Endothelial Vascular Function in Hypertensive Patients After Renin—Angiotensin System Blockad

It is unclear whether single and combined pharmacologic inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system have similar effects on endothelial function and blood pressure (BP). The authors evaluated 63 hypertensive patients divided into 4 groups (hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/d; irbesartan [IRBE] 150 mg/d; quinapril [QUIN] 20 mg/d; or IRBE 150 mg/d + QUIN 20 mg/d) and 25 healthy normotensive subjects (normal) followed for 12 weeks. Endothelium-dependent dysfunction measured as flow-mediated dilation at Weeks 0 and 12 were: normal, 11.5%±2.4% vs 13.5%±2.0%; hydrochlorothiazide, 7.3%±2.0% vs 12.8%±3.1%; QUIN, 7.2%±2.8% vs 13.2%±2.1%; IRBE, 7.1%±2.8% vs 13.0%±2.9%; and IRBE + QUIN, 7.5%±1.9% vs 12.8%±3.0%. Nitroglycerin-mediated responses were: normal, 26.0%±1.9% vs 24.0%±2.5%; hydrochlorothiazide, 17.0%±2.2% vs 18.3%±2.6%; QUIN, 17.8%±3.2% vs 23.4%±3.0%; IRBE, 16.8%±3.6% vs 24.7%±2.0%; and IRBE + QUIN, 17.3%±3.0% vs 25.1%±2.5%. Antihypertensive therapy restored BP to normal and improved the endothelium-dependent and -independent dysfunction after renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockade. In a further finding, the combined effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade was not superior to the action of either of these treatments separately.     

Sleep complaints and their relation with drug treatment in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this research was to quantify sleep problems in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease by means of the new Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and to correlate such problems with the possible influence of current drug treatment. A total of 70 patients (36 men and 34 women) with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease were enrolled. Their mean age was 69.7 +/- 8.2 years, and duration of disease was 7.4 +/- 4.8 years. All patients completed the PDSS and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS Parts I-IV). Drug consumption and doses were registered. The mean score on the PDSS scale was 109.23 +/- 19.75 and on the UPDRS III scale was 25.24 +/- 11.35. The lowest scores were obtained in Item 3 (sleep fragmentation): 5.53 (2.46); and in Item 8 (nocturia): 5.75 (2.91). There was a weak correlation between the PDSS and UPDRS III (cc = -0.355, P = 0.003), PDSS and UPDRS I (cc = -0.272, P = 0.02), and PDSS and UPDRS IV (cc = -0.416, P < 0.001). Motor conditions, mental state, and drug complications influence sleep quality. Although this effect was significant, it was not of a great magnitude. Dopaminergic drugs did not increase daytime sleepiness. As a whole, sleep quality in patients who took dopaminergic agonists did not differ from that of patients who took levodopa in monotherapy.     

经直肠超声引导前列腺穿刺活检203例临床分析

目的评估经直肠超声引导的前列腺六针穿刺活检在前列腺癌及前列腺其他疾病的诊断和鉴别诊断的价值。方法对指肛检查阳性，血清PSA〉4pg／L及经直肠超声检查前列腺声像图异常怀疑有占位性病变的203人进行经直肠超声引导的前列腺穿刺活检。结果穿刺活检的203例病理结果：良性前列腺增生（BPH）104例占51．24％，前列腺癌（PCa）95例占46．80％，前列腺结核及前列腺平滑肌肉瘤各2例，分别占0．98％。结论经直肠超声引导的前列腺穿刺活检其操作简单，病人痛苦小，并发症少，较安全。在前列腺癌及其他前列腺疾病的诊断与鉴别诊断中有重要的临床价值。     

腹腔内疝的CT表现

腹腔内脏器穿过腹膜或膜突入另一腹腔内间隙称为腹腔内疝（internal abdominal hernias）。最常表现为一段小肠嵌入正常或异常的腹腔内孔道，引起急性小肠梗阻。作为疝口的结构可以是腹腔内的正常解剖结构，如裂孔、隐窝、陷窝等，     

50种传统清热解毒药的抑菌实验

本文报告了传统药物文献收载的５０种清热解毒药的抑菌实验结果。显示抑菌作用的有４１种，占８２％。对阳性球菌显示有抑菌作用的有３６种；对阴性杆菌显示有抑菌作用的有２４种。其中的地胡椒、金果榄、毛果算盘子等显示有较广的抗菌效应，值得进一步研究。     

Hyperoxaluria, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and renal failure after massive resection of the small intestine: report of a case.

Hyperoxaluria is frequently seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or after resection of the ileum. It is assumed to be responsible for the development of nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis (oxalate nephrosis) and progressive renal impairment in these patients. Steatorrhea may aggravate the severity of hyperoxaluria. A 60-year-old male underwent massive resection of the jejunum and ileum 10 years prior to admission, due to strangulation of the small bowel, with occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. He remained well except for steatorrhea which developed two-and-a-half years prior to admission, when microhematuria, proteinuria and oxaluria developed progressively. Since that time, the nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and renal failure have continued to worsen despite therapy with oxalate restriction and oxalate-binding agents. A renal biopsy, performed late in the clinical course, showed severe changes in the renal parenchyma. The decline in renal function proved irreversible. The unusual metabolic consequences of massive resection of the small intestine and their mechanisms are discussed.     

Loss of heterozygosity for distal markers on 22q in human gliomas.

Loss of constitutional heterozygosity as determined through the analysis of restriction-fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) on tumoral and constitutional DNA has proven to be helpful to delimit the location of tumor-suppressor genes in the human genome. In malignant gliomas this approach indicates that chromosomes 9p, 10, 17p, and 22 may contain genes of this category involved in its origin and/or progression. Regarding chromosome 22, the data so far provided by molecular studies confirmed those previously reported by cytogenetic studies, suggesting the existence of a sub-group of malignant gliomas characterized by monosomy of this chromosome. However, the precise location of the putative glioma suppressor gene on chromosome 22 remains ambiguous. We have performed a combined cytogenetic and RFLP study on a series of 31 gliomas, looking for structural abnormalities of this chromosome. In 3 instances, terminal deletions of the long arm of chromosome 22 were observed by both methodologies, suggesting that the band q13 region distal to the D22S80 marker might be the critical domain non-randomly involved in tumor suppression of gliomas.