An analysis of the paradoxical effect of morphine on runway speed and food consumption

A previously reported paradigm in which rats run down a runway for food reward followed by morphine injection was analyzed to assess the utility of the paradigm in studies of opiate reinforcement. One experiment replicated the original report that post-trial morphine caused both an increase in runway speed and a decrease in food consumption (taste aversion) over successive trials, and showed in addition that the increase in runway speed did not occur as a result of food deprivation alone, but required the animals to have consumed food in the goal box. A second study using the quaternary opiate antagonist methyl naltrexone to block the peripheral effects of morphine suggested that the increase in runway speed has a peripheral locus while the taste aversion has a central one. A third experiment in which morphine was microinjected into either the lateral ventricle or the ventral tegmental area supported these observations, in that intracranial morphine failed to result in an increased runway speed, but did produce taste aversion after microinjection into either site. These findings also suggest that the increase in runway speed caused by post-trial morphine in this experiment has a peripheral locus of effect, which is probably distinct from the central effect that supports morphine self-administration and conditioned place preference. Offprint requests to: W.A.CorrigallThe views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Addiction Research Foundation     

Fractional flow reserve and complex coronary pathologic conditions.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a well-validated index for assessing the physiologic significance of a coronary stenosis in most clinical conditions encountered in today's catheterisation laboratory. The aim of this paper is to provide a short overview of the theoretical background of the coronary pressure-derived FFR index and its clinical applicability in guiding complex coronary intervention procedures.     

Effect of metabolic cage housing on immunoglobulin A and corticosterone excretion in faeces and urine of young male rats

Six 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were studied for 9 days divided into three periods of 3 days each: before transferral to metabolism cages, during metabolic cage housing and after return to their home cages. Faeces were collected daily when the animals were housed in their home cages and every 6 h when the animals were housed in metabolic cages during which time urine was also collected every 6 h. The rate of weight gain was slightly reduced during the 3 days in metabolic cages and the animals produced significantly larger amounts of faeces when housed in metabolic cages than when housed in their home cages. The total faecal excretion of corticosterone (nanograms excreted per hour per kilogram body weight) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) (milligrams excreted per hour per kg body weight) quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) exhibited a clear diurnal rhythm in the metabolic cage. Urinary excretions of corticosterone and IgA also followed a clear diurnal cycle. The mean daily amounts of corticosterone excreted were not significantly affected by cage change and by housing in metabolic cages. However, the excretion of faecal IgA was significantly reduced during the 3 days after the period in metabolic cages. Taken together the results indicate that metabolic cage housing is mildly stressful for young adult male rats.     

重症肌无力患者雷公藤多甙治疗后周围血细胞免疫功能变化的研究

目的 探讨重症肌无力（MG）患者周围血细胞免疫功能变化及雷公藤多甙（TⅡ）治疗MG的免疫调节机制,方法 将52例MG患者随机分为TⅡ治疗组及非TⅡ治疗组,观察两组前后及40例正常对照血清白细胞介素－6（IL－6）、肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）及可溶性白细胞介素2受体（sIL-2R)水平。结果 TⅡ治疗组及非TⅡ治疗组治疗前血汪IL－6、TNF及sIL-2R水平分别显著高于正常对照组,TⅡ治疗组治疗后血清IL－6、TNF及sIL-2R的水平均较治疗前明显降低,而非TⅡ治疗组治疗前后血清IL－6、TNF及sIL-2R水平无显著性差别。结论 MG患者存在明显的细胞免疫功能紊乱,TⅡ治疗MG的免疫机制可能是通过抑制IL－6、TNF及sIL-2R产生而发挥。     

Comparison of intestinal anaphylactic reactions in sensitized mice challenged with untreated bovine milk and homogenized bovine milk

Outbred NMRI mice were sensitized for high IgE production either by subcutaneous injections of low doses of untreated bovine milk or homogenized bovine milk in combination with intraperitoneal injections of Freund's Complete Adjuvant or by oral administration of untreated or homogenized bovine milk without adjuvant. When analysed in murine passive cutaneous anaphylaxis test both types of milk resulted in production of reaginic antibodies against bovine milk proteins when given subcutaneously. When given orally, homogenized milk resulted in reagin production in 10 out of 14 mice, whereas untreated milk resulted in reagin production in only one out of 12 mice. The sensitized mice, and control mice, were orally challenged with either untreated milk, homogenized milk or 0.9% NaCl. Examination of the intestines 40 min after oral administration revealed that homogenized milk, contrary to untreated milk or 0.9% NaCl, resulted in a large increase in the mass of the proximal gut segment of mice sensitized orally with homogenized milk compared with control mice orally challenged with saline (P less than 0.001), and only mice both sensitized and challenged orally with homogenized milk showed degranulation of mast cells in the intestinal wall. By contrast, subcutaneously sensitized mice or mice sensitized orally with untreated bovine milk showed no significant intestinal reaction upon oral challenge with either homogenized or untreated bovine milk. These observations may indicate that the route of sensitization is of great importance when intestinal reactions are to be studied, and that homogenization of bovine milk may render the milk more aggressive with respect to its ability to induce intestinal reactions. The study indicates that mice may be an attractive experimental animal model for mimicking the intestinal anaphylactic reactions of cow milk-allergic humans.     

Thoracoscopic treatment of pleural empyema

From August 1991 to May 1997 46 patients with pleural empyema in the fibrinopurulent phase underwent thoracoscopic surgery. There were 36 men and 10 women with an average age of 47 years ranging from 18 to 84. The average operating time was 77 minutes. When only one thoracostomy drain was inserted, the drainage time was 8.5 days, if two or three drainage tubes were used it was 10.5 days. The average hospital stay was 18.1 day (range from 7 to 45). We observed ten complications. Four operations had to be converted to an open procedure because of massive thickening and fibrosis of the pleura. Three patients did not tolerate one lung ventilation, once the lung did not collapse due to technical reasons and in one patient each we observed a laceration of the parenchyma and bleeding from the parenchyma. In both cases the problem was dealt with thoracoscopically. We observed a recurrent pleural empyema in four patients which occurred between the 28th and 77th postoperative day. In summary, thoracoscopic surgery in patients with pleural empyema in the fibrinopurulent phase is an effective and well tolerated alternative to open thoracotomy.     

Peripheral blood lymphocyte immunocompetence in wild African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) and the effects of capture and confinement

Capture and prolonged confinement of wild African green monkeys (AGM, C. aethiops) in single housing have been shown to result in high morbidity and mortality. The present study was designed to analyse immune modulation associated with these procedures in AGMs. Four wild resting AGMs were stunned with a rifle shot as controls (group I). Seven newly captured monkeys (group II) and seven laboratory conditioned monkeys (group III) housed singly were anaesthetised with ketamine hydrochloride on day 18 and 45, and 180 and 210 post-capture, respectively. Heparinized blood (10 ml) was drawn from each animal and lymphocytes were cultured in six wells per sample. A triplicate subset was stimulated with 10 microliters Concanavalin A for 48 hours. The cells were pulsed with tritiated thymidine and harvested on filter discs 18 hours later. Lymphocyte stimulation indices (stimulated cell count-unstimulated cell count) were 3598 in group I. 3843 and 4395 in group II and 2809 and 2196 in group III, respectively. This indicates that AGMs confined to single housing for a prolonged period exhibit immune suppression. The results confirm our previous findings that the AGM is more susceptible to stress associated with immune suppression and subsequent high frequency of infectious diseases than other East African nonhuman primates confined to laboratory housing.     

三维适形放疗治疗35例恶性梗阻性黄疸

目的：观察三维适形放射治疗恶性梗阻性黄疸的疗效，探讨其更有效的治疗方法。方法：1998年10月—2000年12月，对35例恶性梗阻性黄疸患者行三维适形放疗，每次3—4Gy，每周5次，总共10—12次。结果：所有病例均完成治疗，病灶完全缓解率(CR)8例，占24％，部份缓解(PR)22例，占63％，无变化5例，占13％，总有效率87％。29例黄疸均有不同程度消退，没有严重的并发症发生。一、二年生存率分别为70％、21％。结论：三维适形放疗对恶性梗阻性黄疸有较好的疗效，绝大多数患者均能耐受，是治疗恶性梗阻性黄疸的一种有效方法。