Endothelial and smooth muscle properties of coronary and mesenteric resistance arteries in spontaneously hypertensive rats compared to WKY rats

Summary— To investigate if the functional alterations observed in resistance arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were also present at the coronary level, in vitro experiments were performed in mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) and in right (RIC) and left interventricular coronary (LIC) arteries taken from 15–25-week-old SHR and age-matched Wistar Kyoto rats WKYs. Using a passive extension protocol, internal diameters corresponding to 100 mmHg intraluminal pressure (D₁₀₀) were determined and vessels were set up to a normalized internal diameter (0.9 D₁₀₀). SHR mesenteric resistance arteries had a significantly smaller diameter compared to WKY arteries, whereas both types of SHR coronary arteries had a greater diameter compared to those of WKY rats. In arteries in the absence of contracting agonist, nitro-L-arginine (NOLA, 100 μM) induced a progressive rise in basal tone, which could be reversed by subsequent addition of L-arginine (100 μM) but not D-arginine (100 μM). When expressed as percent of maximal contractions induced by agonists (noradrenaline, NA [10 μM] in MRA; serotonin, 5-HT [10 μM], in RIC and LIC), these contractions were significantly stronger in WKY compared to SHR coronary and mesenteric resistance arteries. In NA-precontracted MRA and 5HT-precontracted coronary arteries in the presence of indomethacin (10 μM), the magnitude of acetylcholine-induced maximal relaxations (expressed as percent of maximal contractions induced by agonists) was greater in WKY compared to SHR arteries. After a 30-min incubation period, NOLA (100 μM) completely inhibited relaxations induced by acetylcholine (0.01–10 μM) in all types of precontracted arteries. Subsequent additions of sodium nitroprusside, (SNP, 10 μM) induced complete relaxations in all preparations. These results show that a basal release of NO or NO-like compound by endothelial cells is present in isolated mesenteric resistance and coronary arteries of WKY rats and SHRs. The contribution of endothelium-derived relaxing factor-nitric oxide (EDRF-NO) to arterial tone was lower in MRA compared to coronary arteries in both strains and in SHR compared to WKY arteries. In the SHR preparations, the impaired relaxation induced by acetylcholine appeared to be due to a functional alteration of the endothelium in the presence of normal reactivity of the smooth muscle cells.     

麦冬类中药组织切片计算机三维重建图鉴

利用计算机技术实现麦冬类中药组织连续切片三维重建与动态显示,为计算机辅助生药学鉴定和教学提供了新的三维图像技术和研究资料。     

Economies of scale, physician volume for urology patients, and DRG prospective hospital payment system

Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) hospital payment has begun to squeeze hospitals financially and is likely to do so in the future. This study analyzed the relationship between the volume of urologic procedures by an individual urologist, hospital costs per patient, and outcome. We used a three-year DRG database of urology patients (N = 2,980) at an academic medical center to analyze these. Low-volume urologists (arbitrarily defined by us) had higher hospital costs per patient, financial losses versus profits under DRGs, and a poorer outcome when compared with high-volume urologists. Pearson correlation showed a positive relationship between cost per patient and physician volume for nonemergency patients (-0.129, p less than 0.0001) and emergency patients (-0.368, p less than 0.0001). This may have been explained (in part) by a greater severity of illness for patients of low-volume urologists. These findings suggest, however, that the volume of urologic procedures per urologist may be related to hospital resource consumption. The health care financing environment of the future should provide substantial interest in this finding for those involved in the consumption of urologic services.     

表小檗碱对α受体的作用

表小檗碱(epiberberine,EB)是从湖北产黄连(Coptis chinensis Franch)中提取的一种生物碱,属苯喹嗪类原小檗碱,对其药理作用的研究资料甚少,未见其对α肾上腺素体作用的报道。资料表明,许多原小檗碱类化合物有α受体阻滞作用,为从该类化合物中选择     

Piezo-electric lithotripsy technic with echographic guidance (EDAP LT 01)

Piezo-electric extracorporeal lithotripsy with ultrasonographic detection is performed with the following material according to the following technique: 1) A mobile firing head connected to the lumbar region by a simple inflatable cushion filled with sterile water. At the centre of the firing head, a 5 MHz real time transducer is used to locate the stone. 320 piezo-electric elements, arranged around the transducer, can induce, when focussed, a pressure of about 900 bars at the focal point in vitro. The focus is 15 mm X 5 mm. The generators are electronic. 2) The technique requires: understanding of ultrasonography in order to precisely locate the stone which, when it is intrarenal, is only missed in 1% of cases in our experience. Stones of the iliac ureter are not visible. Treatment requires the patient's confidence so that, due to the quality of the piezo-electric wave, no anaesthesia is necessary. The firing time should be relatively long (45 min to 1 hr) in order to ensure good fragmentation. 26% of patients require retreatment. Secondary complications are rare (3% of endoscopic treatments). The technique is now proposed in 90% of cases without admission to hospital. The simplicity of the manipulation of the apparatus must not mask the fact that it is a technique which requires perfect mastery. Only urologists familiar with stone pathology and who are able to treat the complications of lithotripsy by endoscopy or by surgery should perform extracorporeal lithotripsy.     

Extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy by ultra-short waves using the EDAP LT01 device

Three hundred and sixty one extracorporeal lithotripsies for renal, ureteric and bladder stones have been performed by means of a system of ultrasonographic detection and piezoelectric destruction (EDAP LT01). The localisation of the stone is achieved by a 5 MHz real time sectorial transducer situated in the centre of a small dish containing 320 piezoelectric elements concentrated in a source 5 mm wide by 15 mm high. The pressure recorded in vitro is 900 bars. The stone is easily detected in 87.2% of cases, difficult to detect in 10% of cases and impossible to detect in 28% of cases. By using a frequency of 1.25 to 5 per second, extracorporeal lithotripsy can be performed without any local, regional or general anaesthesia and without premedication in the 120 patients with a renal stone, reviewed between 1 and 3 months, 88 (73%) were considered to be complete successes. Ten (8%) were considered to be failures and 19 (21%) were considered to be partial successes. The best results were obtained in stones of the renal pelvis less than 20 mm in diameter. These results relate to a mean series which must take into account the successive improvements made to the lithotripter. Today, stone fragmentation is obtained in 93% of cases. Thirty six stones of the lumber and pelvic ureter were treated with success rates of 93% and 50%, respectively. Six bladder calculi were treated with a 50% success rate. Forty two patients were treated without being admitted to hospital.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)