Filtration procedures supplemented with mitomycin C in the management of childhood glaucoma

AIMS: To evaluate the outcome of filtering procedures supplemented with mitomycin C in children with glaucoma. METHODS: All patients aged 17 or younger with glaucoma who underwent filtering surgery supplemented with mitomycin C at a tertiary care centre (n = 21) during a 5 year interval (1992 and 1996) were included. One eye for each patient was entered into the analysis. The postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), use of antiglaucoma medications, clinical stability of glaucoma, complications, and visual acuity were retrospectively evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to estimate the probability of success. RESULTS: At the time of surgery mean age was 5.7 (SD 5.0) years. The most common diagnoses were trabeculodysgenesis (n = 6) and aphakic glaucoma (n = 8). Mean IOP before surgery was 35.7 (10.5) mm Hg. Average length of follow up was 18.6 (14.7) months. The probability of having IOP less than 21 mm Hg with no antiglaucoma medications and with clinically stable glaucoma 1 year after surgery was 76.9% in phakic eyes (n = 13) and 0% in aphakic eyes (n = 8). A phakic patient with Sturge-Weber's syndrome had choroidal effusion after surgery that resolved spontaneously. In the aphakic group one patient had retinal detachment and another developed an encapsulated bleb. Visual acuity deteriorated in one patient. CONCLUSION: A guarded filtration procedure with mitomycin C is relatively successful in phakic children with glaucoma, but unsuccessful in aphakic ones.     

Cocaine's effects on speech sound identification and reaction times in baboons

The effects of cocaine on speech sound discriminations was examined to determine whether cocaine's previously demonstrated effect in reducing speech sound discriminability was dependent upon either the type of stimuli employed (simple tones versus complex speech) or the procedure (stimulus detection versus stimulus discrimination). Because of demonstrated similarities in the way that baboons and humans discriminate speech, and in the way the CNS is thought to encode and process speech sounds in these two species, baboons were trained to perform a choice procedure to identify the occurrence of different synthetic vowel sounds (/a/, /æ/, //, /U/, and /љ/). Animals held down a lever and released the lever only when one of four target vowels sounded, and not when a fifth, standard vowel sounded. Acute IM administration of cocaine (0.0032–1.0 mg/kg) produced dose-dependent decreases in vowel discriminability that were mostly due to elevations in false alarms (i.e., releases to the standard vowel) following cocaine. Cocaine also shortened reaction times to the stimuli in two of three baboons, but to a much lesser extent than observed previously. These results suggest that cocaine may interfere with the ability of the CNS to process the acoustic cues in speech sounds, and that the effects of cocaine on reaction times may depend upon the complexity of the reaction time procedure employed.     

Measurement of Functional Pouch Volume following the Gastric Bypass Procedure

Background: The cottage cheese test was developed in an attempt to find a simple way to measure functional pouch volume and to better understand the fate of the tiny proximal pouch following the gastric bypass procedure. Methods: Our patients were asked to eat cottage cheese in a structured fashion before their return visits from 3 months to 2 years postoperatively. Results: We found there was a step-wise progression of increase in functional pouch volume with statistical significance between each time interval. Also, we compared the patients' excess weight loss at 1, 2, and 3 years postoperatively to their pouch size at 1 year postoperatively. Although there is a wide range (2.5-9.0 oz) of pouch sizes at 1 year, there is no significant difference in excess weight loss between the smaller and larger pouches. Conclusions: The pouches enlarge by the orderly process of hyperplasia. Within the 2.5-9 oz volume variation, the pouch volume alone is not a predictor of weight loss. Rather, how the patient uses the pouch/tool, in addition to the other behavior modifications, determines the degree of weight loss. This data strongly suggests that the surgeon's understanding of and teaching of the optimal use of the pouch/tool may be more important than previously thought.     

中药和天然药靶向制剂的研究进展

靶向制剂可以提高靶组织的药理作用强度和降低全身的不良反应 ,是一种比较理想的给药方式 ,为第四代的药物剂型。采用脂质体作为药物载体是研究的重点 ,磁靶向 ,酶靶向制剂也是研究热点。此外 ,口服结肠靶向给药系统 (OCDDS)也是靶向制剂的一个重要部分 ,其是经口服将药物运送到回盲肠后释放并发挥局部或全身的治疗作用。中药靶向制剂的研究在我国还仅处于试探阶段 ,目前中药和天然药物的靶向制剂的研究大多数是以天然单一有效成分为原料药物 ,而用中药有效部位研制的靶向制剂屈指可数 ,这与制定中药有效部位的质量标准及制剂工艺难度大有关。中药新剂型和新技术的开展是中药国际化的关键 ,需要有组织地开展多学科合作 ,靶向制剂是中药今后发展的一个重要课题。     

非体外循环下小儿腔肺吻合术疗效分析

为总结体外循环与非体外循环的两组病例行双向腔肺吻合(M．Glenn)术后的转归，以客观评价小儿施行非体外循环腔肺吻合术的可行性，将2000年5月--2002年11月行单纯M．Glenn术的32例患儿(年龄0．33--ll岁，体重6—32kg)分为两组，A组(n＝16)为体外循环组，B组(n＝16)为非体外循环组。所有病例监测术后1、6、12、24、48h氧合指数(OI)；测定人ICU即刻(T1)、呼吸机撤离前、后(T2和T3)3个时间点的中心静脉压(CVP)、跨肺压(TPG)、跨脑压(TCP)；记录两组病例手术时间(OT)、术后并发症、术后12h用血球量、呼吸机使用时间(VT)、ICU滞留时间(IT)以及住院费用。结果显示，B组术后OI均高于A组，尤其在术后lh和6h，OI分别为A组的1．4倍和1．3倍，差异有非常显著性(P＜0．01)。尽管撤机前B组CVP为A组的1．3倍(P＜0．05)，TCP明显低于A组，但撤机后两组差异无显著性。两组VT、IT差异虽无显著性(P＞0．05)，但B组术后12h用血球量、并发症明显降低，住院开支亦较A组节省了约30％(P＜0．05)。提示非体外循环技术应用于小儿双向腔肺吻合术是可行且有利的。     

Effect of beraprost sodium on pulmonaryvascular resistance in candidates for a Fontan procedure: A preliminarystudy

OBJECTIVE: Although long-term prostacyclin(PGI2) therapy in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension (PH)reduces pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), there have been no reports on its therapeutic effects in patients with mild PH. We investigated the chronic effect of beraprost sodium (BPS), an oral PGI2 analog, in children with mild PH. METHODS: We studied 20 patients who were destined for a Fontan procedure with a mean pulmonary arterial pressure(PAP) of>20 mmHg and/or PVR of>3.0 Wood units. Both the PAP and the PVR in these cases were too high for patients to undergo a successful Fontan procedure. Seven patients received BPS (PG group) and 13 did not (control group). All patients underwent repeat cardiac catheterization to examine pulmonary hemodynamics. RESULTS: In the PG group, the pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio (Qp/Qs) did not change after BPS administration(1.1 +/- 0.6 vs 1.3 +/- 0.9);however, the mean PAP decreased significantly (25.3 +/- 8.2 vs 19.9 +/- 6.5 mmHg; P < 0.05),as did PVR (3.7 +/- 1.3 vs 2.3 +/- 0.9 Wood units; P < 0.05), whereas the pulmonary artery (PA) index increased significantly (312 +/- 136 vs 375 +/- 165; P < 0.05). In the control group, the mean PAP decreased significantly (24.9 +/- 4.7 vs 19.8 +/- 6.3 mmHg; P < 0.05)and the PA index increased significantly (295 +/- 72 vs 362 +/- 114; P < 0.05). No significant changes in Qp/Qs (1.5 +/- 0.8 vs 1.4 +/- 0.6)or PVR (2.9 +/- 1.3 vs 2.5 +/- 0.8 Wood units) were observed. CONCLUSION: We conclude that long-term BPS administration probably reduces PVR in potential candidates for a Fontan procedure with mild PH. This treatment would reduce the risks associated with the Fontan procedure and would also improve its outcome.     

湿疹Ⅰ号搽剂的制备工艺研究

目的　探讨湿疹I号搽剂的最佳制备工艺。方法　采用比较法和正交试验法 ,对湿疹Ⅰ号搽剂的制备工艺进行优选。结果　以蛇床子 8倍量 75 %乙醇浸泡 7d ,残渣与其余药材加 12倍量水、煎煮 2次、煎 6 0min为最佳。结论　该工艺可用于指导本制剂的生产     

祛斑止痒膏成型工艺实验研究

目的：建立祛斑止痒膏成型工艺条件。方法：通过软膏性状和药物稳定性的考察，确立投料次序，并通过软膏止痒效果对比，确定透皮吸收促进剂种类。结果：实验研究的基质敷料处方，按药材与基质敷料10：7比例，加3％月桂氮卓酮(Azone)作为透皮吸收促进剂混合成型，稳定性好，膏体性状及疗效均较佳。结论：实验确定的成型工艺条件切实可行，适于工业生产。     

甘肃陇西道地药材蒙古黄芪规范化栽培技术规程初步研究

目的 规范蒙古黄芪种植、加工，使蒙古黄芪生产达到优质高产无公害的标准，与国际接轨，使中药走向世界。方法 通过对陇西县及其毗邻地区黄芪产区的种植历史、基本生态环境、种质资源、良种选育的调查和试验，并取样对活性成分进行检测。结果 改变了产区传统生产中存在的不足，形成了蒙古黄芪规范化种植规程。结论 通过规范化种植生产出来的蒙古黄芪具有优良的品质。     

Surgical Treatment of Aortic Root Aneurysm Related to Marfan Syndrome in Early Childhood

The prognosis of Marfan syndrome in both adult and pediatric patients is primarily related to the cardiovascular complications. In infantile Marfan syndrome, although involvement of the mitral valve is the most frequently encountered cardiovascular lesion, the aortic root can be more worrisome because of its excessive dilatation, leading to aortic insufficiency or dissection. If the role of elective surgery is relatively well defined for adult patients, it is still debated during childhood. We report two patients, aged 22 months and 5 years, each presenting an aortic root aneurysm related to Marfan syndrome, and each treated with the Bentall procedure without specific age-related mortality or morbidity. These two patients experienced normal growth and were free of any complication for a follow-up period of 8 and 2 years, respectively. More than an absolute value of the aortic root dimension, it is the conjunction of the rate of progression of the aortic root dilatation, the degree and the duration of the aortic valve regurgitation, and its resulting left ventricular dysfunction that must be taken into consideration in choosing the surgical option.