Radiation dose reduction during hysterosalpingography: an application of scanning-beam digital radiography

Hysterosalpingography was performed in 31 patients by means of a low-dose scanning-beam digital radiographic system. The technique permits adequate evaluation of gynecologic abnormalities while allowing significant reduction in radiation: 2.4-mR (6.1 X 10(-7) C/kg) exposure to the skin and 0.7-mrad (7 X 10(-6) Gy) mean dose to the ovaries per image obtained. Sixteen patients demonstrated readily recognizable and documented abnormalities, corroborated by laparoscopy, laparotomy, or other supportive evidence.     

Predicting outbreaks: a spatial risk assessment of West Nile virus in British Columbia

Background  

West Nile virus (WNv) has recently emerged as a health threat to the North American population. After the initial disease outbreak in New York City in 1999, WNv has spread widely and quickly across North America to every contiguous American state and Canadian province, with the exceptions of British Columbia (BC), Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. In this study we develop models of mosquito population dynamics for Culex tarsalis and C. pipiens, and create a spatial risk assessment of WNv prior to its arrival in BC by creating a raster-based mosquito abundance model using basic geographic and temperature data. Among the parameters included in the model are spatial factors determined from the locations of BC Centre for Disease Control mosquito traps (e.g., distance of the trap from the closest wetland or lake), while other parameters were obtained from the literature. Factors not considered in the current assessment but which could influence the results are also discussed.     

Disturbance of systemic antioxidant profile in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma.

The present study aimed to determine the alterations of antioxidant activities in erythrocytes from patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). A comparative study of the systemic antioxidant activities in red blood cell lysate from subjects with NSCLC and healthy control subjects was conducted. The antioxidants catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured using chemical kinetic reactions under spectrophotometry. In total, 189 cases of mostly advanced-stage IIIB or stage IV NSCLC and 202 healthy controls were studied. In subjects with lung cancer, there was similar catalase activity, lower SOD activity (median (interquartile range) 13.4 (9.0-27.2) versus 48.7 (27.0-64.3) U x (ghaemoglobulin(Hb)(-1)), and higher GPx activity (175.2 (126.6-288.3) versus 49.2 (39.5-59.2) mU x (gHb)(-1)) compared with controls. The antioxidant activities in lung cancer subjects were not associated with age, sex, smoking status, or tumour cell types. However, more advanced disease (stage IV compared with stage IIIB) was associated with lower SOD activity. Using multivariable analysis, the presence of lung cancer independently predicted SOD and GPx activities. In conclusion, nonsmall cell lung carcinoma in Chinese subjects is associated with alterations in systemic antioxidant activities, which may play an important role in carcinogenesis.     

Changing prevalence and knowledge of urinary incontinence among Hong Kong Chinese women

A territory-wide telephone survey was conducted in Hong Kong to assess the prevalence, knowledge, and treatment-seeking behaviour of Chinese women with urinary incontinence, using validated Chinese version of Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6) and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7). Women, 540, aged between 17 to 77 years were interviewed. Of the respondents, 40.8% reported stress urinary incontinence, 20.4% had urge incontinence and 15.9% had mixed incontinence. Among these, 16.0% reported quality of life impairment; 9.3% felt frustrated with low morale, and 15.2% had nervous and anxiety problems. However, as many as 78.3% of the respondents did not know that stress urinary incontinence is a disease entity, and 60.6% thought that leakage of urine was a normal aging process. For those respondents having stress urinary incontinence, the first treatment of choice was physiotherapy. The second choice was medication, and surgical treatment was the last option. Respondents with stress urinary incontinence showed higher education level.     

Balance of prostacyclin and thromboxane in offspring of parents with premature coronary arterial disease.

6-keto-prostaglandin F1a and thromboxane B2 were determined in order to obtain more information about the prostacyclin synthesis and thromboxane A2 release in 3- to 18-year-old healthy children and in offspring of parents who have had an acute myocardial infarction before the age of 45. The authors demonstrated a reduction of plasma prostacyclin synthesis in children with a positive family history of premature coronary arterial disease. Thromboxane levels in the affected adolescent boys were significantly lower compared with the controls. The ratio of thromboxane:prostacyclin in endangered children did not show a significant difference from that of healthy controls. These data indicate that prostaglandins are a definitive marker for identifying cardiovascular risk children. It must be supposed that in adolescence, only in boys, with a positive family history of premature coronary arterial disease, a compensatory mechanism exists to protect them from developing an imbalance in the regulation of prostaglandins.     

新麻醉药静松灵生物转化的研究

静松灵[2-(2,4-二甲基苯胺基)-4,5-二氢噻唑,XT]是国内合成的麻醉物,经ip给药后,从大鼠尿中分离、纯化、鉴定了四个代谢产物。MB₁即XT原形;MB₃及MA₂互为异构体,分别为2位、4位甲基氧化为羧基的产物;MA₁则4位甲基氧化为羧基,二氢噻唑环中4¹位亚甲基氧化为羰基。初步实验表明:代谢产物MB₃,MA²,MA₁的药效与毒性均远低于原形药,大鼠与小鼠对XT的转化机制相近,但也存在种属的差异。