广西毛南族农村妇女铁营养状况调查

对450名广西环江县毛南族农村育龄妇女进行血清铁蛋白(SF)、红细胞游离原卟啉(FEP)及血红蛋白(Hb)3项铁指标测定.结果发现:铁缺乏症患病率为27.8%(其中ID4.2%,IDE 7.8%,IDA 15.8%).随着孕次或产次的增加,血红蛋白水平逐渐下降,铁缺乏症患病率逐渐增高.有妊娠或分娩史的妇女与未孕或未生育的妇女血红蛋白水平与铁缺乏症患病率比较均有显著性差异(P<0.05).     

内源性睾酮在去势雄兔早期动脉硬化中的作用

目的 研究内源性睾酮对高脂饮食去势雄性家兔早期动脉硬化的影响.方法 将30只雄性新西兰白兔随机分为3组:单纯去势组、生理水平组[去势后肌注十一酸睾酮(TU)]和假手术组,每组各10只.制备不同睾酮水平的高脂雄兔模型,饲养12周后测定血脂及载脂蛋白水平,随后处死动物观察并测量冠状动脉及肾动脉的内膜厚度.结果 单纯去势组血清TC、TG、LDL-C、ApoB、LDL-C/HDL-C、ApoB/ApoA1明显高于假手术组和生理水平组(P＜0.01),冠状动脉早期动脉硬化程度重于假手术组和生理水平组(P＜0.05),而肾动脉内膜厚度与假手术组和生理水平组比较无显著性差异(P》0.05).结论 内源性睾酮水平的降低对高脂饮食雄兔冠状动脉早期动脉硬化有促进作用.     

对SARS抗体动态水平的系统观察

目的应用化学发光光度分析法对SARS抗体(SARS-Ab)动态水平进行观察.方法对432例SARS病人在恢复期的不同阶段进行检测.结果显示SARS病人的抗体检出率为94.0%(404/432).病人SARS-Ab在2,3,4周和2个月时,抗体检出平均光子数值为3.79,7.71,12.31和24.17;3～8个月SARS-Ab下降率分别为92.9%,83.3%,40.0%,26.7%,13.3%和7.0%.结论病人在患病初期,SARS-Ab呈上升趋势,3个月后逐渐下降,并能动态观察不同年龄组SARS-Ab的明显差异.     

A retrospective analysis of the stability and relapse of soft and hard tissue change after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for mandibular setback of 64 Taiwanese patients.

PURPOSE: This study was an analysis of the soft and hard tissue changes of the facial profile after bilateral sagittal splitting osteotomy for mandibular setback of Taiwanese patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected pre- and postsurgical lateral cephalographs of 64 patients (28 males, 36 females) with skeletal Class III malocclusion who received combined orthodontic-surgical treatment with bilateral sagittal splitting osteotomy mandibular setback at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 1994 and 2000. Nineteen cephalometric parameters of (14 linear, 4 angular, and the BS index) soft and hard tissues were measured at 1 week before treatment, and 2 months and 1 year after surgery, and analyzed by paired t test. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 20.0 +/- 1.6 years. The patients underwent an average of 7 mm mandibular setback at the osseous pogonion (Pog). Average setbacks at Pog and soft tissue pogonion (pog) were 5.54 mm and 4.85 mm, respectively, at 1 year after surgery. The setback ratio of Pog/pog was 1:0.88. The hard tissue relapse at Pog was 21% at 1 year after surgery. Improvement in prognathic profile was demonstrated by significant changes in the positions of Pog and pog, ANB angle, the distance from lower lip to esthetic line (E-L lip), and the BS index after surgery. However, compared with parameters obtained from a normal Taiwanese population, the cephalometric data of Pog, pog, and BS index still indicated mild prognathism. CONCLUSION: Although mandibular prognathism could be grossly improved by bilateral sagittal splitting osteotomy mandibular setback, a significant amount of relapse occurred within 1 year after surgery. The extent of the postoperatively preserved features showing mandibular prognathism should be a concern for both patients and physicians.     

EVALUATION OF INDOCYANINE GREEN RETENTION AND AMINOPYRINE BREATH TESTS IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT BILIARY OBSTRUCTION

Impaired hepatic function is a major contributory factor to the high incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. Dynamic hepatic function tests such as indocyanine green (ICG) retention and aminopyrine breath tests were evaluated in such patients to define whether they were clinically useful for prediction of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Forty-four patients with malignant biliary obstruction undergoing surgery for relief of obstructive jaundice were recruited into the study. Indocyanine green retention and aminopyrine breath tests were carried out in all patients pre-operatively and repeated in 36 patients postoperatively. The ICG retention was abnormal in all patients before surgery and there was significant improvement 2 weeks after surgery (32.8 ± 2.5%vs 18.3 ± 2.8%, P= 0.001). The change in ICG retention levels correlated with the serum bilirubin levels but the pre-operative ICG retention value could not predict postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aminopyrine breath test was abnormal in all but one patient. It correlated with pre-operative prothrombin time of the patients before surgery but it did not improve significantly after surgery and was not predictive of postoperative outcome. It is concluded that both ICG retention and aminopyrine breath tests have limited clinical value in the pre-operative evaluation of patients with malignant biliary obstruction.     

Benzo(a)pyrene inhibits epidermal growth factor binding and receptor autophosphorylation in human placental cell cultures

Studies investigated the effects of benzo(a)pyrene (BP) treatment on epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor binding and kinase activity in human placental cell cultures. Specific binding of 125I-EGF to cells from early gestation placentae was significantly decreased by 37 and 60% following exposure to 1 and 10 microM BP, respectively, for 24 hr. In contrast, cells cultured from term placentae showed no inhibitory effect of either concentration of BP. Specific binding of 125I-labeled insulin and insulin-like growth factors-I and -II to early gestation cells was decreased only 15-18% at 10 microM BP, which indicates that loss of membrane receptors appears to be selective for EGF. Scatchard analysis of early gestation cells revealed that BP was associated with a dose-dependent loss in the number of high affinity EGF binding sites. Evidence from cross-linking and autophosphorylation experiments confirmed that the Mr 170,000 binding protein was decreased in a dose-dependent manner following BP treatment. In comparison, term placental cells exhibit a 26% loss of EGF receptor autophosphorylation without alteration in binding following exposure to 10 microM BP. Thus, early gestation cells exhibit a BP-related down-regulation of EGF receptors, whereas term placental cells show receptor desensitization. No adverse effect of BP treatment was observed on the incorporation of [35S] methionine into proteins secreted by early gestation cells. Further experiments compared the effects of BP with the related poly-cyclic compounds beta-naphthoflavone, alpha-naphthoflavone, and 3-methylcholanthrene. In early gestation cells, EGF binding and receptor autophosphorylation were measurably decreased at 10 microM concentrations of these polycyclic compounds, but to a lesser extent than observed with BP. In term placental cells, however, EGF binding was unchanged or increased, whereas receptor autophosphorylation was decreased 10-26%. Thus, exposure of term placental cells to these polycyclic compounds leads to a dissociation between EGF binding and receptor protein kinase activity. Finally, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity was induced 20- to 200-fold in early placental cells exposed to BP, beta-naphthoflavone, and 3-methylcholanthrene. In summary, the direct effects of BP and related compounds observed on placental EGF receptors may indicate altered function of EGF in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation in the human placenta.     

Identifying potential indicators of the quality of end-of-life cancer care from administrative data.

PURPOSE: To explore potential indicators of the quality of end-of-life services for cancer patients that could be monitored using existing administrative data. METHODS: Quality indicators were identified and assessed by literature review for proposed indicators, focus groups with cancer patients and family members to assess candidate indicators and generate new ideas, and an expert panel ranking the meaningfulness and importance of each potential indicator using a modified Delphi approach. RESULTS: There were three major concepts of poor quality of end-of-life cancer care that could be examined using currently-available administrative data (such as Medicare claims): institution of new anticancer therapies or continuation of ongoing treatments very near death; a high number of emergency room visits, inpatient hospital admissions, or intensive care unit days near the end of life; and a high proportion of patients never enrolled in hospice, only admitted in the last few days of life, or dying in an acute-care setting. Concepts such as access to psychosocial and other multidisciplinary services and pain and symptom control are important and may eventually be feasible, but they cannot currently be applied in most data systems. Indicators based on limiting the use of treatments with low probability of benefit or indicators based on economic efficiency were not acceptable to patients, family members, or physicians. CONCLUSION: Several promising claims-based quality indicators were identified that, if found to be valid and reliable within data systems, could be useful in identifying health-care systems in need of improving end-of-life services.     

Mechanisms of Panax ginseng in preventing rat pheochromocytoma cells from apoptosis

Aims of the study

Although ginseng root possesses dominant central therapeutic effects and has recently undergone investigations for treating different neuronal diseases, most of its mechanisms are still unknown. Therefore, the neuroprotective mechanisms of ginseng were studied.

Materials and methods

The protection afforded by different methanol extracts of Panax ginseng (PG) was tested in a serum deprivation-induced apoptotic model using neuronal-like pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. An MTT assay, annexin V-FITC staining, and Western blots were, respectively, applied to identify the viability of cells, the apoptotic form of cell death, and the activity of antiapoptotic signaling.

Results

The known antiapoptotic PI3-K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways in this system were ruled out due to failure of LY 294002 and PD 98059 to block the protection by PG. A protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor was found to block the protection by PG and PG-induced CREB phosphorylation, suggesting that the PKA/CREB pathway mediates the protective effect of PG. Downregulation of classical and novel PKCs failed to block the protection by PG, while an atypical PKC inhibitor blocked protection by PG.

Conclusions

PKA and atypical PKC are important for the protection afforded by PG in preventing serum deprivation-induced PC12 cell apoptosis.