Pancreatic juice peptides as possible regulators of reparative processes in the pancreas in acute and chronic pancreatitis]

The experiments were performed on 34 dogs. The subcutaneous injection of boiled pancreatic juice was established to increase the survival of dogs in acute destructive pancreatitis (p < 0.001) and to decrease the specific volume damage to acinar (p < 0.01) and interstitial (p < 0.05) pancreatic tissue. It was also shown that boiled pancreatic autojuice exerted the therapeutic effect in chronic pancreatitis complicated by pancreatic fistulas. Five peptide components with a molecular mass from 4168 D to 1000 were discovered in the canine boiled pancreatic juice by liquid high pressure chromatography. Fractions with a molecular mass between 2187 and 1348 D were found to correspond to biologically active peptides, in particular to somatostatin. It is assumed that the therapeutic effect of boiled pancreatic juice used in acute pancreatitis may be due to somatostatin. Apparently pancreatic juice may turn an efficient therapeutic agent in acute pancreatitis and pancreatic fistulas.     

Transdermal permeation-enhancing activities of some inorganic anions

Effects of sodium salts of various monovalent inorganic anions on transdermal permeation of salicylic acid were investigated. In in-vitro experiment using a Franz-type diffusion cell and excised mouse skin, the permeation-enhancing activities of the sodium salts of inorganic anions were roughly proportional to lyotropic Hofmeister swelling abilities of the anions; F^?<SO₄ ^2?<Cl^? <ClO₄ ^?<NO₃ <SCN^? <Br <I^?, i.e. l, Br and SCN increased the flux of drugs through the mouse skin, while F^?, SO₄ ^2?, Cl^?, ClO₄ ^? and NO₃ ^? decreased or did not affect the flux. In invivo experiment using the rabbit as the test animal, the plasma concentration of salicylic acid of the rabbit to which 10%-salicylic acid ointment containing 5%-Nal or NaBr was applied was significantly higher than that of the rabbit to which the ointment without the electrolytes was applied. The amounts of sterol leached out of stratum corneum sheet when the sheet was immersed in aqueous solutions of Nal, NaBr, or NaSCN were much more than that of stratum corneum immersed in aqueous solutions of the other inorganic anions. The FTIR/ATR spectroscopy showed that the peaks at 2853 cm^?1 and 2924 cm^?1 in the IR absorption spectrum of the stratum corneum sheet of the mouse were shifted to higher frequencies by the anions which enhanced the transdermal drug permeation, while not shifted by the anions which did not have any permeation-enhancing activities or have permeation-reducing activities. These results suggest that sodium salts of some anions such as iodide, bromide and thiocyanate enhance transdermal permeation of salicylic acid through swelling and perturbation of the skin structure by these anions.     

THE EFFECT OF ACUPUNCTURE ON PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ISCHEMIC ARRHYTHMIA AND THE RELATION BETWEEN EFFECT OF ACUPUNCTURE AND CHOLINERGIC MUSCARINE-LIKE RECEPTORS

For investigating the effect of acupuncture on ischemic arrhythmia and its mech-anism, adult albino rats with ligated anterior descending branch of coronary artery as experimentalmodel were treated with or without acupuncture, and others with imitative operation but without bothcoronary artery ligation and acupuncture treatment were used as control. It was found in acupuncturegroup that the fibrillation-liability of ischemic myocardium was efficiently decreased, the affinity ofAch-M receptors on membranes of ischemic myocardium was markedly increased, and the tolerance ofischemic myocardium to atropine was elevated in the experiment of atropine inducing fibrillation.These results indicate that acupuncture may play a therapeutic role on ischemic arrhythmia throughactivating the activity of muscarine-like receptors of cholinergic nervous system.     

Risk factors of influenza transmission in households.

BACKGROUND: Influenza transmission in households is a subject of renewed interest, as the vaccination of children is currently under debate and antiviral treatments have been approved for prophylactic use. AIMS: To quantify the risk factors of influenza transmission in households. DESIGN OF STUDY: A prospective study conducted during the 1999 to 2000 winter season in France. SETTING: Nine hundred and forty-six households where a member, the index patient, had visited their general practitioner (GP) because of an influenza-like illness were enrolled in the study. Five hundred and ten of the index patients tested positive for influenza A (subtype H3N2). A standardised daily questionnaire allowed for identification of secondary cases of influenza among their household contacts, who were followed-up for 15 days. Of the 395 (77%) households that completed the questionnaire, we selected 279 where no additional cases had occurred on the day of the index patient's visit to the GP. METHODS: Secondary cases of influenza were those household contacts who had developed clinical influenza within 5 days of the disease onset in the index patient. Hazard ratios for individual clinical and demographic characteristics of the contact and their index patient were derived from a Cox regression model. RESULTS: Overall in the 279 households, 131 (24.1%) secondary cases occurred among the 543 household contacts. There was an increased risk of influenza transmission in preschool contacts (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09 to 3.26) as compared with school-age and adult contacts. There was also an increased risk in contacts exposed to preschool index patients (HR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.09 to 3.42) and school-age index patients (HR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.65), compared with those exposed to adult index cases. No other factor was associated with transmission of the disease. CONCLUSION: Our results support the major role of children in the dissemination of influenza in households. Vaccination of children or prophylaxis with neuraminidase inhibitors would prevent, respectively, 32-38% and 21-41% of secondary cases caused by exposure to a sick child in the household.     

The utilization of traditional Chinese medicine and associated factors in Taiwan in 2002

Background Previous studies have noted that there is a high utilization rate of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services in Taiwan, China and in western countries, but few studies investigated factors associated with the utilization of TCM in Taiwan. This study analyzes the utilization rate and the factors associated with the utilization of TGM in Taiwan. Methods Data for this study were from the 2002 HPKAP Survey that conducted the face-to-face questionnaire interviews of people aged 15 years and over from October 2002 to March 2003 in Taiwan. This study analyzed the utilization of TCM outpatient services, including admission to the hospital and clinic visits. Results A total of 26 755 participants completed the survey in the six-month period. The data revealed that 10.4% of participants had utilized TCM services in the past one month while 4.2% of participants utilized TCM only (without using Western medicine outpatient services (WM) or Folk therapy (F'I')). The average visits of TCM services per patient was higher among people who had utilized TCM and FT services (2.68 visits) than among those who had utilized WM and FT services (2.15 visits) or TCM services alone (2.15 visits) during the previous one month. Younger people (odds ratio OR= 1.78, 95%C/= 1.47-2.16), women (compared with men), and people with higher education levels (OR = 1.58, 95%CI =1.25-1.98) were more likely to visit TCM than compared groups. People with self-reported poor health status (OR = 2.07,95%CI = 1.76-2.44) and people who exercise regularly (OR = 1.17, 95%CI = 1.07-1.27) had higher ORs to visit TCM service than comparison group.Conclusions There is a high utilization of TCM in Taiwan. Further studies are needed to investigate the related factors and determinants between the utilization of TCM and the utilization of FT in Taiwan.     

军人花粉症106例快速免疫治疗

目的　探讨军人花粉症治疗的有效方法。方法　采用提高起始浓度和快速递增浓度 ,上臂外侧皮下注射的方法对 10 6位军人花粉症患者行快速免疫治疗 ,并对每一位患者治疗前后检测血清中总IgE和嗜酸细胞阳离子蛋白 (ECP)。 结果　治疗前后患者总IgE和ECP值有显著性差异。 10 6例患者经 1～ 3年随访复查 ,78例 2个以上发病季节未发作 ,或仅有轻微鼻痒、眼痒 ,18例症状减轻 ,发病时间缩短半月 ,10例症状无明显改善。显效 82例 ,有效 14例 ,无效 10例 ,总有效率为 90 .5 7%。结论　快速免疫治疗能使患者血清总IgE和ECP下降 ,对军人花粉症疗效好。     

Performance measurement of the microPET focus 120 scanner.

The microPET Focus 120 scanner is a third-generation animal PET scanner dedicated to rodent imaging. Here, we report the results of scanner performance testing. METHODS: A (68)Ge point source was used to measure energy resolution, which was determined for each crystal and averaged. Spatial resolution was measured using a (22)Na point source with a nominal size of 0.25 mm at the system center and various off-center positions. Absolute sensitivity without attenuation was determined by extrapolating the data measured using an (18)F line source and multiple layers of absorbers. Scatter fraction and counting rate performance were measured using 2 different cylindric phantoms simulating rat and mouse bodies. Sensitivity, scatter fraction, and noise equivalent counting rate (NECR) experiments were repeated under 4 different conditions (energy window, 250 approximately 750 keV or 350 approximately 650 keV; coincidence window, 6 or 10 ns). A performance phantom with hot-rod inserts of various sizes was scanned, and several animal studies were also performed. RESULTS: Energy resolution at a 511-keV photopeak was 18.3% on average. Radial, tangential, and axial resolution of images reconstructed with the Fourier rebinning (FORE) and filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithms were 1.18 (radial), 1.13 (tangential), and 1.45 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) (axial) at center and 2.35 (radial), 1.66 (tangential), and 2.00 mm FWHM (axial) at a radial offset of 2 cm. Absolute sensitivities at transaxial and axial centers were 7.0% (250 approximately 750 keV, 10 ns), 6.7% (250 approximately 750 keV, 6 ns), 4.0% (350 approximately 650 keV, 10 ns), and 3.8% (350 approximately 650 keV, 6 ns). Scatter fractions were 15.9% (mouse phantom) and 35.0% (rat phantom) for 250 approximately 750 keV and 6 ns. Peak NECR was 869 kcps at 3,242 kBq/mL (mouse phantom) and 228 kcps at 290 kBq/mL (rat phantom) at 250 approximately 750 keV and 6 ns. Hot-rod inserts of 1.6-mm diameter were clearly identified, and animal studies illustrated the feasibility of this system for studies of whole rodents and mid-sized animal brains. CONCLUSION: The results of this independent field test showed the improved physical characteristics of the F120 scanner over the previous microPET series systems. This system will be useful for imaging studies on small rodents and brains of larger animals.     

疝环充填式无张力疝修补术262例体会

目的 探讨疝环充填式无张力修补术治疗腹股沟疝的经验并评价其临床价值.方法 回顾总结2000年1月至2007年6月疝环充填式无张力修补术治疗腹股沟疝262例临床资料,其中伴随高血压、冠心病、糖尿病、慢性呼吸系统疾病、便秘、前列腺肥大等238例,占90.8%.结果 全组均治愈,手术时间平均41分钟,无切口感染,术后4～7天出院,平均住院5天,随访3～64个月,疝复发1例,为0.4%.结论 该方法操作简便,符合腹股沟区生理解剖特点,强调对高龄患者的术前准备,强调严格的无菌操作,强调充填物放置到位和充填后修补到位是避免术后复发的关键.