Do cancer patients fully understand clinical trial participation? A pilot study to assess informed consent and patient expectations

Background. Accepted practices of informed consent often result in suboptimal patient understanding of research studies.Methods. This pilot study aimed to assess trial-specific tailored materials, compared to a widely used generic booklet about clinical trials, randomly assigned to 118 candidates for cancer clinical trials. Study outcomes were: satisfaction with decision-making; satisfaction with materials; and subjective understanding of the clinical trial.Results. There were no major differences between groups. Participants rated tailored materials higher as a useful reference.Conclusions. Trial-specific materials hold utility for reference during clinical trials. Studies of informed consent are feasible, although important factors limit research.     

Chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the leaf essential oil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia zuchowskiae</Emphasis> from Monteverde,Costa Rica

The leaf essential oil of Eugenia zuchowskiae from Monteverde, Costa Rica, has been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. The principal constituents of E. zuchowskiae leaf oil were α-pinene (28.3%), β-caryophyllene (13.2%), α-humulene (13.1%), and α-copaene (8.1%). The leaf essential oil of E. zuchowskiae showed pronounced in-vitro cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and UACC-257 human tumor cell lines. The major components showed cytotoxic activities comparable to doxorubicin (LC₅₀ 14–70 μg/ml).     

有机锗对环磷酸胺抗移植肝癌作用的影响

用有机锗（Ge－132）试验治疗荷移植肝癌小鼠。结果：De－132高剂量（12．5mg/次）治疗组的抑癌率为用31．0％，移植肝癌白细胞（WBC）浸润（＋＋＋）占72．7％、血清超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性为121Nu／ml，而生理盐水对照治疗组相应的后两项指标分别为用36．4％及81Nu／ml，两组比较有显著性差异（P＜0．05）；环磷酰胺（CTX）治疗组的抑癌率为37.0％，癌体WBC浸润（＋＋＋）为27.3％，血清SOD活性为102Nu／ml；ge-132高剂量与CTX2联合治疗组的抑癌率为45．0％，癌体WBC浸润（＋＋＋）为54．5％，血清SOD活性为142Nu/ml，两组比较，后二项指标有显著性差异（P＜0．05）。由此提示Ge-132高剂量能明显增强荷移植肝癌小鼠的细胞免疫及血清SOD活性，并有一定的抗移植肝癌作用。     

Rb1基因第16内含子内21个碱基缺失1例

目地研究双眼视网膜母细胞瘤患者Rb1基因杂合性突变的分子生物学特性。方法应用PCR—SSCP直接测序技术检测双眼视网膜母细胞瘤患者白细胞DNA中Rb1基因杂合性突变。结果50例证实有Rb1基因杂合性突变的病例中有1例发生于第16内含子中可以用3种定位方法解释、具有相同序列的21个碱基缺失。结论这种极为少见的Rb1基因突变方式可能是由于破坏了正常拼接位点的结构而激活了“隐蔽拼接位点”，导致异常的Rb1基因mRNA产生或由此影响整个拼接过程。     

HPLC法测定盐酸美沙酮含量

本文采用高效液相色谱法，以盐酸布比卡因为内标，检测波长220nm，在Symmetry-C18柱上，以己腈-磷酸二氢钾（pH2．5）（3862，V／V）为流动相，测定盐酸美沙酮及其口服液的含量。方法平均回收率为100．17％，日内及日间的RSD均＜1％。方法简便、快速、准确。     

Localised endosteal bone lysis in relation to the femoral components of cemented total hip arthroplasties

Four cases are described of localised endosteal bone lysis in the femur occurring in association with cemented femoral components that were not obviously 'loose' radiologically. In each, the area of lysis was shown at operation to be related directly to a region in which there was a local defect in the cement mantle surrounding the stem. Via the space between the stem and cement, such defects provide a route through which the contents of the joint cavity may reach the endosteal surface of the femur, subsequently leading to localised bone lysis, and later to frank loosening.     

血脂调节剂的研究——Ⅰ.HMG-CoA还原酶抑制剂M-8614A及MH-2688B产生菌的筛选

利用酶联免疫吸附测定法,酶标β-羟基β-甲基-戊二酸单酰铺酶A(HMG-CoA)还原酶抑制剂Compactin抗体,定向筛选血脂调节剂。从青霉M-8614菌株发酵液中分离到M-8614A。该物质理化性质及波谱解释表明与Mevastatin为同一物质。 M-8614菌株用亚硝酸盐等诱变剂处理,从诱变株MH-2688发酵液中分离到MH-2688B。该物质理化性质及波谱解释表明与Lovastatin为同一物质。     

Apolipoprotein E—associated risk for Alzheimer's disease in the African-American population is genotype dependent

As a part of our ongoing study on Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly African Americans, we obtained clinical assessment and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype data on 288 individuals (including 60 with AD). The ApoE σ4 allele frequency was significantly increased in AD patients compared with controls. The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for AD in σ4 homozygotes was 4.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.71–13.64) compared with the σ3/σ3 genotype, but the OR for AD with the σ3/σ4 genotype did not reach significance (1.20; 95% CI, 0.58–2.45). These findings suggest that the association between ApoE σ4 and AD is weaker in African Americans than in whites.     

红霉素对犬幽门括约肌压力影响及其与胃动素,生长抑素的关系

为探讨红霉素对犬幽门括约肌的作用及其机理，及其与血浆胃动素，生长抑素的关系。方法采用胃压力测量仪及放射免疫法，同步监测观察了１０条犬静脉滴ＥＭ前后和使用拮抗剂后的幽门压力、血浆ＭＴＬ，ＳＳ的变化，结论：ＥＭ具有增高犬胃幽门压力的作用，其作用机理除与血浆ＭＴＬ有着密切的关系外，血浆ＳＳ也可能共同参与了其调节机制。     

高渗盐液和抗休克裤合并应用对大鼠早期休克的影响

采用高渗盐液，抗休克裤及两者联用纠正大鼠早期失血性休克。结果显示，单独使用ＡＳＴ，仅见动脉血压短时间回升，而单用ＨＴＳ，血压则明显回升。若先用ＡＳＴ，再注入ＨＴＳ，也能取得明显效果。失血休克大鼠血浆纤维连接蛋白水平显著降低，各组之间均无差异血浆脂质过氧化物－丙二醛的含量明显增加，且在ＨＴＳ组，ＨＴＳ＋ＡＳＴ组与ＮＳ对照组之间有显著差异。