湖北地区汉族变应性哮喘患儿Tim-3启动子区基因多态性研究

目的 探讨湖北地区汉族儿童T细胞免疫球蛋白黏蛋白域蛋白．3（Tim-3）启动子区1541位C〉T和574位G〉T单核苷酸变异及其与变应性哮喘易感性之间的关系。方法 分别采用聚合酶链反应．限制性片段长度多态性（PCR-RFLP）和引物特异PCR-核酸序列测定技术检测湖北143例哮喘患儿和72名健康儿童Tim-3启动子区1541位C〉T和574位G〉T单核苷酸变异，讣算基因型和等位基因频率。结果 湖北地区健康儿童Tim-3启动子区1541位C／C、C／T和T／T基因型频率分别是0．961、0．039和0，而哮喘患儿频率分别为0．935、0．065、0，其基因型频率与对照组差异无统计学意义（r=0．3825，P=0．5362）；湖北健康儿童中Tim-3启动子区574位G／G、G／T和T／T基因型频率分别为0．992、0．008和0，而哮喘患儿频率分别为0．941、0．059、0，两组基因型频率差异有统计学意义（χ^2=4．134，P=0．042）。结论 湖北汉族儿童Tim-3启动子区存在多态性变异，其中574位G〉T多态性可能与湖北汉族儿童变应性哮喘易感性有关。     

pH值对IFN-α2b、rIL-2、ADM合用维拉帕米对人肝癌细胞杀伤作用的影响

目的　观察培养液在 pH值为 6 .8、7.3、7.6条件下rIL - 2、IFN -α2b、ADM及合用维拉帕米对人肝癌细胞 74 0 4杀伤作用的影响。方法　MTT法于 96孔培养板上进行杀伤实验 ,测定培养液pH值分别为 6 .8、7.3、7.6状态下 ,rIL - 2、IFN -α2b、ADM、及与维拉帕米联合杀伤人肝癌细胞 70 4 0的差异。结果　pH值为 7.6状态下rIL - 2、IFN -α2b、ADM及合用维拉帕米杀伤效果最佳。pH值为 6 .8、7.3、7.6时 ,IFN -α2b都能增加ADM抗肿瘤作用 ,但pH值为 7.6时 ,IFN -α2b +ADM杀伤效果最佳。结论　在偏硷性环境下 ,rIL - 2、IFN -α2b、ADM及合用维拉帕米对肿瘤细胞杀伤效果最佳     

Lecithin vesicles for topical delivery of diclofenac.

Skin penetration of topically applied diclofenac is important for the treatment of rheumatic diseases and actinic keratoses. We have studied the permeation of diclofenac across human cadaver epidermis in-vitro from four lecithin vesicle formulations and a few marketed semi-solid preparations. The lecithin vesicle formulations were prepared by dissolving the lipid contents (lecithin and sodium cholate) in a 1:1 mixture of methanol-chloroform, evaporating the solvents under vacuum, and hydrating the lipid layer with the drug solution in water or 10% ethanol. The vesicles were sonicated for 5 min to reduce the vesicle size and their size and Zeta potential were characterized. The cumulative amount and maximum flux of diclofenac was 69.7+/-40.3 micrograms and 4.77+/-3.16 micrograms/hcm(2) from lecithin vesicles containing sodium cholate and 10% ethanol, and is the highest of all formulations studied. The cumulative amount and mean maximum flux obtained from other formulations were in the range of 2.46+/-1.98-29.9+/-10.1 micrograms and 0.53+/-0.46-3.61+/-0.86 micrograms/hcm(2). Based on the results, lecithin vesicles of diclofenac appear to be advantageous for the topical delivery of diclofenac.     

糖尿病患者超声乳化白内障吸除手术的临床观察

目的:探讨糖尿病患者进行超声乳化白内障吸除联合人工晶状体植入手术的临床效果。方法:50例(61只眼)糖尿病患者(设为A组)和同期163例(174只眼)血糖正常患者(设为B组)接受超声乳化白内障吸除联合人工晶状体植入手术。糖尿病患者手术前通过饮食疗法、口服药物或肌注胰岛素治疗,使空腹血糖降到 10mmol/L以下。术后随访 1～28个月(平均 8.6个月),复查视力、裂隙灯及眼底检查。结果:术后矫正视力≥0.5者,A组为77.1%;B组为80.5%。两组经统计学处理差异无显著性(P>0.05)。两组术中出现后囊破裂及术后发生角膜水肿和前房渗出等并发症的差异无显著性(P>0.05 )。结论:糖尿病患者进行超声乳化白内障吸除手术前只要有效控制血糖,其手术效果与对照组患者相同。但术后血糖的控制仍然十分重要。眼科学报2003;19:98-100。     

National Study of Emergency Department Visits for Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 1993–2005

Objectives: Little is known about recent trends in U.S. emergency department (ED) visits for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) or about ED management of AECOPD. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of ED visits for AECOPD and to evaluate concordance with guideline‐recommended care. Methods: Data were obtained from National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). ED visits for AECOPD, during 1993 to 2005, were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐9‐CM) codes. Concordance with guideline recommendations was evaluated using process measures. Results: Over the 13‐year study period, there was an average annual 0.6 million ED visits for AECOPD, and the visit rates for AECOPD were consistently high (3.2 per 1,000 U.S. population; P_trend = 0.13). The trends in the use of chest radiograph, pulse oximetry, or bronchodilator remained stable (all P_trend > 0.5). By contrast, the use of systemic corticosteroids increased from 29% in 1993–1994 to 60% in 2005, antibiotics increased from 14% to 42%, and methylxanthines decreased from 15% to <1% (all P_trend < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed patients in the South (vs. the Northeast) were less likely to receive systemic corticosteroids (odds ratio [OR] = 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.4 to 0.9). Conclusions: The high burden of ED visits for AECOPD persisted. Overall concordance with guideline‐recommended care for AECOPD was moderate, and some emergency treatments had improved over time.     

Working‐correlation‐structure identification in generalized estimating equations

Selecting an appropriate working correlation structure is pertinent to clustered data analysis using generalized estimating equations (GEE) because an inappropriate choice will lead to inefficient parameter estimation. We investigate the well‐known criterion of QIC for selecting a working correlation structure, and have found that performance of the QIC is deteriorated by a term that is theoretically independent of the correlation structures but has to be estimated with an error. This leads us to propose a correlation information criterion (CIC) that substantially improves the QIC performance. Extensive simulation studies indicate that the CIC has remarkable improvement in selecting the correct correlation structures. We also illustrate our findings using a data set from the Madras Longitudinal Schizophrenia Study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.