Influence of Osteoarthritis on Serum Marker Levels of Bone Formation and Resorption in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy

Background :
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of osteoarthritis of lumbar vertebrae on serum bone formation and resorption marker levels of patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
Methods :
Serum levels of carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), carboxyterminaltelopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were examined in 40 patients with BPH, and the presence of osteoarthritis at the lumbar vertebrae of the patients was evaluated by plain x-ray-p.
Results :
Findings of osteoarthritis were observed in 23 of the 40 patients (58%), and 10 of the patients had severe osteoarthritis (involving at least 2 lumbar vertebral bodies). The serum levels of PICP, ALP, ICTP, and PSA of the patients without osteoarthritis findings were not different from those of the patients with osteoarthritis or severe osteoarthritis.
Conclusion :
The influence of osteoarthritis on serum bone formation and resorption marker levels of patients with BPH appears to be rather slight, if there is any influence at all.     

Should every patient undergo cardiac catheterization after myocardial infarction?

During the past few decades, management of patients with myocardial infarction has dramatically evolved. High-risk patients are now identified by a variety of noninvasive tests, and aggressive use of reperfusion strategies has improved clinical outcomes. Despite the benefits of reperfusion, only a few patients are eligible to receive thrombolytic therapy. Mortality rates among patients excluded from thrombolytic trials (15% to 20%) have been far greater than those eligible for treatment (3% to 10%). Because most deaths occur within the first few days of infarction, interventions designed to reduce mortality should be performed acutely. Immediate catheterization allows identification of high-risk anatomy that may benefit from surgery and allows coronary angioplasty to be performed as a reperfusion strategy (when appropriate). Furthermore, catheterization allows documentation of ejection fraction, vessel patency, number of diseased vessels, and residual stenosis, all of which have been predictive of prognosis. Conversely, frequently repeated noninvasive diagnostic tests are associated with increased cost, are generally performed in low-risk patients, and 60% to 80% of patients with myocardial infarction ultimately require catheterization anyway. It is possible that early catheterization and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty when indicated may effectively risk stratify patients (eliminating the need for noninvasive testing), may reduce morbidity and mortality, and shorten the length of hospital stay.     

Spectral slope of vowels produced by tracheoesophageal speakers

Spectra of vowels were analyzed to determine whether differences exist between the spectral slope of vowels produced by tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers and normal speakers and, if so, to quantify such differences. The linear predictive autocorrelation method was used to calculate smoothed spectra and the spectra were normalized with respect to a low frequency component. Comparisons between normalized spectral energy within a selected high frequency range revealed that energy within this frequency range for vowels produced by TE speakers was significantly higher than that produced by normal speakers. A least-square distance matching procedure was used to quantify speaker group differences in the spectral slope of vowels. Average spectra of vowels produced by the normal speakers could be matched to average spectra of vowels produced by the TE speakers by decreasing the spectral slope of their vowels by 2-3 dB/octave.     

Serotonergic projections from the midbrain periaqueductal gray and nucleus raphe dorsalis to the nucleus parafasccicularis of the thalamus

By a double-labeling method combining the retrograde tracing of horseradish peroxidase and the immunocytochemical technique, serotonin-like immunoreactive neurons in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) and nucleus raphe dorsalis (DR) of the rat were observed to send projection fibers to the nucleus parafascicularis of the thalamus bilaterally with an ipsilateral dominance. These serotonin-containing projecting neurons were observed mainly at the middle-caudal levels of the ventrolateral subdivision of the PAG and less at the middle-rostral levels of the DR.     

Day-Night Variation of Urine Volume in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract: Studies on the circadian rhythm of urine excretion in healthy men have demonstrated that the maximal urine flow occurs in the early afternoon and the minimal around midnight. In this study, an abnormality in the variation of urine volume was found in parkinsonian patients. Urine samples were collected during daytime (9:00–21:00) and nighttime (21:00–9:00). Fifteen healthy control subjects were examined and found to excrete 60% during the daytime and 40% during the nighttime of the total urine volume. Sixteen parkinsonian patients excreted 43% during the daytime and 57% during the nighttime. In contrast to the control subjects, the parkinsonian patients excreted a smaller volume of their urine during the daytime than during the nighttime. This finding might be related to the degeneration of dopaminergic and/or nondopaminergic neurons in the brain which control urinary excretion.     

Educating the Public About Stroke

Acute stroke affects large numbers of people worldwide. It causes significant morbidity and mortality. Data support the hypothesis that the public is not familiar with either the risk factors or the signs of stroke. Educating the public about stroke may result in a lower incidence of the disease as individuals modify their risk factors, and in improved outcomes as a result of reductions in delays to treatment. There is clear and convincing evidence that reducing delays to treatment of patients with acute stroke results in improved outcomes. Public education programs should be broad-based, tailored to individual audiences, and carry a common theme.     

纤维组织粘合剂的实验研究

本文应用“冷沉淀”法制备纤维组织粘合剂。对纤维组织粘合剂中主要成份和含量进行了测定,并测定了主要理化性质,建立了动物实验模型,观察了实验兔对纤维粘合剂的反应。