A preliminary study of the changes in the direct-acting mutagenicities of several nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons after exposure under sunlight

Five commercially available nitropolyclyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAH), namely, 4-nitrobiphenyl, 2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 1-nitropyrene, and 2,7-dinitrofluorene, were exposed under restricted sunlight in the open air. The direct-acting mutagenicities of the samples after an exposure of 45 days were measured in order to compare them with those of the original samples in the Ames Salmonella typhimurium bioassay. It was found that the mutagenicities of some nitro-PAH do not change significantly while the mutagenicities of others increase or decrease after exposure. A preliminary study of nitro-PAH reaction products after exposure using GC, GC/MS, and FT-IR is also reported.     

Lyme disease presenting as urinary retention

We report a case of Lyme disease that presented with urinary retention. The individual then experienced lower extremity paralysis. Paralysis and urinary retention resolved with intravenous ceftriaxone antibiotic. To our knowledge this is the first report of a urological manifestation as the initial clinical presentation of Lyme disease. Recognition of clinical symptoms and urological complications of Lyme disease also are discussed.     

An etiological study on fulminant viral hepatitis]

Viral markers were studied in 79 cases of viral hepatitis with hepatic failure. The results were shown as follows: 8 cases were positive for anti-HAV IgM (10.12%); 76 cases positive for HBsAg or anti-HBc IgM (96.20%) and 41 cases positive for anti-HCV antibodies (51.89%). Among those with anti-HCV positive, 35 cases were co-infected with HBV, 5 cases with HAV and/or HCV, only one was infected with HCV alone 2 cases were HD-Ag positive (2.52%) and one not identified (1.27%). With the reference of clinical findings, patients co-infected with HBV/HCV or anti-HBc IgM positive were more critical and usually entail higher mortality. In cases with HCV co-infections, the positive HBV replication markers seems to be reduced. Hepatic failure without HBV replicative markers had a high rate of hepatic coma as well as poor outcome.     

Pathobiology of canine cyclic hematopoiesis (review)

Canine cyclic hematopoiesis (CH) was first described in Gray Collies as the lethal gray syndrome, and was subsequently shown to be a counterpart of human cyclic neutropenia (CN). The disease is characterized by a recurrent cyclic change in the levels of neutrophils and other blood elements at approximately 12-day intervals. It is caused by an autosomally recessive gene with pleiotropic effects or a CH gene which is closely linked to a gray color gene. The infectious insult on affected animals is periodic but its clinical and pathologic effects are continual and cumulative Affected dogs die after weaning and rarely survive over 6 months of age. There is evidence of immunoregulatory defects in these dogs. Reciprocal bone marrow transplantation indicates that the defect resides in the bone marrow, but the actual site and mechanism of the defect has not been established. The disease in Gray Collies represents a unique model system for studying the mechanism of cyclic hematopoiesis and hematopoietic regulation. Studies of the disease have made conceptual contributions toward understanding and treatment of human cyclic neutropenia.     

钙拮抗药及烧伤血浆对大鼠PBMC内NF-κB活化和炎症介质产生的影响

目的 :探讨外周血单个核细胞 (PBMC)内上游信号分子及核因子 κB(NF κB)在烧伤后炎症级联反应中的作用。　方法 :体外检测在烧伤血浆作用下的PBMC内游离Ca2 及NF κB活化的变化 ,观察钙通道阻断药对NF κB活化及IL 6、NO表达水平的调控作用。　结果 :不同时相点的烧伤血浆可使体外PBMC内Ca2 明显增加 ,培养的PBMC核内NF κB的积聚明显增加 ,培养上清中NO和IL 6高表达。应用尼莫通 (Nimodipine)和丹曲林 (Dantrium)对NF κB的活化有调节作用 ,对IL 6和NO亦有下调作用。　结论 :烧伤血浆可使PBMC内信号分子浓度明显增高 ,NF κB过度活化 ,并易位进入细胞核内 ,NF κB介导的促炎性细胞因子和NO过度表达。两种钙通道阻断药有调控细胞内信号转导的作用 ,对烧伤后全身炎症反应综合征 (SIRS)可能有防治作用     

浅谈基因治疗的现状及其面临的困境

基因治疗将在未来的疾病治疗中扮演重要的角色，然而这一新颖的技术却面临着诸多问题，本文论述了基因治疗的发展现状及其所面临的技术难题。     

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.     

Radioimmunoassay of paralytic shellfish toxins in clams and mussels

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology -     

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS Ⅰ. EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF OPEN NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS BY QUALITATIVE ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ISOENZYME IN AMNIOTIC FLUID

The measurement of amniotic fluid (AF) acetylcholinesterase isoenzyme (AChEI) is a relatively new method for early diagnosis of open neural tube defects (NTDs). As quantitative methods are of unproven reliability at present, the authors used a high resolving power qualitative method-vertical slab polyaerylamide gel electrophoresis. The benefits of this technique are: simplicity of operation, accuracy, unsophisticated equipment, and easily available reagents. Combined results of 9 NTDs studies revealed that samples from early pregnancy gave more accurate results than those from late pregnancy.