Long-term cefuroxime axetil in subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A report of three cases

BACKGROUND: Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) is a subset of lupus erythematosus characterized mainly by prominent photoaggravated cutaneous manifestations. Standard therapies for SCLE include topical or systemic steroids and antimalarial drugs. Both methods show limited efficacy in clearing cutaneous lesions and occasionally produce serious side effects. AIM: To assess the efficacy of cefuroxime axetil, an oral cephalosporin with antibacterial and immunosuppressive activity, in patients with SCLE. METHODS: Three patients with SCLE were treated with cefuroxime axetil at a daily dose of 500 mg for 30-60 days. RESULTS: In all patients complete clearing of skin lesions was achieved and no side effects were observed. CONCLUSION: We suggest that long-term cefuroxime axetil administration might be an alternative treatment for patients with SCLE skin lesions.     

Complementary medicine: use and attitudes among GPs

BACKGROUND: Information about use and attitudes of GPs towards complementary medicine is required in order to inform the debate about its place within mainstream medicine. There is evidence that public use of complementary medicine is particularly high in the South-West of England. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the use of, and attitudes towards, complementary medicine among GPs. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was performed of all primary care physicians working in the health service in Devon and Cornwall. RESULTS: Replies were received from 461 GPs, a response rate of 47%. A total of 314 GPs (68%, range 32-85%) had been involved in complementary medicine in some way during the previous week. One or other form of complementary medicine was practised by 74 of the respondents (16%), the two most common being homoeopathy (5.9%) and acupuncture (4.3%). In addition, 115 of the respondents (25%) had referred at least one patient to a complementary therapist in the previous week, and 253 (55%) had endorsed or recommended treatment with complementary medicine. Chiropractic, acupuncture and osteopathy were rated as the three most effective therapies, and the majority of respondents believed that these three therapies should be funded by the health service. A total of 176 (38%) of respondents reported adverse effects, most commonly after manipulation. CONCLUSION: Over two-thirds of the GPs in Devon and Cornwall who responded to the survey had been involved with complementary medicine in some way during the previous week. This figure is higher than the national average. The majority of respondents believed that acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy were effective and should be funded by the NHS.      

Automated static perimetry in myopes with peripapillary crescents – Part I

Central visual fields were investigated by automated static perimetry in a group of healthy myopic individuals with peripapillary crescents and tigroid fundus changes only. Results were compared with 'emmetropic' and 'myopic subjects without crescents' control groups. The sample comprised 122 young, healthy volunteers between the ages of 18.5 and 35.4 years, free from any ocular or systemic disease, with refractive errors ranging from +4.00 D to −25.75 D. Central visual fields were examined using programs 30-2 and 30-1 of the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA), which in combination yield a test point resolution of 4.2° within the central 30°. Visual field analysis showed a decline in the differential light sensitivity in myopes with peripapillary changes only, compared with the control groups. These field changes became more pronounced as the degree of myopia, axial length and area of the peripapillary crescent increased. Results suggest that the sensitivity decline of the central field occurs in subjects with axial lengths above 26 mm and more than 5 D of myopia. Knowledge of the likely field defects encountered in myopia will assist practitioners to distinguish between physiological and pathological fields in myopes.     

Optimal green (red-free) digital imaging of conjunctival vasculature

AIMS/BACKGROUND: Green illumination is commonly used to image vessels of the retina and conjunctiva. The purpose was to derive the best optical set-up for imaging vessels of the conjunctiva. METHODS: The concept of exposure density was used to predict a digital camera response to imaging vessels on a scleral background. Practical verification was performed to verify vessel contrast because of the difficulties in measuring the spectral components of the imaging system, such as the spectral reflectivity of vessels and sclera. Images of the same conjunctiva were repetitively taken through different coloured filters, using the Nikon FS-2 photo slit-lamp and recorded on different coloured channels of the Kodak DCS 100 digital camera. Gaussian blurred tubular models were fitted to densitometric profiles across three vessels from each image, allowing vessel contrast and width to be objectively measured. These measures were compared using different optical set-ups. RESULTS: Optimal exposure density calculations and vessel contrast was obtained with the xenon light source filtered with Wratten 99 (green) and Wratten 96 (neutral density, 0.2 log units) gelatine absorption filters using the green channel of the digital camera. This image set-up was associated with a 46% (99% CI 43-51%) to 64% (99% CI 58-72%) increase in contrast compared with vessels imaged without filtration, using the combined colour channel of the digital camera. Although differences in vessel widths resulted, absolute differences were marginal. CONCLUSION: With the increased use of digital imaging, and the need for image processing of vascular networks, image optimisation is beneficial. This study verified the optimal set-up for non-invasively imaging vessels of the bulbar conjunctiva.     

红豆杉提取物中紫杉醇的反相高效液相色谱法测定

本文报道应用反相高效液相色谱法测定红豆杉提取物中紫杉醇的含量,以倍他米松作内标,在填充以10μm LiChrosorb RP-18固定相的250×4mm不锈钢柱上以甲醇-水(30:10v/v)作流动相。228 nm处检测。本法简便、快速、准确,适用于微量样品的测定。     

Expression of phosphorylcholine-specific B cells during murine development

The TEPC 15 (T15) clonotype, a putatively germline antibody specificity, does not appear in the neonatal B-cell repertoire until approximately 1 wk of age. This report extends this observation by the demonstration that (a) the T15 clonotype follows similar kinetics of appearance in germfree as well as conventionally-reared mice; (b) maternal influences and genetic background play a minor role in the development of the T15 clonotype since CBFI neonates raised by C57BL/6 or BALB/c mothers acquire the T15 clonotype at the same time in ontogeny as BALB/c neonates; (c) the lack of phosphorylcholine (PC)-specific B cells shortly after birth is reflected in a dearth of PC-binding cells in the neonate as well; and (d) no PC-specifc B cells are found in 19-day fetal liver or in bone marrow until 7 days of life, coincident with their appearance in the spleen. These findings, along with a previous report that PC-specific splenic B cells are tolerizable as late as day 10 after birth, confirm the invariant, late occurrence of the T15 clonotype and support a highly- ordered, rigorously predetermined mechanism for the acquisition of the B- cell repertoire. The results are discussed in light of other studies on the ontogeny of B-cell specificity, and in terms of the implications on the mechanism by which antibody diversity is generated.