Age at first birth, parity, and risk of death from ovarian cancer in Taiwan: a country of low incidence of ovarian cancer

This study was undertaken to examine whether there is an association between parity and age at first birth and risk of ovarian cancer. The study cohort consisted of all women with a record of a first and singleton childbirth in the Birth Register between 1978 and 1984. We tracked women from the time of their first childbirth to December 31, 2003, and their vital status was ascertained by linking records with the computerized mortality database. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the relative risks (RR) of death from ovarian cancer associated with parity and age at first birth. There were 322 ovarian cancer deaths during 27,402,995.5 person-years of follow-up. The mortality rate of ovarian cancer was 1.18 cases per 100,000 person-years. A trend of increasing risk of ovarian cancer was seen with increasing age at first birth. The adjusted RR was 0.69 (95% CI = 0.52-0.90) for women who bore two children, and 0.30 (95% CI = 0.21-0.42) for women with three or more births, respectively, when compared with women who had given birth to only one child. There was a significant decreasing trend in the adjusted RR of ovarian cancer with increasing parity. This study provides evidence that parity may confer a protective effect on the risk of ovarian cancer.     

Involvement of sympathetic function in the sleep-related change of gastric myoelectrical activity in rats

The gastric myoelectrical activity (GMA) fluctuates across sleep–wake states as a result of modulation by the brain–gut axis. The role of the autonomic nervous system in this phenomenon, however, was not elucidated fully. Through simultaneous recording and subsequent continuous power spectral analysis of electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram and electrogastromyogram (EGMG) in 16 freely moving Wistar rats, the sleep–wake states of the animals were defined and indices of cardiac autonomic regulation and GMA were calculated. We found that both cardiac autonomic regulation and GMA fluctuated through sleep–wake cycles. Correlation analysis further revealed significant correlations between EGMG power and each of the R–R interval, high-frequency power, low-frequency power, very-low-frequency power, low-frequency power to high-frequency power ratio and normalized low-frequency power of heart rate variability with respect to their trend of change across different sleep–wake states. These results suggest that the sleep–wake-related change of GMA was related to sympathovagal balance. The sympathetic nerve may play a more important role in the central modulation of GMA than perceived previously.     

Camptocormia as a presentation of generalized inflammatory myopathy

Camptocormia is an abnormal truncal flexion posture that occurs while walking or standing. It is usually caused by various hypokinetic movement disorders such as Parkinson disease and multiple system atrophy. Myopathy or motor neuron disease can also be infrequent causes of camptocormia. Paraspinous muscle biopsy usually reveals focal myositis, regardless of the etiology of camptocormia. We describe the first case of generalized inflammatory myopathy with prominent camptocormia and proximal muscle weakness. Muscle biopsy of the quadriceps confirmed the diagnosis of polymyositis, and the posture showed modest improvement in response to steroid treatment. Muscle Nerve, 2009     

肺特灵Ⅵ号对博莱霉素诱导的小鼠肺纤维化的干预作用及其机制

目的观察肺特灵Ⅵ号对博莱霉素诱导的小鼠肺纤维化的干预作用。方法采用气管内注入博莱霉素法制备小鼠肺纤维化模型。给药28d后处死,计算肺系数;观察肺脏病理形态学改变,并对肺泡炎和肺纤维化程度进行评分;测定小鼠肺组织中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、丙二醛（MDA）、总抗氧化能力（T-AOC）与羟脯氨酸（HYP）等生化指标。结果与模型组相比,肺特灵Ⅵ号各剂量组可明显增加小鼠体质量,降低肺系数,减轻肺泡炎与肺纤维化程度,提高肺组织SOD活性与T-AOC,降低MDA与HYP含量（P〈0.05或〈0.01）。结论肺特灵Ⅵ号对博莱霉素诱导的小鼠肺纤维化有一定的防治作用。     

The assessment of regional gut transit times in healthy controls and patients with gastroparesis using wireless motility technology

Background Wireless pH and pressure motility capsule (wireless motility capsule) technology provides a method to assess regional gastrointestinal transit times. Aims To analyse data from a multi‐centre study of gastroparetic patients and healthy controls and to compare regional transit times measured by wireless motility capsule in healthy controls and gastroparetics (GP). Methods A total of 66 healthy controls and 34 patients with GP (15 diabetic and 19 idiopathic) swallowed wireless motility capsule together with standardized meal (255 kcal). Gastric emptying time (GET), small bowel transit time (SBTT), colon transit time (CTT) and whole gut transit time (WGTT) were calculated using the wireless motility capsule. Results Gastric emptying time, CTT and WGTT but not SBTT were significantly longer in GP than in controls. Eighteen percent of gastroparetic patients had delayed WGTT. Both diabetic and idiopathic aetiologies of gastroparetics had significantly slower WGTT (P < 0.0001) in addition to significantly slower GET than healthy controls. Diabetic gastroparetics additionally had significantly slower CTT than healthy controls (P = 0.0054). Conclusions In addition to assessing gastric emptying, regional transit times can be measured using wireless motility capsule. The prolongation of CTT in gastroparetic patients indicates that dysmotility beyond the stomach in GP is present, and it could be contributing to symptom presentation. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31 , 313–322     

Effect of Acute and Chronic Administration of 5-FU on Pancreatic Secretion

The administration of various dose schedules of 5-FU did not result in any alteration of pancreatic secretion. The findings would not support the thesis that the gastrointestinal side-effects of this potent cancer chemotherapeutic agent are the result of a toxic pancreatic insufficiency.