉直径及入口流量呈明显正相关。结论 PAH-CHD患儿较Non-PAH患儿肺动脉分支处流速和WSS明显升高,主肺动脉WSS降低,·E增加,表明这些血流动力学因素与PAH-CHD密切相关,是临床评估PAH-CHD的潜在血流动力学指标。     

Risk of hospitalization for upper gastrointestinal tract complications associated with non‐selective non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in Malaysia: a retrospective case control study

Aims: To assess the association between non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract‐related hospitalizations and to evaluate inpatient healthcare resource utilization associated with these complications in Malaysia. Methods: A retrospective case control study was performed using medical records of patients admitted to two Malaysian hospitals during 1999 and 2000. Cases were identified based on mode of presentation at hospital admission. One control was identified for each case, matched by age, sex and admission date. NSAID exposure was determined by drug use during one year prior to admission. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between NSAID use and upper GI complications, adjusting for predictors. Results: The 273 cases were significantly more likely to have used NSAIDs in the year prior to hospitalization than controls (27.8%vs. 6.2% of patients; P < 0.0001). Conditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for other predictors showed that the odds of being hospitalized for upper GI tract complications were 4.1 times higher among NSAID users than non‐users (95% CI = 1.88–9.12). Other risk factors for GI‐related hospitalizations were a history of upper GI tract complications (OR = 5.8, 95% CI = 1.28–26.53), use of gastroprotective agents (OR = 5.3, 95% CI = 1.67–16.79), and use of antacids (OR = 5.0, 95% CI = 2.10–11.91) in the previous year. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that NSAID exposure was significantly higher among patients hospitalized for GI‐related complications than for other reasons, indicating that NSAID use is an independent risk factor for upper GI tract complications in this Malaysian sample.     

MAC作为55岁以上急性髓系白血病患者挽救性治疗方案的疗效分析

目的:评价MAC方案作为老年急性髓系白血病(AML)患者(≥55岁)挽救性治疗方案的疗效及安全性。方法:收集33例应用MAC方案进行挽救性治疗的复发或诱导治疗未缓解的老年AML患者的临床资料,对完全缓解率(CR),部分缓解率(PR),总生存(OS),无复发生存(RFS)及治疗过程中的不良反应加以分析,评价该方案的疗效及安全性。结果:所有采取MAC方案再诱导患者的CR率为51.5%,PR率为6.1%,总反应率(ORR)为57.6%。挽救治疗30 d内死亡率为9.1%,中位生存时间8.0个月(1.0-66.0个月),中位无复发生存时间10.1个月(2.3-40.4个月)。严重脏器功能损伤较少。结论:MAC方案作为老年AML的挽救性治疗方案,其疗效和患者对其耐受性较好。     

The primary antibody response of malaria patients to Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage antigens which are potential transmission blocking vaccine candidates

Summary Thirty serum samples collected from adult patients attending the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, with P. falciparum malaria, were studied. Sera were screened by indirect immunofluorescence for anti-gametocyte antibodies. Twelve of the serum samples taken from 14 patients with primary infections were found to have both IgM and IgG antibodies to gametocyte antigens and total Ig titres comparable with those of patients who had had previous malaria attacks. Sera of individuals from hyperendemic areas have been found to immunoprecipitate the 230 and 48/45 kD gametocyte surface antigens which are known targets of transmission blocking antibodies. To investigate the epitope specificity of the serum samples from our adult patients, competitive ELISAs with 3 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that block transmission and recognize different epitopes on the 48/45 Kd antigen, were carried out. Specific antibodies for these epitopes were found in 60% of the sera while nearly a third were able to inhibit the binding of at least two MAbs.