Association of the GNAS1 gene variant with hypertension is dependent on alcohol consumption.

The beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR)-stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding (Gs) protein system has been shown to play important roles in the cardiovascular system. The gene encoding the alpha-subunit of Gs proteins (GNAS1) is a candidate genetic determinant for hypertension. Because alcohol consumption is known to affect blood pressure partly through the beta-AR-Gs protein system, we examined the possible interaction between GNAS1 T393C polymorphism and drinking status in the association with hypertension in the present study. As a result, a non-significant but reasonable trend supporting the presence of an interaction was shown (p = 0.076). In line with this trend, the T393C polymorphism significantly interacted with drinking status in the association with systolic blood pressure (p = 0.028). Moreover, supporting the presence of an interaction, T allele carriers consistently had a higher probability of hypertension, higher systolic blood pressure, and higher diastolic blood pressure than CC homozygotes in non-drinkers and light drinkers. In contrast, CC homozygotes consistently had a higher probability of hypertension, higher systolic blood pressure, and higher diastolic blood pressure than T allele carriers in moderate to heavy drinkers. The present study also showed a significant interaction between the T393C polymorphism and drinking status in the association with pulse pressure (p = 0.026), reflected by a significant association between the T393C polymorphism and pulse pressure in moderate to heavy drinkers (p = 0.026). These findings may be helpful in conducting further molecular and biological studies on the relationship among the effects of alcohol, the beta-AR-Gs protein system, and hypertension.     

蛋白酶对降低异常精液粘稠度的实验对比研究

目的通过不同蛋白酶类对降低高粘稠度精液的粘稠度效果对比,寻找理想的降低精液粘稠度的药物。方法将高粘稠度精液标本分为两组,A组:31例采用α-糜蛋白酶降低精液粘稠度:B组:32例采用尿激酶降低精液粘稠度;两组均观察用药前后的精子活动力。采用配对t检验和单因素方差分析对所得数据作统计学处理。结果高粘稠度精液用药物(α-糜蛋白酶或者尿激酶)液化精液后,精子的活动力较用药前有明显提高(P<0．001);用药前后精液的粘稠度都存在着明显的差异,精液的粘稠度分别下降44．83％和55．45％(P<0．001);在A组和B组的对比研究中,单因素方差分析检验提示:用药后两组间粘稠度数据有显著的差异(P<0．001￡(?)。结论蛋白酶可以有效地降低异常精液粘稠度的精液,从实验结果提示尿激酶降低精液粘稠度的效果优于α-糜蛋白酶,这有助于临床开展应用性研究和治疗。     

螺旋CT在小肾癌诊断中的价值

目的评价螺旋CT多期扫描在小肾癌诊断中的价值。方法收集经手术病理证实的小肾癌14例,分析其螺旋CT平扫、皮质期、实质期及肾盂期的表现。结果CT平扫病灶呈等密度7例,稍低密度5例,稍高密度1例,1例为囊实性肿块,其中2例伴斑点状钙化。增强扫描皮质期12例呈明显强化,2例呈轻中度强化。肾实质期肿瘤密度迅速减退,肾盂期肿瘤密度进一步减退。结论小肾癌螺旋CT增强多期扫描征象有一定特征性,对小肾癌的诊断有重要价值。     

Extracting flavonoids from Smilax glabra by microwave-assisted method]

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the process of extracting flavonoids from Smilax glabra. METHODS: Flavonoids were extracted from Smilax glabra by microwave-assisted method, and the extracting time, microwave power, ethanol concentration, solid-solvent ratio and extracting temperature were optimized through single factor experiment and orthogonal test. RESULTS: The optimun process parameters of extracting flavonoids were as follows: the extracting time, microwave power, ethanol concentration, solid-liquid ratio and extracting temperature were 5 minutes, 600 W, 60%, 1:30 and 80 degrees C, respectively. CONCLUSION: The proposed method has been applied stably and reliably to the extraction of flavonoids from Smilax glabra which has the advantages of high recovery and short extraction time. The recovery, the yield and the content of falvonoids are 93.2%, 2.66% and 32.6%, respectively.     

癌症病人症状与生活质量的相关性研究

[目的]探讨恶性肿瘤病人的症状对生活质量(QOL)的影响,以寻找提高其生活质量的护理对策。[方法]采用癌症病人生存质量表,对600例住院恶性肿瘤病人进行调查,并分析其症状与生活质量的相关性。[结果]癌症病人生活质量总分83.00分±22.00分,且症状与生活质量呈负相关(r=0.289,P<0.05)。[结论]在护理过程中,应根据病人的具体情况,实施护理干预,积极控制病人症状,以提高癌症病人生活质量。     

A novel method to estimate the contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils in agar diffusion assay.

By the combined use of agar diffusion, agar vapor and agar vapor-inhibitory assays, contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils was quantitatively estimated. The test organisms were Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus fumigatus. Agar vapor assay was used to confirm the vapor activity of the oils. The parameter delta defined as a contribution index of the vapor activity was calculated by (1 - b-c/a-c) x 100, where a is inhibitory diameter in the diffusion assay, b is inhibitory diameter in the vapor-inhibitory assay and c is diameter of the sealed ring in the vapor-inhibitory assay (21 mm). Many of the essential oils examined showed a delta value near 100, thus providing the major contribution of the vapor activity to the inhibitory diameter. Essential oils containing aldehyde as major constituent showed low delta value, indicating the major inhibition was due to agar diffusion. Major essential oil components behaved similarly; the delta value was increased in the following order: aldehyde < phenol < alcohol < ester, oxide, hydrocarbon, indicating the enhanced contribution of the vapor activity in that order.     

Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder.

Amyloidosis is a systemic disease that usually occurs in the gastrointestinal tract or in muscular or adipose tissue. Primary amyloidosis of the urinary bladder is a rare disease that can mimic bladder cancer on cystoscopic examination as well as in its clinical presentation of painless gross hematuria. This report describes a 49-year-old male with repeated painless gross hematuria, who underwent transurethral resection of a suspected bladder tumor. Pathologic examination revealed papillary urothelial hyperplasia with vascular ectasia and no signs of malignancy. Massive gross hematuria occurred 2.5 years later. Cystoscopy showed multiple papillary lesions with yellowish-brown submucosal plaques on the posterior bladder wall. A second transurethral tumor resection was performed and histologic examination revealed plasma cell infiltration and eosinophilic amorphous deposits in the subepithelial stroma and vascular wall. The deposits were positive for Congo red and apple-green birefringence under polarized light examination but negative for Masson's trichrome stain, indicating that they were not fibrotic in nature. Hence, the diagnosis of amyloidosis of the urinary bladder was confirmed. Screening for amyloidosis was negative in other organ systems and the patient has remained disease-free up to the last follow-up 4 years after the second transurethral resection. Amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with recurrent hematuria who have symptoms characteristic of bladder cancer but negative pathologic study for malignancy. Correct diagnosis relies on clinical alertness and the use of a special staining technique during pathologic examination.     

Distribution of the exfoliative toxin D gene in clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates in France

Exfoliative toxin D (ETD) was identified recently as a new exfoliative toxin serotype. Like other exfoliative toxins, ETD induces intra-epidermal cleavage through the granular layer of the epidermis of neonatal mice. The distribution of ETD production was investigated in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from infected and colonised patients in France. The etd gene was found in 55 (10.5%) of 522 isolates tested. Isolates responsible for bullous impetigo and generalised staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome did not harbour etd, but etd was significantly more frequent in isolates causing cutaneous abscesses and furuncles. Most etd- and Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive strains belonged to the clone of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus spreading currently throughout France.     

胰岛素强化治疗对严重创伤患者炎性反应及预后的影响

Objective To investigate the effects of intensive insulin therapy on inflammatory re-sponse and prognosis of patients with severe trauma. Methods Eighty severely injured patients were di-vided into intensive insulin therapy group (n = 40, IT) and routine therapy group (n = 40, RT) in random pair. At the time of admission, a continuous infusion of insulin (2 -4 U/h) was pumped into the patients of IT group to maintain blood glucose level at 6 -8 mmol/L. Patients in RT group were given routine treatment without administration of insulin. Fever, organ injury, and mortality of patients in 2 groups were recorded. Venous blood was drawn from patients of 2 groups on the morning of post treatment day (PTD) 1, 3, 5, and 7. Values of TNF-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-2, and IL-10 in plasma were assayed. Results High fever appeared in 9 patients in IT group, and WBC exceeded 10.0×109 for more than 3 days in 17 patients in this group, versus 20 and 29 patients respectively in RT group. Dysfunction of 1 organ appeared in 31 pa-tients in IT group and 30 patients in RT group. Dysfunction of 3 organs appeared in 10 patients in IT group and 19 patients in RT group. Dysfunction of 4 organs appeared in 7 patients in IT group and 12 patients in RT group. In IT group, 4 patients died within 3 post-injury day (PID), and 1 patient died after PID 3 (total case fatality: 12.5% ). In RT group, 5 patients died within 3 PID, and 4 patient died after PID 3 (total case fatality: 22.5%). Plasma levels of TNF-α and CRP of patients in IT group were significantly lower than those of patients in RT group on PID 3 - 7 ( P<0.05 or P<0.01 ), while levels of IL-2 and IL-10 of patients in IT group were significantly higher than those of patients in RT group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01 ). Plasma levels of TNF-α ( 1.3±0.6 μg/L) and CRP (55±16 mg/L) of patients in IT group on PTD 7 were lowered to the trough level, and they were significantly lower than those of patients in RT group (3.0±0.8μg/L, 89±20 mg/L, respectively, P <0.01 ). Conclusions Intensive insulin therapy can mitigate systemic inflammatory response and improve prognosis of patients with severe trauma.