Two-dimensional echocardiographic identification of pulmonary artery branch stenosis

Pulmonary artery branch stenosis is a not uncommon congenital lesion, noted in approximately 4% of children at the time of cardiac catheterization. Real-time 2-dimensional echocardiography was used to examine 10 patients with angiographically documented pulmonary branch stenosis. Five cases of pulmonary artery branch narrowing were identified by echocardiography without prior knowledge of angiographic findings. In 5 other patients whose angiographic results were known, the narrowings were identified in 4 of 5 cases. These results demonstrate the feasibility of evaluating pulmonary branch stenosis with the nonionizing, noninvasive method of 2-dimensional echocardiography.     

Echocardiographic diastolic ventricular abnormality in hypertensive heart disease: Atrial emptying index

To analyze changes in left ventricular diastolic properties in hypertensive heart disease, the atrial emptying index was used to assess the rapid phase of diastolic filling of the left ventricle. Ten normal subjects (Group 1), 11 hypertensive patients without evidence of cardiac involvement (Group 2) and 10 hypertensive patients with echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (Group 3) were compared using M mode echocardiography and systemic hemodynamic data. Where as cardiac index (dye-dilution method) and rate of circumferential fiber shortening (echocardiogram) were normal in all three groups, there was a progressive increase in left atrial index (p <0.001, Group 1 versus Group 2 and versus Group 3) and a progressive decrease in the atrial emptying index (p <0.001, Group 1 versus Group 2 and versus Group 3). No correlation existed between the atrial emptying index and the left atrial index, mean arterial pressure or total peripheral resistance in any of the three groups. These data suggest that rapid filling of the left ventricle is reduced early in hypertension, even before electrocardiographic or systolic echocardiographic abnormalities are detectable. The atrial emptying index therefore appears to be an early indicator of abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic compliance in uncomplicated hypertension.     

Effects of prazosin on serum lipids in patients with essential hypertension: a review of the findings presented at the Satellite Symposium on coronary heart disease: hypertension and other risk factors, Milan, 1983

Accumulated evidence has indicated that the failure of blood pressure control with antihypertensive therapy to reduce the incidence of myocardial infarction may be due to unfavorable effects of drug therapy on other cardiovascular risk factors, particularly lipid concentrations. Several studies have demonstrated that beta-blocking drugs increase serum triglyceride concentration and reduce high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, both of which are risk factors for coronary artery disease. However, several investigators have reported that prazosin, an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent, does not cause adverse changes in those lipid parameters or in the cholesterol ratio. If one considers the net effect of antihypertensive therapy to be the reduction of blood pressure plus the alterations in lipid metabolism, the metabolic response to a drug may be an important determinant of the overall effectiveness of treatment and a deciding factor in the choice among available antihypertensive agents.     

Effects of castration on adipose tissue growth and regrowth in the male rat

Adipose tissue has been found to regrow in the male rat following surgical removal (lipectomy) of inguinal subcutaneous depots, but the degree of regrowth has varied widely across experiments. It is possible that at least part of the disparity of previous findings occurred because of differences among the experiments in the testicular integrity of experimental animals. To address this possibility, the present study examined effects of castration on adipose tissue regrowth in rats treated either as weanlings or as young adults. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, at either 4 or 15 weeks of age, were subjected to one of four surgical procedures: bilateral lipectomy of the inguinal subcutaneous depots; castration; lipectomy and castration; or sham surgery. Adipose tissue mass and cellularity were examined 6 months later. Castration reduced body weight gain, but castrated rats achieved a higher ratio of adipose weight to body weight than noncastrated rats. In rats lipectomized but not castrated at 15 weeks of age, partial regeneration and a small increase in growth of noninguinal subcutaneous adipose tissue combined to produce substantial restoration of adipose mass. The same surgery in 4-week-old rats did not result in significant restoration because growth of noninguinal subcutaneous adipose tissue was reduced. In rats that were both castrated and lipectomized, regrowth of adipose tissue was substantial regardless of age at time of surgery. Thus, castration is seen to impede body weight gain while sparing ordinary growth of adipose tissue and facilitating regrowth of adipose tissue following lipectomy. Since adipose tissue regrowth varied with age only in noncastrated rats, it appears to be facilitated as well by testicular maturation.     

Radioimmunoassay of posterior pituitary peptides: a review

The available data regarding the radioimmunoassay of vasopressin, oxytocin, and neurophysin have been reviewed. Because of the very recent development of most of these assays, much of the data are available only in the form of abstracts. While it is therefore difficult to compare methodology, some conclusions do seem warranted. The assays for both vasopressin and oxytocin are likely to continue to involve some extraction step. The vasopressin assays are relatively consistent from laboratory to laboratory and in general have conformed with classic concepts of vasopressin secretion and with the previously published bioassy data. Oxytocin has been little studied by radioimmunoassay, and while the animal data have been in line with previous concepts of oxytocin secretion and bioassay data, the discrepant results in the assay of oxytocin in the human are as yet unexplained. The assay of neurophysin appears to be considerably easier to accomplish than that of either of the peptide hormones. However, the early promise in animals that neurophysin would be a reliable indicator of vasopressin and oxytocin release, and further that there might be a specific neurophysin for each of these hormones, has not been realized in the assays so far reported in man. Whether subsequent improvement of the human neurophysin assay and development of specific assays for the various human neurophysins will demonstrate a specific relationship between neurophysin and oxytocin and vasopressin, remains to be seen. Enough is already known, however, to suggest that a complete assessment of posterior pituitary function must henceforth include radioimmunoassays for one or more neurophysins in addition to those for vasopressin and oxytocin.     

Human papillomavirus testing 2007–2012: Co‐testing and triage utilization and impact on subsequent clinical management

In the United States, high‐risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is recommended for women with atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASC‐US) cytology, and co‐testing with cytology and HPV is a recommended option for screening women aged ≥30 years. No population‐based data are available to examine utilization of HPV testing in the United States. Using the New Mexico HPV Pap Registry data resource, we describe population trends (2007–2012) in utilization and positivity rates for HPV testing as a routine co‐testing screening procedure and for triage of ASC‐US and other cytologic outcomes. For women aged 30–65 years co‐testing increased from 5.2% in 2007 to 19.1% in 2012 (p < 0.001). Overall 82% of women with ASC‐US cytology who did not receive co‐testing also had an HPV test. HPV positivity was age and cytology result dependent but did not show time trends. For women with negative cytology, 64% received an additional screening test within 3 years if no co‐test was done or if it was positive, but this was reduced to 47% with a negative co‐test. Reflex HPV testing for ASC‐US cytology is well established and occurs in most women. Evidence for reflex testing is also observed following other abnormal cytology outcomes. Co‐testing in women aged 30–65 years has more than tripled from 2007 to 2012, but was still only used in 19.1% of women aged 30–65 years attending for screening in 2012. Women receiving co‐testing had longer repeat screening intervals, but rescreening within 3 years is still very common even with co‐testing.     

中药内服配合灌肠治疗慢性前列腺炎40例

目的:观察中药内服配合保留灌肠治疗慢性前列腺炎的临床疗效。方法:将80例慢性前列腺炎患者随机分为治疗组和对照组各40例,对照组单纯以西医治疗,治疗组在对照组的基础上加用中药内服配合保留灌肠治疗。结果:对照组有效率为82.5%,治疗组有效率为92.5%,两组有效率比较,差异有显著性(P0.05)。结论:中药内服配合灌肠治疗慢性前列腺炎疗效显著,无不良反应发生。