Neuroprotective effect of estrogen after chronic spinal cord injury in ovariectomized rats

BACKGROUND: At present, there is still lack of effective drugs for chronic spinal cord injury, whereas it is found recently that estrogen has a neuroprotective effect on brain and spinal cord injuries. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of estrogen on the apoptosis of nerve cells after gradual chronic spinal cord injury in ovariectomized rats. DESIGN: A randomized controlled animal trial. SETTING: Institute of Orthopaedics, the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University. MATERIALS: Sixty-five female Wistar rats of common degree, weighing 220–250 g, were provided by the experimental animal center of Lanzhou University. The rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group (n =5), estrogen-treated group (n =30) and saline control group (n =30), and the latter two groups were observed at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days respectively, and 5 rats for each time point. METHODS: All the rats were treated with bilateral oophorectomy 2 weeks before the experiment. T10 vertebral lamina was revolved into using plastic screw. The spinal canal impingement was not induced initially. After that, the original incision was opened to expose the screw every 7–10 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The apoptosis and Caspase-3 positive cells in the damaged spinal cord were detected using terminal deoxynucleotidal transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method and Caspase-3 immunohistochemical staining at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 60 days after chronic spinal cord injury respectively. RESULTS: Totally 65 rats were used, and the deleted ones during the experiment were supplemented by others. Changes of Caspase-3 expression after spinal cord injury: In the sham-operated group, only a small amount of Caspase-3 proteins were observed in the rat spinal cord, mainly located in motor neurons of spinal cord anterior horn. In the estrogen-treated group and saline control group, positive cells expressed occasionally at 1 day postoperatively, began to increase obviously at 7 days after injury, strongly expressed at 14 and 28 days, but decreased at 60 days, mainly located in the neurons of spinal cord gray matter anterior horn, and they expressed fewer in the motor neurons and white matter of ventral horn, and there were obvious differences between the estrogen-treated group and saline control group at 7, 14, 28 and 60 days (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Estrogen can reduce the apoptosis of nerve cells and promote the recovery of neurological function following gradual chronic spinal cord injury.     

外伤性脾破裂非手术治疗29例体会

目的 总结外伤性脾破裂的非手术治疗经验。方法 对我院1993-2002年以禁食、卧床、止血、抗生素等非手术治疗29例外伤性脾破裂的临床资料进行分析。结果 29例均非手术治愈出院，住院时间8～22d，平均15d；获随访25例，随访3～6个月，无1例出现并发症。结论 只要严格掌握适应证和密切动态观察病情变化，随时做好中转手术的准备，非手术治疗外伤性脾破裂是安全可行的，是一种重要保脾手段，对非手术治疗期间血液动力学不稳定或发生延迟性出血者应及时手术。     

Elevated concentrations of CRF in the locus coeruleus of depressed subjects.

Research evidence that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) has accumulated over the past 20 years. The elevation of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of CRF decreased responsiveness of pituitary CRF receptors to challenge with synthetic CRF, and increased levels of serum cortisol in MDD subjects support the hypothesis that CRF is chronically hypersecreted in at least the endocrine circuits of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and may also involve other CRF brain circuits mediating emotional responses and/or arousal. One such circuit includes the excitatory CRF input to the locus coeruleus (LC), the major source of norepinephrine in the brain. Furthermore, there are now reports of decreased levels of CRF in lumbar CSF from MDD patients after symptom relief from chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs or electroconvulsive therapy. Whether this normalization reflects therapeutic effects on both endocrine- and limbic-associated CRF circuits has not yet been effectively addressed. In this brief report, we describe increased concentrations of CRF-like immunoreactivity in micropunches of post-mortem LC from subjects with MDD symptoms as established by retrospective psychiatric diagnosis compared to nondepressed subjects matched for age and sex.     

SPECT对老年人缺血性脑血管病诊断价值的探讨

本文对21例老年人缺血性脑血管病患者进行SPECT检查,并对SPECT对老年人缺血性脑血管病的诊断价值进行探讨。结果发现SPECT诊断老年人缺血性脑血管病的阳性率为95%,明显高于头颅CT。     

夹竹桃甙对Na~+、K~+-ATP酶抑制的动力学研究

本文对夹竹桃甙抑制Na~+、K~+-ATP酶的动力学作了探讨,并与乌本甙的作用进行了比较。结果表明:夹竹桃甙抑制Na~+、K~+-ATP酶,在Na~+、K~+浓度改变对均为非竞争性抑制,Na~+/K~+比例6:1时,为混合性抑制,而ATP对夹竹桃甙的作用几无影响。     

Hepatitis B and Delta virus infection among heterosexuals,homosexuals and bisexual men

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) infection rates were estimated in patients attending a venereal disease outpatient clinic: 759 heterosexuals and 154 homosexual-bisexual men. The anti-HBC prevalence was higher in homo-bisexual men (68.8 per 100) than in heterosexuals (41.8 per 100), whereas HBsAg was roughly the same in the two groups (about 6 per 100). The anti-HBc prevalence rate among heterosexuals was higher than that estimated in hospital personnel from the same geographical area. A positive association between anti-HBc prevalence and present or past sexually transmitted diseases (STD) was found among homo-bisexual men. Anti-HBc was also positively associated with herpes simplex type 2 antibodies in both heterosexuals and homo-bisexual men. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that sexual behavior also plays a role in the spread of infection among heterosexuals. Ten of the 46 HBsAg-positive subjects were anti-HDV positive: 6 of the 36 heterosexuals and 4 of the 10 homosexuals. All HDV-positive subjects had present or past STDs. These findings suggest sexual transmission of HDV infection.     

高海拔地区脑瘫病因及类型分析

本文通过对１２０例脑瘫患儿病因及临床分型的分析，可以看出脑瘫发病的主要因素以新生儿窒息、缺氧、核黄疸、早产儿为主；从临床分开来看，脑瘫以痉挛型多见，其次为手足徐动型和肌无力型；关于脑瘫的诊治，强调早诊断、早治疗，同时撮加强围产期保健及提高产科接生技术，可以预防脑瘫的发生。     

核素、多普勒和心尖搏动图反映冠心病左室舒张功能的比较——Fish判别分析

用电子计算机对核素、多普勒和心尖搏动图中的8项左室舒张功能指标进行判别分析,比较各指标与冠心病的密切程度。结果显示患者年龄和各项舒张功能指标明显不同于正常组。判别方程为:Z=0.21X_1+23.86X_2-22.88X_3-0.18X_4+2.83X_5+2.06X_6+66.86X_7+1.66X_8。临界值为42.99。判别正确率为100％。各指标的贡献率大小依次为EV/AV,1/3FF,A/E-O,PFR,DATI,EDC,IRT和1/3FFd。提示:多普勒EV/AV与冠心病的关系最为密切,核素的1/3FF次之,心尖搏动图的A/E～O亦是一个较好的指标。     

Measurement of biological activity of somatotropin in hypophysectomized rats

目的：建立测定生长激素（ＧＨ）在体生物活性的方法．方法：以去垂体大鼠体重增长（ＢＷＧ）和胫骨骺软骨板宽度（ＴＥＷ）为指标，观察动物性别、给药途径、次数和周期不同对效应的影响；同时进行４ｄＢＷＧ，６ｄＢＷＧ和６ｄＴＥＷ法，测定ＧＨ的效价（平行线３×３设计）．结果：♀和♂ｓｃ和ｉｍ给药以及每日给药１次和２次的ＢＷＧ和ＴＥＷ差异无显著意义．给药６ｄ比给药４ｄ引起较大的ＢＷＧ和ＴＥＷ（Ｐ＜００５）．４ｄＢＷＧ法和６ｄＢＷＧ法在００２０－０５００ＩＵ·ｄ－１有较好的λ值（００６６０和０１７４７）和ｒ值（０９０００和０９２３７）；４ｄＢＷＧ，６ｄＢＷＧ和６ｄＴＥＷ法测得ｒｈＧＨ的效价为４６１３２，３９８２９和４８０２３ＩＵ／ａｍｐ．６ｄＢＷＧ法有较小的λ值和较低的ＡＲＦＬ值．结论：可在同一组去垂体大鼠体内同时用４ｄＢＷＧ，６ｄＢＷＧ和６ｄＴＥＷ法测ＧＨ活性，以６ｄＢＷＧ法较好．