Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as lung or heart assist

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may serve as extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) in patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) or as extracorporeal heart assist (ECHA) in patients with low output syndrome (LOS) after open heart surgery. From 1988 to 1992 seven patients underwent ECMO in our hospital; four suffered from ARF and three from LOS. Various bypass techniques were employed. Two ARF patients, aged 58 and 18 years, had veno-venous bypass; in the latter, ECMO was reinstituted as a veno-arterial bypass one week after weaning. In a three-year-old boy, the ECMO outflow tubing was primarily connected to the pulmonary artery, and shortly afterwards relocated to the common carotid artery. In a 31-year-old man with ARF, and three LOS patients, a 56-year-old woman, and two men aged 68 and 70 years, ECMO was veno-arterial with direct access to the ascending aorta. A heparin-coated system was used, and all but one patient, who was treated with warfarin, received a daily low dose of heparin, which was withdrawn after from one to nine days.
Six patients were weaned off ECMO after 4.5 to 21 days. Three ARF patients recovered completely; the child died. In one LOS patient, ECMO was withdrawn due to a poor general condition. Two others were weaned off ECMO and the intra-aortic balloon pump, and the inotropic support was significantly reduced, but both died of multiple system organ failure. Although no firm conclusions can be drawn from these few case reports, the heparin-coated system used as ECLA appears promising, whereas ECHA seems to imply a poor prognosis in patients who are not candidates for cardiac transplantation.     

60例急性病毒性脑炎的临床分析

目的　评价急性病毒性脑炎的诊断与治疗。方法　收集 1993～ 2 0 0 1年 6月的住院病案 60份 ,就临床症状、神经体征、周围血白细胞计数和分类、脑脊液、脑电图、脑CT检查 ,以及单用激素组和激素 +抗病毒毒药组之间的疗效关系进行分析。结果　本组病毒性脑炎可分为六种临床类型 :精神异常 ;持续性剧烈头痛伴呕吐 ;强直 -阵挛性抽搐 ;持续性意识障碍 ;脑神经损害、失语、偏瘫 ;小脑性共济失调。前三型最为常见 ,并且三型之间的临床现象有相互穿插出现的现象。经统计学处理 ,单用激素组与激素 +抗病药物组之间的疗效无显著性差异。结论　急性病毒性脑炎为一种自限性疾病 ,但在没有病毒学检查的情况下 ,尚应和急性播散性脑脊髓炎或多发性硬化作鉴别     

Acute Cholecystitis and Severe Ischemic Cardiac Disease: Is Laparoscopy Indicated?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Laparoscopy in patients with poor cardiac function has been the subject of controversy and is considered by many surgeons a relative contraindication. METHODS: We report the case of a patient who presented with acute cholecystitis and choledocholithiasis concurrent with unstable angina. Our experience in laparoscopic management of patients with calculous biliary disease and severe coronary artery disease is examined. RESULTS: The patient was managed by coronary angioplasty and stenting immediately followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration under close invasive hemodynamic monitoring and low-pressure pneumoperitoneum. Between 1996 and 2001, 39 patients with coronary artery disease and an ASA class of III or IV underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Eight of these patients (20.5%) had common bile duct stones necessitating laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. No conversions were necessary, and no major morbidity or mortalities occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration can be safely performed in patients with severe ischemic cardiac disease under close hemodynamic monitoring and a low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (10 to 12 mm Hg).     

几种中草药复配杀虫剂的急性毒性实验研究

为有效开发植物杀虫剂资源及今后的推广应用提供科学依据。用两种粉剂和两种醇剂的杀虫应用浓度给小白鼠灌,而家兔则行皮肤刺激试验。结果显示,除醒剂Y-13经口有中毒情况发生外,其它3种制剂均无中毒现象,醇剂Y-13的家兔皮肤也无刺激反应发生。作者认为:4种制剂在有杀虫效果的前提下,杀虫应用浓度对人和动物都较安全。有开发和推广应用价值。     

血液透析治疗急性肾功能衰竭48例

本文总结了运用血液透析疗法治疗各种病因所致的急性肾功能衰竭（ＡＲＦ）４８例，结果治愈４４例（治愈率９１６７％）。认为血液透析疗法是治疗ＡＲＦ的主要措施，对ＡＲＦ患者进行早期预防性，充分的透析治疗，可以减轻ＡＲＦ引起的病理生理改变，保持机体内环境的稳定，有利于肾功能的恢复，并能预防其它系统脏器功能衰竭的发生，尤其对ＡＲＦ并发多脏器功能衰竭（ＭＳＯＦ）者，早期充分地透析，可以提高救治成功率，减少死亡率。     

Down-regulation of rat β-adrenoceptors by clenbuterol or desipramine does not require chronic treatment: [H]CGP-12177 binding reveals rapid (24 hour) modulation

Desipramine (DMI, 15 mg/kg, s.c.) decreased [³H]CGP-12177-labelled cortical β-adrenoceptor density (B_max) by 30% upon chronic (14 day) treatment. However, even a single dose (in mg/kg) of DMI (15) or the β-adrenoceptor agonist, clenbuterol (20), induced a rapid (24 hour) and significant reduction of β-adrenoceptor B_max (−15%; p<0.01). Acute treatment with amitryptiline (10), clorgyline (1), fluoxetine (10), nomifensine (10) or maprotiline (20) had no significant effect on [³H]CGP-12177-labelled β-adrenoceptors, suggesting that rapid down-regulation may not be a general property of antidepressant drugs. None of the antidepressants altered the B_max of [³H]ketanserin-labelled 5-HT_2A receptors on acute treatment. These results show that β-adrenoceptor down-regulation by clenbuterol and DMI is not dependent on chronic treatment and may, therefore, be a poor correlate of the gradual onset of therapeutic efficacy seen clinically with antidepressant drugs.     

Remote abscess formation during interferon-α therapy for viral hepatitis

Abscess formation at the injection site is an unusual infectious complication of interferon- α (IFN- α ) treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but remote abscess formation during IFN- α therapy is very rare. In the present communication, we report three cases of remote abscess formation detected among 68 patients with chronic viral hepatitis treated with IFN- α , and review the pertinent English literature. We believe that, as fever and constitutional symptoms are common side effects of IFN- α treatment, a high index of suspicion is indicated to exclude abscess formation in cases of unexplained fever during IFN- α therapy.     

Peritonsillar abscess — Do we need anaerobic cover?

Objective To find out the usability and advantage with regard to the advent of new and more costly antibiotics. In the treatment of Peritonsillar abscess the demonstration of, both aerobic and anaerobic organisms has raised the question of possible need to treat with antibiotics effective against anaerobes. It was in this very context that this study was planned to find out if we still have an economically and easily available antibiotic to treat Peritonsillar abscess. Conclusions Injectable penicillin is the drug of choice in PTA as GABHS and staphylococcus aureus coagulase positive are the most common organism associated with this condition. Even where penicillin resistant organism is present, effective management of the abscess is possible if it is drained well and weak hydrogen peroxide gargles are used along with injectable penicillin.     

Morphometric analysis of the great vessels in early fetal life

Pathological examination of the heart and great vessels wasperformed in 61 specimens obtained after surgical terminationof pregnancy for psychosocial indications at 9–18 weeksof gestation. The aorta and pulmonary trunk were identifiedand external diameters were measured at the level of, and distalto the aortic valve and pulmonary valve, the level of the aorticisthmus and thoracic aorta, and the proximal and distal ductusarteriosus. All eight vessel diameters increased linearly withgestational age and the ratio of the diameter of the aorticisthmus to that of the aortic valve or the distal ductus arteriosusalso increased with gestation. Early pregnancy is characterizedby rapid growth of the fetal head and this may well be the consequenceof a preferential distribution of left ventricular output infavour of the head due to relative narrowing of the aortic isthmusat this gestation.