Monomeric Indole Alkaloids from Kopsia officinalis.

Ten monomeric indole alkaloids have been identified from the roots of KOPSIA OFFICINALIS. Four of them are known: (-)-kopsinine 1, (+)-5,22-dioxokopsane 2, (-)-tetrahydroalstonine 4, and (-)-quebrachamine 3; and six are new: (-)-isoeburnamine 5 (enantiomer of the known alkaloid (+)-isoeburnamine), (-)-N-methoxycarbonyl-12-methoxykopsinaline 7, (-)-N-methoxycarbonyl-11,12-methylenedioxy kopsinaline 8, (-)-N-methoxycarbonyl-11,12-dimethoxykopsinaline 9, (-)-11,12-methylenedioxykopsinaline 10, and (-)-12-methoxykopsinaline 11.     

.MYCOLOGIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMERICELLA NIDULANS AND ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS CAUSED PULMONARY INFECTION

A rare case of pulmonary infection caused by Emericella nidulans and Aspergillus flavus is reported for the first time in our country. "This diagnosis is of significance mycologically. :Direct microscopic examination and histopatho- logic cross section of expectorated mass show numerolus cleistoithecia of varying size, filled by asci and ascospores. Outside the cleistothecia 'were numerous thickwalled Hulle cells. The pa- tient was treated satisfactorily with antimyco- tics.     

双上斜肌麻痹的临床特征与治疗

双眼上斜肌同时麻痹称为双上斜肌麻痹,近年来受到国内外眼科学者的重视。本文报告13例,均是我科近年来手术治疗并在术后观察3个月以上者。13例病人都无明显外伤史,发病在出生时及出生后早期,为先天性病变。手术次数1～2次。临床特征:不对称病变以单眼上斜视,代偿头位为主要表现,其中有一部分病人为潜在型双侧病变。对称型以两侧同向注视时的反向上斜视为主要表现,双侧Bielschowsky征为阳性。不少病人同时有V型斜视。需要手术治疗的病人一般应做双眼手术。可根据病情决定是同时做双侧手术,还是分次做,以及术式、术量。术后大部分病人能获得满意的头位及眼位。     

红核的镇痛作用和加强电针镇痛的作用

<正> 红核属锥体外系,其主要机能是调节躯体运动和肌紧张。但近年来的工作指出它与感觉的调制也有关。如电刺激红核可抑制大鼠的伤害性行为反应。刺激红核可兴奋中缝大核(NRM)神经元的电活动,而刺激NRM可加强电针在三叉神经脊束核尾侧     

Effectiveness of Oximes 2-PAM and HI-6 in Recovery of Muscle Function Depressed by Organophosphate Agents in the Rat Hemidiaphragm: An in Vitro Study

Effectiveness of Oximes 2-PAM and HI-6 in Recovery of MuscleFunction Depressed by Organophosphate Agents in the Rat Hemidiaphragm:An in vitro Study. REDDY, V. K., DESHPANDE, S. S., CINTRA, W.M., SCOBLE, G. T., AND ALBUQUERQUE, E. X. (1991). Fundam. Appl.Toxicol. 17, 746–760. Phrenic nerve diaphragm musclesof young adult rats were used to study the ability of the oximes2-PAM and HI-6 to recover muscle function depressed by organophosphate(OP) agents. The single twitch of diaphragm muscles which wereexposed to soman (0.2 mm) recovered after washing with salinefor 3 hr, but the muscles pretreated with sarin (0.4 µM),VX (0.2 µM), or tabun (0.4 µM) showed only partialrecovery. In addition, after 3 hr washing, the muscles pretreatedwith soman as well as with tabun did not recover the tetanussustaining ability (TSA), yet complete recovery was observedwith muscles pretreated with sarin and VX. These results indicatethat the OPs have different effects on muscle contractile propertiesand that VX- and sarin-pretreated muscles recover equally wellafter wash with physiological solution. The recovery of twitchtension of diaphragm muscles by 2-PAM and HI-6 was similar tothat achieved by washing with saline for 3 hr for sarin- andsoman-exposed muscles. The most remarkable differences wereseen in the recovery of TSA. Both 2-PAM and HI-6 recovered theTSA of muscles that were pretreated with sarin and VX. Although2-PAM recovered the TSA after tabun pretreatment, HI-6 had nodiscernible effect. On the other hand, HI-6 recovered the TSAof soman-pretreated muscles but 2-PAM did not. The effectivenessof muscle function recovery was not related to the oximes' abilityto reactivate AChE, thus indicating that the recovery of musclecontractility may be attributed to a direct effect of thesecompounds on the muscle.     

Improving the quality of governance. A multiunit organization takes steps to strengthen local boards

"A Plan for the Healthcare Apostolate," adopted in 1981, established goals and strategies to strengthen the Daughters of Charity National Health System-East Central (DCNHS-East Central). The plan provided the basis for a series of steps taken during the past decade to improve local-level governance. DCNHS-East Central has taken actions in the areas of board composition, trustee orientation and development, board leadership, definitions of governance roles and responsibilities, and performance evaluation. These steps have resulted in substantial improvement in the performance of local-level governance functions within DCNHS-East Central.     

Surveillance and control of emerging zoonoses.

"Emerging zoonoses" are defined as zoonotic diseases caused either by apparently new agents, or by previously known microorganisms, appearing in places or in species in which the disease was previously unknown. New animal diseases with an unknown host spectrum are also included in this definition. Natural animal reservoirs represent a more frequent source of new agents of human disease than the sudden appearance of a completely new agent. Factors explaining the emergence of a zoonotic or potentially zoonotic disease are usually complex, involving mechanisms at the molecular level, such as genetic drift and shift, and modification of the immunological status of individuals and populations. Social and ecological conditions influencing population growth and movement, food habits, the environment and many other factors may play a more important role than changes at the molecular level. Diseases associated with changing farming practices, trade and consumer habits. Bacterial enteric diseases due to Salmonella enteritidis and Echerichia coli 0:157 are examples of diseases associated with changing farming practices and consumer habits. The increasing trade in live animals for animal production and research led to the introduction of the New World screwworm to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 1989 and an Ebola-like virus in monkeys in quarantine facilities in the United States of America. The development of the epidemics of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United Kingdom is due to multiple factors including the increasing use of ruminant proteins as feed for animals. Diseases associated with changing environmental conditions which influence reservoirs, vectors and/or victim species population parameters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Acute changes in forearm haemodynamics produced by cigarette smoking in healthy normotensive non-smokers are not influenced by propranolol or pindolol

Summary The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of cigarette smoking in healthy non-smokers on blood pressure and forearm haemodynamics after acute oral administration of non-selective -adrenoceptor blockers with and without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, viz. pindolol 15 mg and propranolol 80 mg. A preliminary study was done to compare cigarette smoking and sham smoking to evaluate the time-course of the haemodynamic effects of cigarette smoking. The second experiment was then carried out in the same six volunteers, according to a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover design, to evaluate the possible effect of pre-treatment with -adrenoceptor blockers on blood pressure, heart rate and forearm haemodynamics (forearm blood flow, brachial artery diameter and brachio-radial pulse-wave velocity) measured at baseline, during smoking and every five minutes up to 1 h afterwards.No major difference from placebo in blood pressure or forearm haemodynamics was found and pre-treatment with beta-blockers did not prevent the acute vascular effects of cigarette smoking.     

Single-dose toxicokinetics of aluminum in the rat

The toxicokinetics of aluminum (Al) in male Wistar rats was studied after single intragastric (IG) doses of 1000 and 12000 g Al/kg and intravenous (IV) doses of 10, 100, 1000, and 12000 g Al/kg. Serial blood samples, daily samples of urine and feces as well as brain, liver, kidney, spleen, quadriceps muscle, and femur samples were collected. Al was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Al blood profiles after IV doses were adequately described by a two-compartment open model. Al toxicokinetics was dose dependent and appeared to plateau at 12000 g/kg. At IV doses between 10 and 1000 g/kg the terminal half-life of elimination from whole blood (t_1/2) increased from 29.9±7.8 to 209.3±32.6 min, and the total body clearance (CL) decreased from 2.45±0.64 to 0.28±0.03 ml min^–1 kg^–1. Following an IV bolus of 10 and 100 g/kg the administered Al was recovered completely from urine (94.4%±9.9% and 98.5%±3.2%). Twenty-nine days after the IV dose of 1000 g/kg daily renal excretion decreased to baseline values while only 55.1%±8.0% of the dose was excreted. Nineteen days after the single IV dose of 1000 g/kg Al accumulated in liver (28.1±7.7 versus 1.7±0.5 g/g of control rats) and spleen (72.5±21.1 versus <0.4 g/g). After the single 1000 g/kg IG dose no absorption of Al was detectable. The IG dose of 12000 g/kg resulted in a maximum blood Al level of 47.9±12.4 g/l after 50 min. The blood concentration time curve fitted a one-compartment open model with a half-life of absorption of 28.2±3.6 min and a t_1/2 of 81.2±20.2 min. Cumulative renal Al excretion was 0.18%±0.10% of the dose and oral bioavailability was 0.02%. Seventeen days after the 12000 g/kg IG dose the Al content in femur samples was increased (2.7±1.3 versus 0.6±0.4 g/g). In no case was fecal elimination of incorporated Al observed.