Ritanserin in the treatment of alcohol dependence – a multi-center clinical trial

Four hundred and twenty-three alcohol dependent subjects were enrolled into a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine the safety and efficacy of the 5-HT₂ receptor antagonist, ritanserin (2.5 mg/day or 5 mg/day), in reducing alcohol intake and craving. All subjects received 1 week of single-blind placebo prior to randomization into the 11-week double-blind phase. Additionally, all subjects received weekly individual sessions of manual-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy. Comparing the single-blind period with endpoint, there was approximately a 23% reduction in drinks/day; 34% fall in the total number of drinking days/week; 22% decrease in drinks/drinking day; and a 37% diminution in alcohol craving for all treatment groups. All treatment groups experienced a beneficial clinical outcome as assessed by the Clinical Global Impression Scale. There was, however, no significant difference between treatment groups on any of these measures of alcohol drinking, craving, or clinical outcome. Subjects were of relatively high social functioning at baseline, and this did not change significantly during treatment. Treatment groups did not differ significantly on either medication compliance or reported adverse events. Ritanserin treatment was associated with a dose-related prolongation of subjects’ QTc interval recording on the electrocardiogram. These results suggest that alcohol dependent subjects can show marked clinical improvement within a structured alcohol treatment program. These findings do not support an important role for ritanserin in the treatment of alcohol dependence. Received: 30 April 1996/Final version: 3 July 1996     

脾脏钝伤的CT诊断

本文回顾性分析了３２例脾脏钝伤ＣＴ平扫的表现；对脾损伤进行ＣＴ分类；指出腹腔积血和脾周血块（“哨兵血块征”）在诊断脾损伤方面的作用。ＣＴ平扫诊断钝性脾脏损伤是一种敏感、可靠的方法，可帮助外科医生制订治疗方案。ＣＴ平扫诊断钝性脾损伤的灵敏度为９４％，诊断正确率为９１％     

9例结石性肠梗阻的诊断与治疗

目的 探讨结石性肠梗阻的诊断及治疗。方法 比较腹部平片和B超的术前诊断率。随访患者以了解不同手术方法的得失。结果 腹部平片术前诊断率为22％,辅以B超则上升为66％。4例Ⅰ期手术和3例Ⅱ期手术患者无死亡。无胆管炎发作。结论 仅靠腹部平片易漏诊,辅以B超则能提高术前诊断率。争取回期手术切除胆囊、闭合胆肠瘘,如有困难,则动员患者6-8周后Ⅱ期手术。     

Detection of neutral protease (Periocheck) and BANA hydrolase (Perioscan) compared with traditional clinical methods of diagnosis and monitoring of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease

Abstract Perioscan requires a plaque sample to detect the presence of enzymes capable of degrading N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-2-naphthylamide (BANA) from relatively few anaerobic periodontal pathogens. Periocheck assays the presence of neutral proteases in crevicular fluid. The aim of this study was to compare these test kits with traditional clinical methods of detecting periodontal disease and to monitor the ability of the kits to reflect the response to initial therapy. 19 patients with moderately severe chronic periodontitis were seen before and after a course of oral hygiene and root instrumentation consisting of 4 appointments. Clinical measurements and test assays were collected at 5 diseased sites and 2 healthy sites in each subject. Complete data from 125 sites were available for statistical analysis. At baseline Periocheck had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 61% whereas Perioscan had a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 55%, when related to the clinical diagnosis. A composite clinical assessment, based on improvement or deterioration of one whole unit change of the subjective clinical indices and 2mm changes or greater in probing depth or probing attachment level, revealed 75 sites which improved following treatment, whereas 45 sites did not change and 5 sites deteriorated. The probability that the tests agreed with the clinical outcome after treatment, was calculated as 50.4% for Periocheck and 52% for Perioscan. The diagnostic kits did not reliably reflect the clinical assessment of periodontal disease in the cross sectional study, or the outcome following treatment.     

Periapical radiographic techniques during endodontic diagnosis and treatment

The objective of this article is to describe various radiographic projections which can be used during endodontic therapy. Changes to the angulation of the X-ray beam in relation to the teeth and film can help diagnosis and treatment by producing images which provide additional information not always visible on radiographs taken with standard angulations. For example, changes in angulation can be useful to determine the number and curvature of roots and canals, to identify superimposed roots and to distinguish between anatomical landmarks and apical pathology. Although use of such techniques increases the diagnostic yield of films, it must be appreciated that such views lead to images that are less distinct because of inherent image distortion. Nevertheless, use of the various techniques during endodontics can provide substantial benefit for clinicians in their daily practice.     

A critical incident study in child health

The critical incident technique is an objective method of analysing doctors' professional behaviour. It extracts the skills which should be taught and assessed in any training programme. In such a study in child health, 438 incidents were collected from general practitioners, paediatricians and others, and analysed according to the problem, the disease, the setting, the skill and the attitude involved. Most of the problems concerned non-specific symptoms (e.g. 'unwell baby', 'fever') and the main skill categories (each with many subheadings) were clinical management (especially at home), the diagnostic process and interpersonal skills. Training of doctors in child health should emphasize the competencies highlighted in this study.     

良性小脑出血13例分析

笔者对13例良性小脑出血的患者,从起病、临床表现进行了具体分析.总结出中老年良性小脑出血的6个特点,供临床工作者参考.     

Comparison of gas-liquid chromatography and EMIT assay for serum valproic acid

We describe a simple direct extraction method for the gas-liquid chromatography determination of serum valproic acid. The working range for the assay is 2-180 mg/L and our within-run precision was 5.8 and 4.3% at the 40 and 90 mg/L concentrations respectively. Hemolyzed and lipemic sera as well as samples from patients with hyperbilirubinemia and from patients with decreased renal function were put through the assay and no interfering peaks were noted. Interference occurred when teflon-lined screw caps were used during the extraction step. The method was proven to be accurate by linear regression analysis of samples containing weighed-in amounts of valproic acid. The above assay was compared to an enzyme immunoassay technique (EMIT). The working range for the latter is 10-150 mg/L and the with-run precision was 10.8 and 5.9% and 90 mg/L concentration respectively. Samples were run by both the gas-liquid chromatograph and enzyme immunoassay methods and gave very similar results over the range 16-139 mg/L.     

Efficacy of radiology of the esophagus for evaluation of dysphagia

The efficacy of radiology in evaluating dysphagia was studied in 86 patients by comparison to endoscopic findings. In the 66 patients with endoscopic abnormalities radiology was correct in 54, for a sensitivity of 82%. Sensitivity of radiology improved to 95% if mild esophagitis was excluded. In the 20 patients with normal endoscopy, radiology was normal in 18 (90%). Thus radiology proved to be a reliable means of evaluating the esophagus in patients with dysphagia.     

原发性甲状腺功能亢进症合并甲状腺癌18例分析

目的：探讨原发性甲状腺功能亢进症（甲亢）合并甲状腺癌（甲癌）的诊断和治疗。方法：回顾分析1990年1月于2000年1月手术治疗18例甲亢合并甲癌患者的临床资料，结果：微小癌占83％（15／18）。术前彩超检查15例，14例发现可疑结节；13例行癌侧叶全切除和对侧叶次全切除术，5例行双侧叶次全切除术，其中3例同时行颈淋巴结清扫术，1例二次行颈淋巴结清扫术。随访16例，平均随访7年，1例死于癌肺转移，余者仍存活，结论：术前常规彩超检查发现可疑结节有助于术中冰冻切片病理检查，手术治疗应兼顾甲亢和甲癌。