艾炷灸命门穴对衰老模型大鼠脑组织中AGEs、RAGE表达影响

目的:观察艾炷灸命门穴对D-半乳糖致衰老大鼠脑组织中AGEs及其受体RAGE表达的影响,探讨艾炷灸命门穴延缓衰老的作用机制。方法:雄性SD大鼠40只,随机分为空白组10只、模型制备组30只,空白组腹腔注射生理盐水,模型制备组进行腹腔注射D-半乳糖500 mg/kg,每日1次,连续60天,模型制备成功后随机选取20只分为模型对照组、命门穴治疗组,艾炷灸治疗4周。酶联免疫吸附测定法(Elisa)观察各组大鼠脑组织匀浆中AGES、RAGE表达水平,RT-PCR观察RAGE mRNA的表达水平。结果:模型对照组大鼠脑组织中AGES、RAGE及RAGE mRNA表达水平比空白组明显增加(P<0.01);命门穴治疗组脑组织中AGES、RAGE及RAGE mRNA表达水平明显低于模型对照组(P<0.01)。结论:艾炷灸命门穴可以延缓衰老,其机制可能是AGEs的水平下调减少了对蛋白的直接修饰及抑制AGEs与特异性配体RAGE结合而引发一系列的生物学效应而达到延缓衰老的目的。     

Sodium transport in erythrocytes: differences between normal children and children with primary and secondary hypertension.

The following measurements were made in normal children, children with primary hypertension, and children with secondary hypertension: erythrocyte intracellular sodium concentration, total sodium efflux rate constant, and maximum binding of ouabain to erythrocytes reflecting the number of sodium/potassium adenosine triphosphatase pump sites. Children with primary hypertension had a significantly higher mean erythrocyte intracellular sodium concentration (8.2 compared with 6.6 and 6.7 mmol/l cells), and significantly lower total sodium efflux rate constant (0.5071 compared with 0.6983 and 0.6197) and maximum binding of ouabain to erythrocytes (9.1 compared with 11.7 and 11.0 nmol/l cells) than normal children and children with secondary hypertension, respectively.     

胎膜早破与支原体宫内感染

应用解脲支原体ＰＣＲｋｉｔ检测方法，对１９９４年３月至１１月入院分娩妇女１５９例（其中胎膜早破６９例，无胎膜早破者９０例）进行宫颈管内分泌物标本的支原体检查，同时对支原体阳性与阴性者在产妇产褥病率、新生儿黄疸，新生儿肺炎发病等方面进行比较。结果：６９例胎膜早破者中支原体阳性检出２８例，明显高子无胎膜早破者（Ｐ＜０．００５），支原体阳性者中产妇产褥病率、新生儿黄疸发生率明显高于阴性者（Ｐ＜０．００５）．提示。支原体宫内感染是胎膜早破发生的重要原因，也与产妇产褥病率和新生儿黄疸发生有密切关系。     

Effects of tranylcypromine on the sleep of patients with anergic bipolar depression

A significant proportion of patients with bipolar disorder are hypersomnolent. It is not clear if this affects response to treatment because few studies have systematically examined treatment effects on sleep in patients with bipolar depression. Reported herein are the results of what we believe to be the first study of the effects of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor tranylcypromine (average dose=37 mg/day) on the sleep of patients with bipolar depression.Twenty-three patients with anergic bipolar depression completed sleep studies before and after pharmacotherapy. Changes in polysomnographic variables were examined using paired t tests. The patients experienced a 40% reduction in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time, as well as significant decreases in REM percentage,REM activity, number of REM periods, and REM intensity.REM latency was prolonged by nearly 3-fold.The decrease in REM sleep was accompanied by a modest (8%) reduction in total sleep time and increased "light" sleep. There was no change in sleep continuity indices or slow wave sleep. Correlational analyses suggested that antidepressant response was only weakly associated with changes in REM sleep. These findings indicate that tranylcypromine's effects on REM sleep greatly surpass effects on sleep architecture or sleep maintenance. Moreover, effective treatment of bipolar depression did not "normalize" the hypersomnolence associated with bipolar depression.     

Disseminated histoplasmosis in an immunosuppressed patient.

A renal transplant recipient was receiving prednisone and azathioprine therapy when he developed fever, cough, and erythema-nodosum-like lesions on the extremities. Disseminated histoplasmosis was diagnosed by skin biopsy. Disseminated histoplasmosis should be considered when a patient under immunosuppressive therapy develops a lesion similar to erythema nodosum or erysipelas with panniculitis.     

Pulmonary function testing: use of the peak expiratory flow rate in an out-patient or office setting

Thus, the weekly use of peak expiratory flow rate measurements in an out-patient office setting, for the purpose of generating multiple, serial, repetitive measurements to serve as a data base for a particular patient, will from time to time provide useful information helpful in the decision-making process pertaining to therapy. The peak expiratory flow rate maneuver is said to produce information referable primarily to the larger airways (although to a certain extent a patient restricted by inability to take a deep breath may also produce a decreased peak expiratory flow rate measurement), and it is certainly true that other measurements such as complete spirometry, FEV1, FEV25-75, or FEF75-90, or various gas exchange procedures will often produce information more accurately and precisely pertaining to the pulmonary status of an individual patient at any given point in time. However, the relative lack of expense and the ease and convenience of use of the peak expiratory flow rate meters currently available render this particular maneuver quite useful in following patients in an outpatient setting. This usefulness derives both from the patient's familiarity with the maneuver and therefore its ready availability for use during an acute process, as well as from the multiplicity of data serially derived forming a data base against which to compare the patient with himself at any given point in time, with the result that, under acute circumstances, when more frequent pulmonary function testing measurements are necessary, the patient's response to bronchodilator treatment can be assessed not only with respect to the severity of the ongoing acute process but also in terms of his performance when well.     

Osmotic blood–brain barrier disruption chemotherapy for diffuse pontine gliomas

Summary The prognosis for patients with diffuse pontine gliomas (DPG) remains poor. New aggressive innovative treatments are necessary to treat this disease. From 1984 to 1998, eight patients (4M/4F), median age 11 years, with DPG were treated with monthly osmotic blood–brain barrier disruption (BBBD) chemotherapy using intraarterial carboplatin or methotrexate and intravenous cytoxan and etoposide. Patients presented for a median duration of 6 weeks with increased intracranial pressure, long tract signs, diplopia, ataxia, and nausea/vomiting. DPG was demonstrated on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in seven patients and on CT in one. Two patients had biopsies that showed an astrocytoma and an anaplastic astrocytoma. Three tumors enhanced on MR imaging after contrast administration. Three patients had radiation therapy before BBBD chemotherapy and four afterwards. Two patients had chemotherapy (tamoxifen, topotecan) before BBBD chemotherapy and two afterwards. In general, patients were evaluated with MR imaging every 3 months to monitor for a response to treatment. The median number of chemotherapy cycles that were administered by BBBD was 10, mean 10. Three patients also received one, two, or three cycles of intraarterial chemotherapy without BBBD. One patient that was started on carboplatin was converted to methotrexate, and five that were started on the methotrexate protocol were later converted over to carboplatin. One patient received monthly methotrexate followed by 14 days of procarbazine and one patient started on methotrexate was switched to navelbine. MR imaging demonstrated two partial responses, five patients with stable disease, and one with disease progression. The median time to tumor progression was 15 months with the range from <1 to 40 months. The median survival from the time of diagnosis was 27 months, ranging from 7 to 80 months. The median survival time from the first BBBD or intraarterial treatment was 16.5 months, ranging from 5 to 69 months. One patient was lost to follow-up with an unknown date of death. Although the sample size is small, the TTP and survival times are longer than those previously reported in other DPG series. In addition, the ability to demonstrate stable disease or partial responses in DPG on MR imaging argues for the therapeutic benefit of BBBD chemotherapy. The enhanced delivery of chemotherapy afforded by osmotic BBBD supports the further examination of this treatment modality for patients with DPG.     

Auxotrophic mutant of the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum showing absolute requirement of Cs+ or Rb+ for diazotrophy and autotrophy

Caesium-resistant (Cs(+)-R) mutant clones of the cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum were characterized for diazotrophic growth in a medium devoid of Cs(+) or Rb(+) or both. Cs(+)-R phenotype suffered severe genetic damage of a pleiotropic nature affecting diazotrophic growth, chlorophyll a content, nitrogenase activity and photosynthetic O(2) evolution. Mutation leading to development of Cs(+)-R phenotype could be overcome by availability of Cs(+)/Rb(+). Parent and mutant strains were similar with respect to their Cs(+)/Rb(+) uptake. Available data suggests operation of an efficient coupling of the two incompatible reactions viz. oxygenic photosynthesis and oxygen sensitive N(2) fixation in this cyanobacterium.