Alcohol consumption promotes body weight loss in melanoma-bearing mice

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is an important risk factor for cancer. Little is known about its effects on cancer progression. Previously, we showed that high ethanol consumption inhibited metastasis of B16BL6 melanoma-bearing mice without affecting primary tumor growth. On the other hand, ethanol-consuming tumor-bearing (TE) mice exhibited decreased survival and decreased body weight as compared to water-drinking, tumor-bearing (TW) mice. The focus of this study was to determine how alcohol promotes weight loss in melanoma-bearing mice. METHODS: Female, C57BL/6 mice were given water or 20% w/v ethanol in the drinking water for 3 weeks to 6 months before subcutaneous inoculation of 1 x 10(6) B16BL6 melanoma cells. Mice continued to receive the same fluids. Biochemical parameters were evaluated at various times after tumor inoculation. Body weight, water content, tumor weight and carcass fat content were determined at necropsy. RESULTS: TW mice elicted a modest weight loss. This response was magnified 2-fold by alcohol consumption. The weight loss in TE mice is not caused by dehydration, decreased energy intake, or loss of skeletal muscle mass. It resulted specifically from loss in body fat. Other alterations associated with the fat loss in TE mice were: (1) decreased glucose, (2) elevated fatty acids, (3) elevated beta-hydroxybutyrate, (4) elevated glucagon, and (5) increased leptin levels in plasma. Body temperature decreased about 2.9 degrees C in TE mice. Metabolic rate increased in TW mice. The fat loss due to alcohol consumption in tumor-bearing mice was not due to increased metabolic rate. CONCLUSIONS: The response elicited by alcohol consumption in tumor-bearing mice is complex and associated with alterations in metabolism and hormones. These findings suggest that alcohol abuse could be a risk factor for cancer patients because it invokes a strong depletion of body fat. This could facilitate wasting and shorten survival time.     

The Effectiveness of Video Technology As an Adjunct to Teach and Evaluate Epidural Anesthesia Performance Skills

Background: Although video review has been used in teaching, it has not been reported for use as an adjunct to teaching anesthesiology residents. The purpose of the prospective, randomized, blinded study was to determine whether teaching with video review improves epidural anesthesia skills of anesthesiology residents.

Methods: Twenty-two second-year (CA-2) anesthesiology residents beginning their first obstetric anesthesia rotation were assigned to video or nonvideo groups. All residents were filmed daily as they placed epidural analgesia. Residents assigned to the video group reviewed their tapes twice a week with an attending anesthesiologist, whereas residents assigned to the nonvideo group never saw their films. Four experienced attending anesthesiologists independently judged videotapes taken on days 1, 15, and 30 and scored the residents for "overall" skill (range of summed overall grades, 0-40), as well as on 13 predetermined criteria.

Results: As determined by kappa coefficients, interrater reliability was high among the judges (k = 0.7-0.8). Residents in the video group improved to a greater degree than residents in the nonvideo group. On day 1, the median overall grades for the video and nonvideo groups were 21 and 12, respectively. By day 15, the corresponding grades had increased to 32 and 24, respectively (P < 0.01). However, overall median grades continued to improve between days 15 and 30 in the video group only (P < 0.01).     

肝郁痰凝型乳腺癌的钼靶X线表现及病理分析

目的：研究肝郁痰凝型乳腺癌的钼靶X线影像特点，探讨其病理基础。方法：观察41例中医证型为肝郁痰凝型、术后病理检查结果为乳腺癌患者的钼靶X线影像表现，对其病理学基础进行分析。结果：41例肝郁痰凝型乳腺癌中，乳腺类型以致密型及混合型居多（占78％）。异常血管征及透环征出现频率较高（占80％以上）。腋淋巴结转移出现频率偏低（占12％）。结论：（1）肝郁痰凝型乳腺癌患者，乳腺密度多偏高，可能与较多发生在绝经期前有关。（2）肿瘤周围透亮环征象及异常血管征象出现频率较高，表明此型患者肿块周围脂肪代谢异常较为普遍及血管生长刺激因子分泌较多。（3）腋窝淋巴结转移者所占比例较小，可能是由于此类患者多属于癌变早、中期，相对气血不足或脾肾虚弱等正虚表现不明显。     

The neuroprotective agent sipatrigine (BW619C89) potently inhibits the human tandem pore-domain K(+) channels TREK-1 and TRAAK

We have cloned and functionally expressed the human orthologue of the mouse TRAAK gene. When cDNA for hTRAAK is expressed in either Xenopus oocytes or HEK293 cells it forms a K(+)-selective conductance and hyperpolarises the resting membrane potential. Quantitative mRNA expression analysis using Taqman revealed that hTRAAK mRNA is predominantly present in the central nervous system where it exhibits a regionally diverse pattern of expression. Like the related channel TREK-1, the activity of TRAAK was potentiated by arachidonic acid. The neuroprotective agent sipatrigine (10 microM) inhibited both hTREK-1 (73.3+/-4.4%) and hTRAAK (45.1+/-11.2%) in a reversible, voltage-independent manner. Inhibition of both channels was dose-dependent and for TREK-1 occurred with an IC(50) of 4 microM. The related compound lamotrigine, which is a better anticonvulsant but weaker neuroprotective agent than sipatrigine, was a far less effective antagonist of both channels, producing <10% inhibition at a concentration of 10 microM.     

中心静脉导管胸腔留置治疗胸腔积液

目的评价中心静脉导管留置治疗胸腔积液的疗效。方法257例胸腔积液患者分为两组，治疗组207例，应用胸腔留置中心静脉导管治疗；对照组50例，常规胸穿抽液治疗，观察并比较不同治疗方法的疗效、并发症等指标。结果两组对比多项指标差异有显著性（P〈0．05）。结论采用中心静脉导管治疗胸腔积液可减少胸穿次数、降低反应，提高治愈率。     

Antibodies to diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in infants before and after immunization with DTP (Triple Antigen) vaccine

Objective : To determine antibody levels to the Australian manufactured combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine (Triple Antigen, CSL Ltd) in infante before and after their primary immunization course.
Methodology : Serosurvey (antibody prevalence study) in two groups: infants aged 5-9 weeks who had not received any immunizations ( n = 25), and infants aged 7-10 months who had received two ( n = 25) or three immunizations ( n = 57) with DTP, sampled from infants attending the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, either as inpatients or outpatients between February and April 1993. The immunization history for each infant was determined from hospital records, the parent-held child health record, or the local council or family doctor who immunized the infant.
Results : Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of antibodies to diphtheria and tetanus showed all infants to have adequate protective levels after two or three vaccinations (£0.01 IU/mL). All subjects who had received all three DTP vaccinations had detectable antibody to at least one pertussis antigen. Antibodies to the pertussis antigens filamentous haemagglutinin and pertussigen (pertussis toxin) were comparable to levels determined for whole cell pertussis vaccines used elsewhere in the world. EIA-determined antibodies to pertussis agglutinogen type 2 and agglutinogen type 3 showed substantially higher geometric mean titres when results for pre-immunization and post-immunization subjects were compared.
Conclusions : These data show that the Australian manufactured DTP vaccine has immunogenic properties similar to those of vaccines used elsewhere, and that antibody concentrations following immunization are at levels consistent with efficacy.     

Pesticide exposures in children with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

BACKGROUND: The association between pesticide exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in adults has been the subject of numerous case-control and cohort studies. However, to the authors' knowledge, data regarding pesticide exposures in children diagnosed with NHL have been lacking. METHODS: The Children's Cancer Group conducted a study comparing 268 children who developed NHL or leukemia with bulk disease with a group of matched, randomly selected regional population controls. The telephone interviews of both the case and control mothers included selected questions regarding occupational and home exposures to pesticides around the time of the index pregnancy and exposure of the child. RESULTS: A significant association was found between risk of NHL and increased frequency of reported pesticide use in the home (odds ratio [OR] = 7.3 for use most days; trend P = 0.05), professional exterminations within the home (OR = 3.0; P = 0.002), and postnatal exposure (OR = 2.4; P = 0.001). Elevated risks were found for T-cell and B-cell lymphomas; for lymphoblastic, large cell, and Burkitt morphologies; and in both young (age < 6 years) and older children. There was an increased risk of NHL with occupational exposure to pesticides (OR = 1.7) that was not significant overall, but that was significant for Burkitt lymphoma (OR = 9.6; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study provide further evidence linking pesticide exposure to the risk of NHL, but the authors were unable to implicate any specific agent.