Dietary Restriction Reduces the Prevalence of Osteonecrosis of the Caput Femoris in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

We investigated the effects of dietary restriction (DR), an experimental intervention known to suppress several strain-specific diseases, on the prevalence of osteonecrosis of the caput femoris in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). At 6 weeks of age, the food intake of DR rats was restricted to 65% of the mean intake of control rats fed ad libitum (AL). Acute osteonecrosis of the caput femoris without reparative tissue response (RTR) was observed at 10 and 15 weeks in both DR and AL groups; no such acute lesion was seen at 20 and 30 weeks. The prevalence of osteonecrosis, osteonecrosis with/without reparative tissue response was significantly reduced in DR rats at 15 and 20 weeks, but not at 10 weeks. DR reduced the body weight by 30% and the length of the femur by 10%. Ossification of the caput femoris, known to be delayed in AL rats compared with Wistar Kyoto rats, was also restored by DR. Our results showed that dietary restriction reduced the prevalence of osteonecrosis and modulated the mechanical factors involved in the lesion. They also indicate that utilization of dietary restriction is a useful research tool for investigating the underlying mechanisms of osteonecrosis of the caput femoris in SHR. Received: 4 March 1997 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

Dilution effects on the quality of untreated wastewater used for irrigation along the USA-Mexico border

The Juarez Valley, located along the USA-Mexico border, currently relies on untreated municipal and industrial wastewater from nearby Ciudad Juarez (est. pop. 1.6 million) which has been diluted with water diverted from the Rio Bravo (Rio Grande), and groundwater from underlying aquifers, to irrigate 18000 hectares of crops. The results indicate that dilution does very little to reduce the risks associated with the use of untreated wastewater for irrigation as faecal coliforms levels remained high (> 10 7 cfu/100 ml). Concentrations of heavy metals were low in the raw wastewater and in the mixed waters. However, the practice of diluting raw wastewater seriously degrades significant volumes of high quality waters from the Rio Bravo and from the underlying aquifer, and thus is not an optimal use of the limited high-quality water available to this semi-arid region.     

Failure to find a relationship between mnestic skills of octogenarians and aluminum in drinking water

Summary High concentrations of aluminum (>80 g/l) in drinking water have been related to an elevated incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Mnestic and naming skills of residents living for >15 years in districts with high (98 g/l) or low (4 g/l) aluminum concentrations [Al] in the drinking water were evaluated in a population survey by examining 800 residents aged 81 to 85 using the mnestic subtest of the Mini Mental Status test (Zurich variant). The mnestic and naming performance of the octogenarians did not differ between the high- and low-content-areas. Since 73% of dementias are at least partly caused by Alzheimer's disease in the area examined and because the short test used discriminates demented from healthy octagenarians as well as tests involving extensive examinations, the findings of this study suggest with a high probability that the [Al] of drinking water is not an essential factor in the pathogenesis of senile dementia. The serum [Al] the urinary [Al] and the urinary [Al]/creatinine ratio were measured twice in ten clinically diagnosed Alzheimer patients and ten controls in both areas. No significant difference was found, which confirms the negative epidemiological findings.Parts of this study were presented at the joint meeting of the Swedish and Swiss Neurological Association in Interlaken, Switzerland, on May 22, 1990     

H1 and H2 receptor antagonists and hepatic oxygen supply-demand relationship in pigs

The hypothesis that histamine receptor (H1 and H2) blockade beneficially affects the hepatic oxygen supply-demand relationship was tested during experiments performed on 13 miniature pigs. Hepatic arterial and portal blood flows were measured with electromagnetic flowmeters. Cardiac output was determined by thermodilution. H1 and H2 receptor blockade was achieved with promethazine, 5 mg.kg-1 and cimetidine 30 mg.kg-1 IV, respectively. The study demonstrated no significant effect of H1 and H2 receptor blockade on hepatic oxygen uptake and no noticeable effects of cimetidine on hepatic circulation. However, promethazine decreased total hepatic blood flow, primarily by decreasing portal blood flow; this resulted in an increase in oxygen extraction as reflected in a decreased oxygen content in hepatic venous blood. The results reject the posed hypothesis: H1 receptor antagonist promethazine decreased, while H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine did not affect hepatic blood flow and oxygen supply; hepatic oxygen demand remained unaffected during H1 and H2 receptor blockade.     

Bone involvement pattern in hypervascular lesions

The pattern of the focal bone lesion which consists partly or wholly of rounded holes with comparatively smooth edges is discussed.Twenty-two bone lesions were studied by angiography. The hypervascular pattern occurred in five cases of widely different histology, all with strong intraosseous hypervascularity. Different pathogenic mechanisms in the creation of this pattern are discussed. It is probably the result of both destructive and reparative processes in the bone.     

Membranes for endotoxin removal from dialysate: considerations on feasibility of commercial ceramic membranes

As the quality of water in dialysis fluid varies considerably, dialysate is often contaminated by large amounts of bacteria and endotoxins. Membrane properties and operating pressures are acknowledged to give high-flux dialysis with bicarbonate the bacteriological potential to favor passage of endotoxin fragments from the dialysate into the blood stream. Therefore, a sterile dialysate will have to become a standard. Ultrafiltration across hydrophobic synthetic membranes was shown to remove endotoxins (and their fragments) from dialysis water by the combined effect of filtration and adsorption. However, each module can be used for a limited time only. Ceramic membranes may represent an alternative to polymeric membranes for endotoxin removal. In this article, we tested the capacity of different commercial ceramic membranes with nominal molecular weight cut-off down to 1,000 to retain endotoxins from Ps. aeruginosa. The tested membranes did not generally produce dialysate meeting the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation standard. When using aluminum-containing membranes, we detected aluminum leaking into the dialysate that could possibly be transported into the blood stream.     

MR动态增强时间减影灌注成像在周围型肺癌肺动脉血供定性及定量评估中的初步应用

目的 探讨MR动态增强时间减影技术在周围型肺癌肺动脉血供定性及半定量评估中的应用价值。方法 应用MR动态增强时间减影肺灌注成像技术，获取23例经组织学／细胞学确诊的周围型肺癌患者在造影剂增强首过期内的系列图像，在工作站上将强化前后的图像行减影处理，得到肺动脉(PA)期、肺实质(PP)期、肺静脉／降主动脉(DA)期图像，并在时间信号曲线基础上测定癌肿的起始强化时间、峰值时间，以及癌肿在肺动脉灌注期(包括PA期及PP期)及主动脉灌注期(DA期)的强化率，进行定性及部分定量分析。结果 本组23例患者测得三种微循环灌注模式：14例(60．9％)在肺循环期开始强化，在体循环期达到峰值，体循环期强化率较肺循环期高(P＜0.001)，提示癌肿为肺／体循环双重供血，以体循环为主；7例(30．4％)在体循环期开始强化并达到峰值，提示完全为主动脉供血；2例(8．7％)在肺循环期开始强化并达到峰值，提示主要由肺动脉供血。结论 MR动态增强时间减影灌注技术可以对周围型肺癌肺动脉血供进行定性及相对定量评估，作为无创性检查技术具有重要的临床应用价值。     

对医药批发企业发展物流的探讨

目的:探讨新时期医药批发企业的物流发展战略。方法:分析医药批发商业高成本、低效益的现状,探讨医药制造商、零售 商对物流配送的需求,找准医药批发企业在医药供应链中的位置。结果与结论:医药批发企业必须发展物流,并应根据自身在医药 供应链中的不同位置,实施相应的物流发展战略。     

眩晕康治疗椎-基底动脉缺血性眩晕90例临床研究

目的:观察眩晕康治疗椎-基底动脉缺血性眩晕的临床疗效。方法:选择椎-基底动脉缺血性眩晕患者120例,随机分为2组。治疗组90例,以眩晕康治疗;对照组30例,以尼莫通(现改名为尼膜同)治疗。观察临床疗效、治疗前后症状积分、椎-基底动脉血平均流速、血液流变学指标及血浆内皮素(ET)、一氧化氮(NO)、血浆脂质过氧化物(LPO)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)等指标变化情况。结果:总有效率治疗组为96.7％,对照组为83.3％,2组比较,差异有显著性意义(P<0.05),提示治疗组疗效优于对照组。2组治疗前后症状总积分比较,治疗组优于对照组(P<0.05)。而且治疗组椎-基底动脉血平均流速、血液流变学指标、ET、NO、LPO、SOD等指标的改善均优于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:眩晕康是治疗椎-基底动脉缺血性眩晕的有效中成药。     

榼藤子水溶性提取物的体外抗肿瘤作用

目的观察榼藤子水溶性提取物对3种不同肿瘤细胞株的抑制作用。方法采用噻唑蓝染色法(MTT法),肿瘤细胞株选用人类慢性髓性白血病细胞株(K562)、人类淋巴瘤细胞株(U937)和人早幼粒白血病细胞株(HL60),检测A值,计算抑瘤率。结果榼藤子水溶性提取物对K562、U937、HL60有较强的抑制作用,且呈一定的浓度依赖性,半数生长抑制剂量(IC50)均<20μg·ml-1。结论榼藤子水溶性提取物体外实验具有显著的抗肿瘤活性。