Performance and comparison of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate in a Chinese Type 2 diabetic population.

AIMS: Our aim was to assess performances of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Chinese diabetic populations and their association with vascular risks. METHODS: A total of 1009 patients with Type 2 diabetes were categorized into low estimated GFR groups (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and control groups by the two equations. The performances of these formulae were assessed at different stages of kidney function. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy or albuminuria were compared among the groups. The ability of these formulae to identify established vascular risk markers using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were also compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of low estimated GFR was 32.7% with the Cockcroft-Gault formula and 5.2% with the MDRD formula, respectively. In low estimated GFR subjects by the MDRD formula, IMT was significantly thicker than those by the Cockcroft-Gault formula (1.2 mm vs. 1.0 mm; P < 0.05), with a higher prevalence of albuminuria (78.4 vs. 52.8%, P < 0.05) and diabetic retinopathy (46.5 vs. 30.5%; P < 0.05). The Cockcroft-Gault formula gave a specificity of 71.7% and a sensitivity of 37.0%, and the MDRD formula gave a specificity of 96.6% and a sensitivity of 7.9% in estimating low GFR relevant for established vascular risks. CONCLUSIONS: These formulae performed differently in Chinese diabetic populations. The simplified MDRD formula is minimally superior to the Cockcroft-Gault formula for its high specificity and positive predictive values in estimating low GFR relevant for vascular risks.     

中医医院管理循证理念的应用

随着"三医改革"的不断深入,医疗市场的竞争日趋激烈,人们对医院管理在生存和发展中的重要作用也日益关注.由于中医院面临着管理理念、资源优化、人才构筑和公平竞争的诸多问题,以往的经验管理已不能适应时代性、国际化的要求.面对瞬息万变的生存环境,需要各级中医医院能够主动参与竞争,充分发挥中医药特色,强化自身优势,对市场的变化迅速作出反应,这对中医医院管理工作提出了更高的要求.     

Rates of alcohol consumption and risk status among Australian university students vary by assessment questions

Introduction and Aims. Different self‐report methods tend to produce different estimates of alcohol consumption. The present study compares differences in rates and risk levels based on responses to a modified version of the Daily Drinking Questionnaire (m‐DDQ) and quantity‐frequency (QF) questions. Design and Methods. The sample comprised 2082 university students, 61% of whom were female and 39% male with a mean age of 23.5 years. An email containing an online link to a brief six‐question survey was emailed to students enrolled in participating faculties at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Current drinkers completed m‐DDQ and QF questions about alcohol consumption. Results. QF methods identified significantly lower estimates of consumption (Mean = 9.15, SD = 12.51) compared with m‐DDQ (Mean = 13.06, SD = 14.07). Allocation to risk categories based on the Australian Alcohol Guidelines were conducted for both the m‐DDQ and QF methods. Almost twice as many students were found to be drinking at levels considered risky using the m‐DDQ method compared with QF. In addition, the relative rank order of participants varied significantly between the two methods. Discussion and Conclusions. The m‐DDQ method identified higher rates of drinking and categorised almost twice as many individuals into risky categories of drinking compared with QF. Such variations have major implications for identification of risk groups in health promotion or prevention programs.[Utpala‐Kumar R, Deane FP. Rates of alcohol consumption and risk status among Australian university students vary by assessment questions. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009]     

Early uptake of 99mTc-C2A in the acute phase of myocardial infarction as a prognostic indicator for follow-up cardiac dysfunction

OBJECTIVE: The C2A domain of Synaptotagmin I is a molecular probe for the specific imaging of cell death. Here we test the hypothesis that the uptake of 99mTc-C2A in the acute phase of an infarction is associated with cardiac dysfunction in follow-ups. METHODS: The left coronary artery was occluded in Sprague-Dawley rats for 0, 10, 20, and 30 min. 99mTc-C2A was injected intravenously at 2 h of reperfusion. Anterior planar images were acquired with one million counts on a gamma camera 3 h after injection. 99mTc-C2A uptake was calculated as the total counts in the left ventricle region minus blood pool signal. The in-vivo signal detected was correlated with wall motion score index at 1 and 3 weeks follow-ups measured by echocardiography. RESULTS: 99mTc-C2A uptake was higher with increased ischemic time (2244+/-852, 4054+/-1223, and 6178+/-1451 for 10, 20, and 30 min ischemia, analysis of variance P<0.001). A significant correlation was found between 99mTc-C2A uptake and wall motion score index at 1 week (R=0.800, P=0.0006) and 3 weeks (R=0.810, P=0.0008). CONCLUSION: In this ischemia/reperfusion model, 99mTc-C2A uptake in the acute phase was associated with functional abnormality at 1 and 3 weeks. This demonstrates the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of 99mTc-C2A as a novel imaging agent.     

Pharmacology of the internal anal sphincter and its relevance to faecal incontinence

1 The internal anal sphincter (IAS) has a spontaneous tone and is the main contributor to the maintenance of faecal continence. The spontaneous resting tone exhibited by the sphincter can be modified by neurotransmitters from the autonomic and enteric nervous systems. 2 In this review, the influence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems on IAS tone are discussed and the putative roles of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, vasoactive intestinal peptide and adenosine triphosphate in non‐adrenergic non‐cholinergic transmission are considered. 3 Faecal incontinence is a common condition that places a heavy financial burden on the health service and severely affects patients’ quality of life. Resting anal pressure is reduced in patients with faecal incontinence and agents that increase sphincter tone tend to relieve symptoms. The results of clinical studies of the use of phenylephrine to treat faecal incontinence are reviewed. 4 It is concluded that the IAS is a potential target for drug development for the treatment of faecal incontinence.     

全腹膜外补片植入术中补片不固定的实验研究

目的评价全腹膜外补片植入术中补片不固定的安全性和有效性。方法将50只SD大鼠建立疝缺损(3cm2)模型,按随机数字表分为2组,使用聚丙烯补片(12 cm2)采用腹膜外补片植入术进行修复。甲组为补片固定组,乙组为补片不固定组。大鼠于术后不同时间分批处死,记录补片的挛缩度、腹壁抗张强度以及组织细胞学变化。结果所有大鼠术后腹腔均无粘连。2组大鼠在术后7 d、14 d、30 d、60 d和90 d补片的挛缩度分别为6.7%±1.3%vs 7.3%±1.5%、12.3%±1.3%vs 12.4%±1.6%、14.0%±2.0%vs 14.5%±1.3%、17.4%±2.1%vs 18.4%±1.5%和18.9%±2.2%vs19.5%±2.6%(P>0.05);2组大鼠的腹壁抗张强度分别为(288.4±8.4)mm Hg vs(286.6±10.2)mm Hg、(300.4±11.2)mm Hg vs(298.8±11.4)mm Hg、(305.0±11.7)mm Hg vs(303.3±16.1)mm Hg、(309.0±10.8)mm Hg vs(307.6±8.9)mm Hg和(311.8±9.8)mm Hg vs(310.0±8.6)mm Hg(P>0.05);2组大鼠的组织细胞学变化一致。结论当补片面积是大鼠疝缺损的4倍以上时,不固定的腹膜外补片植入术是安全有效的。     

脂质体阿霉素为主方案治疗高龄非霍奇金淋巴瘤的临床研究

目的 观察脂质体阿霉素联合治疗高龄非霍奇金淋巴瘤患者的有效性和安全性.方法 应用脂质体阿霉素联合COP为主的方案化疗或联合利妥昔单抗等其他治疗方案治疗34例患者,观察患者应用脂质体阿霉素过程中及其后的毒副反应及疗效.结果 全组34例患者共接受176个疗程化疗,平均每个患者累计应用脂质体阿霉素127.0 mg治疗,总有效率(CR+PR)为88.2%(30/34),其中CR 24例(70.6%),PR 6例(17.7%),SD 1例(2.9%),PD 3例(8.8%).毒副反应主要为骨髓抑制,未出现严重感染.心脏毒性发生率14.7%(5/34),无化疗相关死亡.结论 脂质体阿霉素联合治疗高龄非霍奇金淋巴瘤具有较高的安全性和有效性.     

Feasibility of treating hyperfibrinogenemia with intermittently administered batroxobin in patients with ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack for secondary prevention.

This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of batroxobin in treating hyperfibrinogenemia for secondary stroke prevention. Patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were measured for plasma fibrinogen levels. Selected participants had concomitant hyperfibrinogenemia (plasma fibrinogen > or = 3.0 g/l). Patients enrolled between 1 July 2003 and 31 December 2004 were treated with batroxobin; patients enrolled between 1 January 2002 and 30 June 2003 were treated without batroxobin. Batroxobin was administered intermittently via intravenous injection at 3-monthly intervals. Patients in both groups were followed for 1 year. Any cerebrovascular events and suspected adverse events were recorded. In total, 112 ischemic stroke/TIA patients with concomitant hyperfibrinogenemia were enrolled, 52 being treated with batroxobin and 60 without batroxobin. Six patients (11.5%) with batroxobin and 16 patients (26.7%) without batroxobin had recurrent cerebral ischemic events during follow-up. Stroke/TIA recurrence in patients without batroxobin was higher than that in patients with batroxobin (P < 0.05). Two patients with batroxobin and two patients without batroxobin developed hemorrhagic stroke during follow-up. There were five deaths (9.6%) in the batroxobin group, and seven deaths (11.7%) in the nonbatroxobin group during follow-up (P > 0.05). Intermittent intravenous injection of batroxobin can efficiently reduce the risk for stroke/TIA recurrence in patients with concomitant hyperfibrinogenemia.