Association of cutaneous and oral diseases in HIV-infected men

OBJECTIVES: Mucocutaneous diseases are common in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). To identify cutaneous diseases for which HIV-infected people are at high risk, we sought those that are strongly associated with specific HIV-related oral lesions and with progression of HIV disease.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of HIV-positive outpatients referred to a university stomatology clinic for diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases. Each subject underwent both complete oral and cutaneous examinations.
RESULTS: Among 55 men, with a median age of 41 years and a median CD4 cell count of 125/ju.l (range 0–950/pil), 93% had active oral diseases or conditions, including candidiasis, hairy leukoplakia, ulcers, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), and xerostomia, and 95% had skin conditions, including onychomycosis, dermatophytosis, seborrheic dermatitis, KS, folliculitis, xerosis, and molluscum contagiosum. Seborrheic dermatitis, xerosis, skin KS, and molluscum contagiosum were associated with oral HIV-sentinel lesions (oral candidiasis, hairy leukoplakia, and KS), with low CD4 cell counts, and with AIDS.
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that xerosis and seborrheic dermatitis may be early harbingers of HIV disease progression. Their roles as predictors warrant further study, based on their associations with low CD4 cell counts and AIDS and strong co-prevalence with one of the most common HIV-related oral lesions, oral candidiasis.     

Reappraisal of optimal hemoglobin standards for female blood donors in Canada

BACKGROUND: A hemoglobin (Hb) standard of 115 g per L on the copper sulfate test has been in use by the Canadian Red Cross Society Blood Services for female blood donor predonation screening since 1989. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To determine if this lowered Hb standard results in increased iron deficiency in repeat blood donors, a study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the copper sulfate test and predonation capillary and venous Hb assays in a population of female blood donors most at risk of developing iron deficiency. RESULTS: Of the 174 donors who were of childbearing age, who were not taking iron supplements, and who had made at least three blood donations per year, 45 (25.9%) were iron deficient, and 64 (36.8%) had reduced iron stores; only 65 (37.3%) had normal iron stores. This study showed that capillary blood is more likely to have a higher Hb concentration (3.2 +/− 7.8 g/L) than venous blood samples, which could affect the performance of predonation screening assays that are based on capillary blood samples at a given discriminating value. With an Hb standard of 115 g per L, both the copper sulfate and capillary Hb assays were not sensitive enough to screen for iron deficiency (sensitivity, 27% and 33%; specificity, 96% and 93%, respectively) and were comparable only to the performance of a venous Hb assay with a cutoff value of 110 g per L (sensitivity, 27%; specificity, 99%). In contrast, an Hb standard of 125 g per L in the copper sulfate test could achieve a more optimal sensitivity of 79 percent and specificity of 78 percent. CONCLUSION: This study supports the use of a higher Hb cutoff value of 125 g per L for female blood donors in the predonation fingerstick copper sulfate test.     

术前肌电图和脑干听觉诱发电位与面肌痉挛微血管减压术后迟发性面瘫发生的关系(英文)

Background Delayed facial palsy ( DFP) after microvascular decompression ( MVD) in patients with hemifacial spasm ( HFS) is not uncommon,but the cause remains unknown. Objectives To assess whether intraoperative electromyography ( EMG) and brainstem auditory evoked potential ( BAEP) can predict DFP after MVD. Methods Between September 2009 and February 2011 we examined 86 patients,9 of whom ( 10. 4% ) developed DFP after MVD on the same side. All patients underwent MVD and were followed - up for a median period of 13 months ( range 6-22) . We retrospectively examined intraoperative facial EMG and BAEP findings using our MVD patients’ registry. We excluded secondary HFS and immediate postoperative facial palsy after MVD in this study. We assessed the prevalence and clinical characteristics of DFP and compared EMG and BAEP findings between DFP and non-DFP groups. Results: All pa- tients recovered completely,with a mean time to recovery of 37. 8 days ( range 22-57) . There were no significant differences between DFP and non - DFP patients in terms of the amplitude and latency of intraoperative EMG and BAEP. Conclusion The usefulness of intraoperative facial EMG and BAEP is limited and cannot predict DFP after MVD for HFS. We speculate that DFP after MVD is not associated with permanent nerve damage according to the EMG findings.     

Lactogenic Activity of Rats Stimulated by Gunnera Perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) from South Africa

Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a medicinal plant used by Zulu traditional healers to stimulate milk production. The effect of an aqueous extract of the rhizome of the plant on milk production in rats was investigated. Female lactating rats that received oral doses of the extract of G.perpensa significantly (p<0.05) produced more milk than controls. The plant extract did not however, significantly influence the levels of prolactin, growth hormone, progesterone, cortisol, ALT, AST and albumin in the blood. The mammary glands of rats treated with the extract showed lobuloalveolar development. The extract (0.8 µg/ml) was also found to stimulate the contraction of the uterus and inhibit (23%) acetylcholinesterase activity. The cytotoxicity of the extract (LC₅₀) to two human cell lines (HEK293 and HepG2) was 279.43 µg/ml and 222.33µg/ml, respectively. It is inferred that the plant extract exerts its activity on milk production and secretion by stimulating lobuloalveolar cell development and the contraction of myoepithelial cells in the alveoli. It is concluded that Gunnera perpensa contains constituents with lactogenic activity that apparently contribute to its effectiveness in folk medicine.     

《亚洲男性学杂志》“21 世纪精液分析特刊”后序

精液分析成为不育研究的重要部分经历了一个极其漫长的历史变迁过程,并声名狼藉,曾经被排除在常规的病理学检查之外,直到近些年才引起学术界的重视.精液分析起源于19世纪,那时对精子的认识仅仅局限于检测性交后宫颈黏液中是否存在精子,曾认为是"有失体面的,不自重的[1].     

血小板激活因子对大鼠脑血管通透性的影响及药物的保护作用

颈内动脉注射血小板激活因子(PAF),再给伊文思蓝,可见脑实质染色程度加深,而颈内动脉只注射伊文思蓝,脑实质未见染色。而我们合成的新药SZ-1可剂量依赖性地抑制PAF诱导的脑实质伊文思蓝染色程度的加深。在体外培养的脑微血管平滑肌细胞上,PAF能显著刺激~(14)-花生四烯酸的释放,而SZ-1能剂量依赖性地抑制这种释放,提示PAF在脑内产生的损害除与其他因素相关外,还与其刺激花生四烯酸释放有密切关系,SZ-1对PAF引起的脑部损害有保护作用。     

hs-CRP is a potential predictor of no-reflow in patients with AMI after emergency PCI

The paper aims to determine whether the inflammation,a powerful risk factor that has been demonstrated for the development of coronary artery disease,plays a role in no-reflow phenomenon in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods We prospectively analyzed 656 patients with AMI after primary PCI.Based on post-PCI angiography data,patients were divided into two groups:the no-reflow group (TIMI=2,n =60) and the reflow group (TIMI=3,n =596).Results Our results showed that the inflammatory factors including leukocyte count (×109/L) (10.90±4.04 vs.9.12±2.98 P =0.002),hs-CRP (5.04±0.71 vs.4.70±0.75 P =0.001) and other factor platelet count (×109/L) (210.96±33.42 vs.196.41±46.06 P =0.033) in no-reflow group are significantly higher than those in reflow group,major adverse cardiac events happened in the patients with no-reflow are higher than in reflow patients no matter in hospital or at the end of follow-up.We also found the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) dramatically decreased (58.65±9.34 vs.51.29±11.38,P＜0.001) and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) significantly increased (49.94±6.75 mm vs.54.66±6.68mm,P＜0.001) in no-reflow patients at the end of follow-up.Conclusions Our results suggest that inflammation factors function in no-reflow phenomenon,and no-reflow is a serious complication after primary PCI which predicts poor left ventricular systolic functional recovery and mortality in patients with AMI.(J Geriatr Cardiol 2008;5:217-222)