巴曲酶灌注联合肝动脉化疗栓塞治疗原发性肝癌的临床初步研究

Objective:The aim of the study was to explore the therapeutic efficacy and safety of batroxobin in patients with primary hepatic carcinoma(PHC)and the advantages of transcatheter arterial perfusion of batroxobin combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE).Methods:Forty patients with PHC were randomized into experimental group(transcatheter arterial perfusion of batroxobin combined with TACE treatment,20 patients)and control group(TACE alone group,20 patients).The patients were followed up and the data were recorded,compared and analyzed.Results:(1)Compared with the control group,the FIB level in the experimental group was significantly decreased at the first month after treatment(P<0.05).(2)The baseline of the tumor was shortened in both groups after the treatment.There was a significant difference between the two groups at different time intervals(P<0.05).(3)After the treatment,there was a significant difference of progression-free survival(PFS)levels between the two groups(t=2.877,P<0.05).(4)The incidence of metastasis were 5.0%(1/20)in both groups at 6 months after treatment,and that after one year was 10.0%(2/20)in the experimental group and 25.0%(5/20)in the control group.However,the difference was not significant(x2=0.693,P>0.05).Conclusion:Batroxobin can rapidly and effectively decrease the FIB level of the PHC cases.Therefore it may be used as an effective and safe adjuvant drug for the treatment of primary hepatic carcinomas.Transcatheter arterial perfusion of batroxobin combined with TACE therapy has advantages in comparison with TACE alone therapy.It could be taken as a new therapeutic regimen in the PHC treatment.     

Ultrasonic pelvimetry. A method for preliminary estimation of the pelvic outlet

Vaginal sound, with transmitter crystals of 2 MHz, is used when measuring the interspinous diameter. The echo from pelvic wall, the effect on the measured spinal diameter by altering the position of the ultrasonic transmitter, and the influence of air or faeces between the ultrasound transmitter and the pelvic wall, have been analysed in a series of model trials on a dummy submerged in water. Thereafter clinical trials were performed on 102 women, pregnant in their 9th month. The results obtained when measuring the interspinous diameter on the ultrasonic tomogram were compared with the results obtained when measuring the same distance on a frontal x-ray picture taken using the orthographic technique according to Borell-Frenstr?m. The method is suitable for selecting those cases with suspect constriction of the pelvic outlet for an x-ray examination by the Borell-Fernstr?m technique.     

Effects of taurine supplementation in parenteral nutrition-associated hepatosteatosis and lidocaine metabolism. A study using isolated rat liver perfusion

The effects of taurine in parenteral nutrition (PN)-related hepatic dysfunction are controversial. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the effects of taurine on hepatic function and on lidocaine metabolism, using two strengths of taurine (15 and 50 mg/dl) that are present in commercially available preparations. Animals (N > or = 4) were randomly assigned to one of the four 7-day treatment groups: chow-fed (CF); dextrose/amino acids (PN); dextrose/amino acids and taurine, 15 mg/dl (T15); dextrose/amino acids and taurine, 50 mg/dl (T50). Between 40-75% of the animals treated with PN developed steatosis. The origin of steatosis was zonal specific and dependent on taurine treatment. All livers in the CF group had a normal cellular architecture. Lidocaine metabolism was found to be impaired in groups PN, T15, and T50. This was indicated by a significant reduction in the intrinsic clearance values: 70%, 76%, and 85% in groups PN, T15, and T50, respectively (p < 0.05). Metabolites-to-drug ratios indicated that N-dealkylation, m-hydroxylation, and aryl methyl hydroxylation were significantly reduced in all treatment groups; the most pronounced effect was observed in the T50 group. These findings suggest that PN infusion results in impaired liver function, and the reduction of drug elimination rate is exacerbated by the addition of taurine.     

Treatment of isolated distal ulnar shaft fractures with below-elbow plaster cast. A prospective study

In a prospective study 52 patients with an isolated fracture of the distal ulna were treated with a below-elbow plaster cast. The histories of 46 patients were reviewed after a mean follow-up of 3.5 years (ranging from 10 months to 7 years). Forty-three fractures united. There were two non-unions. One fracture displaced while in the plaster, so that there was no longer any bone contact between the fragments. The fracture was consequently treated by open reduction and internal fixation. The type of fracture, the initial displacement (all fractures had bone contact) or the initial angulation (maximum 10 deg) was not found to influence the final clinical results. Below-elbow plaster cast appeared to produce satisfactory results in 89% of the patients.     

Fertility results after ovarian transposition for pelvic malignancies treated by external irradiation or brachytherapy

The spontaneous recovery of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons was quantitatively analyzed with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunocytochemistry in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated C57BL/6 young mice. A substantial reduction of striatal dopamine (DA) level was observed until 24 days following MPTP treatment. The TH-immunoreactive (IR) fibers and number of TH-positive cell bodies were also markedly reduced at 3 days after the toxin treatment. Thereafter, TH-IR fiber densities showed to progressively recover through the examining period. The number of TH-positive cell bodies in substantia nigra pars compacta were not changed during the recovery period. These results indicate that MPTP-treated mice have a potential for spontaneous regenerative sprouting in nigrostriatal dopaminergic system.     

Treatment of a phobia by partial self-desensitization: A case study.

Reports the treatment of a disabling case of hemophobia by partial self-desensitization. The client completed the last 9 items of a 16-item fear hierarchy by herself at home. Relaxation was self-induced and she presented the desensitization monologue to herself. At a 1-yr follow-up she functioned as a student nurse on an obstetrics ward with no indication of recurrence of the phobia. The use of subvocal cues in controlling phobic behavior is discussed. The importance of the discrimination process in phobic reactions is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A preliminary study of a test for air traffic controllers.

Atest, employing the analogies format, was constructed from diagrams representing jet aircraft on a radar scope. Ss were air flight controllers; from their verbalized reactions to the test problems, sketches were prepared describing each S's attitudes and methods of handling the potential confrontations indicated. When these sketches were read to 3 members of the training staff of the Oberlin FAA Center, each judge made a perfect score in identifying the Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of television for remote control: A preliminary study.

"Future air weapon and space flight systems… require a wide range of remote control and manipulation activities." An experimental test of the use of television in a remote performance situation was made in which 15 male right-handed air force officers were utilized as Ss. "The task required S to follow a pursuit rotor target with a stylus while viewing the rotor turntable and stylus tip in a 17 in. black and white television monitor screen… . The usefulness of closed circuit television… to provide visual feedback for a remote performance field appears to be seriously limited when the visual field is displaced. This limitation can be partially overcome by repositioning the monitor screen in the operator's visual field in such a manner as to compensate for the camera displacement." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Indian Summer of Life: A preliminary study of septuagenarians.

In 1981, 45 men, then average age 70, all of whom are long-term subjects in the Terman Study of the Gifted (begun in 1921), were interviewed at UCLA, and most were seen biannually to date. From the transcribed interview sessions, exact word counts (and some concordances) were constructed. The present report focuses on changes in vocabulary (1981–1987) of 11 subjects, all of whom are lawyers—based on 51 interview sessions, 241,985 total words, and 11,659 different words. The data are analyzed in terms of Sears's areas of life satisfaction: occupation, family, friends, culture, community service, and joy in living—as well as health. In general, overall vocabulary decreased slightly each year of the septuagenarian decade, with the most telling changes occurring in the categories of health, occupation, and family. The word "death" was eschewed. The septuagenarian decade is seen as an Indian Summer. Being bright and mentally active enhances the septuagenarian years. The data are presented within the context of a heliptical view—rather than the traditional linear view of the human life course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychomotor development in children with triphalangeal thumbs. A preliminary study

A double-blind, randomized, clinical field trial was designed to test the efficacy and tolerance of a specific drug treatment in children in the indeterminate phase of infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. Children were treated with benznidazole at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day for 60 days or placebo and followed-up for 48 months. The treated children showed a significant decrease in geometric mean titers of antibodies against T. cruzi measured by indirect hemagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence, and ELISA. After a four year follow-up, 62% of the benznidazole-treated children and no placebo-treated child were seronegative for T. cruzi when tested by an ELISA using a T. cruzi flagellar calcium-binding protein (F29). Xenodiagnosis carried out after 48 months of follow-up was positive in 4.7% of the benznidazole-treated children and in 51.2% of the placebo-treated children. These results show the tolerance to and efficacy of benznidazole against T. cruzi in seropositive children six to 12 years of age. We used an early serologic marker of cure after treatment, consisting of a recombinant antigen implemented in a rapid, conventional serologic procedure.     

A preliminary study of clinical interventions in custody & access disputes.

Reviewed, retrospectively, 30 custody and access dispute cases (8 assessments, 22 arbitrations, and 10 mediations) and analyzed factors associated with each procedure. The factors examined were based on parents' views of their dispute, as recorded in an initial intake questionnaire completed preintervention. Findings suggest that couples who resolve their dispute through mediation tend to be more child-focused, future-oriented, positive about themselves, and helpful in providing suggestions for dispute resolution than parents involved in an assessment process. (French abstract) (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical application of the forced inspiratory volume-time curve. A preliminary study

The forced inspiratory volume-time curve in 25 health subjects with normal ventilation function and 25 patients with COPD were determined, and MMIF, FIV were calculated from the curves. The PImax was measured in the same 50 subjects by modified Blac method sequentially. A close relationship between MMIF, FIV and PImax was found. This result indicated that MMIF and FIV could be indeed for evaluation of strength of respiratory, muscles. Additional observations of MMIF, FIV and PImax in 50 patients with COPD before and after inotropic drugs, aminophylline and CNB, further proved the validity of MMIF and FIV.     

Flow-microfluorometric analysis of nuclei isolated from various normal and malignant human epithelial tissues. A preliminary report

In order to obviate some of the technical problems associated with preparation of monocellular cell suspensions required for flow fluorometry, isolation of nuclei from several types of benign and malignant human tissues was undertaken. Satisfactory preparations of nuclei were obtained from epithelia of the uterine cervix and colon and from lung tissue using the citric acid method. The sucrose method was effective with colonic epithelium only. Distribution of deoxyribonucleic acid content in these nuclei was measured based on green fluorescence of acridine orange and red fluorescence of propidium iodide in a Bio-Physics Cytofluorograph. Essentially diploid patterns of deoxyribonucleic acid distribution were observed for all benign samples regardless of tissue origin whereas the malignant samples gave histograms suggestive of abnormal deoxyribonucleic acid distribution. Preliminary observations on distribution of single-stranded nucleic acids using acridine orange red fluorescence showed marked differences between populations of benign and malignant nuclei. Isolated nuclei appear to be suitable for flow-through microfluorometric analysis and offer some significant advantages over intact cells.     

Using ecological momentary assessment to measure participation: A preliminary study.

Purpose/Objective: Participation is emerging as the gold standard of outcome measurement in disability and rehabilitation, but there are few methods for measuring it. This article describes the development of a dynamic measure of participation that uses the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as the framework for measure development and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as the data collection methodology. Research Method/Design: Researchers programmed personal data assistants to prompt 5 residents of a rural community to report their location, activity, social contact, environmental barriers and facilitators, secondary conditions, and ratings of community connectedness and fulfillment. Results: Overall, 5 participants reported data on 1,352 engagements over 7 weeks. Participants reported greater community connectedness and fulfillment when they spent time with others, were not home, and were not experiencing barriers or secondary conditions. Conclusions/Implications: EMA measures and methodology are 1 step in answering questions about participation within the ecological framework of disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion with cis-diamminedichloro-platinum. II. An experimental study in dogs with a balloon-occlusion technique for repeated high-dose treatment

Isolated organ perfusion is attractive for regional high-dose chemotherapy because of its advantage to reduce whole body toxicity. Intraoperative hyperthermic isolated perfusion procedures involving a heart-lung machine have been developed, but repeated treatments carry a high risk of vessel and tissue damage. Therefore, a study of isolated hyperthermic limb perfusion in four dogs was conducted using a balloon-occlusion technique including a hyperthermia unit, two low-flow rotary pumps, a bubble oxygenator, and two polyurethane balloon catheters. After 15 min infusion of cisplatinum the concentrations of serum platinum (Pt) in the isolated limb and in the whole body were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Regional exposure to Pt was more than 10-fold higher than systemic exposure. After 60 min isolated limb perfusion, the area under the curve (AUC) of Pt concentrations in the isolated limb showed values between 767.4 and 1055.6 micrograms/l x 60 min, whereas in the whole body values between 59.8 and 75.9 micrograms/l x 60 min were obtained. Repeated isolated limb perfusions with the balloon-occlusion technique were performed in three dogs without systemic side effects. This model of regional chemotherapy may be useful for preoperative chemotherapy in malignant tumors of the limbs.     

Standardization of the Chinese MMPI–A in Hong Kong: A preliminary study.

The Chinese Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescents (MMPI—A) was applied in Hong Kong to a normative sample of 565 male and 664 female students ages 14–18. The Chinese adolescents' MMPI–A T scores based on the U.S. adolescent norms were elevated more than 1 SD on Scale 2. Similar elevations were found on Scale L (Lie) for the female students and on Scale A-lse (Adolescent Low Self-Esteem) for the male students. Moderate elevations were also shown on several scales, although none of the clinical scales exceeded a T score of 65, the clinical cutoff point based on U.S. norms. Whether these elevations were due to cultural differences in item interpretation or higher levels of psychopathology among the Hong Kong students cannot be concluded from the present data. However, previous findings on the Chinese MMPI favors the former explanation. These cultural differences should be taken into consideration in clinical interpretations of elevated scores on the Chinese MMPI—A. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)