Further evidence for selective difficulty of upward eye pursuit in juvenile monkeys: effects of optokinetic stimulation, static roll tilt, and active head movements

The smooth-pursuit system moves the eyes in space accurately to track slowly moving objects of interest despite visual inputs from the moving background and/or vestibular inputs during head movements. Recently, our laboratory has shown that young primates exhibit asymmetric eye movements during vertical pursuit across a textured background; upward eye velocity gain is reduced. To further understand the nature of this asymmetry, we performed three series of experiments in young monkeys. In Experiment 1, we examined whether this asymmetry was due to an un-compensated downward optokinetic reflex induced by the textured background as it moves across the retina in the opposite direction of the pursuit eye movements. For this, we examined the monkeys’ ability to fixate a stationary spot in space during movement of the textured background and compared it with vertical pursuit across the stationary textured background. We also examined gains of optokinetic eye movements induced by downward motion of the textured background during upward pursuit. In both task conditions, gains of downward eye velocity induced by the textured background were too small to explain reduced upward eye velocity gains. In Experiment 2, we examined whether the frame of reference for low-velocity, upward pursuit was orbital or earth vertical. To test this, we first applied static tilt in the roll plane until the animals were nearly positioned on their side in order to dissociate vertical or horizontal eye movements in the orbit from those in space. Deficits were observed for upward pursuit in the orbit but not in space. In Experiment 3, we tested whether asymmetry was observed during head-free pursuit that requires coordination between eye and head movements. Asymmetry in vertical eye velocity gains was still observed during head-free pursuit although it was not observed in vertical head velocity. These results, taken together, suggest that the asymmetric eye movements during vertical pursuit are specific for upward, primarily eye pursuit in the orbit.     

水沟穴急救的中医理论依据和西医作用基础浅析

目的:分析"急救刺水沟"的中医理论依据和西医作用基础。方法:通过分析水沟穴的穴名、定位以及其与周围经脉的关系归纳"急救刺水沟"的中医理论依据;通过局部解剖所见的形态学基础和针刺水沟的量-效关系分析水沟穴在治疗脑病方面具有独特优势的作用基础。结果:水沟穴所处的位置及其与周围神经、血管、经络的关系是其发挥"急救刺水沟"功能的基础。结论:水沟穴所处的重要位置是其发挥"急救要穴"功能的基础,但是合理的刺激方法、刺激时间和刺激强度与腧穴之间的合理搭配应用也是水沟穴发挥最大量-效关系必不可少的辅助因素,有必要深入研究并制定科学规范的"急救刺水沟"的适应症和手法量-效学标准。     

从六气角度探讨北京市痢疾发病与气象变动的关联性

目的:从运气学说六气的角度探讨北京市痢疾发病与前1年及当年气象因素的相关性。方法:按六气分段收集和整理北京市1970年-2003年的痢疾发病及相应的气象资料,分别将前1年和当年的气象资料与痢疾发病人数进行单因素相关分析,将相关性较高的气象因子纳入多元逐步回归分析,建立回归模型,并评价其对痢疾发病预测的吻合度。结果:北京地区痢疾的发病集中于夏秋之季。痢疾发病与当年和前1年的气温、风速和相对湿度均相关,但仅有风速进入回归方程,回归方程分别为:Y=-171226.89+86883.679Xw.1(Xw.1为当年初之气的平均风速);Y=-291070.976+62177.339Xw.1+62776.246Xw.2(Xw.1和Xw.2分别为前1年初之气和二之气的平均风速)。结论:前1年气象与痢疾发病的回归方程的预测效果较当年为佳。     

基于《素问》运气七篇探讨壬辰年慢性肝病的诊治规律

《素问》运气七篇大论是基于"天人合一"的整体观,以五运六气立说,重点揭示疾病的发生与中医运气学说的关系,提出了具有指导意义的病因病机理论、诊治理论及方药理论,建构了独具特色的中医运气理论体系,对临床辨证论治起着越来越重要的作用。文章在《素问》运气七篇大论的基础上对壬辰年(2012年)的运气变化进行论述,并结合慢性肝病的病机特点,探讨壬辰年慢性肝病的中医诊治规律,以期为2012年慢性肝病的中医药诊治及养生调护提供参考。     

驻渝某部离休老干部疾病谱及其健康需求调查

目的了解离休老干部的疾病谱及其健康需求。方法应用健康检查及调查表的形式对第三军医大学3所干休所承担保障的106例离休老干部的疾病谱及其健康需求进行调查分析。结果106例离休老干部疾病谱调查,主要疾病有慢性支气管炎、肺气肿、慢性心功能不全、脑供血不足、脑动脉硬化、冠心病、糖尿病、糖尿病肾病、高血脂、高血压、高尿酸血症、胆囊结石、胆囊炎、病窦综合征起搏器植入术后、前列腺增生、白内障、黄斑变性、癌症、慢性肠道疾病、慢性传染性疾病、耳疾和截瘫偏瘫等疾病,其中多数疾病的发病率均超过10%,且同时患2种以上疾病者达55例,占51.89%;同时患3种以上疾病者达26例,占24.53%。健康需求调查结果显示,离休老干部在定期体检、定期巡诊及疾病信息通报方面的需求程度较高,其次为饮食指导、锻炼指导及睡眠指导等。结论离休老干部患病率较高,应坚持定期体检,定期巡诊,坚持从生活、医疗方面给予他们积极关心和帮助,这对提高他们晚年的生活质量无疑具有积极的作用。     

六经体用模型的构建及其意义

六经的本质是一个用于描述复杂系统变化的方法论模型。根据复杂系统层次性的演变规律,以复杂系统结构和功能的相互作用为基础,以六经在中医学中的内涵为依据,构建六经体用模型。六经体用模型以五行体用象模型为基础,具体包括三个层次的系统,其中太阳少阴系统为环境层次系统,阳明太阴系统为系统层次系统,少阳厥阴系统为子系统层次系统。运用该模型可解释当前六经实质研究中面临的诸多疑难问题,如六气六经五行配属差异、"标本中见理论"的标本从化、六经开阖枢、六经病整体的病机特点等,提示六经体用模型能够揭示六经的科学内涵,是思维模型方法在中医学领域中的成功应用。     

Predicting Perception in Noise Using Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials

Speech perception in background noise is a common challenge across individuals and health conditions (e.g., hearing impairment, aging, etc.). Both behavioral and physiological measures have been used to understand the important factors that contribute to perception-in-noise abilities. The addition of a physiological measure provides additional information about signal-in-noise encoding in the auditory system and may be useful in clarifying some of the variability in perception-in-noise abilities across individuals. Fifteen young normal-hearing individuals were tested using both electrophysiology and behavioral methods as a means to determine (1) the effects of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal level and (2) how well cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) can predict perception in noise. Three correlation/regression approaches were used to determine how well CAEPs predicted behavior. Main effects of SNR were found for both electrophysiology and speech perception measures, while signal level effects were found generally only for speech testing. These results demonstrate that when signals are presented in noise, sensitivity to SNR cues obscures any encoding of signal level cues. Electrophysiology and behavioral measures were strongly correlated. The best physiological predictors (e.g., latency, amplitude, and area of CAEP waves) of behavior (SNR at which 50 % of the sentence is understood) were N1 latency and N1 amplitude measures. In addition, behavior was best predicted by the 70-dB signal/5-dB SNR CAEP condition. It will be important in future studies to determine the relationship of electrophysiology and behavior in populations who experience difficulty understanding speech in noise such as those with hearing impairment or age-related deficits.     

Prevention of radiation-induced mammary tumours in rats by combined use of WR-2721 and tamoxifen

Purpose : This investigation evaluated the inhibitory effect of S-2- (3-aminopropylamino)-ethylphosphorothioic acid (WR-2721) against the initiation of mammary tumourigenesis by irradiation, and the antipromotion activity of tamoxifen in the development of radiation-initiated mammary tumours. Materials and methods : Lactating rats were injected with WR-2721 and then irradiated with γ-rays (1.5 Gy) at day 21 of lactation. The rats were divided into three groups 1 month after irradiation and were implanted with a pellet either of cholesterol as an inert control, diethylstilbestrol (DES) as a tumour-promoting agent, or DES combined with tamoxifen. For the control experiments, non-irradiated and irradiated rats receiving saline instead of WR-2721 were treated with a pellet by the same procedures. Results : The highest incidence (85%) for tumourigenesis of mammary glands was observed in the irradiated rats that had been previously injected with saline following treatment with DES Administration of WR-2721 prior to the irradiation significantly decreased the incidence of mammary tumours to 52.2%. The treatment with DES pellets combined with tamoxifen in the irradiated rats previously injected with saline also markedly suppressed the incidence of mammary tumours even further to 4.4%. Also, the development of mammary tumours was completely prevented in the rats treated with WR-2721 prior to irradiation and then implanted with DES pellets combined with tamoxifen. Conclusions : These results suggest that the administration of WR2721 prior to irradiation has an inhibitory effect on the initiation phase, resulting in a partial reduction of mammary tumour development, and that the combination of WR-2721 at the initiation phase with tamoxifen at the promotion phase is quite effective in preventing mammary tumourigenesis induced by radiation.