Endothelial Vascular Function in Hypertensive Patients After Renin—Angiotensin System Blockad

It is unclear whether single and combined pharmacologic inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system have similar effects on endothelial function and blood pressure (BP). The authors evaluated 63 hypertensive patients divided into 4 groups (hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/d; irbesartan [IRBE] 150 mg/d; quinapril [QUIN] 20 mg/d; or IRBE 150 mg/d + QUIN 20 mg/d) and 25 healthy normotensive subjects (normal) followed for 12 weeks. Endothelium-dependent dysfunction measured as flow-mediated dilation at Weeks 0 and 12 were: normal, 11.5%±2.4% vs 13.5%±2.0%; hydrochlorothiazide, 7.3%±2.0% vs 12.8%±3.1%; QUIN, 7.2%±2.8% vs 13.2%±2.1%; IRBE, 7.1%±2.8% vs 13.0%±2.9%; and IRBE + QUIN, 7.5%±1.9% vs 12.8%±3.0%. Nitroglycerin-mediated responses were: normal, 26.0%±1.9% vs 24.0%±2.5%; hydrochlorothiazide, 17.0%±2.2% vs 18.3%±2.6%; QUIN, 17.8%±3.2% vs 23.4%±3.0%; IRBE, 16.8%±3.6% vs 24.7%±2.0%; and IRBE + QUIN, 17.3%±3.0% vs 25.1%±2.5%. Antihypertensive therapy restored BP to normal and improved the endothelium-dependent and -independent dysfunction after renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade. In a further finding, the combined effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade was not superior to the action of either of these treatments separately.     

Sleep complaints and their relation with drug treatment in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this research was to quantify sleep problems in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease by means of the new Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and to correlate such problems with the possible influence of current drug treatment. A total of 70 patients (36 men and 34 women) with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease were enrolled. Their mean age was 69.7 +/- 8.2 years, and duration of disease was 7.4 +/- 4.8 years. All patients completed the PDSS and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS Parts I-IV). Drug consumption and doses were registered. The mean score on the PDSS scale was 109.23 +/- 19.75 and on the UPDRS III scale was 25.24 +/- 11.35. The lowest scores were obtained in Item 3 (sleep fragmentation): 5.53 (2.46); and in Item 8 (nocturia): 5.75 (2.91). There was a weak correlation between the PDSS and UPDRS III (cc = -0.355, P = 0.003), PDSS and UPDRS I (cc = -0.272, P = 0.02), and PDSS and UPDRS IV (cc = -0.416, P < 0.001). Motor conditions, mental state, and drug complications influence sleep quality. Although this effect was significant, it was not of a great magnitude. Dopaminergic drugs did not increase daytime sleepiness. As a whole, sleep quality in patients who took dopaminergic agonists did not differ from that of patients who took levodopa in monotherapy.     

经直肠超声引导前列腺穿刺活检203例临床分析

目的评估经直肠超声引导的前列腺六针穿刺活检在前列腺癌及前列腺其他疾病的诊断和鉴别诊断的价值。方法对指肛检查阳性，血清PSA〉4pg／L及经直肠超声检查前列腺声像图异常怀疑有占位性病变的203人进行经直肠超声引导的前列腺穿刺活检。结果穿刺活检的203例病理结果：良性前列腺增生（BPH）104例占51．24％，前列腺癌（PCa）95例占46．80％，前列腺结核及前列腺平滑肌肉瘤各2例，分别占0．98％。结论经直肠超声引导的前列腺穿刺活检其操作简单，病人痛苦小，并发症少，较安全。在前列腺癌及其他前列腺疾病的诊断与鉴别诊断中有重要的临床价值。     

腹腔内疝的CT表现

腹腔内脏器穿过腹膜或膜突入另一腹腔内间隙称为腹腔内疝（internal abdominal hernias）。最常表现为一段小肠嵌入正常或异常的腹腔内孔道，引起急性小肠梗阻。作为疝口的结构可以是腹腔内的正常解剖结构，如裂孔、隐窝、陷窝等，     

The combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone repair in adult Yucatan miniature pigs

The combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB has previously been shown to stimulate healing of soft tissue wounds and the formation of bone and ligament around teeth. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I individually and in combination on the healing of osseous wounds. Four standardized cortical wounds were created in each tibia of 11 adult Yucatan miniature pigs. The wounds in one tibia per animal were treated with either purified recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-I, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, or both in a methylcellulose gel. The wounds in each contralateral tibia received placebo gel alone. Coded serial sections of each wound were evaluated by computer-aided histomorphometry 21 days after surgery. The area and perimeter of the newly formed mineralized callus, the thickness of the total callus, and the percentage of mineralized tissue within the callus were significantly increased compared with the values of matched controls only in wounds treated with a combination of insulin-like growth factor-I and platelet-derived growth factor-BB. No significant differences in the measured parameters of callus formation were found in wounds treated with either insulin-like growth factor-I or platelet-derived growth factor-BB alone. Cartilage was present only in sites treated with insulin-like growth factor-I alone. These results suggest that the combination of platelet-derived growth factor-BB and insulin-like growth factor-I stimulates bone formation in wounds in long bones of adult animals and that these growth factors act via different pathways during the repair process.     

50种传统清热解毒药的抑菌实验

本文报告了传统药物文献收载的５０种清热解毒药的抑菌实验结果。显示抑菌作用的有４１种，占８２％。对阳性球菌显示有抑菌作用的有３６种；对阴性杆菌显示有抑菌作用的有２４种。其中的地胡椒、金果榄、毛果算盘子等显示有较广的抗菌效应，值得进一步研究。