Prevalence and risk behaviors of Chinese men who seek same-sex partners via the internet in Hong Kong.

To examine the prevalence of Internet sex networking among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Hong Kong and risk behaviors associated with the behavior, a telephone survey of 15,230 Hong Kong Chinese men aged 18-60 was conducted. Of the 283 active MSM (having engaged in some MSM behaviors in the last 6 months) identified, 17.7% had networked for MSM partners via the Internet in the last 6 months. Younger age (odds ratio [OR] for age < or = 25 vs. age >25 = 4.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.35-9.28) and being an anal-sex MSM (OR = 4.72, 95% CI=2.36-9.44) were independent predictors of Internet sex networking. Being an Internet sex networker was associated with some risk behaviors such as having contracted a sexually transmitted disease (adjusted OR = 4.79, 95% CI = 1.34-17.11), having had > or = 3 MSM partners (adjusted OR = 4.74, 95% CI = 2.20-10.23), and having engaged in anal sex (adjusted OR = 3.95, 95% CI = 1.89-8.23). HIV prevention programs for MSM should thereby include Internet-based interventions.     

Efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for idiopathic Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines (HMs), as a monotherapy or adjunct therapy, compared to placebo or conventional approaches in the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from both conventional and alternative medicine sources. Outcome measures were overall improvement, quality of life, reduction of levodopa dose, and adverse events. Nine studies were included, each testing a different HM. Six of the trials had limited internal validity due to major flaws in design, including the lack of proper randomization; insufficient blinding; unclear inclusive criteria in terms of diagnostic criteria, baseline staging, and duration of disease; lack of proper sample size calculation; and insufficient data analysis. Imbalances in gender and ethnicity among the patients in the included trials were observed. No major adverse events emerged, and no specific pattern was detected from the trials describing such data. In addition to major methodological defects, heterogeneity in (1) HM tested, (2) control treatment, and (3) outcome measure hindered in-depth data analysis and synthesis. Current evidence is insufficient to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various HMs. Further studies with improved trial design and reporting, with assessment on cost-effectiveness, quality of life, and qualitative data are warranted.     

张继泽主任医师逆转萎缩性胃炎经验举隅

慢性萎缩性胃炎是以胃黏膜上皮和腺体萎缩、黏膜变薄为特征的慢性疾病。属中医胃脘痛、胃痞等范畴。其病因病机较为复杂,多与饮食不调、情志不畅有关,尤其是饮酒、过食刺激之品,致使脾胃受损,阳气郁遏不振,纳运失司,化源不足,气血阴液亏乏;或中焦运化无力,湿邪滞塞,郁而化热;或     

Evidence that the Receptor for Soluble CD14:LPS Complexes may not be the Putative Signal-Transducing Molecule Associated with Membrane-Bound CD14

Membrane-bound CD14 acts as a receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. Studies have suggested that the activation of monocytes/macrophages by the binding of LPS to membrane-bound CD14 may require the association of a signal-transducing molecule with membrane-bound CD14. The observation that non-CD14 expressing cells, such as endothelial cells, can nevertheless be activated by a complex of LPS and a soluble form of CD14 (sCD14) suggests that the receptor for this complex may be identical to the signal transducing molecule associated with membrane-bound CD14. The studies described show that two CD14-specific MoAb are able to block the LPS-induced activation of endothelial cells but do not affect the response of monocytes to LPS. This suggests that the interaction of the sCD14:LPS complex with endothelial cells is distinct from the interaction of membrane-bound CD14 with its putative signal-transducing molecule.     

脑前循环系统动脉瘤的外科治疗

本文报告113例脑前循环系统动脉管其中包括颈内动脉后交通动脉瘤75例.前交通动脉瘤17例,大脑中动脉瘤10例,人脑前动脉-胼周动脉瘤3例,颈内动脉-眼动脉瘤2例,颈内动脉海绵窦段动脉瘤1例.多发动脉瘤5例.共118个动脉瘤在显微镜下直视手术,动脉瘤直接夹闭术108例.孤立或包裹术5例:5例多发动脉瘤行同期手术3例,分期手术2例.术中发生动脉瘤破裂18次.Hunt和HessⅠ～Ⅱ级病人中有例行早期手术.全组术后死亡率为7.9%.着重讨论手术时机.术中动脉瘤破裂处理及多发动脉瘤的治疗.     

Existence of Candida albicans and microorganisms in denture stomatitis patients

summary The aetiology of denture stomatitis is not clear from the literature. Some studies show its aetiology as Candida albicans, while other reports point out the significance of microorganisms. In this study the existence of C. albicans and microorganisms was investigated in subjects with and without denture stomatitis. The results showed that a combination of C. albicans and microorganisms is more likely to be responsible for denture stomatitis.     

Formation of mitochondrial phospholipid adducts by nephrotoxic cysteine conjugate metabolites.

Nephrotoxic cysteine conjugates derived from a variety of halogenated alkenes are enzymatically activated via the beta-lyase pathway to yield reactive sulfur-containing metabolites which bind covalently to cellular macromolecules. Mitochondria contain beta-lyase enzymes and are primary targets for binding and toxicity. Previously, mitochondrial protein and/or DNA have been considered as molecular targets for cysteine conjugate metabolite binding. We now report that metabolites of nephrotoxic cysteine conjugates form covalent adducts with rat kidney mitochondrial phospholipids. Rat kidney mitochondria were incubated with the 35S-labeled conjugates S-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (TFEC), S-(2-chloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethyl)-L-cysteine (CTFC), S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine, and S-(1,2,3,4,4-pentachlorobutadienyl)-L-cysteine. Quantitation of metabolite binding to whole mitochondria and to mitochondrial protein and lipid fractions revealed that as much as 42% of the 35S-label associated with the mitochondria was found in the lipid fraction. Total lipids were also extracted from 35S-treated mitochondria and separated by thin-layer chromatography. 35S-Containing metabolites were found in the lipid fractions from mitochondria treated with each of the conjugates. Lipids from both [35S]CTFC- and [35S]-TFEC-treated mitochondria contained major 35S-labeled lipid adducts which had similar mobility by thin-layer chromatography. Fatty acid analysis, 19F and 31P NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometric analyses confirmed that the major TFEC and CTFC adducts are thioamides of phosphatidylethanolamine.