New stand magnifiers do not meet rated levels of performance

A new range of stand magnifiers has been released by the COIL company in the United Kingdom. Examination of these magnifiers reveals that they fail to deliver the rated magnifications labelled prominently on the appliances, as a result of the manufacturer's conformance with the requirements of the German DIN standard and the use of back vertex power (F'_v) rather than equivalent dioptric power (F_m) of the magnifier. In this study we provide information on the optometric parameters of these new stand magnifiers that will assist the more accurate specification of improvements in vision expected from their use.     

Laparoscopic nephrectomy is cost effective compared with open nephrectomy in a large county hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital and perform a cost comparison between uncomplicated open and laparoscopic nephrectomy. METHODS: Eleven consecutive patients who underwent an uncomplicated laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital were compared with 8 patients who underwent uncomplicated open nephrectomy during the same period. Patient charts and corresponding billing records were reviewed to determine overall hospitalization cost and individual cost components. RESULTS: No perioperative complications occurred in either the laparoscopic or open group, and no statistically significant differences existed between groups with regard to patient demographics or operative parameters. The overall operating room costs favored the open nephrectomy group by dollars 1070 (P=0.003). However, the overall cost of hospitalization, surgeon professional fees, duration of hospitalization, room and board costs, laboratory, and radiology costs, pharmacy costs, intravenous solution and infusion pump costs all significantly favored the laparoscopic patient group. The mean difference in overall hospital cost between laparoscopic and open nephrectomy was dollars 1211 in favor of laparoscopy (P=0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience with laparoscopic nephrectomy in a large county hospital demonstrates a clear economic advantage in favor of the laparoscopic approach. Given limited funding for public hospitals and a clear patient benefit, laparoscopic nephrectomy should constitute first-line therapy when nephrectomy is indicated.     

Dissociation of acetylcholine- and cyclic GMP-induced currents inXenopu oocytes

InXenopus follicular oocytes, activation of muscarinic receptors evokes a slow potassium current (H-response); a similar current is evoked by intracellular injection of cyclic guanosine 3,5-monophosphate, cGMP (Dascal et al. 1984). We have tested the hypothesis that cGMP may be the second messenger that mediates the opening of K channel by acetylcholine (ACh). ACh elevated the intracellular level of cGMP with a time course similar to that of the development of the muscarinic H-response; maximal increase in cGMP concentration above the control was about 0.2 pmole/oocyte. The amount of injected cGMP that produced a detectable K current (threshold dose) varied between 0.5 and 3 pmole/oocyte. At low doses of cGMP, the slope of log dose-log response curve was about 2.5, suggesting involvement of a biochemical process with a positive cooperativity of at least 3. Higher doses of cGMP evoked, in addition to the outward current, an irregular, rapidly developing, long-lasting inward current, that never reached amplitudes comparable to those of ACh-evoked Cl currents. The K current elicited by cGMP was insensitive to elevation or depletion of external Ca. It was potentiated by isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). ACh strongly inhibited the cGMP-evoked K current when applied at the plateau of the latter. 4-Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) (1 M) rapidly and completely inhibited the cGMP response. It is concluded, that most of the results presented in this report contradict the hyothesis that cGMP is the intracellular mediator of ACh-induced changes in membrane conductance in the oocytes.Abbreviations ACh acetylcholine - cAMP cyclic adenosine 3,5-monophosphate - cGMP cyclic guanosine 3,5-monophosphate - EGTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - Hepes N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazinc-N-2-hydroxypropanesulphonic acid - IBMX 3-isobutyl-l-methylxanthine - IP₃ inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate - PDBu 4-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate     

Further observations on familial hypobetaliproteinaemia

A family with hypobetalipoproteinaemia with 10 affected members is described. In six patients low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) concentrations were about 10 % of normal. In four LDL-c was reduced to about 50 % of normal; these four patients probably represent the "intermediate" form of hypobetalipoproteinaemia. This variation in total cholesterol concentration and LDL-c among the affected individuals of the same family could reflect differences of expression in a single aberrant gene or additive expression of a gene at a second locus.     

Ultrastructural Changes Suggestive of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Atypical Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome

In an attempt to recognize early stages of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in patients with a clinical course suggesting a diagnosis other than minimal change disease (MCD) and normal histology, or minor, nondiagnostic changes on light microscopy (LM), we used a protocol for systematic and extensive electron microscopy (EM) examination of kidney biopsies obtained from such patients. By this method ultrastructural pathology was found in 8 patients. These changes were localized, involving only portions of single glomerular segments. The findings included mild to moderate increase of the mesangial matrix, focal wrinkling of the capillary basement membrane, and early obliteration of the normal architecture of individual capillary loops, as well as electron-dense deposits in a mesangial and subendothelial distribution. Of these 8 patients, 2 are at present in remission without therapy (in 1, following therapy with cyclophosphamide); 3 are in remission on steroid therapy; 1 developed massive proteinuria during pregnancy, after a spontaneous remission lasting almost 2 years; 1 patient advanced to terminal renal failure 3 1/2 years after biopsy; and 1 died of sepsis 1 month after biopsy. We believe that the ultrastructural changes found may represent early or mild FSGS and that the protocol described can add valuable information in clinically worrisome patients in whom renal histology appears normal.     

恶性肿瘤患者血清与尿液中一氧化氮含量测定

0 引言一氧化氮（Nitric oxide,NO）是一种具有活跃生物化学性质的无机小分子. NO对许多肿瘤细胞和微生物有细胞毒性［1］,为探讨NO与肿瘤的关系,我们检测了119例恶性肿瘤患者血清及尿液中的NO.     

Induction of apoptosis by N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide and its association with reactive oxygen species, nuclear retinoic acid receptors, and apoptosis-related genes in human prostate carcinoma cells

The synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR) has been shown to induce apoptosis in various malignant cells including human prostate carcinoma cells (HPC). We examined several possible mechanisms by which 4HPR could induce apoptosis in HPC cells. 4HPR exhibited concentration- and time-dependent decrease in cell number both in androgen-dependent (LNCaP) and -independent (DU145 and PC-3) cells. The 4HPR concentrations causing 50% decrease in cell number in LNCaP, DU145, and PC-3 cultures were 0.9 +/- 0.16, 4.4 +/- 0.45, and 3.0 +/- 1.0 microM, respectively, indicating that LNCaP cells were more sensitive to 4HPR than the other cells. 4HPR-induced apoptosis in all three cell lines was evidenced by increased enzymatic labeling of DNA breaks and formation of a DNA ladder. 4HPR increased the level of reactive oxygen species, especially in LNCaP cells. 4HPR-induced apoptosis could be suppressed in LNCaP cells by antioxidant and in DU145 cells by a nuclear retinoic acid receptor-specific antagonist, suggesting the involvement of reactive oxygen species or retinoic acid receptors in mediating apoptosis induced by 4HPR in the different HPC cells. Furthermore, 4HPR modulated the expression levels of some apoptosis-related gene (p21, c-myc, and c-jun), which may also contribute to the induction of apoptosis by 4HPR in HPC cells.     

Modulation of growth and differentiation of human colon carcinoma cells by histone deacetylase inhibitory trichostatins

Histone deacetylase inhibitors such as sodium butyrate or (R)-trichostatin A {(R)-TSA; 7- [4-(dimethylamino) phenyl]-N-hydroxy-4,6-dimethyl-7-oxo-2, 4-heptadienamide} have been reported to modulate the proliferation and differentiation of certain cell types. In this study, we analyzed the effects of these agents on KM12 human colon carcinoma (HCC) cells in culture. We found that (R)-TSA induced cell flattening, inhibited anchorage-dependent and anchorage-independent growth, increased the level of the differentiation marker carcinoembryonic antigen, and increased the expression of gelsolin, a candidate tumor suppressor, in these HCC cells. Cells treated with (R)-TSA for 3 h exhibited a high degree of histone (primarily H4) acetylation. (R)-TSA exerted these effects at concentrations in the range between 0.1 to 1 mu M that are at least 1,000 times lower than those required to achieve similar effects by n-butyrate. Trichostatin C, which exhibits some histone deacetylase inhibitory activity but not the analogs (S)-TSA or (R)- or (S)-trichostatic acid, which lack histone deacetylase inhibitory activity, also showed some growth inhibitory activity. These results indicate that histone deacetylase inhibitors may lead to suppression of the transformed phenotype and enhanced differentiation in the KM12 HCC cells.     

Fatal meningoencephalitis due to Bacillus anthracis

Abstract: We report the first case of fatal anthrax meningoencephalitis in Hong Kong over the past 60 years. A 13 year-old boy presented with right lower quadrant pain, diarrhoea and progressive headache. Lumbar puncture yielded gram positive bacilli initially thought to be Bacillus cereus, a contaminant. He was treated with ampicillin and cefotaxime, but died 3 days after hospitalization. The organism isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid was later identified as Bacillus anthracis.