Oral and dental manifestations in diabetic and nondiabetic uremic patients receiving hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the dental condition and oral manifestations in diabetic and nondiabetic uremic patients undergoing hemodialysis. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 128 patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy were classified into the diabetic and nondiabetic groups and examined for uremic oral manifestations, dental caries, and the periodontal status. All the patients received predialytic salivary pH examination. In the diabetic group, the correlation between oral findings and glycemic controlled levels, which was collected based on Hb A1C values, were further studied. RESULTS: The diabetic group exhibited significantly higher prevalence of caries and more severe dry mouth, taste change, and mucosa pain than the nondiabetic group. The diabetic group tended to have lower predialytic salivary pH, and patients with poor glycemic control (ie, Hb A1C > 9%) showed higher incidence of dry mouth, mucosal pain, and tongue coating. However, the DMFT and CPI index were not associated with glycemic control in the diabetic group. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that diabetic uremic patients undergoing maintained hemodialysis exhibited a potentially higher risk for dental decay and xerostomia. Lower salivary pH and poor glycemic control may affect oral manifestations. Further research is needed to clarify the combined influence of diabetic nephropathy on oral health.     

External Application of Chinese Drugs on Acupoint Shenque Combined with Salpingostomy for Treatment of Sterility Caused by Obstruction of the Fallopian Tube——A Clinical Report of 45 Cases

Objective： To observe the therapeutic effect of external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Shenque （CV 8） combined with salpingostomy for treatment of sterility caused by obstruction of the fallopian tube. Method： 75 cases were randomly divided into the following 2 groups. Forty-five patients in the treatment group were treated with external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Sbenque （CV 8） combined with salpingostomy, while 30 patients in the control group were treated with salpingostomy only. Results： The results showed that in the treatment group, 26 cases were cured, 11 cases improved, and 8 cases failed, with a total effective rate of 82.22%; while in the control group, 14 cases were cured, 7 cases improved, and 9 cases failed, with a total effective rate of 70.00%. There is a significant difference in the total effective rate between the two groups （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The therapeutic effect of external application of Chinese drugs on acupoint Shenque combined with salpingostomy is better than that of salpingostomy only.     

Group versus individual treatment in obsessions without compulsions

The principal goal of the current study was to compare the efficacy of two treatment formats, group and individual, of an empirically proven manualized cognitive–behavioural treatment (CBT) package, for obsessions without overt compulsions. It was hypothesized that individualized treatment would be more effective both in terms of post-treatment group mean improvement and end state functioning. A secondary goal was to assess the relationship between cognitive and behavioural change during treatment and link it to symptom change. Both group and individual CBT format produced a significant clinical change, but as expected individual treatment produced the greater change in symptoms and in obsessional belief. Also, the individual format showed a clear superiority over the group format in the reduction of anxiety and depression. Severity of OCD symptoms showed little relationship with strength of obsessional beliefs at the start of treatment, but change in beliefs was strongly correlated with behavioural improvement post-treatment. The results of the study suggest that the impact of a group format may lie in the value of shared social support and motivational effect of peer feedback, but at the expense of individualized targets. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MRI诊断子宫腺肌病的价值

目的 探讨MRI诊断子宫腺肌病的价值.方法 回顾性分析6例子宫腺肌病患者MRI和超声检查的资料,与术后病理结果对比,评估MRI对子宫腺肌病的诊断符合率.结果 B超诊断子宫腺肌病的灵敏度为52.5%、特异度为54.2%;MRI灵敏度为95.6%、特异度为100%;MRI检查既能定性,又能定位,而且此检查无创伤,方便快捷.结论 MRI为临床诊断子宫腺肌病提供了一种有价值的检查方法,对及时、正确治疗该病具有重要的临床意义.     

Antiparasitic properties of homoallylamines and related compounds

A study of some antiparasitic properties of several homoallylamines and related tetrahydroquinolines and quinolines, previously described, was carried out using in vitro activity assays against the epimastigote form of Trypanosoma cruzi and against Trichomonas vaginalis. Unspecific cytotoxicity against murine macrophages was also studied. Although the antichagasic and trichomonacidal activities are not comparable to those of the standard drugs, nifurtimox and metronidazole, some of the compounds exhibit an interesting specific antiparasitic activity.     

Comparison of histopathological characteristics of allograft biopsy between responder and non-responder to antiproteinuric effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)

Abstract:  Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) has become recognized as agents that have renoprotective effects in the treatment of progressive renal diseases including post-transplant kidneys. Previously we demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of ACEI treatment on the hypertensive proteinuric post-transplant patients ( N  = 10) who had been followed up for 12 months. However, not all patients show good response in urinary protein reduction. We aimed to analyse the histopathological factor(s) affecting the responsiveness of proteinuria to ACEI treatment. Fourteen post-transplant patients with proteinuria who were treated with ACEI and underwent allograft biopsy were analysed. Eight patients showed 50% or more reduction in proteinuria (responder). The other 6 patients showed less (< 50%) reduction in proteinuria (non-responder). There was no difference in clinical characteristics (BP, renal function, donor age, recipient body mass index), dietary sodium or protein intake, and diuretic use between the two groups. As a histopathological characteristic, glomerular size in responder group was significantly larger than that in non-responder group. This suggests that the large glomerular size at least partly contributes to the responsiveness in urinary protein reduction to ACEI treatment in kidney allograft recipients with proteinuria.     

Cutaneous manifestations in the cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome, a variant of the classical Noonan syndrome. Report of a case and review of the literature

We report one patient with cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome. He presented with clinical findings characteristic of this condition such as: cutaneous abnormalities, including ichthyosis, widespread keratosis pilaris, a peculiar craniofacial appearance with sparse, curly hair and low-set posteriorly rotated ears; congenital heart defects; and mild mental and motor retardation. We submit a comprehensive review of previously published articles regarding the dermatological findings in CFC syndrome (recently shown to be a variant of Noonan syndrome) emphasizing diagnostic criteria and its differentiation from the Costello syndrome.