Functional diagnosis of early arthroses of the extremities

Patient history and clinical examination are important for the diagnosis of degenerative joint disease. Here the typical statements of a patient suffering from early osteoarthritis are described and, as far as possible, explained. The joint in question must be systematically examined. Furthermore, the neighboring joints and soft-tissue structures, i.e., muscles, tendons etc., should be examined and evaluated with respect to their importance in hindering the functional chain. The neuroreflectory mechanisms involved herein are described.     

The effect of psychosocial factors on lung cancer mortality at one year

In this study newly diagnosed male and female lung cancer patients admitted to two Ontario Cancer Foundation treatment clinics were interviewed. Information was obtained on demographic variables, presence of other chronic illness and the following psychosocial attributes: locus of control, social support and personality traits. From the clinic charts, information on stage of disease and pathological diagnosis was obtained. After controlling for the effects of stage and pathological diagnosis, the following psychological variables were found to increase the odds of death from lung cancer among males and females combined at one year after diagnosis: a high need for one aspect of social support, a reserved personality and the extremes of the personality trait soberness vs enthusiasm.     

Cytoskeletal association of human alpha-interferon-receptor complexes in interferon-sensitive and -resistant lymphoblastoid cells.

Human Daudi lymphoblastoid cells, which are highly sensitive to the antiproliferative action of human leukocyte alpha-interferon (IFN-alpha), and IFN-resistant and IFN-sensitive Daudi subclones (Cl2 and Cl1, respectively), contain 2300 (Kd = 20 X 10(-12) M), 3000 (Kd = 45 X 10(-12) M), and 3700 (Kd = 52 X 10(-12) M) IFN-alpha binding sites per cell, respectively. Thus, these IFN-sensitive and IFN-resistant cells have similar numbers of high-affinity IFN-alpha receptors. IFN-receptor complexes that are insoluble in Triton X-100 accumulate in IFN-sensitive but not in IFN-resistant cells. The ligand-induced accumulation of Triton-insoluble complexes in IFN-sensitive cells was inhibited by cytochalasin B. This suggests that the solubility change of IFN-receptor complexes results from their interaction with the cytoskeletal matrix. The dissociation of IFN-alpha from IFN-sensitive and IFN-resistant cells can be resolved into fast and slow components. IFN-alpha dissociates more slowly from IFN-sensitive cells than from IFN-resistant cells. Very slow dissociation of IFN-alpha from Triton-insoluble complexes correlates with this difference. These observations suggest that IFN-receptor complexes become coupled to the cytoskeletal matrix in IFN-sensitive but not in IFN-resistant cells, and that such interaction is an important element in the mechanism of the antiproliferative action of IFN-alpha on Daudi cells.     

A methodological review of non-therapeutic intervention trials employing cluster randomization, 1979-1989

A methodological review is presented of 16 non-therapeutic intervention trials published over the last decade which have randomized intact clusters rather than individuals in treatment groups. Each of the trials was surveyed as to the information supplied on six methodological criteria. Although there is increasing recognition of the methodological issues associated with cluster randomization, many investigators are still not aware of the impact of this design on sample size requirements and analysis considerations. Investigators are urged to publish the cluster-specific event rates observed in their trials as a guide for the planning of future studies.     

硫酸多糖对体外人脐静脉内皮细胞损伤的保护作用

研究表明,硫酸多糖体外对多聚阳离子和氧自由基损伤的人脐静脉内皮细胞有保护作用。肝素、硫酸软骨素A抗多聚阳离子损伤作用比同浓度低分子肝素和甘糖酯强。肝素、硫酸软骨素A、甘糖酯抗氧自由基损伤作用优于同浓度低分子肝素。结果显示硫酸多糖有保护血管内皮的作用,其作用可能与所带阴离子基团有关。     

Fetal endocardial fibroelastosis: ultrasonographic findings in two cases.

EFE is a rare cardiac disorder with poor prognosis and uncertain cause. Primary and secondary forms have been described. Most authors consider that all EFE is secondary--a reactive process set off in the endocardium by stress on the myocardium. We report two cases representing the primary dilated form and the secondary contracted form. The dilated form was associated with intracavitary thrombus of the left ventricle. In both cases, an unusual presence of subendocardial calcifications was noted. The ultrasonographic findings are discussed.     

Polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 are not associated with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or Graves' disease

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and Graves' disease (GD) are autoimmune endocrinopathies and associated with distinct HLA-DR and -DQ alleles as well as several tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-α) and β (TNF-β) alleles. TNF-α and TNF-β interact with TNF receptor (TNF-R), of which two subtypes have been described: TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. We investigated TNF-R2 alleles in 90 patients with IDDM, 101 with GD and 70 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was amplified with specific flanking primers for the untranslated 3 region of TNF-R2. SSCP analysis revealed two alleles by different fragment patterns: TNF-R2*1 and TNF-R2*2. Patients with IDDM or Graves' disease and controls did not differ significantly: TNF-R2*1/*1:IDDM(8%)/GD(2%)/KO(4%); TNF-R2*2/*2:IDDM(34%)/GD(48%)/KO(42%), heterozygosity TNF-R2*1/*2:IDDM(58%)/GD(50%)/KO(54%) (IDDM vs KO: P =0.46, χ²=1.57; GD vs KO: P =0.59, χ²=1.05). In conclusion, the studied polymorphism of TNF-R2 was associated with neither IDDM nor GD in a German population.