Differences in reasons for smoking between younger and older smokers

The reasons why older people smoke have not been examined in the literature. This paper attempted to examine the differences in motivation and maintenance factors of elderly and young smokers using the Horn-Waingrow Why do you smoke questionnaire. One hundred and thirteen clinical patients and 112 non-patient controls were used in this study. The clinical group was divided into an elderly group (n = 58) and a younger group (n = 55). The results of a discriminant analysis showed that patients significantly differed from non-patients on 'automatic habit and stimulation', and 'crutch/tension reduction' factors. Elderly patients were found to be significantly differentiated from both younger patients and the control group on the 'pleasurable relaxation' factor. These findings offer support for the US Surgeon Generals' report that elderly smokers do have different motivating factors for their smoking behaviours from younger smokers.     

The influence of gestation and mechanical ventilation on serum clara cell secretory protein (CC10) concentrations in ventilated and nonventilated newborn infants

Clara cell secretory protein (CC10) is an important anti-inflammatory mediator in the adult lung, but its role in newborn pulmonary protection is uncertain. We examined the early postnatal behavior of CC10 in newborn serum and tracheal fluid and hypothesized that CC10 production is positively influenced by gestation. Blood from 165 infants from the first, third/fourth, and seventh days of life (gestational ages: 23-29 wk, 30-36 wk, >36 wk) and tracheal fluid (TF) from the first day of life from 32 ventilated infants were analyzed for CC10. Surfactant proteins A (SPA) and B (SPB) were also analyzed from the blood of a subgroup of infants. Serum CC10 on day 1 was highest in term infants (69.4 ng/mL), followed by moderately preterm (55.8 ng/mL), and then extremely preterm infants (median 42.1 ng/mL). Term infants also had higher tracheal fluid CC10 than preterm infants. (20.152 ng/mL versus 882 ng/mL). Mechanical ventilation increased serum CC10 only in moderately preterm infants, and only on d 1 [68.4 ng/mL versus 42.1 ng/mL (nonventilated moderately preterm infants)]. Serum CC10 decreased progressively by the end of the first week in all infants, in contrast to SPA and SPB, which increased. Our results show that CC10 is detectable in the blood of newborn infants and that a production surge occurs at birth. This surge is more pronounced in term infants and may confer them with superior extrauterine pulmonary protection compared with preterm infants.     

A cognitive model of binge drinking: the influence of alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy

While binge drinking-episodic or irregular consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol-is recognised as a serious problem affecting our youth, to date there has been a lack of psychological theory and thus theoretically driven research into this problem. The current paper develops a cognitive model using the key constructs of alcohol expectancies (AEs) and drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE) to explain the acquisition and maintenance of binge drinking. It is suggested that the four combinations of the AE and DRSE can explain the four drinking styles. These are normal/social drinkers, binge drinkers, regular heavy drinkers, and problem drinkers or alcoholics. Since AE and DRSE are cognitive constructs and therefore modifiable, the cognitive model can thus facilitate the design of intervention and prevention strategies for binge drinking.     

Kinetics of carbamazepine and carbamazepine-epoxide, determined by use of plasma and saliva

The concentration-time curves of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its metabolite (carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide; CBZ-epoxide) were determined in patients undergoing long-term antiepileptic drug treatment with the use of plasma and saliva data. Plasma and saliva samples were assayed concurrently for each patient by liquid chromatography. There was excellent linear correlation between CBZ levels in saliva and plasma (r = 0.991, p less than 0.001) over a large concentration range. The saliva/plasma ratio for CBZ concentration was 0.26 +/- 0.01 (SD). Since CBZ binding to plasma proteins is in the order of 76%, saliva CBZ concentration seems to reflect the unbound fraction of the drug in plasma. CBZ-epoxide has not been detected in saliva. The pharmacokinetic parameters of CBZ-epoxide were determined in 6 patients. The pharmacokinetic parameters of CBZ obtained from saliva concentrations were in excellent agreement with those obtained from plasma concentrations. Thus, CBZ determination in saliva is convenient for controlling blood levels in patients as well as for studying pharmacokinetics. The half-life, the relative body clearance of CBZ, and the metabolite concentration during steady-state, expressed as percent the parent compound, appear to be significantly different in patients on single and combined drug therapy.     

Rat self administration of ethanol: Enhancement by darkness and exogenous melatonin

Using an FT 60 schedule, rats on 100% free feeding tested in the dark phase of a 12:12 light-dark cycle were trained to self-administer ethanol intravenously. The effect was dose-dependent with 20% ethanol being the preferred dose as measured by the number of infusions. Daily administration of 1.5 mg/kg melatonin significantly increased ethanol self-injection in the dark but not in the light. The time of day of testing and/or drug administration may be an important variable in studies on self-administration of drugs. Testing in the dark may eliminate the need for reducing body weight when inducing self-administration of ethanol.     

A 3 year retrospective review of intrauterine insemination, using cryopreserved donor spermatozoa and cycle monitoring by urinary or serum luteinizing hormone measurements

Insemination with donor spermatozoa is an integral part of infertility treatment. For the last 3 years in our unit, intrauterine insemination with donor spermatozoa (IUID) has been used in preference to vaginal insemination. In this retrospective study, patients were offered an initial course of five single intrauterine inseminations with cryopreserved donor spermatozoa and treatment was then reviewed. A total of 389 patients received 1465 inseminations. In all, 1119 cycles were monitored using luteinizing hormone serum analyses and 346 cycles using the urine home test kits. The clinical pregnancy rate per insemination for the cycles monitored by the serum assay was 18.0% (202/1119) compared with the urine cycles (13.7%, 46/346) (P <05). The pregnancy loss rate was not significantly different (14.4%, 29/202 and 21.7%, 10/46) (serum and urine cycles respectively). The viable clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher (P <03) for the serum cycles than for the cycles using the urinary monitoring (15.5%, 173/1119 and 10.4%, 36/346 respectively). The cycles monitored by serum assay had a significantly higher cumulative viable clinical pregnancy rate (P <0001) of 70.2% after nine inseminations compared with the urine monitored cycles of 54.8%. The majority of patients opted for the serum cycles, with a minority self-selecting the urine cycles mainly for travelling convenience. The explanation for the significant differences between the viable clinical pregnancy rates per insemination and the cumulative viable clinical pregnancy rates may be due to the sensitivity of the urine home test kit or the patients' interpretation of the result.      

Renovascular hypertension: the small kidney updated

We report the results of treatment in 57 patients with renovascular hypertension associated with one poorly perfused, small kidney with less than 25 per cent of total 131I-hippurate uptake shown by renography. Arteriography in 29 patients demonstrated occlusion of the artery of the small kidney, and in 28 there was stenosis. In addition, 25 patients had stenosis of the artery supplying the larger contralateral kidney. Stenosis of the arteries of the contralateral kidneys was dilated by percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty in all but one of the 25 patients with bilateral disease of the artery, stenosis of the small kidney could be dilated successfully by percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty in 22 of the 28 patients, and cure or improvement of blood pressure was achieved in 12 of them. Percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty of occluded arteries was generally unsuccessful. In 17 patients with unilateral disease not manageable by percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty, nephrectomy of the small kidney improved blood pressure control without significant deterioration of renal function. Renal function improved in 10 patients with bilateral lesions treated by nephrectomy of the small kidney in combination with contralateral percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty. Histological examination of excised kidneys showed large infarcts or several cholesterol emboli whether percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty had been attempted or not. After observation periods ranging from two to 79 months, 48 patients were normotensive (21 without and 27 with medication) and nine patients were still hypertensive even with medication. This study showed that by using percutaneous transluminal arterioplasty initially if possible, supplemented with nephrectomy and/or medication, normotension without loss of renal function or immediate serious complications could be obtained in the majority of these severely hypertensive patients.     

Miltefosine induces apoptosis-like cell death in yeast via Cox9p in cytochrome c oxidase

Miltefosine has antifungal properties and potential for development as a therapeutic for invasive fungal infections. However, its mode of action in fungi is poorly understood. We demonstrate that miltefosine is rapidly incorporated into yeast, where it penetrates the mitochondrial inner membrane, disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential and leading to an apoptosis-like cell death. COX9, which encodes subunit VIIa of the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) complex in the electron transport chain of the mitochondrial membrane, was identified as a potential target of miltefosine from a genomic library screen of the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When overexpressed in S. cerevisiae, COX9, but not COX7 or COX8, led to a miltefosine-resistant phenotype. The effect of miltefosine on COX activity was assessed in cells expressing different levels of COX9. Miltefosine inhibited COX activity in a dose-dependent manner in Cox9p-positive cells. This inhibition most likely contributed to the miltefosine-induced apoptosis-like cell death.     

脾内血管的应用解剖学研究盐酸喹那普利治疗原发性高血压的临床应用观察

目的　探讨盐酸喹那普利 (QuinaprilHydrochloride)治疗轻、中度原发性高血压的有效性和安全性。方法　全国 6家医院参加的一项多中心、随机、双盲、平行组间对照研究。结果　 113例原发性高血压病人治疗 8周后 ,总有效率达 85 84% ,统计学有显著性差异。盐酸喹那普利副反应较轻 ,对肾脏、肝脏、造血系统和心脏未见有害作用。结论　盐酸喹那普利是一种安全、疗效好、副反应小的治疗轻、中度原发性高血压的有效药物。