Retreatment of hepatitis C patients with pegylated interferon combined with ribavirin in non-responders to interferon plus ribavirin. Is it different in real life?

Background  

More than 50% of hepatitis C viruses (HCV)-infected patients do not respond to the classical Interferon (IFN)/Ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of retreatment with Peg-Interferon alpha-2b (PEG-IFN alpha-2b) plus RBV, in patients with HCV, genotypes 1 or 3, who were non-responders to the previous standard treatment with IFN/RBV.     

Psychological disorders among Spanish Nursing students three months after COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study

The COVID-19 pandemic had a notable impact on the psychological well-being of a large part of the population, putting them at risk of developing depressive symptoms, different levels of anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One group considered to be at high risk are Nursing students; they were affected as learning strategies changed and clinical practices were cancelled. This study attempts to assess the psychological impact COVID-19 pandemic had on Nursing students and to explore the sociodemographic differences that can be risk factors for mental health disturbance. The psychological impact was evaluated using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The study took place 4 months after the state of alarm was declared over in Spain. From a total sample of 304 Nursing students, 26.7%, 39.8%, and 15.5% showed PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, respectively. Severe levels of psychological impact have been associated with being a female, a smoker, and feeling fear and stress. Having a relative test positive has been linked to lower anxiety levels while being afraid or stressed to higher anxiety levels. Being a female, co-habit with friends and feeling stress have been associated with higher depression levels.     

Emmetropic eye growth in East Asians and non-East Asians

Purpose

To compare axial length (AL) growth curves in East Asian (EA) and non-EA emmetropes.

Methods

A meta-regression of 28 studies with emmetrope-specific AL data (measured with optical biometry) was performed. Emmetropia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) between −0.50 and +1.25 D, determined under cycloplegia if the mean age was ≤20 years. The AL growth curve (mean AL vs. mean age) was first fitted to the full dataset using a weighted nonlinear mixed-effects model, before refitting the model with ethnicity as a two-level grouping variable (EA vs. non-EA). Ethnic differences in growth curve parameters were tested using the Wald test.

Results

A total of 3331 EA and 1071 non-EA emmetropes (mean age: 6.5–23.1 years) were included. There was no evidence of an ethnic difference in either final AL (difference: 0.15 mm, 95% CI: −0.04 to 0.35 mm, p = 0.15) or initial AL, as represented by the amount that the final AL needed to be offset to obtain the y-intercept (difference: −2.77 mm, 95% CI: −10.97 to 5.44, p = 0.51). Likewise, AL growth rate (curve steepness) did not differ between ethnic groups (difference: 0.09, 95% CI: −0.13 to 0.31, p = 0.43). Collectively, AL growth rate decreased from 0.24 mm/year at 6 years of age to around 0.05 mm/year at 11 years of age, after which it dipped below the repeatability of optical biometry (±0.04 mm) and practically plateaued around 16 years of age (final AL: 23.60 mm).

Conclusions

EA and non-EA emmetropes have comparable AL growth curves.     

Coronary heart disease and depression in the elderly--a population- based study

BACKGROUND: Growing interest is nowadays focused on the quality of life of elderly people who survive with chronic diseases. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common diseases among the elderly and may have an unfavourable impact on the patient's emotional well-being. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe the prevalence of depression and the occurrence of depressive symptoms among elderly CHD patients, with a special emphasis on the relations between depression and the severity of CHD, and to find out the possible association between CHD and depression. METHODS: The study was carried out at the health centre of the municipality of Lieto, in south-west Finland. The study population consisted of 488 community-dwelling men and 708 women, over 64 years old, from among whom the participants with CHD (89 men and 73 women) were selected, and for whom 178 male and 146 female sex- and age- matched controls (free of CHD) were drawn from the population. CHD patients were selected on the basis of the presence of angina pectoris or a past myocardial infarction. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale. Depression was described in relation to the severity of dyspnoea and chest pain among patients. The associations between depression and age, health, health behaviour, drugs, functional ability and social, psychosocial and environmental factors were analysed by logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 29% among male patients and 20% among female patients. Depression was significantly more common among male CHD patients than among male controls (P = 0.011). Among women, depression was not associated with CHD. Earlier, depression had gone undiagnosed among many CHD patients and controls, especially male patients. Among male CHD patients, depression was associated with more severe dyspnoea, but no similar association was found among female CHD patients. Among men the occurrence of CHD, physical disability, widowhood or divorce, and among women previous clinical depression, physical disability and the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, were associated with depression. CONCLUSION: Depression is common among patients with CHD. It seems that CHD is not an independent factor in the aetiology of depression among the elderly. The association of CHD with depression among men is explained by the acute or chronic psychic stress caused by CHD. It may be that the more complicated the patient's CHD, the more probable is the presence of depression.      

The inter‐rater reliability between nurse‐assessors clinically assessing infection of chronic wounds using the WUWHS criteria

The aim of this study was to determine the inter‐rater reliability between one expert‐nurse and four clinical‐nurses who were asked to clinically assess infection of chronic wounds by using the World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) criteria. A quasi‐experimental design was used to collect the data. In comparison to phase 1 in which ‘open questions’ were asked, in phase 2 a pre‐printed form (checklist) was introduced. In both phases, 55 chronic wounds were clinically assessed. For each WUWHS criterion the inter‐rater reliability of signs and symptoms was expressed by Cohens Kappa (κ). A substantial agreement (κ ≥ 0·6) was considered as adequate. In both phases pocketing (p < 0·02), and erythema (p < 0·004) scored statistically significant results. Phase 2 showed higher inter‐rater agreements compared with phase 1 (three substantial agreements (easily bleeding/friable granulation tissue, delayed healing, increasing exudate), an almost perfect‐ and a perfect agreement for malodour and pain, respectively. According to the results it can be concluded that the clinical assessment of infection of chronic wounds may be better supported by a pre‐printed form than making use of an ‘open questions’ form. To provide this with a higher level of evidence, there is need for more well conducted studies.     

高效液相色谱法测定消痰咳片的含量

目的：采用反相色谱法同时测定消痰咳片中两种主要成分甲氧苄啶和磺胺体的含量。方法：以乙腈：0.1%H3PO4(15:85)为流动相，检测波长254nm，HPLC法测定含量。结果：试验表明，甲氧苄啶和磺胺林在0.8-8ug范围内呈良好的线性关系，回归方程分别为Y＝－1127.1＋110.2x(r=0.9994),Y=-1852.3 256.2x(r=0.9996),相对标准偏差分别为2.1%和0.8%。结论：该方法简便、准确、可靠。     

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。     

磁性明胶微球体内分布实验研究

对磁性明胶微球进行了同位素标记。用γ-闪烁照相技术观察了磁性明胶微球在兔体内的分布。结果表明:靶部位的放射活性加磁场是未加磁场的15倍,而且施加磁场时间长和磁场强度大有利于磁性明胶微球定位于靶区。文中也介绍了自行设计的外加磁场装置。     

Chronic daily headache with migrainous features due to papilledema-negative idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Patients with the syndrome of chronic daily headache often report migrainous symptoms and consequently are diagnosed as having a primary headache syndrome. We report two cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension causing chronic daily headache with migrainous features in the absence of associated papilledema.     

清除骨髓中癌细胞的磁性微球研究 II.聚苯乙烯磁性微球的研制

为制备能用于清除骨髓中癌细胞的磁性微球,首先合成了单分散、大粒径的多孔聚苯乙烯交联微球,借助微球多孔结构对其进行磁化。探讨了影响磁化效果的主要因素。为使其与单抗连接紧密,在微球表面聚合了一层聚丙烯醛膜,使其表面带上易与单抗反应的醛基。同时测定了所制微球的磁响应性。X-射线衍射证明磁性物质为γ-Fe₂O₃。