Morbus sacer in Africa: some religious aspects of epilepsy in traditional cultures

Epilepsy when manifested as grand mal seizure provokes strong and ambivalent feelings in those witnessing it. Terms such as morbus sacer, denoting both a sacred and demoniac condition, or folk names indicating divine punishment, have expressed these feelings in European societies from antiquity to the Middle Ages and beyond. An atmosphere of fear, shame and mysticism surrounds epilepsy even in our days in many non-Western and also in Western cultures. In the course of work and studies in Tanzania, where I organized the Mahenge Clinic for Epilepsy in 1960, and in other parts of Africa, I found that epilepsy is conceived of as an "African' affliction, a manifestation of supernatural forces that makes it difficult to reach epilepsy sufferers with modern medical treatment. Epilepsy is traditionally looked on as caused by ancestral spirits or attributed to possession by evil spirits. It is also thought to be due to witchcraft, and "poisoning," and often taken to be contagious. Epilepsy may, under Christian missionary teaching, have come to be considered as due to demoniac possession or divine punishment for sins, in accordance with biblical examples. In many parts of Africa, syncretic amalgamation of indigenous traditions with Judeo-Christian doctrines influenced popular attitudes toward epilepsy. We demonstrated that persistent efforts at health education in the context of organized treatment of epilepsy can result in a change of popular notions about epilepsy and consequently lead to significant improvement in the quality of life of epilepsy sufferers.     

Free amino acid pool in the brain of mice homozygous for the gene "dilute lethal"

The neurologic mutant "dilute lethal" (dl) mice, which reveal several neurologic and biochemical disturbances similar to human phenylketonuria, were used to investigate some aspects of amino acid disorder. We have studied the free amino pool in the brain of "dl" mice and of their control littermates as well as phenylalanine and tyrosine levels in brain and liver as a function of age and after phenylalamine overload. The tyrosine level decreased in brain and liver of affected mice whereas the phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio increased as a function of age. The significantly higher phenylalanine level and phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio in the liver of 20-day-old "dl" mice suggest a lower liver phenylalanine hydroxylase activity. After phenylalanine overload, the impairment of phenylalanine metabolism is predominant in the brain of "dl" mice, suggesting a disturbance in phenylalanine hydroxylation. A decrease in the level of several amino acids occurs in the brains of "dl" mice without or after phenylalanine overload; these facts might correspond to a disturbance in the transfer of amino acids to the brain and may lead to impairment in protein synthesis.     

高效液相色谱法测定右旋噻吗洛尔及其对映体含量

目的 :建立右旋噻吗洛尔含量测定、有关物质检查及对映体纯度检查方法。方法 :采用高效液相色谱法 ,以DiamonsilTM C18柱测定噻吗洛尔含量及有关物质 ;以CyclobondI 2 0 0 0 TM 柱检查右旋噻吗洛尔对映体纯度。结果 :噻吗洛尔与其中间体及降解产物之间分离良好 ;噻吗洛尔在 0～ 5 0 0mg·L- 1浓度范围内符合线性关系 ,日内、日间测定的相对标准偏差均小于 0 .6 % ;右旋噻吗洛尔与其左旋对映体可完全分离 (Rs>2 .4 )。结论 :建立的方法快速简便、准确可靠 ,可以用于右旋噻吗洛尔的质量控制     

应用循证医学观点对脑梗死急性期药物治疗的评价

目的 :以循证医学观点对脑梗死急性期各种药物治疗的临床应用进行评价。方法 :采用国内外文献综述方法。结果与结论 :对于脑梗死急性期应用尿激酶、rtPA静脉溶栓、尿激酶原动脉溶栓、阿司匹林等均有效。肝素、低分子肝素抗凝治疗对心源性脑栓塞、凝血性疾病、症状性脑动脉狭窄、症状性颅外段夹层动脉瘤及静脉血栓形成有效。降纤酶、甘油、神经节苷脂和常规应用甘露醇等尚未得出结论。而血液稀释疗法、皮质类固醇激素、氨茶碱和钙通道阻滞剂等均为阴性结果     

羊红膻根的化学成分研究

从羊红膻(Pimpinella thellungiana Wolff.)根中分得四个化合物,经理化常数测定和光谱数据解析证明为棕榈酸(Ⅰ)、4-丙烯基苯酚(Ⅱ)、松酯酚(Ⅲ)和新化合物2-甲基-2-羟基-5-甲氧基苯并[d]氢化呋喃-3-酮(Ⅳ)。     

红景天提取液精制工艺的考察

目的：优选红景天提取液的精制工艺。方法：采用了醇沉法和絮凝法两种精制方法。结果：壳聚糖絮凝法优于明胶絮凝法。壳聚糖絮凝法与醇沉法比较红帚天苷保留率分别为95．32％，88.15％；固体物保留率分别为59.7％，63．0％。结论：壳聚糖絮凝法的红景天苷保留率明显高于醇沉法，且两种工艺的固体量无显著性差异。     

论辨证论治

辨证论治是中医学理论体系的特色之一，也是中国传统科学特征在医学中的体现。1．辨证理路的形成与中国传统文化以辨证的思维方式，《周易》哲学的变易观念，传统科技重视时间因素以时间统摄空间，以及承袭针灸治疗的操作习惯等有关。2．辨证论治的特点，主要体现在思维方式、框架体系、辨析内容、论治原则和操作技巧诸方面。3．辨证论治是建立在理论模型化的证候与“辨”的思维推理基础之上，辨证论治的境界与医生的学养、经验和创造性有关。辨证论治要提高、要发展、要突破。     

hCGβ-C3d3融合蛋白免疫BALB/c小鼠及其抗血清对hCG诱导鼠子宫增重的抑制效应

目的:通过分子佐剂C3d3增强hCGb避孕疫苗的免疫原性。方法:采用分子生物学技术以phCMV1为载体分别构建分泌型、带有6个组氨酸纯化标签的真核表达质粒phCMV1-6His-hCGb-C3d3和phCMV1-6His-hCGb,在CHO细胞中获得稳定、高效表达的重组蛋白,并用镍柱和凝胶过滤层析对其进行分离、纯化。分别用hCGb-C3d3融合蛋白和单用hCGb间隔4周两次免疫生育期雌性BALB/c小鼠,ELISA测定血清中抗hCGb抗体滴度,并对各组小鼠产生的抗血清拮抗hCG诱导的小鼠子宫增重效应进行比较。结果:C3d3使hCGb蛋白疫苗的免疫原性增强1 995倍,hCGb-C3d3融合蛋白免疫小鼠产生的抗血清具有很强的抑制小鼠子宫增重作用。结论:通过分子佐剂C3d3可以大幅提高机体对hCGb的体液免疫应答能力,hCGb-C3d3融合蛋白免疫小鼠产生的抗血清对hCG的生物学作用具有更强的抑制效应。     

农村社区人群心脑血管病综合防治效果评价

目的了解心脑血管病(CVD)综合防治措施在社区实施的效果以及所需的卫生成本,总结适合农村社区CVD综合防治的工作模式.方法对古镇社区6.3万人口进行以社区为基础的CVD综合防治干预,内容包括高血压管理、控烟、合理营养、全民健身运动及糖尿病管理等.结果通过10年的干预,全人群血压知晓率为70.29%高血压管理率和控制率逐年提高,其中管理率达到80.50%,总控制率达到45.80%,而血压＜160/95mmHg控制率为58.80%,血压＜140/90mmHg控制率为32.80%;干预点社区人群收缩压和舒张压水平均下降,其差值分别为7.23mmHg和3.92mmHg;全人群CVD相关知识、态度及行为(KAB)水平明显提高;全人群脑卒中发病率和死亡率呈逐年下降趋势,分别由1997年的146.90/10万和108.63/10万下降到 2002年的105.83/10万和69.90/10万,6年来分别减少了41.07/10万和38.73/10万,且发病年龄后移;经济学分析表明,1997～2001年的平均效益-成本比为2.32.结论以社区为基础的CVD综合防治是有效的,但尚需加大干预力度和广度.     

雌二醇对溴氰菊酯染毒大鼠皮层突触体神经毒性的影响

目的观察雌激素对溴氰菊酯染毒动物皮层突触体膜兴奋性氨基酸递质释放和ATPase活力的影响.方法用高效液相色谱(HPLC)检测不同水平17β-雌二醇(10-5、10-8、10-111mol/L)对2×10-5mol/L溴氰菊酯染毒的去卵巢大鼠皮层突触体氨基酸释放的影响;用化学比色法检测17β-雌二醇(10-5、10-8、10-11mol/L)对2×10-4mol/L溴氰菊酯染毒的去卵巢大鼠皮层突触体Na+-K+ATPase、Mg2+-ATPase、Ca2+-ATPase、Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPage活力的影响,并观察雌激素受体拮抗剂Tamoxifen对雌二醇作用的影响.结果2×10-5mol/L氰菊酯处理可增加高钾去极化状态下大鼠皮层突触体天冬氨酸(Asp)和谷氨酸(Glu)的释放;10-8、10-11mol/L的17β-雌二醇可抑制溴氰菊酯所致高钾去极化状态下突触体Asp和Glu的释放,对Asp释放抑制率为28.42%、24.36%,对Glu释放抑制率为21.52%、14.57%;Tamoxifen对17β-雌二醇的抑制作用未见拮抗.2×10-4mol/L溴氰菊酯可抑制突触体4种ATPage活力;10-5mol/L雌二醇可拮抗溴氰菊酯对4种ATPase活力的抑制;l0-8、10-11mol/L雌二醇可增加Ca2+-ATPase活力;Tamoxifen对雌二醇的拮抗作用仍未见明显影响.结论 17β-雌二醇对溴氰菊酯染毒所致皮层突触体兴奋性氨基酸递质释放增加和ATPase活力抑制有一定的保护作用,该作用可能是雌二醇非基因学机制的表现.