Symptoms of tobacco withdrawal. A replication and extension

Smokers (n = 315) who wished to quit were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to groups using either nicotine or placebo gum. Self-reported and observed symptoms of tobacco withdrawal were collected before cessation and at follow-ups of 1 to 2 weeks, 1 month, and 6 months. Self-reported and/or observed anger, anxiety, craving, difficulty concentrating, hunger, impatience, and restlessness were the most prominent symptoms of tobacco withdrawal. These symptoms had returned to precessation levels by 1 month except increased weight, hunger, and craving continued for 6 months in many smokers. Nicotine gum decreased most symptoms, including craving and hunger but not weight. Abstinent smokers with more intense withdrawal were not more likely to relapse. Abstinent smokers who gained more weight were less likely to relapse.     

Nicotine vs placebo gum in general medical practice

Three hundred fifteen smokers who attended a family practice clinic and wished to quit smoking were assigned in a random, double-blind manner to receive either nicotine (2 mg) or placebo gum. Smokers initially received brief advice from a physician and nurse, a slide presentation and written materials (29 to 35 minutes), and a single follow-up visit (12 to 20 minutes) one week after cessation. After corrections for marital status and income, 10% of those who received nicotine gum and 7% of those who received placebo gum reported continuous abstinence for 11 months and passed observer and biochemical verification (this difference was not statistically significant). We conclude that, when used in a nonselected group of smokers along with a brief intervention in a general medical practice, the pharmacologic effects of nicotine gum to increase cessation are either small or nonexistent.     

Anulus fibrosus in bulging intervertebral disks

In this investigation the association of radial tears of the anulus fibrosus and bulging of the intervertebral disk was studied. An index of disk bulging was measured in sagittal anatomic sections in 149 lumbar disks from 31 cadavers. The indexes of disk bulging were correlated with stages of disk development and the presence of an annular tear. The largest disk-bulging indexes were always associated with radial tears of the anulus. Eighty-four percent of the disks with radial tears had disk-bulging indexes greater than 2.5 mm. Most normal adult disks had an index of less than 2.5 mm. The results challenge the concept that the anulus fibrosus is intact in bulging disks, although ruptured in herniated disks.     

Determination of procaine in equine plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.

The variability in plasma and urine equine procaine measurement between three independent laboratories using current methods led to the development of a sensitive, reliable, and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic method. Standardbred mares were administered either a penicillin G procaine preparation intramuscularly or procaine hydrochloride subcutaneously, and blood and urine were collected at defined time intervals. By HPLC the detection limits for procaine in plasma and urine were 1 and 10 ng/mL, respectively. In contrast procaine in plasma could not be detected by GC-NPD, while the urinary detection limit was 50 ng/mL. The concentration of fluoride in the collection tubes and repetitive freeze-thawing modified plasma procaine measurement. Urinary pH was a factor in estimation of urine procaine levels with greater recovery and reproducibility of results at pH 5 as compared to pH 7. This HPLC method provides a simple, sensitive, and reliable quantitation of procaine in equine plasma and urine.     

Quality assurance of a helical tomotherapy machine

Helical tomotherapy has been developed at the University of Wisconsin, and 'Hi-Art II' clinical machines are now commercially manufactured. At the core of each machine lies a ring-gantry-mounted short linear accelerator which generates x-rays that are collimated into a fan beam of intensity-modulated radiation by a binary multileaf, the modulation being variable with gantry angle. Patients are treated lying on a couch which is translated continuously through the bore of the machine as the gantry rotates. Highly conformal dose-distributions can be delivered using this technique, which is the therapy equivalent of spiral computed tomography. The approach requires synchrony of gantry rotation, couch translation, accelerator pulsing and the opening and closing of the leaves of the binary multileaf collimator used to modulate the radiation beam. In the course of clinically implementing helical tomotherapy, we have developed a quality assurance (QA) system for our machine. The system is analogous to that recommended for conventional clinical linear accelerator QA by AAPM Task Group 40 but contains some novel components, reflecting differences between the Hi-Art devices and conventional clinical accelerators. Here the design and dosimetric characteristics of Hi-Art machines are summarized and the QA system is set out along with experimental details of its implementation. Connections between this machine-based QA work, pre-treatment patient-specific delivery QA and fraction-by-fraction dose verification are discussed.     

Serologic detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in swine by capsular polysaccharide-biotin-streptavidin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Serologic detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections in swine have been problematic due to antigenic cross-reactivity of Apx toxins, lipopolysaccharide, and outer membrane proteins between A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes and other bacterial species. To maximize serologic specificity and sensitivity, we developed an assay that uses highly purified A. pleuropneumoniae capsular polysaccharide (CP) conjugated to biotin, which is then bound to streptavidin-coated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CP-BS-ELISA) plates. This assay was used to test a panel of 240 serum samples from pigs prior to challenge, after challenge with bacterial species other than A. pleuropneumoniae, or after challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1, 5, or 7. Overall assay results for the individual sera tested were reproducible on the same day and on separate days. The sensitivity of the assay was 100% by ELISAs with biotin-CPs of serotypes 1 and 7 and 87.5% by ELISAs with biotin-CP of serotype 5. Specificity was 100% by ELISAs with biotin-CPs of serotypes 1 and 5 and 94.5% by ELISAs with biotin-CP of serotype 7. The biotin-CPs of at least three A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes could be combined for use in a screening assay to detect antibodies to CPs from strains of different serotypes. In conclusion, the CP-BS-ELISA proved to be a serotype-specific and species-specific assay with high sensitivity for the identification of pigs exposed to A. pleuropneumoniae.     

痛

黑暗!黑暗!!黑暗!!!这样的世界看不到半点光明。孤独的舞者终究还是孤独地倒下,然后又孤独地消失。黑暗呀,为什么老是缠绕着我?一声“妈妈”划破了天际,却也突不出黑暗的包围。谁来应我一声呀,妈妈,你在哪里呀?我的心在不停地挣扎,告诉自己:“不怕,不怕。”可这是在黑暗里呀,周