Recurrent pregnancy loss due to familial and non-familial habitual molar pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: To present a series of women with recurrent molar pregnancies, including rare familial cases, and discuss etiology and treatment options. METHODS: We performed a detailed clinical evaluation and pedigree analysis of five Egyptian women with recurrent pregnancy loss due to molar pregnancy. RESULTS: The women had a history of four to nine consecutive hydatidiform moles but of no viable pregnancies. Two of the women had molar pregnancies with different husbands who themselves had viable offspring from previous wives; and three of them, who belonged to a family with extensive intermarriage, had a pedigree consistent with an autosomal recessive maternal-effect mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrent pregnancy loss due to habitual molar pregnancy is uncommon and familial cases are extremely rare. The etiology of this disorder is not well understood but likely results from a maternal-effect mutation. Management options are limited, especially for couples who desire to have their own genetic offspring.     

Plasma protein binding of furosemide in the elderly

Summary The protein binding of furosemide was investigated in plasma from 22 old and 11 young subjects by equilibrium dialysis. The unbound fraction of furosemide was 3.16% in plasma from the elderly and 1.71% in plasma from the young. A significant correlation was found between the unbound fraction of furosemide and the plasma concentration of albumin. The average number of binding sites was 3.8 (elderly) and 2.7 (young) 10^–6 mol/g albumin. The average association constant (K) was 4.3 (elderly) and 4.2 (young) 10⁵ M^–1. By increasing the concentration of furosemide up to 200 µg/ml buffer the unbound fraction of the drug rose to 5.2% (elderly) and 3.5% (young).     

1280例银屑病患者初发年龄调查报告

调查了1280例银屑病患者的初发年龄,平均初发年龄27.23岁,男性29.25岁,女性23.46岁。初发年龄大多在15～39岁组,占72.96％,最高峰在20～24岁组,占19.53％。初发年龄大小与病情轻重无明显关系,而与病程长短有明显关系,即初发年龄越小者,其病程一般较长。     

Repetitive lifting and spinal shrinkage, effects of age and lifting technique

The assumed advantages of the so-called leg-lifting technique over the back-lifting technique are still the subject of much debate. The present study was aimed at studying the consequences of performing both lifting techniques on net lumbar moments and spinal shrinkage. Furthermore, the relation between age and spinal shrinkage was studied. Five subjects approximately 40 years old and six subjects 20 years old performed six 5-min bouts of repetitive lifting using each technique on a separate day. Net lumbar moments were calculated using a two-dimensional dynamic linked segment model. Spinal shrinkage was measured at T₁₂ and at the head after each bout of lifting and every 5 min during 1 h preceding the lifting bouts. The peak moments were marginally but significantly higher in the leg-lift. No differences in mean moments and shrinkage between lifting techniques were found. The shrinkage after the back-lift was more pronounced in the older subjects and a similar tendency was found after the leg-lift. The creep rate, i.e. the rate at which the shrinkage approaches its equilibrium was higher in the older subjects. No clear relations of anthropometrical variables and net moments with shrinkage was found. The common advice of using a leg-lift rather than a back-lift was not supported by the present study. Both the mechanical load on the low back (net moments) and the resulting shrinkage show considerable interindividual variation, the causes of which need further elucidation.

The leg-lifting technique is still widely advocated, thought its merits from a biomechanical point of view have been questioned. In this study spinal shrinkage and lumbar moments calculated by means of a dynamic linked segment model are used to compare the leg-lift to the more commonly used back-lift.     

育龄妇女、孕妇及乳母碘营养状况调查

目的 了解缺碘地区食用合格碘盐的育龄妇女和孕妇及乳母碘营养状况。方法 对病区育龄妇女和孕妇及乳母进行观察。采用酸消化砷铈接触法及全定量直接滴定法分别检测尿碘，乳碘和盐碘含量。结果 育龄妇女和孕妇及乳母尿碘含量分别为219.37μg/L，203.98μg/L，178.55μg/L，尿碘值小于100μg/L占24.14%，三组人群尿碘水平依次降低，但差异未显示统计学意义；乳碘值为122.72μg/L，小于100μg/L达33.93%，提示应关注特需人群的碘营养问题。结论 应开展对育龄妇女和孕妇及乳母的尿碘监测。以指导合理补碘，防止胎儿和婴幼儿碘营养不良的发生。     

某医科大学中老年教职工健康状况分析

对１００４名５０岁以上中老年教职工进行健康检查。结果：健康者仅占１１．２５％，而８８．７５％的中老年教职工至少患有１例次疾病，最多患有５例次疾病，总例次患病率为１８６．９５％，男女例次患病率分别为１８７．２４％和１８６．６２％，男女间无差异。前５位疾病的顺位是：心血管疾病、呼吸系疾病、脑血管疾病、消化系统病、泌尿生殖疾病。     

菏泽市城区1008名学龄儿童感觉统合失调调查分析

目的：为了解本市的学龄儿童感觉统合失调的发生率及造成感觉统合失调的有关因素。方法：采用北京感觉统合失调评定表，对6－10岁1008名在校儿童进行整群抽样调查，所获数据经χ^2检验。结果：感觉统合失调发生率为35．52％，其中轻率23．4％，重度12．1％，男童发生率为43．08％，女童发生率为27．89％，男高于女（P＜0．05）。结论：儿童感觉统合失调发生率与父母文化程度、儿童自身智力、学习成绩、出生时缺氧缺血性脑病有关，有关部门要迅速组建机构对感觉统合失调进行训练。     

Bone turnover in neonates: Changes of urinary excretion rate of collagen type I cross-linked peptides during the first days of life and influence of gestational age

New markers have been used to monitor the changes of bone turnover occurring during growth. Data on bone turnover rate during the perinatal period are, however, very scarce. In the present study we evaluated bone turnover rate, assessed by the measurement of urinary N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) concentrations, at different gestational ages, and we documented the trend of bone turnover rate occurring in the first days after birth. Urine samples were obtained from 83 healthy full term newborn infants, 16 preterm, and 17 infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs). The first miction after birth was collected. Urine samples were also collected 24 and 48 h after birth. NTx was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Osteomark®, Ostex International, Inc. Seattle, WA). The relationship between NTx at birth and all the other variables has been evaluated using multiple regression analysis. The changes of NTx excretion over time and the effect of the groups were studied by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for repeated measures. We found a remarkable association between gestational age and NTx concentrations at birth (R = 0.56; p < 0.00001). NTx concentrations showed a progressive decrement, reaching a nadir between the 38th and the 42nd week of gestation. The NTx concentrations changed significantly during the first 48 h of life in the three groups. Moreover, preterm infants had NTx excretion values at birth significantly higher than full term infants (p < 0.001), whereas NTx excretion rates of IDMs were not different from those of the other two groups of subjects. In conclusion, gestational age seems to be the major determinant of bone turnover in neonates; NTx excretion rate is higher before term, it slows in proximity of delivery, and it increases significantly during the first 48 h of life. Preterm infants have higher bone turnover rate than full term infants. NTx excretion rate of IDMs was comparable with those of the control subjects.     

Memory function in normal aging

Basic findings obtained on memory functions in normal aging are presented and discussed with respect to five separate but interacting memory systems. These systems are: episodic memory, semantic memory, short-term memory, perceptual representation system and procedural memory. All available evidence from cross-sectional research shows that there is a linear, decreasing memory performance as a function of age for episodic memory. Longitudinal studies suggest, however, that this age deficit may be an overestimation, by showing a relatively stable performance level up to middle age, followed by a sharp decline. Studies on semantic memory, short-term memory, perceptual representation system, and procedural memory show a relatively constant performance level across the adult life span, although some tasks used to assess short-term memory and procedural memory have revealed an age deficit. Disregarding the mixed results for these latter two memory systems, it can be concluded that episodic memory is unique in showing an age deficit. Episodic memory is also unique in the sense that it is the only memory system showing gender differences in performance throughout the adult life span with a significantly higher performance for women.