Anticonvulsant Activity of Diospyros Fischeri Root Extracts

Diospyros fischeri Gurke (Ebenaceae) is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. Dichloromethane, ethylacetate, and ethanol extracts of the roots, at doses between 100 and 1600 mg/kg BW, inhibited convulsions induced by the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAa) receptor antagonist, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), in a dose dependent manner. The extracts also exhibited low toxicity against brine shrimps giving LC₅₀ values between 45.4 and 95.4 µg/ml. These results provide evidence for the potential of D. fischeri extracts to treat absence seizures, especially given their seemingly innocuous nature.     

Restenosis after endovascular PTA/stenting for supra-aortic branches in Takayasu aortitis: report of three cases and review of the literature

Recently, endovascular management has been reported as a feasible option for Takayasu aortitis. However, few papers have focused on restenosis in the follow-up, and therefore, it is important to predict high-risk cases for restenosis after endovascular treatment. We herein report three cases with Takayasu aortitis showing repeated restenosis after endovascular percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA)/stenting and discuss its clinical implications with a review of the literature. We should keep in mind that endovascular PTA/stenting for Takayasu aortitis does not always keep the patency of the affected vessels, and severity of the stenosis and/or uncontrollable systemic inflammation could be a risk factor for restenosis. Therefore, careful follow-up under strict control of inflammation is mandatory. Overall, this method is effective as an initial treatment since repeated PTA is available until collateral supply develops.     

Revising polypharmacy to a single antipsychotic regimen for patients with chronic schizophrenia

Antipsychotic polypharmacy has been empirically used and a recent trend in favour of that mode of therapy has been suggested for the treatment of schizophrenia. The clinical efficacy, however, still remains to be clarified. In order to critically evaluate the usefulness of such kind of psychopharmacotherapy, antipsychotic combination regimen (polypharmacy) was switched to a treatment with the single main antipsychotic (monotherapy) in cross-tapered fashion, while approximately maintaining the total amount, for patients with chronic schizophrenia. Patients had been treated with an average of three antipsychotics and maintained with the same antipsychotic polypharmacy regimen for more than 6 months before the entry. They were followed up with an antipsychotic monopharmacy and evaluated at 24 wk after completion of switching. Forty-seven patients were recruited for this study. Of 44 patients for whom evaluation was possible, 24 (54.5%) remained stable, while 10 (22.7%) showed improvement and the same number of patients ended in a deleterious status. Twenty-two patients were converted to antipsychotic monotherapy, while another 12 needed minimal dosing of low-potency agents. Overall, social functioning, evaluated by the Global Assessment of Functioning and the Clinical Global Impression, remained unchanged. Eighteen of 34 successful patients showed adverse effects of the main antipsychotic medication, which necessitated a significant dose reduction. Nine out of 10 deteriorating patients had been treated with a combination of low- and high-potency antipsychotics. It is suggested that many instances of antipsychotic polypharmacy is avoidable. The result is compatible with the current treatment recommendations, which dictate the use of a single antipsychotic agent.     

ICP-AES法同时测定天然植物中金属元素的研究

用微波消解和湿热消解两种前处理方法对海南天然植物荔枝和茄子进行对比处理,用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法对其中的铁、镍、锰、铜、钾、锌、镁、钙等8种元素含量进行了测定。测定数据证明微波消解方法优于传统的湿热消解法。将微波消解前处理技术优化后再采用微波消解处理时方法的回收率为92.99%~115.57%,RSD<10.0%,各元素的测定检出限也表明该方法更快速、方便,测定结果准确可靠。     

Clinical Variants of Tardive Dyskinesia in Japan

Abstract: Involuntary movement disorders were investigated in a psychiatric hospital in Japan. The prevalence of tardive dyskinesia was 9.9 % and four clinical variants of tardive dyskinesia could be classified. Of the 716 patients, tardive dystonia was identified in 15 cases, tardive akathisia in one, respiratory dyskinesia in two and rabbit syndrome in 17. The existence of tardive forms for acute dystonic reactions and akathisia suggests that any type of acute extrapyramidal symptoms can have a tardive form.     

Effectiveness of a prospective physician self-audit transfusion- monitoring system

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to search for a more effective transfusion-monitoring system than the existing system of retrospective peer review. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This research used a study-control, preintervention and postintervention design, to evaluate the effectiveness of a prospective physician self-audit transfusion-monitoring system that functioned without the direct involvement of transfusion service physicians. This research also evaluated the effectiveness of issuing to physicians a memo with transfusion guidelines. Three process indicators were used to assess physician behavior at various stages of the blood-ordering process: 1) the number of crossmatches ordered per admission, 2) the transfusion-to- crossmatch ratio, and 3) the number of blood units returned to the laboratory after physician self-auditing. The study used two outcome indicators to reflect overall blood utilization: 1) the percentage of patients who received red cell transfusions and 2) the number of blood units transfused per recipient each month. RESULTS: The prospective physician self-audit system implemented at the study hospital did not reverse physician transfusion decisions, and the process of issuing to physicians a memo with transfusion guidelines at the control hospital failed to reduce blood usage. However, a transient reduction in blood utilization was observed at the study hospital. CONCLUSION: The reduction was hypothesized to be due to a Hawthorne effect, in which observed behavior is affected by the subject's awareness of the research study.     

自体细胞因子诱导杀伤细胞治疗HBV感染肝硬化患者的临床观察及护理

目的观察自体细胞因子诱导杀伤细胞（CIK细胞）治疗HBVDNA阳性肝硬化患者的近期疗效。方法33例HBVDNA阳性肝硬化患者给予CIK细胞治疗，在体外培养前后以及回输体内后检测CD3^＋、CD3^＋CD4^＋、CD3^＋CD8^＋、CD3^＋CD56^＋、CD25^＋细胞以及mDC和pDC。比较治疗前后病毒学指标及肝脏功能的变化。结果培养结束以及回输体内后，CD3^＋细胞、CD3^＋CD8^＋细胞、CD3^＋CD56^＋细胞较培养前显著升高，mDC和pDC在回输后也明显增高。12例患者HBVDNA阴转，4例患者拷贝数下降大于2个log。在14例HBeAg阳性患者中有10例阴转，2例出现HBeAb转换。肝脏功能较治疗前有所好转。所有患者均能耐受治疗。结论ClK细胞可明显提高免疫效应细胞数量，具有一定的抗病毒效果，毒副作用低，对患者伤害小，安全性高，不良反应小，经过护理干预，患者的症状和体征得到改善，取得了显著疗效。