Otoacoustic emissions as a screening test for hearing impairment in children

Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) are low amplitude sound waves produced by the healthy cochlea. They can be recorded with a microphone in the external ear. TEOAEs are abolished by hearing losses of 30 dB or more. The feasibility of using TEOAEs as a screening test for hearing loss in children was studied. TEOAE recordings were attempted in 56 children attending an audiology clinic. Recordings were possible from both ears in 52 children; of these 104 ears, 32 had hearing deficits of 30 dB or more. Hearing status was compared with the results of six TEOAE screening criteria. All criteria had a sensitivity of 1.00. Four standard TEOAE criteria yielded specificities of 0.46-0.58. Two new criteria derived from analysis of limited frequencies from the TEOAE waveform gave specificities of 0.76 and 0.82. It can be concluded that, when appropriate pass/fail criteria are employed, TEOAEs are a feasible screening test in children.     

Chronic Arsenic Poisoning From Burning High-Arsenic-Containing Coal In Guizhou, China

Optimization of a previously disclosed sorbitol dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDI, II) for potency and duration of action was achieved by replacing the metabolically labile N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl group with a variety of heterocycles. Specifically, this effort led to a series of novel, in vitro potent SDIs with longer serum half-lives and acceptable in vivo activity in acutely diabetic rats (e.g., 62, 67, and 69). However, the desired in vivo potency in chronically diabetic rats, ED90 less than or equal to 5 mg/kg/day, was achieved only through further modification of the piperazine linker. Several members of this family, including 86, showed better than the targeted potency with ED90 values of 1-2 mg/kg/day. Compound 86 was further profiled and found to be a selective inhibitor of sorbitol dehydrogenase, with excellent pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic properties, demonstrating normalization of sciatic nerve fructose in a chronically diabetic rat model for approximately 17 h, when administered orally at a single dose of 2 mg/kg/day.     

冠状动脉粥样硬化ADAMTS7新位点的发现和冠状动脉粥样硬化中ABO位点与心肌梗死的相关性:两项全基因组关联研究

<正>背景:该研究旨在评价在现有的冠状动脉粥样硬化的病变中,遗传因素对粥样硬化斑块进展及特异性心肌梗死是否存在显著作用。方法:对欧洲后裔参与者冠状动脉造影表型进行了两项全基因组关联研究(GWAS),为寻找冠状动脉疾病(CAD)易感性基因位点,研究比较了有异常(n=12393)和无异常的(对照组n=7383)个体;为寻找心肌梗死易感性基因位点,也同时比较了造影证实存在CAD并且有心肌梗死的个体(n=5783)与虽有CAD但无心肌梗死的个体(n=3644)。     

Naphthalimido derivatives as antifolate thymidylate synthase inhibitors

A new series of N-(substituted)benzyl-1,8-naphthalimides 4, structurally related to the previously reported thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor naphthaleins 3, were synthesized and compounds tested for their inhibition of several species of TS. Moreover, their in vitro cytotoxicity together with antimycotic and antibacterial properties were assayed. While no activity was detected in the antibacterial tests, the m-nitro (4ae) and the p-nitro (4af) derivatives were found able to partially inhibit TS at low micromolar concentrations. Introduction of nitro or (substituted)-amino groups in position 4 of the naphthalic ring always led to less active compounds.     

Involvement of NMDA receptors in the antidepressant-like action of adenosine

Background and MethodIn this work, the contribution of NMDA receptors to the antidepressant-like effect of adenosine in the forced swimming test (FST) was investigated.ResultsThe pretreatment of mice with NMDA or D-serine was able to prevent the anti-immobility effect of either adenosine or MK-801 in the FST. In addition, the administration of a sub-effective dose of adenosine produced a synergistic effect with sub-effective doses of MK-801, ketamine and zinc chloride. Moreover, the immobility time of the mice treated with active doses of adenosine or N⁶-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) plus MK-801 was not significantly different from that obtained with adenosine, CHA and MK-801 alone; by contrast, the combination between active doses of adenosine and CHA plus an active dose of the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine produced a greater effect in the FST than the administration of either drug alone.ConclusionTogether, the results suggest that the effect of adenosine in the FST is likely dependent on the inhibition of NMDA receptors mediated by the activation of adenosine A₁ receptors.