Survival and recovery of human platelets stored for five days in a non- plasma medium

Human blood platelets were stored for five days as concentrates in 60 mL of: (a) plasma; (b) non-plasma medium with anticoagulant; and (c) non-plasma medium without anticoagulant. All preparations were equally functional when tested for platelet aggregation and release reaction in response to single agonist or synergistic pairs of agonists in vitro. Platelets stored in non-plasma medium with anti-coagulant had lower kallikrein, fibrino(gen)peptide A, lactate, and beta-thromboglobulin than did plasma controls after five days. In vivo recovery and survival of platelets stored in non-plasma medium with anticoagulant were 51.2% +/- 4.3% and 8.7 +/- 0.3 days, respectively, which were not statistically different from plasma controls of 39.2% +/- 4.9% and 7.2 +/- 0.8 days, respectively. It is concluded that platelets can be stored for five days in a non-plasma medium and still have good in vivo recoveries and survivals.     

Prevalence of seasonal affective disorder at four latitudes

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was mailed to a sample population balanced for sex and randomly selected from local telephone directories in four areas: Nashua, NH, New York, NY, Montgomery County, MD, and Sarasota, FL. On the basis of responses to this questionnaire, prevalence rates of winter seasonal affective disorder (winter SAD), summer seasonal affective disorder (summer SAD), and subsyndromal winter SAD were estimated for the four areas. Rates of winter SAD and subsyndromal SAD were found to be significantly higher at the more northern latitudes, while no correlation was found between latitude and summer SAD. The positive correlation between latitude and prevalence of winter SAD applied predominantly to the age groups over 35.     

Exercise and Manual Auricular Acupuncture： A Pilot Assessor-blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background： Evidence supports the use of exercise for chronic low back pain （CLBP）; however, adherence is often poor due to ongoing pain. Auricular acupuncture is a form of pain relief involving the stimulation of points on the outer ear corresponding with specific body parts. It may be a useful adjunct to exercise in managing CLBP; however, there is only limited evidence to support its use with this patient group. Methods/Design： This study was designed to test the feasibility of an assessor-blind randomized controlled trial which assess the effects on clinical outcomes and exercise adherence of adding manual auricular acupuncture to a personalized and supervised exercise programme （PEP） for CLBP. No sample size calculation has been carried out as this study aims to identify CLBP referral rates within the catchment area of the study site.     

A clinical trial evaluating the 24-hour effects of bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide 5 mg/6.25 mg combination in patients with mild to moderate hypertension

This study used 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring to investigate the effectiveness of a novel low-dose combination of bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide in adult patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension. Thirty-six patients with stable mild to moderate hypertension (sitting diastolic BP 95–114 mmHg) after a placebo run-in phase received oral bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide 5 mg/6.25 mg once daily for 4 weeks in a single-blind regimen. At office visits, BP and pulse were measured with statistically significant reductions (p<0.01) recorded after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment Twenty-four-h ambulatory BP monitoring at the completion of therapy revealed significant reductions (p<0.01) in both systolic and diastolic 24-h, daytime, and nighttime BP, compared with the end of the placebo treatment phase. Systolic and diastolic load were also reduced (p<0.01). The combination was well tolerated, and overall quality-of-life questionnaire scores indicated an improvement after bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide therapy (p = 0.02). No clinically significant changes from baseline in laboratory parameters were observed; in particular, serum potassium was unchanged. This is the first study to demonstrate the 24-h effectiveness of the bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide 5 mg/6.25 mg combination, using 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. In addition, antihypertensive therapy with low doses of bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide in combination may improve tolerability.     

Alpha 2-adrenergic receptor function in patients with unipolar and bipolar affective disorders

Alpha 2-adrenergic receptor function was measured in platelets from unipolar (UP) depressed, bipolar (BP) depressed, and bipolar euthymic patients and normal control subjects. Only the platelets from UP depressed patients were different from control in having an increased number of alpha 2-receptors, a decreased percent norepinephrine inhibition of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-stimulated cyclic AMP (cAMP) production, and a decrease in PGE1 stimulation of cAMP production. Platelets from BP patients, depressed or euthymic, were not significantly different from control subjects. These preliminary data suggest that alpha 2-adrenergic receptor function and PGE1 stimulation of cAMP production are diminished in UP patients.