Mycoplasma genitalium: prevalence, clinical significance, and transmission

OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalence, symptoms and signs of Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis infections in STD clinic attendees and in partners of M genitalium infected patients. METHODS: M genitalium and C trachomatis were detected by polymerase chain reaction from urethral and endocervical swab specimens in a cross sectional study among 445 female and 501 male STD clinic attendees. Partners of 26 female and 26 male M genitalium positive index patients were examined. RESULTS: The prevalence of C trachomatis and M genitalium was 4% and 6.3%, respectively, among the women and 5.4% and 6%, respectively, among the men. Dual infections were uncommon. M genitalium was strongly associated with urethritis in both men and women and with cervicitis in women. Among M genitalium infected men, symptomatic urethritis was more common than asymptomatic urethritis. M genitalium and C trachomatis were not associated with symptoms of urethritis or cervicitis in women. Of 26 male partners of M genitalium positive female index patients, 38% were positive, and 77% of the negative partners had symptoms of urethritis. The concordance rate for 22 female partners of male index patients was 45%. For both men and women the M genitalium prevalence was significantly higher in partners of M genitalium positive index patients than in M genitalium negative index patients with urethritis and/or cervicitis. CONCLUSIONS: M genitalium is associated with urethritis in both men and women and with cervicitis in women. A high concordance rate was found among sexual partners of M genitalium infected patients, indicating that the infection is sexually transmitted.     

Skin protection against methylmethacrylate

Ordinary surgical rubber gloves are penetrated by methylmethacrylate monomer (MMA) in less than 1 minute, as demonstrated by gas chromatographic measurements. A three-layered PVP glove, 0.07 mm thick - consisting of an outer layer of polyethylene, an intermediary layer of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, and an inner layer of polyethylene - was impervious for 20 minutes, whereas a viton-butyl rubber glove, 0.27 mm thick, was impervious for 15 minutes.

The PVP glove is recommended to orthopedic surgeons, nurses, and other handling acrylic bone cements to avoid sensitization, and is especially recommended to persons with known contact allergy to MMA.     

Effect of right atrial overdrive pacing in the prevention of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a multicenter randomized study,the PAF-PACE study

The aim of this study was to assess if right atrial overdrive pacing can suppress symptomatic episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) in patients without bradyarrhythmias. Forty-two patients with frequent and symptomatic PAF without other pacing indication had a pacemaker implanted after a 4-week run-in period, during which the frequency of symptomatic PAF episodes and the mean heart rate were objectively documented. Depending on the mean heart rate recorded during run-in, the pacemaker was programmed in random order to right atrial AAI pacing at 10-19 beats/min > mean heart rate (medium overdrive [MO]), at 20-29 beats/min > mean heart rate (high overdrive [HO]) and to no pacing (OAO mode) for 4-12 weeks each using a crossover design. In the 35 patients who completed the protocol, the number of symptomatic episodes of PAF (>30-second duration) per week was significantly lower during MO pacing (median 0.88, P = 0.001, n = 35) and during HO pacing (median 0.75, P = 0.002, n = 20) than during OAO (median 2.02 and 2.04, respectively). There was no difference between MO and HO pacing in the 20 patients paced at both rates (0.97 vs 0.75, P = 0.33). Seven patients did not complete the protocol due to persistent atrial fibrillation (n = 4), angina pectoris requiring surgery (n = 1), and unwillingness to continue the study due to improvement (n = 1) or worsening (n = 1) of symptoms during the study periods. Right atrial overdrive pacing can reduce the number of symptomatic PAF episodes in patients with frequent and drug refractory PAF but without bradyarrhythmias.     

6-(4-酰基-1-哌嗪乙酰氨基)-3,4-二氢-2(1H)-喹啉酮类化合物的合成及正肌力活性初探

目的 :寻找具有正性肌力活性的化合物。方法 :根据文献报道的二氢喹啉酮类正性肌力药物的结构特点 ,设计、合成了其类似物。以苯胺为起始原料经多步合成 ,对所得化合物用离体豚鼠心脏与主动脉观察了心肌收缩力、扩血管作用及心率。结果 :合成了 1 0个 6 ( 4 酰基 1 哌嗪乙酰氨基 ) 3 ,4 二氢 2 ( 1H) 喹啉酮类化合物 ( 4a～ 4j) ,均为未见文献报道的化合物。结论 :初步药理试验表明 ,化合物 ( 4h)显示了正性肌力及扩血管活性。     

Benzodiazepines alter acquisition and retention of an inhibitory avoidance response in mice

These experiments were performed to examine the effects of graded doses of diazepam, flurazepam, or lorazepam given to Swiss-Webster mice either 30 min prior to training or immediately after training in a one-trial inhibitory (passive) avoidance task. A 350 A footshock was administered following entry into a darkened compartment and retention was tested three days later. Doses of 10.0 mg/kg diazepam and 20.0 mg/kg lorazepam given before training significantly impaired acquisition, while 1.0 mg/kg flurazepam, given immediately after training, produced retrograde amnesia. These results indicate that benzodiazepines affect memory processes and that various drugs of the benzodiazepine family differentially affect acquisition and memory consolidation.     

Ontogeny of mitogen responsive lymphocytes in the bovine fetus

Bovine fetal lymphocytes were examined for their ability to respond to the mitogens phytohemagglutinin (PHA), Concanavalin A (ConA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) in the lymphocyte blastogenesis test (LBT). PHA-, Con A- and PWM-responsive lymphocytes appeared simultaneously at 75-80 days of gestation. The response increased with age of the fetus until, by 120 days of gestation, the response to PHA, Con A and PWM of many fetuses was in the range of values obtained with lymphocytes from normal adult cattle.     

Prevalence and risk of depressive symptoms 3–4 months post-surgery in a nationwide cohort study of Danish women treated for early stage breast-cancer

Background Elevated levels of depressive symptoms are generally found among cancer patients, but results from existing studies vary considerably with respect to prevalence and proposed risk factors. Purpose To study the prevalence of depressive symptoms and major depression 3–4 months following surgery for breast cancer, and to identify clinical risk factors while adjusting for pre-cancer sociodemographic factors, comorbidity, and psychiatric history. Patients and methods The study cohort consists of 4917 Danish women, aged 18–70 years, receiving standardized treatment for early stage invasive breast cancer during the 2 1/2 year study period. Of these, 3343 women (68%) participated in a questionnaire study 12–16 weeks following surgery. Depressive symptoms (Beck’s Depression Inventory II) and health-related behaviors were assessed by questionnaire. The Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) and the surgical departments provided disease-, treatment-, and comorbidity data for the study cohort. Information concerning sociodemographics and psychiatric history were obtained from national longitudinal registries. Results The results indicated an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms and major depression (13.7%) compared to population-based samples. The pre-cancer variables: Social status, net-wealth, ethnicity, comorbidity, psychiatric history, and age were all independent risk factors for depressive symptoms. Of the clinical variables, only nodal status carried additional prognostic information. Physical functioning, smoking, alcohol use, and BMI were also independently associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion Risk factors for depressive symptoms were primarily restricted to pre-cancer conditions rather than disease-specific conditions. Special attention should be given to socio-economically deprived women with a history of somatic- and psychiatric disease and poor health behaviors.     

Inflammatory bowel disease and predisposition to osteopenia

The prevalence of osteopenia in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown. The effect of nutritional state, disease activity, and steroid therapy on bone mineral content (BMC) of whole body, lumbar spine, and left femoral neck measured by dual energy x ray absorptiometry in 32 children with IBD was assessed by comparison with 58 healthy local school children. Using the control data, a predicted BMC was calculated taking into account bone area, age, height, weight, and pubertal stage. The measured BMC in children with IBD was expressed as a percentage of this predicted value (% BMC). Mean (SD) % BMC was significantly reduced for the whole body and left femoral neck in the children with IBD (97.0 (4.5)% and 93.1 (12.0)% respectively, p < 0.05). Of the children with IBD, 41% had a % BMC less than 1 SD below the mean for the whole body and 47% at the femoral neck. Reduction in % BMC was associated with steroid usage but not with the magnitude of steroid dose, disease activity, or biochemical markers of bone metabolism. In conclusion, osteopenia is relatively common in childhood IBD and may be partly related to the previous use of steroids.