Validation of the Taiwan Birth Registry using obstetric records.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Birth certificates are a major source of population-based data often used in maternal and child health research, but their value depends upon the level of accuracy of the data. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the birth registry data in Taiwan. METHODS: Obstetric records of a total of 2779 infants born at a municipal hospital in Taipei between 1995 and 1997 were abstracted and linked to the Taiwan Birth Registry (TBR). Concordance was presented by agreement percentages for various birth characteristics including gender, birth order, birth weight, and gestational age. Concordance was further assessed using Cohen's k and sensitivity/specificity for both birth weight and gestational age, with both variables categorized according to their customary definitions. RESULTS: Missing data for specific items in the TBR ranged from 0% (gender) to 1.6% (birth order). The birth registry accurately reported all 4 selected items, with the highest and lowest concordance percentage noted for gender (99.0%) and gestational age (88.3%), respectively. The level of agreement indicated by the Cohen's k statistic ranged from 0.92 to 0.96 for birth weight and gestational age when both variables were treated as categorical variables. CONCLUSIONS: The TBR showed a low rate of missing information and high levels of validity for the elements frequently used in maternal and child health research in Taiwan.     

磁共振灌注成像在脑胶质瘤中的应用与评价

目的 :评价磁共振 (MR)灌注成像在脑胶质瘤病理分级诊断中的价值。　方法 :对 2 8例脑胶质瘤患者术前行MR灌注成像 ,采用GRE EPI序列 ,重建相对脑血容量 (rCBV)彩图后 ,以肿瘤对侧对应部位和对侧正常脑白质为参照 ,分别计算出肿瘤最大rCBV1及rCBV2 ,并与病理学分级进行对照分析。　结果 :低、高度恶性胶质瘤的最大rCBV1值分别为 1.38± 0 .36和 4 .32± 3.4 1,最大rCBV2值分别为 2 .83± 0 .76和 9.71± 6 .2 3;低、高度恶性胶质瘤的rCBV1或rCBV2值与病理分级之间差异均有显著性意义。另外 ,rCBV1、rCBV2间有高度相关性 (r =0 .736 ,P <0 .0 0 1)。　结论 :MR灌注成像对脑胶质瘤的术前分级诊断有重要价值。     

枢椎齿突骨折的治疗进展

枢椎齿突骨折是一种累及寰枢椎区稳定性的严重损伤 ,人们对它的认识是不断变化和深入的。近年来 ,出现了很多新的治疗观念和方法 ,作者对此作一综述     

胸腰椎骨折椎弓根内固定治疗的疗效评定

目的 探讨轴形内固定(AF)椎弓根系统治疗胸腰椎骨折的疗效。方法 对1996～2000年采用AF系统治疗的60例胸腰椎骨折病例进行回顾总结。随访3～6年，平均4年。结果 神经功能恢复按ASIA分为A、B、C、D、E5级，其中恢复两个级差的27例，恢复一个级差的33例；与正常相比伤椎高度平均矫正95．1％，远期矫正丢失率为19．7％，伤椎固定节段上下椎间隙部分变窄，上间隙较重。结论 后路AF系统治疗胸腰椎骨折对于神经功能、伤椎高度的恢复疗效肯定，但存在内固定断裂，矫形丢失等问题，未充分植骨及内固定未及时取出是主要原因。     

异氟醚控制性降压对颅内动脉瘤夹闭术血中S100B含量的影响

目的　测定颅内动脉瘤夹闭前后血中S1 0 0B蛋白含量 ,研究异氟醚控制性降压对脑功能的影响。方法　择期颅内动脉瘤夹闭术病人 30例 ,ASAⅠ～Ⅱ级 ,随机分为两组 :异氟醚降压组 (n=1 5 )和异氟醚非降压组 (n =1 5 )。非降压组术中吸入 1MAC异氟醚维持麻醉。降压组行异氟醚控制性降压 ,平均动脉压下降幅度 30 %～ 4 0 % ,夹闭动脉瘤后降低异氟醚吸入浓度 ,终止降压。分别于切皮前、动脉瘤夹闭后即刻、2、4h、术后第 1、2天取血测定S1 0 0B蛋白含量 ,并于术后 1周随访病人 ,记录有无术后神经系统并发症。结果　 (1 )异氟醚降压后 30min平均动脉压由诱导前的 (95 2± 1 2 3)mmHg降至 (5 8 8± 5 4 )mmHg ,停止降压后 30min血压回升至 (75 1± 8 3)mmHg。降压后外周血管阻力及心肌收缩加速度下降 ,但心率及心输出量均无显著性变化 ;(2 )异氟醚降压组与非降压组间同一时间点血中S1 0 0B蛋白浓度无明显差异。降压组术后第 1天及第 2天血中S1 0 0B蛋白浓度均显著升高 (F =2 94 4 ,P =0 0 1 8)。结论　在颅内动脉瘤夹闭术中应用异氟醚控制性降压可能加重了术后脑损伤 ,不利于病人围麻醉期脑功能的保护     

Correction of keratoconus with rigid gas-permeable contact lenses

This study analyzed the feasibility of fitting keratoconus-affected corneas with nonkeratoconus rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses. We retrospectively studied patients with a diagnosis of keratoconus in the past 10 years who were fitted successfully with nonkeratoconus RGP lenses by the same physician. Results confirmed nonkeratoconus RGP lenses as the first-line correction tool. Additionally, we found a simple equation to speed the choice of the base curves of the lenses. The authors have stated that they do not have a significant financial interest or other relationship with any product manufacturer or provider of services discussed in this article.     

Growth factor pre-treatment differentially regulates phosphoinositide turnover downstream of lysophospholipid receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptors in cultured rat cerebrocortical astrocytes

Reactive gliosis is an aspect of neural plasticity and growth factor (GF) stimulation of astrocytes in vitro is widely regarded as a model system to study astrocyte plasticity. Astrocytes express receptors for several ligands including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), agonists for the G-protein-coupled lysophospholipid receptors (lpRs). Activation of lpRs by LPA or S1P leads to multiple pharmacological effects including the influx of calcium, phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, phosphorylation of extracellular receptor regulated kinase (ERK), release of arachidonic acid, and induces mitogenesis. Treatment of astrocytes in vitro with a growth factor cocktail (containing epidermal growth factor [EGF], basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] and insulin) led to a marked attenuation of lpR-induced PI hydrolysis. In contrast, under identical conditions, GF treatment led to marked potentiation of PI hydrolysis downstream of activation of another abundantly expressed G-protein coupled receptor, mGluR5. Quantitative gene expression analysis of GF-treated or control astrocytes by TaqMan RT-PCR indicated that GF treatment did not change gene expression of lpa1 and s1p1, but increased gene expression of s1p5 which is expressed at very low levels in basal conditions. These results suggest that GF differentially affected PLC activation downstream of mGluR5 versus lpR activation and that the changes in mRNA levels of lpRs do not account for marked attenuation of agonist-induced phosphoinositide turnover.     

中国男性原发不育的遗传高风险因子:Y染色体DAZ基因拷贝缺失

目的 探讨Y染色体无精症因子C区(azoospermia factor C，AZFe)无精症缺失基因(deleted-in-azoospermia，DAZ)家族基因拷贝缺失与中国男性原发不育之间的关系。方法 运用多重PCR与PCR-RFLP检测技术，对210例已生育男性、216例原发无精症与189例严重少精症患者Y染色体AzFc区域DAZ基因家族的基因拷贝数进行分析。结果 在所有已生育男性中未检出DAZ基因拷贝的完全或部分缺失，而在原发无精症与严重少精症患者中DAZ基因拷贝完全缺失率分别为8．8％和12．2％，DAZ1／DAZ2共缺失率分别为8．3％和5．3％。结论 在中国男性原发无精症与严重少精症患者中存在较高频率的DAZ基因拷贝缺失现象，提示Y染色体AZFc区域DAZ基因家族基因拷贝的完全与部分缺失是中国男性原发不育的遗传高风险因子。     

超微粉体技术对穿心莲药材中穿心莲内酯及脱水穿心莲内酯溶出率的影响

目的:探讨超微粉碎对穿心莲药材中有效成分溶出率的影响.方法:用高效液相色谱法(high performance liquid chromatography,HPLC)测定穿心莲超微粉与药材120目细粉中穿心莲内酯及脱水穿心莲内酯的溶出率.结果:超微粉药材中穿心莲内酯及脱水穿心莲内酯的溶出率明显增加.结论:超微粉碎可显著提高穿心莲药材中有效成分的溶出率.