Influence of iron chelation on R1 and R2 calibration curves in gerbil liver and heart.

MRI is gaining increasing importance for the noninvasive quantification of organ iron burden. Since transverse relaxation rates depend on iron distribution as well as iron concentration, physiologic and pharmacologic processes that alter iron distribution could change MRI calibration curves. This article compares the effect of three iron chelators, deferoxamine, deferiprone, and deferasirox, on R1 and R2 calibration curves according to two iron loading and chelation strategies. Thirty-three Mongolian gerbils underwent iron loading (iron dextran 500 mg/kg/wk) for 3 weeks followed by 4 weeks of chelation. An additional 56 animals received less aggressive loading (200 mg/kg/week) for 10 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of chelation. R1 and R2 calibration curves were compared to results from 23 iron-loaded animals that had not received chelation. Acute iron loading and chelation-biased R1 and R2 from the unchelated reference calibration curves but chelator-specific changes were not observed, suggesting physiologic rather than pharmacologic differences in iron distribution. Long-term chelation deferiprone treatment increased liver R1 50% (P < 0.01), while long-term deferasirox lowered liver R2 30.9% (P < 0.0001). The relationship between R1 and R2 and organ iron concentration may depend on the acuity of iron loading and unloading as well as the iron chelator administered.     

乌头汤内服和外用合并加温的镇痛作用观察

目的：探讨乌头汤内服、外用合并加温对小鼠的镇痛作用。方法：小鼠热板法。结果：乌头汤内服（４０ｇ／ｋｇ）合并局部加温３０ｍｉｎ和乌头汤外用（１００％浓度）合并局部加温３０ｍｉｎ均能显提高小鼠对热刺激的痛阈，结论：乌头汤内服、外用合并局部加温能增强小鼠对热致痛的镇痛作用。     

梅毒患者血清可溶性白介素2受体测定及其临床意义

目的：探讨梅毒患者各期病程中血清可溶性白介素2受体（SIL－2R）的水平及临床意义，方法。采用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）测定70例梅患者及其治疗SIL－2R水平，并与20名健康体检者进行比较，结果：所有梅毒患者血清SIL－2R的水平明显高行正常对照组，两组间差异有显著性（P＜0．05），二期和潜伏梅毒患者血清SIL－2R的水平高于一期梅毒（P＜0．05）。青霉素治疗后，判为治疗有效者，测定SIL－2R的水平，比正常粗略高，两者无显著性差异（P＞0．05）。结论：SIL－2R水平的测定对梅毒病理判定及监测治疗有一定的参考价值。     

The response of neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to serotonin: Implications for anxiety

Substantial evidence has suggested that the activity of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) mediates many forms of anxiety-like behavior in human and non-human animals. These data have led many investigators to suggest that abnormal processing within this nucleus may underlie anxiety disorders in humans, and effective anxiety treatments may restore normal BNST functioning. Currently some of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders are drugs that modulate serotonin (5-HT) systems, and several decades of research have suggested that the activation of 5-HT can modulate anxiety-like behavior. Despite these facts, relatively few studies have examined how activity within the BNST is modulated by 5-HT. Here we review our own investigations using in vitro whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological methods on brain sections containing the BNST to determine the response of BNST neurons to exogenous 5-HT application. Our data suggest that the response of BNST neurons to 5-HT is complex, displaying both inhibitory and excitatory components, which are mediated by 5-HT_1A, 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2C and 5-HT₇ receptors. Moreover, we have shown that the selective activation of the inhibitory response to 5-HT reduces anxiety-like behavior, and we describe data suggesting that the activation of the excitatory response to 5-HT may be anxiogenic. We propose that in the normal state, the function of 5-HT is to dampen activity within the BNST (and consequent anxiety-like behavior) during exposure to threatening stimuli; however, we suggest that changes in the balance of the function of BNST 5-HT receptor subtypes could alter the response of BNST neurons to favor excitation and produce a pathological state of increased anxiety.     

Standardized phase angle indicates nutritional status in hospitalized preoperative patients

There is currently no criterion standard to assess nutritional status, and different methods have been used in hospitalized patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement and the association between bioelectrical impedance analysis derived by standardized phase angle (SPA) and other methods used for the nutritional assessment of body composition, metabolic status, and functional status in surgical patients. The hypothesis was that the SPA is effective for evaluating nutritional status in surgical patients; therefore, it could be used when the application of other assessment methods is not possible. The sample consisted of 125 patients (20-94 years of age) before elective gastrointestinal or hernia repair. The participants were from the Surgical Clinic 1 at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Nutritional status was evaluated during the preoperative period based on the triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm circumference, body mass index, percent weight loss, nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS 2002), subjective global assessment (SGA), and SPA. The agreement between the SPA and the other methods was assessed with the k coefficient. The agreement between the SPA and the methods of nutritional assessment that were investigated for diagnosing malnutrition was moderate for NRS 2002 and SGA, weak for percent weight loss, and poor for triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm circumference, and body mass index. There was a significant association between SPA and both NRS 2002 and SGA (P < .001). Our results suggest that SPA is able to indicate the risk of nutritional deficiency in the patients assessed. However, good agreement between SPA and the methods investigated was not observed.     

八种酸模属中草药根的显微鉴定研究

首次对酸模属乌里酸模Ｒｕｍｅｘ ｓｔｅｎｏｐｈｙｌｌｕｘ，直穗酸模Ｒ．ｄｏｍｅｓｔｉｃｕｓ，毛脉酸模Ｒ．ｇｍｅｌｉｎｉ，长刺酸模Ｒ．ｍａｒｉｔｉｍｕｓ，洋铁酸模．Ｒ．ｐａｔｉｅｎｔｉａ，皱叶酸模Ｒ．ｃｒｉｓｐｕｓ，单瘤皱叶酸模Ｒ．ｃｒｉｓｐｕｓ ｖａｒ．ｕｎｉｃａｌｌｏｓｕｓ及酸模Ｒ．ａｃｅｔｏｓａ的根进行显微鉴定研究。