Inter- and intra-individual variability of non-invasive tear break-up time in Hong Kong Chinese

Non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT) has been proposed as a measure of tear film integrity which is superior to the more commonly used tear break-up time (TBUT), since it does not alter the volume or the physicochemical properties of the tear layer by the addition of fluorescein. We measured NITBUT by measuring the time taken for distortions or discontinuities to appear in the reflected image of a grid pattern which covered about 80 per cent of the corneal surface. NITBUT measures were made 100 times on seven Hong Kong Chinese subjects with up to 20 consecutive measures being made on a single day. We also measured NITBUT on one occasion on an unselected population of 52 Hong Kong Chinese subjects. NITBUT shows a skewed distribution in all subjects, with many shorter values and some extremely long values. There are statistically significant variations in NITBUT from day to day, and from subject to subject. The group of 52 subjects also had a skewed NITBUT distribution with many short values and some very long values. The arithmetic mean does not adequately represent NITBUT data, either for individual subjects or for this group of subjects. As many as five to eight measures may be necessary to gain a stable estimate of the NITBUT and stability of the measure is improved if extreme values are omitted. We recommend the use of nonparametric statistics to compare NITBUT values from day to day in or between subjects.     

十二烷氮酮氟尿嘧啶凝胶治疗疣及银屑病150例

443例(男225例,女218例;年龄36±14a)皮肤病患者,其中150例(扁平疣52例、寻常疣55例、银屑病43例)外用含1.8％十二烷氮(艹卓)酮的1％氟尿嘧啶(5-FU)凝胶作为治疗组,148例外用1％5-FU凝胶及145例外用2.5％5-FU霜作为2个对照组。经双盲对照临床试验,结果表明含1.8％十二烷氮(艹卓)酮的1％5-FU凝胶的疗效明显优于2个对照组(P<0.01及P<0.005)。证明氮(艹卓)酮对5-FU确有渗透促进作用。     

Dexfenfluramine in the treatment of severe obesity: a placebo-controlled investigation of the effects on weight loss, cardiovascular risk factors, food intake and eating behaviour.

Dexenfluramine, an effective and safe serotoninergic drug with anorectic and possible food-selection-tuning properties, was investigated in a placebo-controlled study of 1 year's duration in severe and refractory obesity. The aim of the study was to assess weight loss, and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, food intake and eating behaviour. Dexfenfluramine- and placebo-treated patients achieved a similar weight loss (greater than 10% of initial weight, by 39.5 and 30.0%, greater than 20% of initial overweight by 42.1% and 32.5% and greater than 10 kg by 41.4 and 33.3%, respectively, of the initial cohorts). Furthermore, the decreases in weight (10.7 vs. 8.0 kg), in body mass index (3.9 vs. 2.9 kg m2) and in waist/hip ratio (0.04 vs. 0.02) were not significantly different. After discontinuation of the drug, the increase in weight (2.8 vs. 1.0 kg) was significantly higher in the dexfenfluramine-treated group. Except for a borderline better effect on glucose of dexfenfluramine, both groups showed similar beneficial changes in food intake and cardiovascular risk factors. Eating behaviour in response to emotional and external stimuli was comparable in the two groups, but placebo-treated patients had to restrain their eating more in order to achieve the same weight loss. Notwithstanding the fact that weight losses and an associated amelioration of health-risk factors were of similar magnitude in dexfenfluramine- and placebo-treated patients, dexfenfluramine might have a useful role in promoting a less stressed adherence to prolonged restriction of energy intake in the severe and refractory obese subject.     

Improvement of Decreased Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF) in Headache Patients With Drug Abuse After Successful Withdrawal

A considerable proportion of headache patients fulfill the criteria of "drug abuse" (definition according to the International Headache Society [IHS] criteria). These patients exhibit markedly reduced vigilance and continuous performance, as shown by the results of critical flicker frequency (CFF) analysis.
The present study deals with the question whether this impairment of vigilance and continuous performance is reversible. Forty-eight headache patients with drug abuse were investigated three times by means of CFF analysis: immediately before (A), immediately after (B), and 3 weeks after having finished (C) inpatient drug withdrawal.
Immediately after withdrawal, a significant decrease of headache intensity was observed. The CFF values, however, remained unchanged at a depressed level, probably due to withdrawal medication and the initial sedative side effects of thymoleptic agents (given as prophylaxis).
Three weeks after withdrawal, however, the CFF values were significantly improved, and were now within a range not far from the normal values known from a healthy general population. Thus, even after many years of drug abuse, headache patients have a good chance to improve their vigilance and continuous performance and to reach normal or close to normal levels.     

近年中医药治疗中风后遗症进展

中医药对中风后遗症治疗方法主要包括：①辨证分型治疗；②主方加减治疗，具体包括补气活血方、滋补肝肾方和健脾益气方；③虫类药治疗；④单味药治疗。但是，今后应把中医药、针灸、推拿等方法综合应用于临床，以便取得更好的疗效。同时应加强临床科研设计和实验研究，使中医药治疗中风后遗症更上一个层次。     

Investigation of Direct Causes of Drug Relapse and Abstainers’ Demands in a Compulsive Detoxification Center in Wuhan City of China

Objective To identify the direct causes of drug relapse and abstainers’ demand, and to develop programs for the prevention of drug relapse. Methods Abstainers in a Compulsive Detoxification Center in Wuhan City, capital of Hubei Province were randomly selected. An investigation on the direct causes of drug relapse and abstainers’ demands was conducted with multiple-choice questionnaires and face to face interviews. Data were analyzed with SPSS 12.0. Results The direct causes leading to drug relapse included: temptation to use drug again by themselves or by their drug mates, seeking pleasure and ecstasy from drug use, relatively well off living, mental stress, irritation, demoralization, family conflicts, unemployment, feeling distrusted by the family, lack of care and love from the family, and discrimination by others. abstainers’ demands after detoxification and returning to the society included: care and support from the family, employment assistance, changing living environment, understanding by others, support from the society, and keeping far away from drugs. Conclusions Environmental factors are the direct causes of drug relapse, and negative irritation is its predisposing causes. Leaving former residence, more care and help given by both the family and the society and raising their overall quality of life are the demands of abstainers.     

祖国传统医学对骨质疏松症的治疗进展

骨质疏松症是以骨量减少和骨组织的纤维结构退化为特征的代谢性骨病。随着21世纪我国老龄化社会的到来，骨质疏松发病率明显增高，已逐渐成为世界性广泛关注的问题。原发性骨质疏松分为I、Ⅱ两种类型。I型为高代谢型，主要是绝经后骨质疏松，由雌激素缺乏，而使骨代谢呈负平衡，骨吸收相对增强引起；Ⅱ型是低骨转换型，主要为老年性骨     

咳嗽从肾论治

基于中医有关古代文献和个人的临床经验，作者举例说明咳嗽不仅能从肺治疗，从肾治疗也是行之有效的方法。