Intervention,recruitment and evaluation challenges in the Bangladeshi community: Experience from a peer lead educational course

Background  

The incidence of Type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide and diabetes is four times more common among ethnic minority groups than among the general Caucasian population. This study reflects on the specific issues of engaging people and evaluating interventions through written questionnaires within older ethnic minority groups.     

Effect of tetrandrine on cellular electrophysiology and calcium uptake of myocardium in guinea pigs and dogs

目的　本文旨在研究汉防已甲素对豚鼠及狗的心肌动作电位 (AP)、收缩力及肌浆网钙吸收的作用。方法　用玻璃微电极的方法 ,研究用药后心肌细胞AP、dV/dt、峰张力 (PT)及dT/dt等指标的改变 ,并用生化方法估价用药后心肌肌浆网钙吸收率及无机磷释放等指标的变化。结果　汉防已甲素起着浓度依赖性和频率依赖性负性变力性作用 ,且缩短了动作电位时程。汉防已甲素抑制心肌dT(E) /dt和dT(L) /dt,也抑制了心肌张力 ,并降低了慢动作电位的dV/dt和幅度 ,这些暗示汉防已甲素可阻止慢钙通道。另外 ,与Thapsigargin(一种特异性肌浆网Ca2 ATP酶抑制剂 )进行了比较 ,汉防已甲素较之更为明显地抑制了心肌的收缩。结论　汉防已甲素是一种植物性广谱钙离子拮抗剂。它不仅阻止电压操纵的钙通道 (象其它作者所报导的那样 ) ,而且在影响Ca2 ATP酶及肌浆网钙释放通道方面也起着重要的作用。我们的资料提示钙通道对心肌收缩似乎比肌浆网更为关键。     

Congenital myasthenic syndromes due to heteroallelic nonsense/missense mutations in the acetylcholine receptor epsilon subunit gene: identification and functional characterization of six new mutations

We describe and functionally characterize six mutations of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) epsilon subunit gene in three congenital myasthenic syndrome patients. Endplate studies demonstrated severe endplate AChR deficiency, dispersed endplate regions and well preserved junctional folds in all three patients. Electrophysiologic studies were consistent with expression of the fetal gamma-AChR at the endplates in one patient, prolongation of some channel events in another and gamma- AChR expression as well as some shorter than normal channel events in still another. Genetic analysis revealed two recessive and heteroallelic epsilon subunit gene mutations in each patient. One mutation in each (epsilonC190T [epsilon R64X], epsilon 127ins5 and epsilon 553del 7) generates a nonsense codon that predicts truncation of the epsilon subunit in its N-terminal, extracellular domain; and one mutation in each generates a missense codon (epsilon R147L, epsilon P245L and epsilon R311W). None of the mutations was detected in 100 controls. Expression studies in HEK cells indicate that the three nonsense mutations are null mutations and that surface expression of AChRs harboring the missense mutations is significantly reduced. Kinetic analysis of AChRs harboring the missense mutations show that epsilon R147L is kinetically benign, epsilon P245L prolongs burst open duration 2-fold by slowing the rate of channel closing and epsilon R311W shortens burst duration 2-fold by slowing the rate of channel opening and speeding the rate of ACh dissociation. The modest changes in activation kinetics are probably overshadowed by reduced expression of the missense mutations. The consequences of the endplate AChR deficiency are mitigated by persistent expression of gamma-AChR, changes in the release of transmitter quanta and appearance of multiple endplate regions on the muscle fiber.      

Endometrial protein PP14 and CA-125 in recurrent miscarriage patients; correlation with pregnancy outcome

The concentrations of endometrial proteins PP14 and CA-125 were measured in uterine flushings taken on days LH+10 and LH+12 (10 and 12 days after luteinizing hormone surge) of the menstrual cycle from 15 normal, fertile women and 49 women who suffered recurrent miscarriage. The concentration of PP14 was significantly lower in the flushings from the recurrent miscarriage patients than in those from fertile controls on both day LH+10 (median: 1300, range: 3-10 300 ng/ml versus median: 13 933, range: 2174-40 404 ng/ml; P < 0.01) and LH+12 (median: 1560, range: 820-12 100 ng/ml versus median: 14 047, range 1402-62 108 ng/ml; P < 0.05). Similarly concentrations of CA-125 were significantly lower in flushings from recurrent miscarriage women compared to controls on both day LH + 10 (median: 1555, range: 47-6710 U/ml versus median: 6385.5, range 2884-27 731 U/ml, P < 0.01) and LH+12 (median: 2892, range: 956-9974 U/ml versus median: 7127.5, range: 1591-21 343 U/ml; P < 0.05). In contrast there was no significant difference in the concentration of PP14 in plasma samples taken on the same days as the flushings from recurrent miscarriage patients and fertile controls. The concentrations of PP14 in uterine flushings obtained on day LH + 10 or LH + 12 from recurrent miscarriage women during a pre-pregnancy investigative cycle were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in patients who went on to miscarry (median: 1000, range: 9-2900 ng/ml) than those who went on to have a live birth (median: 1440, range: 4-12 100 ng/ml) during a subsequent pregnancy. In contrast there was no significant difference in uterine CA-125 or plasma PP14 concentrations between these two groups of recurrent miscarriage patients. The results suggest that measurements of uterine PP14 and CA-125 may be useful in the assessment of endometrial development in recurrent miscarriage patients and suggest the importance of PP14 in preparing the endometrium for embryo implantation. In addition pre-pregnancy uterine PP14 measurements may be useful in predicting subsequent pregnancy outcome.      

香港华人妇女产后抑郁危险因素的前瞻性研究

目的：产后抑郁是一种常见的精神障碍，对产妇、新生儿和其它家庭成员导致广泛的伤害。产后抑郁的病因学研究大多是基于西方样本，对其中的社会文化原因也缺乏实证研究。本研究从人口学、心理社会及种族文化因素等方面探讨中国妇女产后抑郁症状学的决定因素。方法：在大学附属综合医院产前门诊连续收集登记的中国孕妇959例，从她们第一次产前检查开始评估（基线），以后分别在孕期的最后3个月、产后即刻和产后3个月时评估。调查涉及的危险因素分6个方面：人口学和社会经济背景，躯体疾病及精神疾病病史，产前抑郁情绪，围生期应激源，人际关系，和种族文化环境。采用等级回归进行分析。因变量是产后3个月时的抑郁评分。结果：决定产后抑郁症状学的因素有：目前的生活事件，缺乏社会支持，婚姻不满意，既往有故意自伤史，以及产前存在抑郁情绪。婆媳关系不好和没有陪月在产后阶段也与抑郁评分高有关联。结论：西方研究所确立的产后抑郁危险因素大体适用于中国妇女。产褥期的社会文化特点同样对产妇情绪有影响。