1 alpha(OH)D3 (ETALPHA) treatment and receptor studies in 16 patients with chronic and myeloproliferative disorders

10 patients with CLL and 2 with CML were treated with gradually increasing doses of 1 alpha(OH)D3, up to 4 micrograms daily during 6 wk. 3 patients with preleukemia and 1 with myelofibrosis were treated with 2 micrograms daily of 1 alpha(OH)D3 for a prolonged period up to 17 wk. The treatment with 1 alpha (OH)D3 did not result in changes of disease parameters in any of the patients under study. Receptor studies for 1,25(OH)2D3 were performed in 8 CLL patients and revealed only 1 patient with increased specific receptor binding capacity. The maximum tolerable dose of 1 alpha(OH)D3 varied individually, but was in the range of 2-4 micrograms daily.     

异环磷酰胺为主的联合方案治疗晚期复发鼻咽癌

[目的]观察比较异环磷酰胺(IFO)、顺铂(DDP)、5-氟尿嘧啶(5-Fu)联合方案(IPF方案)与DDP,5-Fu(PF方案)治疗晚期复发鼻咽癌(Ⅲ-Ⅳ期)的近期疗效及毒副反应。[方法]136例均经病理证实为晚期复发鼻咽癌患者,随机分为IPF组69例,PF组67例(对照组)[结果]IPF组和PF组有效率分别为69.56％(48/69)和43.3％(29/67),两组间差异有显著性(X2=8.519,P<0.01)。中位生存期:IPF组16个月(8-34个月),PF组为6.5个月(4-21个月),两组间差异有显著性(X2=22.36,P<0.05)。毒副作用主要为骨髓抑制,Ⅲ-Ⅳ度白细胞下降率IPF组为49.4％,PF组为5.97％,两组差异有显著性(X2=29.54,P<0.01)。Ⅲ-Ⅳ度血小板下降率IPF组为29.18％,PF组为0％(X2=30.29,P<0.01);Ⅲ-Ⅳ度消化道反应两组的发生率分别为15.94％和11.94％(x2=0.234,P>0.01).且以Ⅲ度为主。[结论]以IFO为主的方案联合治疗晚期复发鼻咽癌疗效好,毒副反应能耐受,可作为一线方案。     

Dopaminergic transmission in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus to produce acupuncture analgesia in correlation with the pituitary gland

Acupuncture analgesia (AA) caused by low frequency stimulation of the acupuncture point (AP) was abolished by hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy. Termination of the AA producing pathway from the AP to the pituitary gland was in the medial hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (M-HARN). The origin of the descending pain inhibitory system associated with AA was in the posterior HARN (P-HARN). AA in the hypophysectomized rats, and enhanced neuronal activity in the P-HARN that were abolished during acupuncture stimulation, were both restored by intraperitoneal microinjection of 0.5 mg/kg morphine or 0.1 micrograms beta-endorphin into the P-HARN during acupuncture stimulation. Of the analgesia produced by dopamine or beta-endorphin injected into the P-HARN, that caused by beta-endorphin disappeared after denervation of the M-HARN. The P-HARN neurons that responded to acupuncture stimulation also responded to iontophoretic dopamine, but not to iontophoretic morphine nor ultramicroinjected beta-endorphin. The transmission between the M-HARN and P-HARN may be dopaminergic, and beta-endorphin might presynaptically modulate this transmission. Reduction of sodium ions may have been the reason for abolition of AA after adrenalectomy.     

老年及老年前期重症肌无力的手术治疗(附23例报告)

目的总结胸腺切除术治疗老年及老年前期重症肌无力的临床效果。方法对1981年～2001年在我院行胸腺切除治疗的23例老年及老年前期重症肌无力患者的手术疗效进行回顾分析。结果在所有重症肌无力患者中老年及老年前期患者所占比例小,男性为多见;全身型为主,合并胸腺瘤及危象者多;手术总有效率43.5％。结论老年及老年前期重症肌无力的手术疗效较青壮年为差,但仍是可选择的一种重要方法。     

Developing a model for clinical and basic science teaching skills

This report describes a model for identifying sets of teaching abilities considered to be effective for medical school teaching staff, based on roles teachers assume and functions they are expected to perform as instructors. The specification of these teaching abilities was the first step in the development of a comprehensive course on Medical Instruction at the Basic Institute of Medical and Agricultural Biology of the State University of Sao Paulo, Botucatu, Brazil, where the senior author is employed. The work was based on the assumption that medical school teachers are expected to assume a variety of teaching roles and that identification and specification of the abilities that define their roles can result in more effective and efficient teaching.     

Folding and function of the myelin proteins from primary sequence data.

To explain how the myelin proteins are involved in the organization and function of the myelin sheath requires knowing their molecular structures. Except for P2 basic protein of PNS myelin, however, their structures are not yet known. As an aid to predicting their molecular folding and possible functions, we have developed a FORTRAN program to analyze the primary sequence data for proteins, and have applied this to the myelin proteins in particular. In this program, propensities for the secondary structure conformations as well as physical-chemical parameters are assigned to the amino acids and the pattern of these parameters is examined by calculating their average values, autocorrelation functions and Fourier transforms. To compare two proteins, their sequences are aligned using a unitary scoring matrix, and homologies are searched by plotting a two-dimensional map of the correlation coefficients. Comparison of the corresponding myelin basic proteins (MBP) and P0 glycoproteins (P0) for rodent and shark showed that the conserved residues included most of the amino acids which were predicted to form the alpha or beta conformations, while the altered residues were mainly in the hydrophilic and turn or coil regions. In both rodent and shark the putative extracellular domain of P0 glycoprotein displayed consecutive peaks of beta propensity similar to that for the immunoglobulins, while the cytoplasmic domain showed alpha-beta-alpha folding. To trace the immunoglobulin fold along the P0 sequence, we compared the beta propensity curve of P0 with that of the immunoglobulin M603, whose three-dimensional structure has been determined. We propose that the flat beta-sheets of P0 are orientated parallel to the membrane surface to facilitate their homotypic interaction in the extracellular space. An extra beta-fold in the extracellular domain of shark P0 compared with rodent P0 was found, and this may result in a greater attraction between the apposed extracellular surfaces and may account for a smaller extracellular space as measured by x-ray diffraction. A computer search of the myelin protein sequences for functional motifs revealed sites for N-glycosylation, phosphorylation, nucleotide binding, and certain enzyme activities. We note especially that there are potential nucleotide binding sites in proteolipid protein (PLP), MBP and 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP). This is consistent with the experimental observations that PLP acts like an ionophore or proton channel when reconstituted into planar lipid bilayers, MBP binds GTP, and CNP catalyzes in vitro the hydrolysis of 2',3'-nucleotides into corresponding 2'-nucleotides.     

Multidrug transport in human glioblastoma cells is inhibited by transforming growth factors type beta 1, beta 2, and beta 1.2

The transforming growth factors type beta 1, beta 2, and beta 1.2 suppress multidrug transport in human pat-1 glioblastoma cells and even in cells that strongly over-express mdr genes and are resistant to inhibition of multidrug transport by chemosensitizers. Thus, inhibition of multidrug transport by cytokines might be a new approach to increase cellular accumulation of chemotherapeutic agents in multidrug resistant glial tumor cells. Interestingly, a member of the more distantly related decapentaplegic subgroup of transforming growth factors, the bone morphogenetic protein BMP 2, did not inhibit multidrug transport.     

Muscle mass index in haemodialysis patients: a comparison of indices obtained by routine clinical examinations.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of muscle mass is useful for evaluating protein nutritional status. Various methods for estimating muscle mass in haemodialysis patients have recently been developed. METHODS: The validity of the estimate of creatinine production calculated with the creatinine kinetic model (CKM) was examined in 46 haemodialysis patients by comparing it with the actual creatinine production, this being determined from the sum of creatinine appearing in the dialysate and the estimated metabolic degradation. The correlation of various other muscle mass indices with creatinine production was also investigated in these patients. RESULTS: The estimate of creatinine production using CKM was significantly correlated with creatinine production calculated from the spent dialysate plus an estimate for the extra-renal creatinine degradation (r=0.90, P<0.001). A Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the mean prediction error for the estimate of creatinine production by CKM was +0.10 g/day and the limits of agreement were +0.34 to -0.14 g/day. The cross-sectional area of the thigh muscle measured by computed tomography (CT) was also significantly correlated with creatinine production (r=-0.86, P<0.01). In contrast, the correlations of 3-methylhistidine production measured in the spent dialysate, the mid-upper arm muscle circumference and the skeletal muscle mass estimated by an anthropometric prediction model with creatinine production were lower (r<0.82). CONCLUSION: Creatinine production calculated using CKM and CT measurement of thigh muscle area are valid methods for estimating muscle mass during routine clinical examinations of haemodialysis patients.     

二肽基肽酶Ⅳ抑制剂P32/98

二肽基肽酶Ⅳ(DPPⅣ)涉及2型糖尿病病理过程中的信号传导过程,其抑制剂能够增强胰岛素样多肽(GIP)和胰高血糖素样肽片段(GLP)的活性,并能提高葡萄糖耐受水平.动物实验研究表明,糖尿病模型大鼠口服DPPⅣ抑制剂P32/98,能降低DPPⅣ的活性,改善糖耐受性以及增加胰岛素的敏感性.临床试验进一步揭示,P32/98的安全性和耐受性良好,能明显改善受试者糖耐受性和胰岛素应答水平.     

Synthesis of deramciclane* labeled with tritium in various positions

[(1R)‐endo]‐(+)‐3‐bromocamphor was dehalogenated with tritium gas to [3‐³H]camphor and via [3‐³H]phenylborneol converted to [3‐³H]deramciclane isolated as the fumarate salt (specific activity 51.8 GBq/mmol). This three step synthesis from [3‐³H]camphor gave an overall yield of 22%. Benzyloxy‐acetic acid methyl ester was reduced with sodium‐borotritide to 2‐benzyloxy‐ethanol‐[1‐³H], and through a four step procedure was converted to 2‐dimethylaminoethyl‐[2‐³H] chloride. The latter was condensed with the sodium derivative of 2‐phenylborneol giving rise to [2‐dimethylamino‐[2‐³H]ethoxy]deramciclane isolated as the fumarate (specific activity 8.177 GBq/mmol). This six step synthesis from [³H]NaBH₄ gave an overall yield of 6%. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.