Role of complement in tubulointerstitial injury from proteinuria

The complement system is being increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of progressive renal disease resulting from persistent proteinuria. It has recently been established that renal tubular cells can produce complement, activate complement, and respond to complement activation. Complement proteins that pass through the glomerular barrier along with other serum proteins in the proteinuric state may become activated at the tubular epithelial brush border, and lead to a cascade of events culminating in cell injury. Furthermore, nephrotic components in the urinary space may cause direct activation of the tubular cells to overexpress complement and contribute to local tissue injury. In this review, we will discuss the current evidence supporting a role for complement in the pathogenesis of progressive tubulointerstitial damage in the proteinuric state. The possibility of complement inhibition intervening in progressive tubulointerstitial injury due to proteinuric glomerular disease will also be considered.     

Impact of a medically supervised safer injecting facility on drug dealing and other drug-related crime

North America's first medically supervised safer injecting facility (SIF) recently opened in Vancouver, Canada. One of the concerns prior to the SIF's opening was that the facility might lead to a migration of drug activity and an increase in drug-related crime. Therefore, we examined crime rates in the neighborhood where the SIF is located in the year before versus the year after the SIF opened. No increases were seen with respect to drug trafficking (124 vs. 116) or assaults/robbery (174 vs. 180), although a decline in vehicle break-ins/vehicle theft was observed (302 vs. 227). The SIF was not associated with increased drug trafficking or crimes commonly linked to drug use.     

Infusion versus bolus of an ultrasound contrast agent: in vivo dose-response measurements of BR1

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of an ultrasound contrast agent infusion using Doppler intensitometry estimation of backscatter enhancement in blood. METHODS: Multiple intravenous injections of BR1 (SonoVue) were performed in chronic dog studies, using bolus (0.05-2 mL) and infusion (3-40 mL/h during 6 minutes) administration. The pulsed Doppler signal from the femoral artery was recorded and analyzed for mean Doppler power and integrated fractional enhancement. RESULTS: For bolus injection, time-intensity curves exhibited a rapid first pass (peak 30 dB for 0.45 mL) followed by a slower washout. Integrated fractional enhancement exhibited a linear relation with the dose (R2 = 0.99). For infusion administration, peak enhancement increased with the infusion rate from 8 to 22 dB. At rates exceeding 30 mL/h, the enhancement was stable with a plateau-like pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Infusion of BR1 is easily achieved and allows the duration of enhancement to be increased as long as desired. Stable enhancement is obtained for rates greater than 30 mL/h.     

针刺足三裹、指按中脘穴对胃及十二指肠变形改变的影像学研究

目的 探讨研究刺激足三裹、中脘穴封胃及十二指肠变形改变的作用及诊断价值。方法 选取一组共30例上消化道钡餐造影检查表现为胃及十二指肠变形的病例。十二指肠球部变形26例，其中15例有球部变形，但无壁宠；11例有球部变形，有壁宠；胃窦部痉挛4例。当发现变形改变後随即采用针刺足三裹、指按中脘穴得气後观察变形器官的变化。结果 经刺激足三裹、中脘穴後，28例在短时间内（3．6分钟）即见效，十二指肠变形之球部舒展、充盈如常，壁瓮显示清楚，粘膜亦显示清晰，胃窦部变形缓解．窦腔变宽，蠕动波出现；2例有所改善。结论刺激穴位後封胃及十二指肠变形改变有明显作用，有利于胃、十二指肠良、恶性变形病变的诊断与鉴别，封定性诊断意义较大，又无副作用。在上消化道造影影像学检查中，发现胃及十二指肠变形改变後，刺激足三裹、中脘穴具有良好效果，是提高龛影显示率、缓解痉挛的一种见效快、行之有效的方法。     

Significance of -191G/C single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of ATP-binding cassette transporter gene in coronary artery disease]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of -191G/C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the promoter region of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1(ABCA1) gene on plasma lipids and its significance in coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: By polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), -191G/C SNP in the promoter region of ABCA1 gene was analyzed in 204 patients with CAD and 114 control subjects and the distribution of the -191G/C genotypes compared between the two groups and also between different clinical phenotypes of CAD. The clinical indexes associated with CAD were also compared between the patients with the three genotypes of CAD. RESULTS: The frequency distribution of GG, GC, and CC genotypes significantly differed between CAD group and the control group, and the former group had obvious higher CC genotype frequency and the C allele frequency (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). In CAD patients, the frequency distribution of GG, GC, and CC genotypes varied significantly between those with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and those with stable angina pectoris (SAP). The CC genotype showed obviously higher frequency in ACS group than in SAP group and the C allele was more frequent in the former group (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). However, no significant difference was noted in the body mass index, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, or very low-density lipoprotein cholesterols between the three genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The -191G/C SNP in the promoter region of ABCA1 is associated with increased CAD and the C allele may relate to the stability of CAD without detectable changes in plasma lipids.     

中药和限制门静脉血流对大鼠极限性肝叶切除早期残肝损害的影响

目的：探讨丹参针剂和限制门静脉血流对大鼠极限性肝叶切除（90％）后早期残肝损害的效应。方法：按Gaub的方法建立大鼠90％极限性肝叶切除模型，分别观察限制门静脉血流和加用丹参对大鼠手术后死亡率，残肝HE染色肝细胞中央静脉及汇管区的改变以及术后血生化的改变。结果：限制门静脉血流能减轻早期极限性肝叶切除后残肝的损害，加用丹参后能进一步减轻损害，但均不能改善实验动物的死亡率。结论：限制门静脉血流能减轻早期极限性肝叶切除后残肝的损害，加用丹参后能进一步减轻，但并不能引发残肝细胞再生的启动而延长动物的存活。     

II. Hypersociability in Williams Syndrome

Studies of abnormal populations provide a rare opportunity for examining relationships between cognition, genotype and brain neurobiology, permitting comparisons across these different levels of analysis. In our studies, we investigate individuals with a rare, genetically based disorder called Williams syndrome (WMS) to draw links among these levels. A critical component of such a cross-domain undertaking is the clear delineation of the phenotype of the disorder in question. Of special interest in this paper is a relatively unexplored unusual social phenotype in WMS that includes an overfriendly and engaging personality. Four studies measuring distinct aspects of hypersocial behavior in WMS are presented, each probing specific aspects in WMS infants, toddlers, school age children, and adults. The abnormal profile of excessively social behavior represents an important component of the phenotype that may distinguish WMS from other developmental disorders. Furthermore, the studies show that the profile is observed across a wide range of ages, and emerges consistently across multiple experimental paradigms. These studies of hypersocial behavior in WMS promise to provide the groundwork for crossdisciplinary analyses of gene-brain-behavior relationships.     

Association study of a functional serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with schizophrenia, psychopathology and clozapine response

Serotonin is implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Following serotonin release, the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is the major determinant of serotonin inactivation. The present study tested the hypothesis that a biallelic polymorphism in the 5' regulatory region of the 5-HTT gene (5-HTTLPR) confers susceptibility to schizophrenia, association with the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia or clozapine response. 90 treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale before and after clozapine treatment. The results demonstrated that the 5-HTTLPR variants did not play a major role in the susceptibility, clinical manifestations or clozapine response in schizophrenia.     

Association study of apolipoprotein E epsilon4 with clinical phenotype and clozapine response in schizophrenia

Schizophrenic patients with the apolipoprotein E (APOE = gene; apoE = protein) epsilon4 allele exhibited lower psychosis scores than patients without the epsilon4 allele in previous reports. The present study tested the hypothesis that the APOE epsilon4 allele confers association with the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia or clozapine response. A total of 95 schizophrenic patients who were treatment resistant were included in the study. The results demonstrated that the presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele did not influence the response to clozapine in schizophrenic patients, neither was the baseline psychopathology related to the APOE epsilon4 allele. Given the multiple functions of the apoE protein in the brain, further study of the influence of APOE on CNS medication response is needed.     

Efficacy of multipurpose solutions for rigid gas permeable lenses

The use of multipurpose solutions for cleaning and disinfecting rigid gas permeable lenses has replaced single purpose solutions, but there are no reports of the efficacy of these multipurpose solutions, or of the effects of storage conditions on their disinfecting capacities. This study investigated activity against four bacterial and two fungal species, and the effects of storage in a refrigerator, at room temperature, at elevated temperature in both dry and humid conditions and with exposure to sunlight. The disinfecting solutions were challenged with the micro-organisms initially upon opening and then at 2-weekly intervals up to 12 weeks after being stored under the different conditions. Solutions were opened daily to simulate use. One solution failed to meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) criteria to reduce numbers of bacteria by three log dilutions and of fungi by one log dilution. Storage reduced activity of all solutions over the 12-week period, but not below the requirements of the FDA. Storage in the refrigerator tended to reduce disinfecting capacity more quickly. Multipurpose solutions for rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses lose activity over the 3 months recommended time of use but remain satisfactory for use over this time in the conditions tested. Practitioners need to remind patients to replace their solutions regularly and should advise against storage in the refrigerator. Multipurpose solutions for RGP lenses have simplified cleaning and disinfecting processes and the current formulations have improved disinfecting capacity compared to former disinfecting solutions, which is particularly important for wearers of orthokeratology lenses.