Reframing climate change as a public health issue: an exploratory study of public reactions

Background  

Climate change is taking a toll on human health, and some leaders in the public health community have urged their colleagues to give voice to its health implications. Previous research has shown that Americans are only dimly aware of the health implications of climate change, yet the literature on issue framing suggests that providing a novel frame - such as human health - may be potentially useful in enhancing public engagement. We conducted an exploratory study in the United States of people's reactions to a public health-framed short essay on climate change.     

A comparative study of using comet assay and gammaH2AX foci formation in the detection of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced DNA damage.

Comet assay is a useful technique in the detection of DNA damages, particularly DNA strand breaks; and it has been utilized to show that a potent carcinogen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), can induce such damages. Recently, gammaH2AX foci formation has been suggested as another sensitive way to detect DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). However, there is no systematic comparison being conducted to evaluate the consistency of these two methods. Using MNNG as a model chemical, the sensitivity of neutral comet assay and gammaH2AX foci formation in detecting MNNG-induced damage was studied. It was found that at concentrations of 0.1 and 1 microg/ml, both methods can detect MNNG-induced damage in human amnion FL cells. However, at 0.1 microg/ml, comet assay revealed more percentage of cells with DNA damage than gammaH2AX fluorescence revealed. On the other hand, while gammaH2AX foci were readily formed at very early times by 10 microg/ml MNNG treatment, neutral comet assay did not detect any significant DNA damage at the same time points. In addition, 10 microg/ml MNNG induced a distinct whole nuclei staining pattern of gammaH2AX, a type of DNA damage which was not detected by neutral comet assay but could be detected by alkaline comet assay. Therefore, gammaH2AX may be used as a sensitive indicator for DNA damage.     

CT-guided stereotactic injection of radionuclide in treatment of brain tumors.

140 patients with brain tumor were treated by CT-guided stereotactic injections of radionuclides, such as Aurum-198 (198 Au), Phosphorus-32 (32 P) and Yttrium-90 (90Y). Of these patients aged from 3 to 67 years (average 37), 64 were male and 76 female. Astrocytoma was found in 75 patients, craniopharyngioma in 46, metastatic carcinoma in 7, meningioma in 5, germinoma in 4 and pituitary adenoma in 3. The tumors were located in the deep part or functionally critical area of the brain. After 267 times of injection of colloidal isotopes, no major adverse effects or complications occurred. Follow-up for 6 to 48 months showed improvement in symptoms in 104 (74.3%) patients and CT scanning showed the diminished tumors.

     

Osteopontin affects the persistence of beta-glucan-induced hepatic granuloma formation and tissue injury through two distinct mechanisms

Osteopontin (OPN) plays a pivotal role in various immune responses and inflammatory diseases. OPN is expressed in various granulomatous diseases; however, the cellular and molecular role of OPN in these diseases is not well known. We analyzed the role of OPN in a beta-glucan-induced hepatic granuloma model. First, we found that neither OPN deficiency nor overexpression of OPN affected the number and the size of hepatic granulomas at day 7, indicating that OPN is not involved in the formation of hepatic granulomas at the early stages. Importantly, OPN did not influence the liver tissue damage as defined by alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels at early stages. Second, OPN deficiency resulted in the reduction of IL-12 and IFN-gamma production at early stages. Third, at late stages, OPN deficiency resulted in a decrease in the number and size of hepatic granulomas, and a reduction of liver tissue injury. This was due to the reduction of the cellular recruitment including macrophages, CD4 T cells and dendritic cells into the liver, and the reduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production in the liver. In contrast, overexpression of OPN resulted in the persistence of granuloma formation. These data suggest that OPN affects the persistence of hepatic granuloma formation. Our results indicate that OPN up-regulates the production of IL-12 and IFN-gamma within the granulomas at early stages, and OPN has an additional role in the regulation of cellular recruitment and TNF-alpha production at late stages that determine the severity of liver tissue injury.     

医源性血管损伤的预防和术中处理

目的：总结手术中发生医源性血管损伤的处理经验。方法：10例在外科手术中损伤血管的患者,其中门静脉,下腔静脉、髂总静脉损伤各2例,股总静脉、颈总动脉、腋静脉、腘动脉损伤各1例。行血管修补术5例,行端-端吻合术1例,自体静脉移植术1例,人工血管移植1例,钳夹止血1例,血管结扎1例。结果：本组痊愈8例;死亡2例,其中下腔静脉损伤止血失败死亡1例,颈总动脉损伤结扎死亡1例。结论：医源性血管损伤重在预防,一旦发生血管损伤,迅速有效地控制出血是手术成功的关键,血管修补或吻合术疗效良好。     

江苏省正常人群破伤风抗体水平监测

用间接血凝法检测了江苏省862名0～39岁正常人的破伤风抗体,结果显示：破伤风抗体阳性率为77．26％,平均抗毒素为0．0543IU／ml,比1985年有极显著提高。不同年龄组中以2～4岁平均抗毒素和保护率最高,3月龄最低,18岁以后随着年龄增长抗体阳性率下降到75％．育龄期妇女抗体阳性率为75．49％,21～30岁生育高峰年龄抗体阳性率仅为69．67％．江苏省南北不同地区人群破伤风免疫水平的差异有极显著的统计学意义,不同性别间差异无显著的统计学意义．     

十二指肠球部溃疡血清胃泌素与幽门螺杆菌相关性研究

对３１ 例Ｄｕ 患者及３１ 例慢性胃炎患者进行ＨＰ 检测及血清胃泌素测定,并对其中２３ 例ＨＰ阳性Ｄｕ 患者抗ＨＰ 治疗后的血清胃泌素及ＨＰ 进行测定。结果显示ＨＰ 检出率Ｄｕ 组为７４ ．１９ ％ （２３／３１） ,较慢性胃炎组４８ ．３９ ％ （１５／３１） 高（ Ｐ＜ ０ ．０５） ;ＤｕＨＰ 阳性组的血清胃泌素较ＤｕＨＰ 阴性组、慢性胃炎ＨＰ 阳性组及慢性胃炎ＨＰ 阴性组明显增高（ Ｐ 均＜ ０ ．０５） ,而ＤｕＨＰ 阴性组的血清胃泌素与慢性胃炎ＨＰ 阳性组及慢性胃炎ＨＰ 阴性组比较差异无显著性（ Ｐ＞ ０ ．０５） ,２３ 例ＤｕＨＰ 阳性者抗ＨＰ 治疗后,ＨＰ转阴者的血清胃泌素较治疗前明显下降（Ｐ＜ ０ ．０５） ,ＨＰ 未转阴者的血清胃泌素前后差异无显著性（ Ｐ＞０．５） 。提示Ｄｕ 血清胃泌素与幽门螺杆菌感染有一定相关性。     

Adhesions from flexor tendon surgery: an animal study comparing surgical techniques

Intraoperative and postoperative hemorrhage has long been considered a cause of tendon adhesion and, thus, scarring and poor surgical results. To prevent such problems bipolar coagulators are commonly used during surgery to help achieve hemostasis. Surgical lasers also have been reported to help limit bleeding and scar formation. Very little is known regarding the relationship between hemorrhage and/or direct tendon tissue effects and tendon adhesions with the use of these modalities. We compared 3 different surgical techniques (meticulous sharp scalpel dissection, scalpel dissection plus bipolar coagulation, and CO(2) laser dissection) and used chicken flexor tendons to biomechanically and histologically assess the amount of adhesion formation after each procedure. Our findings show that bipolar coagulation and CO(2) laser application are both associated with significantly increased adhesion formation in tendon surgery compared with sharp dissection alone and that the meticulous, conventional sharp dissection technique is the best method to control adhesion formation. These conclusions have relevance to clinical tendon surgery.     

盐酸小檗碱片剂与胶囊剂体外溶出度考察

目的 对国内6个不同厂家生产的盐酸小柒碱片及胶囊进行了体外溶出度考察。方法 按《中华人民共和国药典》2000年版^[1]溶出度测定法第2法，测定盐酸小檗碱片及胶囊的溶出度，提取参数(T50、Td、m)，并对参数进行相关性研究。结果 除D厂的片剂的溶出度不符合药典规定外，其余4个厂的片剂及F厂的胶囊在45min时的溶出量均大于70％。结论 表明各厂家的产品溶出参数存在显性差异(P＜0．01)。     

Evaluation of poly(styrene-4-sulfonate) as a preventive agent for conception and sexually transmitted diseases

A commercial preparation of a sodium polystyrene sulfonate (designated as N-PSS; its molecular weight is 500000 daltons) was tested as an inhibitor of sperm function and as a preventive agent for conception and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. The polymer is an irreversible inhibitor of hyaluronidase and acrosin; its IC50 values are 5.7 microg/mL and 0.5 microg/mL, for hyaluronidase and acrosin, respectively. N-PSS is also a stimulus of human sperm acrosomal loss. It produces maximal acrosomal loss at 2.5 microg/mL. Contraception in rabbits is nearly complete when rabbit spermatozoa are pretreated with 0.5 mg/mL of N-PSS before artificial insemination; however, N-PSS does not immobilize spermatozoa at concentrations as high as 50 mg/mL. N-PSS has broad spectrum antiviral and antibacterial activities. Infection by human immunodeficiency virus and herpes simplex virus are inhibited by N-PSS; 3-log reductions are produced by 7 microg/mL and 3 microg/mL, respectively. N-PSS is active against Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. At 1 mg/mL, N-PSS inhibits chlamydial infectivity by more than 90%. N-PSS produces a 3-log reduction in gonococcal growth at 15 microg/mL. In contrast, N-PSS (5 mg/mL) does not affect the growth of Lactobacillus (normal component of the vaginal flora). N-PSS can be classified as a noncytotoxic contraceptive antimicrobial agent. These properties justify bringing a polystyrene sulfonate into clinical trials for its evaluation as a preventive agent for conception and several sexually transmitted diseases.