The disability rating index: An instrument for the assessment of disability in clinical settings

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an instrument for assessment of physical disability, mainly intended for clinical settings, the Disability Rating Index (DRI). Healthy persons (n = 1092), both white and blue collar workers, and patients (n = 366) with different levels of physical capacity, were assessed. Most of the patients (n = 303) underwent rehabilitation programmes for neck/shoulder/low-back pain but some (n = 47) were arthritis patients waiting for hip or knee replacement surgery, or wheelchair patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 16). The reliability was investigated by test-retest studies, intra- and inter-rater and internal consistency studies. Five construct validity tests were carried out: a discrimination study; a converging validity test; a test for sensitivity to small alterations in health status; and two correlational validity tests. Correlation of the self-reported DRI to the actual performance in similar activities was carried out. Responsiveness was tested by correlation of the DRI before/after replacement surgery for arthritis. The test-retest correlations were 0.83–0.95 in the studies, including correlation of different versions. The intra- and inter-rater reproducibility was 0.98 and 0.99 respectively. The Kruskal-Wallis test in the discrimination study yielded p < 0.0001. More than 90% of the respondents completed the questionnaire correctly. Correlation of the DRI to the Functional Status Questionnaire was 0.46. The responsiveness was excellent, p = 0.0001. The DRI proved to be a robust, practical clinical and research instrument with good responsiveness and acceptability for assessment of disability caused by impairment of common motor functions.     

砀山县2001年肾综合征出血热疫源地主要宿主调查分析

目的:探讨砀山县肾综合征出血热(EHF)的宿主动物,明确主要传染源种类,为预防和控制EHF的发生与流行,给制订防治对策提供科学依据。方法:根据地理景观特点选择近几年疫情较重的黄楼、关帝庙为调查点,用夹夜法进行鼠密度、种类调查,对捕获的鼠检测EHF抗原、抗体,同时对健康人群用间接免疫荧光法(IFA)检测EHF抗体。结果:室内外平均鼠密度为4.14%(63/1520),室内以小家鼠(占60.0%)、室外黑线姬鼠(占70.8%)为优势鼠种;鼠肺EHF带毒率为1.59%(1/63)、鼠血EHF抗体阳性率为7.94%(5/63),健康人群EHF抗体阳性率为3.7%(2/54)。结论:鼠类有1目2科6种鼠,另有食虫目鼠句鼠青科的臭鼠句鼠青;黑线姬鼠为砀山县EHF的主要宿主动物,健康人群血清学调查证实有隐性感染存在。     

Usefulness of erythrocyte protoporphyrin as a primary screening test for lead exposure in children

Erythrocyte protoporphyrin and blood lead concentrations were measured in samples from 583 Saudi children attending the outpatient clinics. Erythrocyte protoporphyrin concentrations showed poor correlation with blood lead concentrations of 25 ug dl^?1 and below. Measurement of erythrocyte protoporphyrin as a primary test for lead exposure is not recommended.     

The correlation of ureaplasma urealyticum infection with infertility

Summary. A prevalence study of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection of the male genital tract was carried out in Shanghai between March 1992 and June 1995. Significantly higher frequency of UU infection was found among infertile males (549/1416) as compared to fertile controls (34/375). Examination of 8 specimens each from infertile men and fertile subjects by electron microscopy, immunogold and immunofluorescence techniques, demonstrated adhesion of Ureaplasma urealyticum to the membrane of spermatozoa and exfoliated germ cells. In addition, gold particles on Ureaplasma urealyticum were found to be adhered to the sperm surface in 4 of the 8 samples. Strong specific anti-UU fluorescence was detected in 6 of 8 samples, mainly on the midpieces and post-acrosomal regions of the spermatozoa.
To further study the effects of Ureaplasma urealyticum on fertility, 47 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were infected artificially with Ureaplasma urealyticum serotype 8 (T960). Morphological changes in the seminiferous tubules were observed 3–5 weeks after inoculation in the sacrificed animals. Dramatic impairment of spermatogenesis of both testes was found in 11 rats. Mating experiment confirmed infertility in 12 of 40 rats. Offsprings of the infected rats were significantly smaller than those of controls in terms of prenatal weights and birthweights.     

脑卒中患者日常生活能力的评定

采用Ｂａｒｔｈｅｌ指数对１２０例脑卒中住院患者在发病后５￣６周进行日常生活活动（ＡＤＬ）能力的证实。因脑卒中遗留的功能不全，ＡＤＬ的受损率达６６．７％，肢体的Ｂｒｕｎｎｓｔｒｏｍ功能分级与ＡＤＬ积分高度相关，相关性下肢高于上肢；多元逐步回归分析显示，躯体（偏瘫）和心理（认知障碍和抑郁因素）影响ＡＤＬ的能力。认为ＡＤＬ能力的提高，不仅依赖于肢体功能障碍的改善，提高认知功能，改善情感状况，对于脑卒中患     

血清镁降低与偏头痛的关系探讨

我们用原子吸收光谱法测定了２２例偏头痛间歇期患者、１３例偏头痛发作期患者及２１名正常人的血清镁浓度，发现偏头痛间歇期和发作期患者的血清镁浓度均低于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０１），而偏头痛发作期患者的血清镁浓度比间歇期患者更低（Ｐ＜０．０５）。该结果提示偏头痛患者体内缺镁，而且可能是一个启动因子或促发因素，在偏头痛的发病中起着重要作用。     

人大肠癌细胞株（HT29）与人多器官血管内皮细胞粘附数目及形态学观察

为了模拟体内癌细胞与血管内皮粘附的过程，用人大肠癌细胞与人多器官血管内皮细胞共同培养，观察到与不同血管内皮粘附的癌细胞数有显著性统计学差异（Ｐ＜０．０５—０．０１）。与门静脉、肠系膜静脉内皮粘附的癌细胞数多，细胞表面微绒毛多，丝状突起细长，伪足多且长；与大隐静脉内皮粘附的癌细胞数少，细胞表面突起也细小。这表明不同的血管内皮对癌细胞的粘附是具有选择性的。