On the role of additive hormone monotherapy with tamoxifen,medroxyprogesterone acetate and aminoglutethimide,in advanced breast cancer

Summary We analyzed the results of clinical studies on the therapeutic efficacy of hormone monotherapy with tamoxifen, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and aminoglutethimide in metastatic breast cancer, which were published between 1971 and 1986 and involved altogether 7000 patients. The overall response rates in patients treated with these hormonal single agents at various dose levels ranged from 31%–42%. When only estrogen receptor-positive patients were considered, the response rates lay between 41% and 54% in groups which were treated with the antiestrogenic agents tamoxifen or aminoglutethimide. The duration of remission was 12 months for tamoxifen- and aminoglutethimide-treated women, whereas medroxy-progesterone acetate effected remissions lasting from 6–16 months. The overall mean survival from start of therapy in tamoxifen- and aminoglutethimide-treated groups was 20 months, whereas information concerning this therapeutic parameter was available only in a minority of medroxyprogesterone acetate-treated groups. With respect to the response by site of metastatic lesions, all three agents caused a significantly higher degree of remissions in the soft tissue as compared to visceral disease.Abbreviations AG Aminoglutethimide - MPA Medroxyprogesterone acetate - TAM Tamoxifen     

Electronic aspects of spinal-cord stimulation in multiple sclerosis

Patients receiving chronic spinal-cord stimulation in the management of multiple sclerosis have been stimulated at a frequency of 33 Hz, with pulses whose duration has been varied between 0·05 ms and 2·0 ms. Measurements on the stimulating pulses show that the energy requirement was at a minimum when the pulse duration was 0·2 ms. The current and energy requirements of different patients using 0·2 ms pulses vary over a large range but measurement of the current requirement of a particular patient can be a useful observation in predicting his response to treatment: low current requirements are often associated with a good response and high currents with a poor response to treatment. The use of 0·2 ms pulses of the amplitude we have used meets the safety requirements established by other workers and our results indicate that this pulse duration is optimal in terms of safety requirements, as well as energy requirements.     

Taste preferences induced by trains of rewarding lateral hypothalamic stimulation of differing durations

The question of whether prolonged stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area (LH) simply diminishes in rewarding effect or becomes aversive was tested in 32 rats using a taste preference technique. The animals were allowed to drink novel, coffee-flavoured water for 10 min, and then received 60 trains of LH stimulation with differing durations, at an intensity proven to be rewarding at 0.5 sec duration. In a test 24 hours later, those animals that had been stimulated with 1 or 5 sec trains showed a shift in preference from tap water to coffee water, but those stimulated with 10 sec trains did not. The results show that prolonged stimulation not only loses its positive reinforcement effect but becomes negative.     

Clinical and laboratory parameters in predicting chronic urticaria duration: a prospective study of 139 patients

BACKGROUND: Despite the disabling nature of chronic urticaria (CU), little is known about the disease's duration or the efficacy of adopting aggressive therapeutic regimens such as cyclosporine A. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether parameters such as angioedema, autologous serum test, anti-thyroid antibodies, and total IgE could predict both CU duration and severity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and thirty-nine patients suffering from CU were prospectively followed over a 5-year period for disease duration, severity and the presence of angioedema. Also investigated was the association between these clinical parameters and the subsequent detection of autologous serum test, anti-thyroid antibodies, and total IgE. RESULTS: CU lasted over 1 year in more than 70% of cases and in 14% it still existed after 5 years. Angioedema co-existed or appeared during the course of CU in 40% of patients and was associated with disease duration. Autologous serum test and anti-thyroid antibodies were found positive in 28 and 12% of patients, respectively, compared to none of normal individuals, P = 0.001. CU duration was associated with the presence of both autologous serum test and anti-thyroid antibodies; however, autologous serum test and not anti-thyroid antibodies was found in association with CU severity. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate for the first time that CU duration is associated with clinical parameters such as severity and angioedema, and with laboratory parameters such as autologous serum test and anti-thyroid antibodies. The ability to predict CU duration may facilitate decisions regarding the possible early initiation of cyclosporine A as a means by which to reduce disease severity and duration.     

β-Adrenoceptor blocking effects and plasma levels of bornaprolol and propranolol in man

Summary The -adrenoceptor blocking effects and pharmacokinetics of bornaprolol (FM 24), a new -adrenoceptor blocking agent, have been compared with those of propranolol and a placebo in a double-blind trial in 6 healthy volunteers. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and peak expiratory flow rate were measured at rest and at the end of 3 min vigorous exercise on a bicycle ergometer, before and 2, 24 and 48 h after single oral doses of bornaprolol (120, 240 and 480 mg) and propranolol (40, 80 and 160 mg). Plasma renin activity at rest and the plasma concentrations of the two drugs were determined. Bornaprolol significantly reduced resting heart rate, dose-dependently lowered exercise-induced tachycardia and decreased peak expiratory flow rate and plasma renin activity. In addition, exercise-induced tachycardia was significantly reduced by bornaprolol up to 48 hours after drug intake (pharmacodynamic half-life approximately 63–86 h) and there was a correlation between this reduction and the log plasma bornaprolol concentration over the 48-h period. Thus, bornaprolol behaved in man as a non-cardioselective and long-lasting -adrenoceptor blocking drug, probably devoid of intrinsic sympathomimetic activity.     

网络成瘾和睡眠时长在青少年受校园欺凌与抑郁间的链式中介作用

目的 探索青少年网络成瘾和睡眠时长在受校园欺凌与抑郁关系之间的中介作用,为青少年抑郁的预防干预提供依据。 方法 使用青少年健康相关危险行为问卷及CES - D抑郁量表,采用多阶段整群抽样法抽取徐州市4 190名青少年进行问卷调查。结果 在控制人口学等变量后,受校园欺凌、网络成瘾、睡眠时长对抑郁均有预测作用（r = 0.283,P＜0.01;r = 0.331,P＜0.01;r = - 0.184,P＜0.01）。路径分析表明,网络成瘾在受校园欺凌和青少年抑郁之间起中介作用;网络成瘾和睡眠时长在受校园欺凌和青少年抑郁间起链式中介作用。结论 受校园欺凌不仅直接影响青少年抑郁,还通过网络成瘾和睡眠时长的链式中介作用间接影响青少年抑郁。可通过减少青少年网络使用和提高睡眠时长来降低受校园欺凌对青少年抑郁的影响。     

分布式实时系统的一种转化设计方法

介绍了实时分布式系统的一种转化设计方法。系统的形式化需求规范用时段演算DC（Duration Calculus)描述,系统的设计用规范语言SL（Specification Language)表示。一组标准的转换规则可将系统从形式化需求规范转化为设计规范。系统设计的正确性可由转换过程本身得以保证。多用户多媒体通信系统的设计实例展示了转换设计方法的具体过程。