Nail psoriasis: a retrospective study on the effectiveness of systemic treatments (classical and biological therapy)

Background Nail psoriasis represents a challenge for specialists. There is no comparative study of systemic treatment’s effectiveness at this site. Objective: Evaluate the response of nail psoriasis to classical and biological therapy and to compare the effectiveness and safety of the different treatments. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 84 patients with moderate–severe psoriasis seen at our Department between January 2006 and January 2009. Results Psoriasis was severe in 53.4%. In 75% of cases, the fingernails were affected, and the mixed form was the most frequently subtype. The mean baseline scores on the PASI and the NAPSI were 23.12 and 14.7 respectively; the correlation between the two scores fell at weeks 12 and 24 but had risen again at week 48. The baseline NAPSI score tended to be lower in women and significantly higher in patients over 65 years of age, family history of psoriasis, severe psoriasis and nail matrix involvement. In our series, 58.3% received classical treatment (acitretin, methotrexate, cyclosporin, PUVA, NUVB, REPUVA, RENUVB) and 41.7% received biological treatment (infliximab, efalizumab, etanercept, adalimumab).Significant reductions were found (P < 0.05) in the mean NAPSI scores at 12, 24 and 48 weeks with all the antipsoriatic agents except NUVB; significantly greater with cyclosporine (P < 0.01) and biological as infliximab and adalimumab at 12 and 24 weeks (differences between treatments disappeared at 48 weeks). Conclusion The response to treatment is slower in the nail lesions than in the skin lesions. The improvement of nail psoriasis is significant both with the classical treatments significantly higher in cyclosporin; and biological treatment (infliximab and adalimumab at 12 and 24 weeks).     

A subordinate status position increases the present value of financial resources for low 2D:4D men.

It has been suggested that the ratio of the length of the 2nd and 4th fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is related to prenatal testosterone with lower ratios thought to be influenced by higher prenatal testosterone levels. Accordingly, low 2D:4D has been associated to a number of fitness-related factors, such as high status in competitive sports and in music. Recent evidence suggests that 2D:4D is also related to economic decision making. We combine both streams of research in the present paper. In two studies we manipulated status in two different ways. We found that a subordinate position raises discount rates, consistent with the reasoning that the present utility of money is higher for men in this position. Moreover, the effect was more pronounced for men with a low 2D:4D. There was a significant negative relationship between 2D:4D and level of discounting in a subordinate status position, but no significant relationship emerged in the dominant status position. Our studies add evidence to the recent line of research associating digit ratio and economic decision making. Moreover, our studies show that future 2D:4D research should focus on plausible interactions between 2D:4D and context cues rather than on linear relations.     

5种注射剂的细菌内毒素检查法初步考察

目的：考察５种注射剂盐酸林可霉素注射液，盐酸精氨酸注射液，注射用玻璃酸酶，肝素钠注射液和顺铂注射液的细菌内毒素检查法可行性。方法：中国药典细菌内毒素检查法。结果；除ｄ外，其余原液及稀释液均于有干扰作用。结论：ｄ的原液及ａ的２０倍以上稀释液可用灵敏度为０．５ＥＵ／ｍｌ的鲎试剂作细菌内毒素检查，而ｂ，ｃ和ｅ尚需进一步探讨。     

11种獐牙菜及近缘植物中有效成分的高效液相色谱测定

建立了獐牙菜中3种苦味甙,即獐牙菜苦甙(swertiamarin)、獐牙菜甙(sweroside)、龙胆苦甙(gentiopicroside)及一种　酮甙──獐牙菜　酮甙(swertianolin)的高效液相色谱定量分析方法(μ-BondpakC₁₈柱,水—甲醇—异丙醇—四氢呋喃=65:30:5:1作流动相);对11种獐牙菜及近缘植物椭圆叶花锚、坚龙胆进行了含量测定,并对他们之间的异同进行了比较。     

γ-去氢骆驼蓬碱等咔啉类生物碱的辐射防护作用

γ- Harmine(Ⅰ),’harmine(Ⅱ )and harmaline(Ⅲ )were isolated from PeganumHarmala L.( Zygophylaceae).Tests were conducted with mice to detect whether γ- harmine( a newcompound), harmine,harmof(Ⅳ)and harmalol(Ⅴ) are effective radioprotective compounds againstγ-ray irradiation, Intraperitoneal injection of the hydrochlorides of the four alkaloids 50～80mg·kg^-1×1 in NIH male mice 30～45 minutes before 8.6～9. 7 Gy whole body ⁶⁰Co irradiationsignificantly increased the survival effects(1. 33～2. 61)and 30-day survivai rate in comparison withcontrol mice.The results indicatethat γ- harmine exhibited relatively good radioprotective effect.γ-harmine is the first alkaloid isolated from a plant having ptotective effects against whole-body lethal irradiation in mice.     

尖叶清风藤化学成分的研究

从尖叶清风藤(Sabia swinhoei Hmsl.exForb.etHemsl.)的地上部分分离出8个化合物,经理化常数测定和光谱解析,证明其中2个为新成分,分别命名为清风藤内酯(I)和清风藤酮(II),另外6个为已知化合物,即没药烯(III)、三十烷醇(IV)、β-谷甾醇(V)、二十八烷酸(VI)、齐墩果酸(VII)和胡萝卜甙(VIII)。     

取代苄基/萘甲基异喹啉类及有关季铵衍生物的合成与生物活性

以具心血管活性的异喹啉类生物碱为先导物,结合某些钾通道阻滞剂的结构特征,设计合成了28个3,4-二氢(I_1～4)和1,2,3,4-四氢苄基/萘甲基异喹啉化合物(II_1～18)及有关季铵衍生物(I_5,6和II_19～22)。药理试验表明:除化合物I₄有一定升压作用外,大多化合物有不同程度的降压和减慢心率活性,其中化合物II1的降压活性最强。分析定量构效关系发现:化合物母核氮原子电荷愈大(即其绝对值愈小),降压作用愈强;反之,减慢心率作用愈强。异喹啉母核氮原子电荷可能为影响作用于血管或心脏组织的重要因素之一。     

Effect of quinolone antibiotics on hepatic growth and protein synthesis following partial hepatectomy in rats

Quinolone antibiotics inhibit eukaryotic as well as prokaryotic cell growth and protein synthesis. To determine whether these properties adversely affect hepatic growth and recovery following surgical resection, five groups of healthy, adult male rats (n = 7–8/group) were treated for 10 days with equal volumes of either ofloxacin (50 mg/kg), fleroxacin (25mg/kg), ciprofloxacin (25 mg/kg), norfloxacin (15mg/kg) or sterile saline (controls) prior to 70% partial hepatectomy (PH) and daily thereafter until death. Restituted liver mass, DNA and protein synthesis rates were determined at 24, 48 and 72 h PH. The results of the study revealed that all parameters of hepatic regeneration were similar in the five study groups at each time interval. To ensure that an effect on hepatic regeneration was not dose-dependent, additional experiments were performed where 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg ciprofloxacin was administered and DNA synthesis was measured 24 h post-PH. Once again, the results were similar to sterile saline-treated controls. These findings suggest that the quinolone antibiotics are unlikely to have an adverse effect on hepatic recovery following surgical resection of the liver and are safe to use in that setting.     

中药知母有效成分研究

自内蒙古赤峰地区产知母(Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bumge)根茎的乙醇提取物中分得单体化合物知母皂甙A1(Ⅰ),A2(Ⅱ)和B(Ⅲ)。经化学和波谱方法(UV,IR,EI-MS,FAB-MS,¹H-NMR和¹³C-NMR),以鉴定其化学结构分别为萨尔萨皂甙元-3-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基(1→2)-β-D-吡喃半乳糖甙(Ⅰ)、吗尔考皂甙元-3-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基(1→2)-β-D-吡喃半乳糖甙(Ⅱ)和26-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基呋甾-20(22)-烯-3β-2,6-二醇-3-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖基(1→2)-β-D-吡喃半乳糖甙(Ⅲ)。Ⅲ为一新的甾体皂甙,且其甙元也是首次在天然界中发现。经初步药理实验显示,Ⅲ具有抑制PAF诱导的兔血小板聚集的作用。     

Characteristic sequential residue environment of amino acids in proteins

The occurrence of all di- and tripeptide segments of proteins was counted in a large data base containing about 119 000 residues. It was found that the abundance of the amino acids does not determine the frequency of the various di- and tripeptide segments. In addition, the frequency of the various tripeptides cannot be predicted from the observed pair-frequency values. The pair-frequency distribution of amino acids is highly asymmetrical, pairs formed from identical residues are generally preferred and amino acids cannot be clustered on the basis of their first neighbour preferences. These data indicate the existence of general short range regularities in the primary structure of proteins. The consequences of these short range regularities were studied by comparing Chou-Fasman parameters with analogous parameters determined from the results of conformational energy calculations of single amino acids. This comparison shows that Chou-Fasman parameters carry significant information about the environment of each amino acid. The success of the Chou-Fasman's prediction and the properties of the pair and triplet distribution of the amino acid residues suggest that every amino acid has a characteristic sequential residue environment in proteins. The observed preferences could be invoked, for example, in protein design or in the study of the evolutionary relationship of proteins.