Lack of biliary excretion of Cd linked to an inherent defect of the canalicular isoform of multidrug resistance protein (cMrp) does not abnormally stimulate accumulation of Cd in the Eisai hyperbilirubinemic (EHB) rat liver

A new mutant, the Eisai hyperbilirubinemic (EHB) rat, shows no inherent expression of the canalicular isoform of the multidrug resistance protein (cMrp) in the liver. It has defective biliary secretion of organic anions such as bilirubin glucuronides, bromosulfophthalein (BSP), cysteinyl leukotrienes, glutathione (GSH) and bile acid sulfate and glucuronides. When rats were injected intravenously with CdCl₂, biliary excretion of Cd over 30 min was 0.28% and 0.004% of the total dose in Sprague-Dawley (SD) and EHB rats, respectively. Six SD rats and five EHB rats were fed a diet containing Cd. Bile Cd was detected at the level of 2 ng/20 min in SD rats, but not in EHB rats. There was no significant difference of hepatic Cd concentration between SD and EHB rats. Furthermore, there were no significant differences of renal and intestinal Cd, and hepatic and renal metallothionein (MT) concentrations between the SD and EHB groups. Biliary excretion of reduced-GSH for 20 min was 1.3 ± 0.3 mg and 3.6 ± 0.9 μg in SD and EHB rats, respectively. Our results suggest that hepatobiliary excretion of exogenous Cd is mediated mainly via carrier transport, including a cMrp or GSH carrier, but that the lack of the transport pathway does not contribute to abnormal accumulation of Cd in the liver. Received: 12 August 1996 / Accepted 7 November 1996     

The future of outcomes measurement: item banking,tailored short-forms,and computerized adaptive assessment

The use of item banks and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) begins with clear definitions of important outcomes, and references those definitions to specific questions gathered into large and well-studied pools, or “banks” of items. Items can be selected from the bank to form customized short scales, or can be administered in a sequence and length determined by a computer programmed for precision and clinical relevance. Although far from perfect, such item banks can form a common definition and understanding of human symptoms and functional problems such as fatigue, pain, depression, mobility, social function, sensory function, and many other health concepts that we can only measure by asking people directly. The support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as witnessed by its cooperative agreement with measurement experts through the NIH Roadmap Initiative known as PROMIS (www.nihpromis.org), is a big step in that direction. Our approach to item banking and CAT is practical; as focused on application as it is on science or theory. From a practical perspective, we frequently must decide whether to re-write and retest an item, add more items to fill gaps (often at the ceiling of the measure), re-test a bank after some modifications, or split up a bank into units that are more unidimensional, yet less clinically relevant or complete. These decisions are not easy, and yet they are rarely unforgiving. We encourage people to build practical tools that are capable of producing multiple short form measures and CAT administrations from common banks, and to further our understanding of these banks with various clinical populations and ages, so that with time the scores that emerge from these many activities begin to have not only a common metric and range, but a shared meaning and understanding across users. In this paper, we provide an overview of item banking and CAT, discuss our approach to item banking and its byproducts, describe testing options, discuss an example of CAT for fatigue, and discuss models for long term sustainability of an entity such as PROMIS. Some barriers to success include limitations in the methods themselves, controversies and disagreements across approaches, and end-user reluctance to move away from the familiar.     

The interleukin-5 messenger RNA expression in a patient with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome

Interleukin-5 has a specific role in various eosinophilic activities. It is the predominant cytokine produces by activated T-lymphocytes isolated from patients with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. We studied a young patient suffering from idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome who presented with Horner's syndrome, peripheral neuropathy and skin ulcers. The IL-5 gene expression by CD4⁺ T-lymphocytes and the peripheral eosinophil count were raised. The skin ulcers continued to deteriorate despite a swift reduction of the IL-5 gene expression and peripheral eosinophil count following systemic corticosteroid treatment. We suggest that peripheral eosinophilia may not be responsible for the damage in skin lesions and more aggressive treatment may be required.     

Neurotrophin-like immunoreactivity in the human pre-term newborn, infant, and adult cerebellum

The immunohistochemical occurrence of the neurotrophin (NT) proteins nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) is shown in the pre-term newborn, infant, and adult human post-mortem cerebellum. The NT-like immunoreactive structures were unevenly distributed and showed regional differences among cerebellar lobules and folia. NGF-, NT-4-, and NT-3-positive neuronal perikarya were observed in all specimens examined. At variance with the other neurotrophins, the BDNF antiserum labelled neuronal cell bodies only in newborn life and infancy, as well as extensive nerve fibre systems, whose density increased with age. The NT-antibodies, tested by Western blot on human cerebellum homogenates, revealed immunoreactive bands corresponding to proteins of heterogenous molecular weight. The results obtained provide a first demonstration of the tissue localization of the NTs in the human cerebellum from perinatal to adult age, thus suggesting their involvement in the development, differentiation and maintenance of the cerebellar connectivity. Codistribution of the four NTs or sets of them was observed in cortical and deep nuclei neurons. Multiple trophic roles for NTs, encompassing the classic target-derived and local mechanisms of support, are envisaged as significant in development, differentiation, and maintenance of the human cerebellar connectivity.     

显微定量法测定中成药中猪牙皂的含量

目的 :制定猪牙皂在脐风散与惊风散中的显微定量标准。方法 :用显微定量法 ,以猪牙皂特有的石细胞为显微特征物 ,对脐风散与惊风散中的猪牙皂进行测定。结果 :猪牙皂含量与每毫克特征数呈显著的线性正相关 ,回归方程为 y =61 .42 x -1 .1 0× 1 0 - 3(γ=1 .0 0 ,α=0 .0 5 )。结论 :显微定量法测定脐风散与惊风散中猪牙皂的含量是可行的 ,结果可靠     

葡萄球菌属对常用抗生素耐药情况调查

目的：了解葡萄球菌属，特别是耐甲氧西林葡萄球菌（MRS）的耐药情况，为临床用药提供参考。方法：从2002年1－7月送检的住院病人的血、痰、脓液、分泌物等标本中分离出的金黄色葡萄球菌、表皮葡萄球菌及其他血浆凝固酶阴性的葡萄球菌共105株，并进行药敏和多重耐药分析。结果：MRS的分离率较高，为68．6％，耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）为69．2％；耐甲氧西林表皮葡萄球菌（MRSE）为63．3％。MRS较非耐甲氧西林葡萄球菌（MSS）耐药率明显高，且MRS比MSS多重耐率高得多；MRSA对四种不同作用机制的抗生素；泰能、阿米卡星、环丙沙星、复方新诺明具有很高的多重耐药率，达到50％以上。结论：鉴于MRS的高分离率和多重耐药率，在治疗感染性疾病时，应加强病原学检查，提高标本鉴定的阳性率；在有效的治疗MRS感染的同时还应注意遏制MRS的产生。     

Postoperative deep vein thrombosis in the Taiwanese Chinese population

Reports of the incidence of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in the Chinese population of Taiwan are few in the literature. Over a 3 year period, the fibrinogen degradation products test, the pulse volume recorder, and venography were used to study 220 patients undergoing major operations at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Deep vein thrombosis was found in 17 patients (7.7 percent). A comparison of the three diagnostic methods showed that the sensitivities of the fibrinogen degradation products test and the pulse volume recorder were 56.3 percent and 93.7 percent, respectively; the specificities, 97.4 percent and 95.7 percent, respectively; and the accuracies, 85.5 percent and 95.5 percent, respectively. These results support the combined use of the fibrinogen degradation products test and the pulse volume recorder for screening and diagnosing deep vein thrombosis.     

自主神经功能与功能性便秘患者临床症状的相关性分析

目的：根据功能性便秘（functional constipation,FC）患者临床资料分析内脏自主神经功能与便秘症状特征、心理状态及生活质量的相关性。方法：评估102例FC患者和42例健康对照者的一般资料、精神心理状态和心率变异性（heart rate variability,HRV）检测结果,再根据HRV检测结果将FC患者分为自主神经张力偏向正常组、严重偏向交感神经张力组和严重偏向副交感神经张力组;比较各组间Zung’s焦虑自评量表（self-rating anxiety scale,SAS）和抑郁自评量表（self-rating depression scale,SDS）、便秘评分系统（constipation scoring system,CSS）和便秘患者症状自评量表（patient assessment of constipation symptoms, PAC-SYM）、便秘患者生活质量自评问卷（patient assessment of constipation quality of life,PAC-QOL）分值差异,同时比较不同 HRV分组间肛直肠测压参数、肠电图参数差异,分析便秘患者生活质量与自主神经功能、精神心理状态、便秘症状之间的相关性。结果：与健康对照组相比,FC患者焦虑抑郁水平显著升高,HRV检测结果显示自主神经功能异常率高。不同HRV分组的 FC患者间肛直肠测压参数、肠电图参数差异无统计学意义;与交感-副交感神经张力偏向正常组相比,严重偏向交感神经张力组患者明显存在明显的焦虑抑郁情绪、PAC-SYM较高、生活质量降低（主要是躯体不适和担心焦虑两个维度）。严重偏向副交感神经张力组患者CSS评分最高,可能与抑郁情绪为主导有关。多重线性回归显示,患者的焦虑抑郁情绪、自主神经功能显著影响便秘患者生活质量。结论：自主神经功能紊乱的便秘患者存在明显的焦虑抑郁情绪,与便秘严重程度相比,自主神经功能紊乱、焦虑抑郁情绪对便秘患者的生活质量具有更明显的负面影响。调节自主神经功能、心理干预或中枢神经药物等治疗可能具有重要临床意义。