Simultaneous measurement of gallbladder emptying with cholescintigraphy and US during infusion of physiologic doses of cholecystokinin: a comparison

Both ultrasonography (US) and cholescintigraphy are used to study gallbladder dynamics. The present study was undertaken to determine whether the two methods provide the same or different information relating to gallbladder emptying. Emptying was simultaneously studied with both methods during infusion of graded physiologic doses of cholecystokinin (CCK) in six healthy subjects. Infusion of stepwise increasing doses of CCK, ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 Ivy dog units per kilogram of body weight per hour (IDU/kg.h), induced significant dose-related increases in plasma CCK, decreases in gallbladder volume assessed with US, and gallbladder emptying assessed with cholescintigraphy. The threshold dose for inducing significant gallbladder emptying was 0.13 IDU/kg.h, as determined with both techniques, indicating similar detection limits. There was a highly significant correlation between decreases in gallbladder volume and decreases in radioactive counts over the gallbladder region, with a tendency toward greater gallbladder responses at sonography during the early phase of gallbladder contraction and toward greater responses at cholescintigraphy during the later phase of gallbladder contraction. It is concluded that these methods can be used interchangeably for the quantitation of gallbladder emptying.     

Major motor atrophic patterns in the face and neck: CT evaluation

Cranial nerve deficits from various pathologic processes of the head and neck may result in characteristic patterns of denervation muscular atrophy. Such atrophic patterns may be clues to the location and extent of the lesion, particularly when cranial nerves are involved early in the course of the disease process. Thirty-six patients with computed tomographic (CT) evidence of muscular atrophy secondary to pathologic conditions involving the motor division of cranial nerves were examined. Five characteristic denervation muscular atrophy patterns seen on CT scans were identified. In several patients, identification of the muscular atrophy pattern was the only clue to the presence of a pathologic condition. Recognition of these atrophic patterns can prevent misinterpretation of their CT appearance and direct the CT examination to the course of the compromised cranial nerve from the brainstem to its peripheral innervation.     

脐部给药的多塞平栓研制及应用

目的：研制透皮制剂多塞平栓,考察其治疗各型急、慢性荨麻疹的临床疗效。方法：多塞平以甘油明胶为质,氮酮为促透剂,制成栓剂,经脐部给药,观察５０个病例,与口服多塞平片作对照,观察临床疗效。结果：多塞平栓治疗各型急、慢性荨麻疹,总有效率为９４．０％,经统计学分析,Ｐ〈０．０５,差异具显著性。结论：本品制备工艺可行,疗效确切,用药剂量小,无副作用,具有进一步研究、开发的价值。     

Methods of early detection： would clinical breastexamination and breast ultrasonography be a good alternative to mammography？

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women[1].In the past 40 years,breast cancer incidence has doubled or even tripled in developed countries such as South Korea and Japan; whereas it is about 20% to 30% in China and India in the past decade[2-4]. An increasing incidence rate of 3%     

Comparison of structured observation and pictorial 24 h recall of household activities to measure the prevalence of handwashing with soap in the community

This study compared structured observation with a 24 h pictorial recall of household activities (‘sticker diary’) to measure the prevalence of handwashing with soap (HWWS) in the community. The study was done within a cluster-randomised trial evaluating a handwashing promotion programme in Bihar, India. HWWS at key occasions in mothers and school children was measured by structured observation in 299 households from 32 villages. Sticker diaries recalling common activities, including personal hygiene, were used to measure HWWS in 299 households from a further 20 villages. Sticker diary HWWS prevalence estimates were about 13% points higher than structured observation estimates, but the differences varied by the type of handwashing occasion. This study confirms structured observation as the method of choice for the study of handwashing behaviours. The sticker diary method may be useful in large-scale surveys. Sticker diaries may overestimate HWWS at important occasions, but probably less so than conventional questionnaire tools.     

N-(6,6-二甲基-2-庚烯-4-炔基)-N-甲基-α-取代-1-(4-取代)萘甲胺类的合成及抗真菌活性

根据氮唑类和烯丙胺类抗真菌化合物的构效关系、作用机理。设计合成了30个N-(6,6-二甲基-2-庚烯-4-炔基)-N-甲基-α-取代-1-(4-取代)萘甲胺类化合物。初步体外抑菌试验结果表明,大多数目标化合物对八种试验菌株都有不同程度的抗真菌活性。化合物Ⅰ_1a的真菌活性大致与克霉唑相当,对白念珠菌的活性明显高于naftifine和terbinafine,但对其它七种菌株的活性均不及naftifine和terbinafine;化合物Ⅲ_1a对八种试验菌株的活性均与terbinafine相当。     

Absence of mutations in the transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor in sporadic lung cancers with microsatellite instability and rare H-ras1 alleles

The transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor (RII) is commonly mutated in colon and gastric cancers with microsatellite instability (MI). We utilized our series of lung cancers with MI and rare alleles of the H-ras1 gene to determine the association between MI and RII mutations and searched the entire RII coding region in 33 lung cancers with MI by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. We found no mutations, and these data support other recent evidence that RII mutations rarely occur except in colon and gastric tumors with MI.      

Ligand-induced conformational changes allosterically activate Toll-like receptor 9

Microbial and synthetic DNA rich in CpG dinucleotides stimulates Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), whereas DNA lacking CpG either is inert or can inhibit TLR9 activation. The molecular mechanisms by which TLR9 becomes activated or is inhibited are not well understood. Here we show that TLR9 bound to stimulatory and inhibitory DNA; however, only stimulatory DNA led to substantial conformational changes in the TLR9 ectodomain. In the steady state, 'inactive' TLR9 homodimers formed in an inactivated conformation. Binding of DNA containing CpG, but not of DNA lacking CpG, to TLR9 dimers resulted in allosteric changes in the TLR9 cytoplasmic signaling domains. In endosomes, conformational changes induced by DNA containing CpG resulted in close apposition of the cytoplasmic signaling domains, a change that is probably required for the recruitment of signaling adaptor molecules. Our results indicate that the formation of TLR9 dimers is not sufficient for its activation but instead that TLR9 activation is regulated by conformational changes induced by DNA containing CpG.