Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.     

Radioimmunoassay of paralytic shellfish toxins in clams and mussels

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology -     

PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS Ⅰ. EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF OPEN NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS BY QUALITATIVE ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE ISOENZYME IN AMNIOTIC FLUID

The measurement of amniotic fluid (AF) acetylcholinesterase isoenzyme (AChEI) is a relatively new method for early diagnosis of open neural tube defects (NTDs). As quantitative methods are of unproven reliability at present, the authors used a high resolving power qualitative method-vertical slab polyaerylamide gel electrophoresis. The benefits of this technique are: simplicity of operation, accuracy, unsophisticated equipment, and easily available reagents. Combined results of 9 NTDs studies revealed that samples from early pregnancy gave more accurate results than those from late pregnancy.     

Effects of intermittent diethylstilbestrol diphosphate administration on the R3327 rat prostatic carcinoma

Clinical trials have utilized intermittent diethylstilbestrol diphosphate (DES) therapy in advanced symptomatic prostatic carcinoma to diminish the morbidity of standard endocrine therapy. To determine the effect of intermittent DES administration on the Dunning R3327 rat prostatic adenocarcinoma 60 days following tumor implant, 6 groups were randomly assigned: control (N = 8), castrate (N = 10), high dose DES (N = 8, 1.6 micrograms/ml DES continuously in drinking water), low dose DES (N = 10, 0.4 microgram/ml continuously in drinking water), intermittent high dose DES (N = 10, 1.6 micrograms/ml DES in drinking water for 1 week, then off for 3 weeks), and intermittent low dose DES (N = 10, 0.4 microgram/ml DES for 1 week, then off for 3 weeks). Results indicate that low or high dose DES, and intermittent low or intermittent high dose DES during the week of administration were able to reduce serum testosterone to castrate levels (0.1 ng/ml). After withdrawal of intermittent DES, serum testosterone returned toward control levels (1.0 ng/ml). Initial mean tumor burden between control and treatment groups was not significantly different. All DES exposed rats had a tumor volume at death (range, 15.6-18.3 cm3) smaller than control (mean, 25.4 cm3) or castrate (mean, 40.8 cm3) rats. Despite this significant survival advantage from the time of randomization was achieved only in castrate (median survival, 331 days) or high dose DES (median survival, 359 days) groups compared to control (median survival, 225 days). Similarly, significant prolongation in tumor doubling time was achieved only by rats receiving castration or high dose DES. Intermittent DES administration controls tumor volume but does not provide a survival advantage. In this respect, intermittent DES is inferior to castration.     

新改良式远端脾肾静脉分流术

本文报告一种新的改良式远端脾肾静脉分流术,即脾静脉与左肾静脉侧侧吻合、脾静脉远端结扎,再将胃冠状静脉结扎。作者经治7例,初步观察疗效较好,术后无死亡,无复发出血,无肝性脑病发生。本文对这种手术的步骤和优点进行了讨论和分析。     

Patterns of cancer distribution in a medical center among adolescents 14 to 17 years of age for the period 1995 to 2001.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are limited data on the pattern of cancer distribution among adolescents in Taiwan. This study evaluated the characteristics of these rare cancers in a medical center. METHODS: Analyses of the characteristics of malignant neoplasms for patients aged 14 to 17 years at diagnosis were performed for all cases recorded in the tumor registry of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) at Linkou for the period 1995 to 2001. All eligible tumors were categorized in 1 of 12 diagnostic groups according to the scheme of the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC). Relative frequencies, age, and gender variations and the characteristics of tumor types were analyzed. RESULTS: Cancer was diagnosed in 320 adolescents during the study period. The male/female ratio was 1.17. Leukemia was the leading diagnostic group. The frequency of carcinomas increased with age and was highest among 17-year-olds. In this age group, non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (non-RMS STS/PNET), thyroid carcinoma (CA) and ovarian germ cell tumor (GCT) were the 3 most common solid tumors; the embryonal malignancies were rare. Tumors with the greatest male predominance were intracranial GCT (91%), nasopharyngeal CA (87.5%), osteosarcoma (84.6%), and colorectal CA (75%). Tumors with the greatest female predominance were thyroid CA (78.3%), gonadal GCT (75%), and non-RMS/PNET (56.5%). Hepatocellular CA comprised 9.4% of all carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: The relative frequency and the distribution of histology subtypes among adolescents were between those of childhood and adult cancers. There were marked variations in tumor occurrence between genders and among different ages.     

Functional correlates of Doppler flow study of the female urethral vasculature.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of individual patient factors (age, parity, body mass index, menstrual cycle, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, bladder neck position and urethral mobility) on the appearance of Doppler flow in urethral vessels, to investigate the association between the Doppler flow parameters and intrinsic urethral function, storage and voiding, and to explore differences in the urethral vasculature between subjects with and without urodynamic stress incontinence (USI). METHODS: Over a 4-year period we prospectively performed imaging studies in 355 women, including 244 who denied any lower urinary tract symptoms within the previous 3 months (Group A) and 111 who had had lower urinary tract symptoms (Group B). Studies included morphologic assessment and Doppler flow investigation of the lower urinary tract. Vascular flow velocity and vessel density in the urethral vasculature were measured. For women in Group B, multichannel urodynamic studies were also performed. RESULTS: The urethral vasculature has five main branches of vessels. Their appearance was not affected by the menstrual cycle or menopause except for those of the anterior vaginal vessel and anterior branch of the middle urethral vessel. Other than that of the posterior urethral vessel, in which there was a correlation with parity, the resistance index (RI) was not affected by individual patient factors. However, there was a correlation between the vascular index (VI) and individual factors such as age (r = -0.336, P = 0.002), body mass index (r = -0.287, P = 0.028), menopause (r = -0.402, P < 0.001), and hormone replacement therapy (r = 0.392, P = 0.027). Only the VI and RI of the posterior urethral vessel correlated significantly with the urethral pressure profile. In subjects with lower urinary tract symptoms, the appearance of the urethral vasculature on power Doppler imaging and the corresponding RI and VI values were not correlated with objective evidence of USI. CONCLUSION: Patient factors may affect specific Doppler flow parameters of the urethral vasculature, which are related to intrinsic resting urethral closure. There is no difference in the appearance of the urethral vasculature in subjects with or without USI.