Chronic orchialgia: Consider gabapentin or nortriptyline before considering surgery

OBJECTIVE: To establish if there is a role for gabapentin or nortriptyline in the treatment of chronic orchialgia. METHODS: Twenty-six consecutive patients with chronic orchialgia were seen in the chronic pain clinic by a multidisciplinary team. A pain questionnaire was completed prior to commencing either gabapentin or nortriptyline. They were reviewed at 3 months and a repeat questionnaire completed. A 50% improvement in pain was considered successful. RESULTS: Complete data was available for 19 patients. Overall, 61.5% of patients commenced on gabapentin and 66.6% of patients commenced on nortriptyline had a greater than 50% improvement in pain. Patients with post-vasectomy testicular pain were considered as a subgroup. None of these patients had a greater than 50% improvement in pain. However, 80% of patients in the subgroup with idiopathic chronic orchialgia had a greater than 50% improvement in pain. CONCLUSION: Although this is a small study, it appears that gabapentin and nortriptyline are effective in the treatment of idiopathic chronic orchialgia but not post-vasectomy pain.     

Chronic acid ingestion promotes renal stone formation in rats treated with vitamin D3

OBJECTIVE: Although hypercalciuria, a well-established adverse effect of vitamin D3, can be a risk factor of renal stone formation, the risk of nephrolithiasis has not been well defined. The consumption of a diet high in acid precursors is often cited as a risk factor for the development of calcium-based kidney stones. In the present study, we investigated the effect of chronic acid ingestion on kidney stone formation in rats treated with calcitriol (1-25[OH]2 D3). METHODS: Control rats (C-C), calcitriol-treated rats (C-V; three treatments of 0.5 microg of calcitriol per week) and acid-ingested (water containing 0.21 mol/L NH4Cl), calcitriol-treated (three treatments of 0.5 microg of calcitriol per week) rats (A-V) were fed in metabolic cages. After 1 month, urine, blood, kidney and bone samples were analyzed. RESULTS: The A-V rats exhibited elevated serum calcium concentrations, urinary calcium and phosphate excretion, urinary type I collagen cross-linked N-peptide (NTx)/creatinine values, mRNA expression of osteopontin in the kidney, and renal calcium contents as well as decreased bone mineral densities, compared with the C-C and C-V rats. Urinary citrate excretion was lower and NaDC-1 mRNA expression in the kidney was higher in the A-V rats than in the C-C and C-V rats. Calcium phosphate kidney stones were found in the A-V rats. CONCLUSIONS: The ingestion of NH4Cl, an acid precursor, promotes calcium phosphate kidney stone formation in calcitriol-treated rats. The chronic intake of a diet rich in acid precursors may be a risk factor for the development of kidney stones in subjects who are being treated with calcitriol.     

拉米夫定对慢性乙型肝炎的疗效及肝脏组织病理学改变

目的:从血清生化,病毒学,肝纤维化指标以及肝脏组织病理学改变的角度分析拉米夫定(LMD)治疗慢性乙型肝炎的疗效.方法:慢性乙型肝炎患者21例,给予口服LMD100 mg/d,连用1 a,动态观察服药0,24和48 wk肝功能、乙肝五项、HBV-DNA定量、血清肝纤维化指标透明质酸(HA)、层黏蛋白(LN)、Ⅲ型前胶原(PⅢP)和Ⅳ型胶原(ⅣC)的变化,通过肝组织穿刺活检,观察用药前后肝脏组织病理学的改变.结果:LMD治疗48 wk,可显著抑制HBV-DNA(copy/L)复制(6.13×109±4.03×105 vs 9.01×105±4.89×103,P＜0.01),使大多数患者肝功能(nkat/L,ALT:1697±907 vs550±503;AST:1787±717 vs 498±430)恢复正常(P＜0.01),显著降低血清肝纤维化指标水平(P＜0.01).减轻肝细胞坏死,汇管区炎细胞浸润及纤维化.结论:LMD是治疗慢性乙型肝炎的一种较为切实有效的措施.     

Marked hypodiploidy in blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia: report of a case and review of the literature

The emergence of a near-haploid clone of cells in blast phase chronic myelogenous leukemia is an unusual event. We report such a case and review eight other cases described in the English literature. The significance of the substantial loss of genetic material is discussed as is the phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity observed in this group of patients.     

A phase I/II study of continuous infusion suramin in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer : toxicity and response

 Introduction: Suramin is a synthetic polysulfonated naphthylurea which has been used for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis and onchocerciasis, but since the mid-1980s has received attention as a possible antiretroviral and antineoplastic agent. Objective: This clinical trial of suramin was undertaken as a phase I/II study in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer, with the hypothesis that the intensity of therapy with suramin could be increased significantly if measures were undertaken to maintain the plasma concentrations of the drug under 300 μg/ml. Methods: We report the clinical results of this trial, wherein patients were treated at three different targeted plasma suramin concentrations (275, 215 and 175 μg/ml) for varying periods of time (2, 4 or 8 weeks), with delivery of the drug by continuous intravenous infusion. Results: The major toxicity observed in this trial was neurologic, consisting of a motor and sensory peripheral neuropathy that resulted in both paresis and paralysis of the limbs. Nearly all of this severe (CTEP grade III, IV) neurologic toxicity was observed in the patients treated at a plasma suramin concentration of 275 μg/ml for 4 or more weeks. A single patient treated at 215 μg/ml for 8 weeks developed moderate (CTEP grade III) proximal lower extremity weakness, and no patient treated at 175 μg/ml developed this toxicity. The second most common toxicity observed was infection of the central venous catheter. The overall response rate for all of the evaluable patients was 17% (13 of 75 patients). In addition, prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-defined responses were observed in six patients receiving therapy at 175 μg/ml, but these responses were confounded by cessation of therapy with flutamide during suramin treatment. Conclusions: In summary, although plasma suramin concentrations were maintained below 300 μg/ml, neurologic toxicity nonetheless occurred with high frequency in patients treated at 275 μg/ml for 4 or more weeks. Therapy at 215 and 175 μg/ml was in general well tolerated, but central venous catheter-related infection, as well as the inconvenience and expense of continuous infusional therapy, make this method of drug delivery impractical. Only moderate antitumor activity was observed during this trial, but it is possible that both continuation of flutamide and flutamide withdrawal during suramin therapy confounded the assessment of suramin’s activity in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Received: 9 June 1995/Accepted: 18 March 1996     

慢性肺心病左心功能探讨

通过42例重型肺心病、7例轻型肺心病、16例肺心病伴发冠心病患者和30例正常人在静息状态下的左右心脏射血分数及其临床资料的分析表明,重型肺心病患者在病情的急性发作期,存在有不同程度的左心功能不全,而轻型肺心病患者则无左心功能不全的表现。表明慢性肺心病仅在病程晚期,才由以右心为主的疾病发展成为全心病。本文还对重型肺心病与肺心病伴发冠心病患者的左心功能进行比较,结果表明,肺心病伴发冠心病患者左室功能受损程度更为明显,双重病因导致的左室功能减退,常造成心肌更严重的损害而且不容易恢复。