Cholesterol screening and family history of vascular disease

Hypercholesterolaemia is a major risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Early detection and management of hypercholesterolaemia could retard the atherosclerotic process. Given that CHD and hypercholesterolaemia cluster within families, a screening strategy based on a family history of vascular disease has been advocated. Serum total cholesterol concentrations were measured in a random stratified sample of 1012 children aged from 12-15 years old participating in a coronary risk factor surveillance study in Northern Ireland. Information about vascular disease in close family members was obtained by means of a questionnaire. The study population was divided into two groups according to total cholesterol values: (i) normal, < 5.2 mmol/l (n = 822) and (ii) raised, > or = 5.2 mmol/l (n = 190). A family history identified 63 out of 190 individuals with hypercholesterolaemia yielding a sensitivity of 33.2% and specificity of 71.5%. Our data indicated that a strategy whereby only children from high risk families are screened for hypercholesterolaemia is ineffective. While primary prevention emphasising a healthy diet for all is essential, the role of universal screening deserves further appraisal.     

Liver iron concentrations in sudden infant death syndrome

To determine the biological significance of high concentrations of non-haem iron in the livers of infants dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), liver samples were obtained at necropsy from 66 infants who died from SIDS and 28 control infants who died before 2.5 years of age. All were full term deliveries. Liver iron concentrations decreased rapidly with age in the two groups. Liver iron concentrations in the SIDS infants and controls were compared for those infants who died between 1 month and 1 year of age. The median liver iron concentration in the SIDS infants was 296 micrograms/g wet weight; significantly higher than the median of 105 micrograms/g in controls. There was an inverse relation between iron concentration and age in the two groups, but an analysis of covariance confirmed the significantly lower values in controls. The frequency (22%) of HLA-A3 in SIDS infants was similar to that expected for the United Kingdom population (25%) and does not implicate the gene for haemochromatosis as a cause of high liver iron concentrations. These findings show that the peak incidence of SIDS occurs when mean concentrations of iron in liver tissue are higher than at any other time of life. Although a primary causal connection seems unlikely, high tissue iron concentrations may lower resistance to infection and enhance free radical formation, leading to tissue damage.     

Acinetobacter meningitis: acquired infection in a neonatal intensive care unit

A cluster of 4 cases of meningitis due to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var anitratus occurred during a 5-day period in a neonatal intensive care unit. Three of the infants were preterm and all had a history of other medical problems. Initiation of intravenous therapy with carbenicillin was accompanied by clinical recovery and a bacteriological cure. Intensive bacteriological investigation failed to show a common source for the infections.     

利用Genescan分析TCR Vβ亚家族CDR3长度的方法检测AML的T细胞克隆性

目的 分析急性髓性白血病（ＡＭＬ）的Ｔ细胞克隆性，方法 利用反转－多聚酶链反应（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ）法分析５例ＡＭＬ，８例正常人的外周血单个核细胞和Ｔ细胞株Ｊｕｒｋａｔ的Ｔ细胞受体ＴＣＲＶβ２４个亚家族的互补决定区３（ＣＤＲ３）长度，ＰＣＲ产物进一步进行基因扫描（ｇｅｎｅｓｃａｎ）和核苷酸序列分析，结果 ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ分析显示８例正常人外周血单个核细胞除Ｖβ２０外，存在各Ｖβ亚家族的Ｔ细胞，而５例病人则仅     

Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in meningococcal disease

Interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, was measured in 131 children with meningococcal disease. IL-10 concentrations were significantly higher in children who died and correlated positively with proinflammatory cytokines. Children who die from meningococcal disease have high IL-10 concentrations, which do not suppress proinflammatory cytokines.     

Sputum induction for the diagnosis of tuberculosis

Confirmation of tuberculosis in young children is difficult as they seldom expectorate sputum. Gastric aspirates are invasive and stressful and like laryngeal swabs are seldom smear positive. Induction of sputum by nebulised hypertonic saline (3%) was attempted in 30 Malawian children aged 3-15 years and was successful in 29. Four sputa were smear positive and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from three of them. A further four sputa were culture positive though smear negative. In all, the diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed in eight (28%) of 29 children. The presence of polymorphonuclear cells in the specimen was indicative of sputum, in contrast to epithelial cells which originate from saliva. A predominance of polymorphonuclear cells in specimens was more common in older children and these specimens were more likely to be smear positive or culture positive. Sputum induction is a useful method for the confirmation of tuberculosis and is possible in young children.     

CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE SELECTION OF ABDOMINAL ACUPOINTS TO RELIEVE LOWER LUMBAR PAIN

This paper discusses the selection of abdominal area kidney and meridian acupoints120 patients suffering from lower lumbar pain using the fingers to press the acupoints. Althoughthe types of ailments, mildness or severity of the patients' conditions f and duration of illness var-ied, in all cases satisfactory treatment results were achieved. The average effective rate was 97.5%. The average rate of cure (complete recovery rate) was 73.3%. Patients who had sufferedfrom symptoms for a period of less than one year and patients afflicted with mild or moderate con-ditions enjoyed the most outstanding treatment results. The advantages of this treatment method or technique are as follows: 1. This method ortechnique brings the distinctive dynamics of traditional Chinese medicine theory and meridian the-ory into full play. 2. This method of treatment uses neither acupuncture needles nor moxibus-tion. It merely utilizes the fingers to press certain acupoints. It is simple, convenient and easy toimplement.It is sa     

应用丙戊酸钠调节组蛋白乙酰化对肿瘤细胞周期相关蛋白的调控作用

目的 探讨应用组蛋白脱乙酰酶抑制剂丙戊酸钠(VPA)调节染色体组蛋白低乙酰化修饰水平对肿瘤细胞增殖周期相关蛋白Cyclin A、Cyclin DI、Cyclin E和P21waf/cipl的调控作用. 方法 应用0.75～4.00 mmol/ VPA干预肝癌细胞HepG2、胃癌细胞BGC-823、乳腺癌细胞MCF-7 48 h后,PI标记流式细胞术检测细胞周期;间接免疫荧光法分析Cyclin A、Cyclin D1、Cyclin E、P21waf/cip1蛋白表达;RT-PCR检测分析Cyclin A、Cyclin D1、Cyclin E、P21waf/cip1 mRNA表达. 结果 HepG2、BGC-823、MCF-7这3种细胞系培养48 h后,流式细胞术分析可见0.75～4.00 mmol/L、VPA实验组随药物浓度的增加而出现逐渐递增的细胞增殖周期G1期阻滞趋势.HepG2、BGC-823细胞Cyclin A蛋白及mRNA表达被明显下调;MCF-7细胞Cyclin A蛋白及mRNA表达在两个浓度组均未见明显变化;Cyclin D1蛋白及mRNA表达在3个细胞系均被明显下调;P21waf/cip1蛋白及mRNA表达在3个细胞均被明显上调;Cyclin E蛋白及mRNA表达则未见明显变化. 结论 应用VPA干预组蛋白乙酰化修饰可对HepG2、BGC-823、MCF-7细胞Cyc-lin D1、P21waf/cip1表达起明显的调控作用;对Cychn A的调控作用则随肿瘤细胞来源及表型的不同而有所差异,而对Cyclin E则无明显的调控作用.在VPA诱导肿瘤细胞增殖周期G1期阻滞过程中,下调CyclinD1和上调P21waf/cip1蛋白及mRNA表达可能是其共同作用途径.