Delayed sleep phase syndrome: A placebo-controlled cross-over study on the effects of melatonin administered five hours before the individual dim light melatonin onset

In a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study, 30 patients with Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS) were included, of whom 25 finished the study. Melatonin 5 mg was administered during two weeks in a double-blind setting and two weeks in an open setting successively or interrupted by two weeks of placebo. The study's impact was assessed by measurements of the 24-h curves of endogenous melatonin production and rectal temperature (n=14), polysomnography (n=22), actigraphy (n=13), sleep log (n=22), and subjective sleep quality (n=25). Mean dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) (±SD), before treatment, occurred at 23.17 hours (±138 min). Melatonin was administered five hours before the individual DLMO. After treatment, the onset of the nocturnal melatonin profile was significantly advanced by approximately 1.5 hour. Body temperature trough did not advance significantly. During melatonin use, actigraphy showed a significant advance of sleep onset and polysomnography, a significant decreased sleep latency. Sleep architecture was not influenced. During melatonin treatment patients felt significantly more refreshed in the morning. These results show that analysis of DLMO of patients suffering from DSPS is important both for diagnosis and therapy. These results are discussed in terms of the biochemistry of the pineal.     

Influence of picrotoxin and strychnine on the spectral sensitivity of the turtle ERG b- and d-waves: II. Light adaptation

The aim of the present work was to investigate the role of GABA and glycine, the two main inhibitory neurotransmitters in the retina, in the spectral sensitivity coding under conditions of light adaptation. To study this question, spectral sensitivity curves, based on the turtle ERG responses to stimuli of different wavelengths, were constructed. The spectral sensitivity curves, obtained before and during treatment with picrotoxin (PT), a GABA_A antagonist, or with strychnine (ST), a glycine antagonist, were compared. Both PT and ST increased the b- and d-wave absolute sensitivity in a wavelength-dependent manner. PT significantly changed the shape of the b- and d-wave spectral sensitivity curves and the latter lost their peaks. It is concluded that, under conditions of light adaptation, GABA and glycine took part in the formation of the b- and d-wave spectral sensitivity curves, that both of them exerted an effect on the gain and that, furthermore, GABA had a well pronounced effect on the tuning of the spectral sensitivity curves.     

Treatment principles of atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is today the most common, chronic inflammatory skin disease among children in developed countries. Its cumulative prevalence varies from 20% in northern Europe and the USA to approximately 5% in Mediterranean countries. As a chronic disease it puts a special demand on treatment. There is no curative therapy, but competent guidance on treatment principles can control the disease in most, if not all children. This article summarizes the evidence-based knowledge that relates to the treatment of atopic eczema. It also gives advice and opinions on prophylactic measures as these are the focus of interest from most parents. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: This article should enable you to give advice and guidance to parents of children with AD, including what is necessary for diagnosis, what is of value and importance considering allergies and allergological investigations, allergen exposure, prophylactic measures, diets and indoor environment. Finally, you should be able to explain the diversity of treatment principles for parents.     

经内镜注射硬化剂治疗食管静脉曲张(附15例报告)

经内镜注射5％鱼肝油酸钠治疗食管静脉曲张15例,共注射45次。其肝功能按Child分级,A级1例,B级8例,C级6例。曾经作过脾切除,分流或断流术者7例。8例急症出血患者经用硬化疗法获得了止血成功。1例急症患者死亡。6例作了择期预防出血的注射,治疗后均得到改善。治疗出血方面,硬化疗法在15例患者中14例有效,随访6～12月无再出血。     

A comparison of the relative risk of vessel injury with conical versus pyramidal laparoscopic trocars in a rabbit model

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to compare the relative risk of vessel injury after use of a 5 mm conical-tipped trocar, a 5 mm pyramidal-tipped trocar, and a 10 mm pyramidal-tipped trocar in a rabbit vessel model.STUDY DESIGN: Plastic templates were placed in front of and behind 108 mesenteric vessels in 11 anesthetized New Zealand White rabbits. Laparoscopic trocars were inserted through the templates and mesentery. The incidence of vessel injury was determined at distances from the vessels ranging from 0 to 5 mm.RESULTS: The 5 mm conical trocar resulted in a vessel injury rate of 88% at 0 mm from the vessel but 0% at 1 or 2 mm. The 5 mm pyramidal trocar resulted in 100%, 88%, and 62% injury rates of 0, 1, and 2 mm from the vessels, respectively. The 10 mm pyramidal trocar resulted in a 100% injury rate at 0, 1, 2, or 3 mm from the vessels and 80% and 40% at 4 mm and 5mm, respectively.CONCLUSION: The relative risk of vessel injury is significantly increased by the use of pyramidal-tipped trocars when compared with conical-tipped trocars, especially if larger diameter trocars are used.     

Upper Gastrointestinal Irritation and Arrhythmia

Abstract: The influence of endoscopic examination on the occurrence of arrhythmia was investigated electrocardiographically in 30 patients with cardiovascular disease who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) (group A) and 38 patients with digestive tract disease who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) (group B). The mode and frequency of arrhythmia during the examination were compared between the two groups. (1) Arrhythmia was more frequently observed in group A (22 of 30, 73.3%) than in group B (9 of 38, 23.7%) patients (p<0.001). The common arrhythmias in both groups were supraventricular premature beat and ventricular premature beat. Serious arrhythmias, such as 2nd degree atrioventricular block and ventricular fibrillation were detected only in group A patients. (2) The region of the esophagus where the tip of the probe or scope was located was classified into three segments: upper (0–15 cm), middle (15–35 cm) and lower (35 cm<). Arrhythmias tended to be frequent when the tip of the probe or scope was located in the middle segment of the esophagus. These data indicate that arrhythmias observed during TEE or UGIE are related to the underlying heart disease. Furthermore, the middle segment of the esophagus appears to be particularly susceptible to the provocation of arrhythmia.     

Theoretical basis for camera control in teleoperating

Background: The triangle paralaxis method for camera control in teleoperating is presented. Methods: For orientation in the 3D space of the corporic cavity there are three points necessary for the creation of the paralaxis triangle. This triangle is then imagined and compared with topography during surgery. The first and second points are created in one's mind at the locus of the entry of the instruments into the viewing field of the camera. The third apex of the triangle is the area of dissection—the point in which the instruments converge. The fourth point to be viewed determines the course of dissection. Triangle paralaxis may be applied in dissection with only one instrument as well as in the zooming technique, closely viewing a part of the dissecting instrument. Results: Using this technique a 7.78% rate of conversion and 2.15% rate of reoperation could be achieved in 334 evaluated laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed in a small public hospital. Conclusions: Triangle paralaxis seems to be a simple method for ensuring an optimal camera view during laparoscopic surgery.     

Pupil responsiveness in cluster headache: A dynamic TV pupillometric evaluation

In this study the variations in pupil diameter induced by different stimuli (dark-light adaptation, light reflex, electric stimulation of the sural nerve) were investigated in episodic (in the active or remission phases) and in chronic cluster headache (CH) patients. Pupil size monitoring was performed with a monocular, infrared TV pupillometer, and sural nerve stimuli were applied after the pain threshold had been measured as the flexion reflex threshold of the biceps femoris muscle (RIII reflex). The results were compared with those obtained in patients with "peripheral" (third neuron) Horner's syndrome and in healthy sex- and age-matched controls. On the symptomatic side we found an impairment of pupil response to light flashes and nociceptive stimuli; similar findings were sometimes evident on the pain-free side, too. These results substantiate previous observations that in cluster headache a dysfunction of the integrative central nervous system pathways also exists intercritically and mostly bilaterally, involving both autonomic regulation and pain perception mechanisms.     

成人斯蒂尔病1例

成人斯蒂尔病起病原因及发生机制仍不清楚,临床主要表现为发热、关节痛、皮疹,且有白细胞、血清铁蛋白等指标增高,但缺乏针对该病的特定诊断指标,导致临床漏诊、误诊比率较高。通过查阅相关文献,发现本病内镜下报道资料较少。本文就1例成人斯蒂尔病病例及胃镜下表现进行报道,并结合AOSD相关诊断指标、治疗方面的最新进展进行归纳,旨在为临床诊疗本病寻求更精准的选择。     

Reversible changes of visual acuity and pattern-electroretinograms after blue-green argon laser photocoagulation of diabetic patients

Visual acuity, color vision, pattern-visual-evoked-potentials (P-VEPs) and pattern-electroretinograms (P-ERGs) were measured in 13 diabetic subjects before, and 24 hours and 5 weeks after blue-green argon laser treatment. As control, the same examinations were performed in 7 normal subjects and 7 diabetic patients before and after slit lamp examination with the Goldman three mirror contact lens.Visual acuity and P-ERG amplitudes were significantly reduced one day after the laser treatment, while 5 weeks after the laser coagulation, visual acuity and P-ERG amplitudes recovered to pretreatment values. The control group showed no significant changes after slit lamp examination. Since fluorescein angiography revealed no macular changes after laser treatment, the possibility of a reversible functional light damage after blue-green argon laser coagulation (ALC) is discussed.This study was supported by the Medizinisch - Wissenschaftlicher Fonds des Bürgermeisters der Bundeshauptstadt Wien.