传统中药现代化--中药健康食品的开发

传统中药是现代生活健康的宝库,其功效在保健及慢性疾病的治疗方面尤其显著,并已备受世界重视.要成功将中药引进世界市场,最基本要求是要从科学方法去证明其效用及安全性;更重要是依从传统中医学对复方应用的要求去作研究.本文陈述了我们对传统中药古方"生脉散"研究及开发抗氧化健康食品的经验.透过现代生化及药理技术,我们发现"生脉散"中的五味子含丰富的抗氧化活性成分,为传统中医学利用"生脉散"治疗心脏病提供了理论依据.     

The integration of the corneal and limbal fibrils in the human eye

The precise orientation of the collagen fibrils in human cornea and sclera and the method by which these two areas fuse together at the limbus have never been determined, despite the importance of this information. From a consideration of the mechanics of the system, fibril orientation in the tissue has the potential to affect the curvature of the cornea so, by inference, refractive problems such as astigmatism involving an incorrect curvature of the cornea may be related to fibril orientation. The high intensity and small beam size of a synchrotron x-ray source has enabled us to study fibril orientation in post-mortem human cornea and sclera. Previously we have revealed two preferred directions of orientation in the cornea (Meek, K. M., T. Blamires, G. F. Elliot, T. Y. Gyi, and C. J. Nave. 1987. Curr. Eye Res. 6:841-846) and a circumcorneal annulus in the limbus (Newton, R. H., and K. M. Meek. 1998. Invest. Ophthalmol. & Visual Sci. 39: 1125-1134). Here we present the results of our investigation into the relationship between these two features. Our measurements indicate that the corneal fibrils oriented in the two preferred directions bend at the limbus to run circumferentially. On the basis of these results we propose a model as to how the human cornea and sclera fuse together.     

The appropriateness of use of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in New York State

Between 1974 and 1989 we prospectively observed 530 patients with brucellosis. The findings for 62 patients (42 males and 20 females; mean age, 34.7 years) with 63 episodes in which the sacroiliac joint was involved (the most frequent osteoarticular location [11.7%]) were analyzed. Ten of the older patients (mean age, 55.3 years) had concomitant spondylitis. Systemic symptoms were usually important, and characteristic pain and findings of sacroiliitis were observed in approximately 75% of cases. Blood cultures were positive for Brucella melitensis for 44 patients. The most frequent radiographic findings were blurring of articular margins (42 cases) and widening of the sacroiliac space (20 cases). No radiographic anomalies were detected in 13 cases. Results of 99mTc and gallium-67 bone scans were abnormal in approximately 90% of cases (abnormalities were often mild). Overall, clinical, radiographic, and isotopic bone scan findings were sensitive and useful, although they were occasionally minimal or difficult to evaluate, making diagnostic findings confusing or misleading. Brucellar sacroiliitis is a mild disease associated with a good outcome similar to that observed for patients with uncomplicated brucellosis.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology of papillary neoplasms

This article covers the fine needle aspiration biopsy cytomorphology of papillary carcinomas of different organs, differential diagnoses, and clinical correlation. Diagnostic problems and helpful cytologic features are emphasized. The purpose is to have a concise source of information that helps the pathologist to evaluate these neoplasms.     

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is a disease characterized by the growth of wart-like neoplasms anywhere along the aerodigestive tract. The etiologic agent is the human papillomavirus, of which 90 subtypes have been described. The age distribution of those affected appears to be a bimodal curve, with the first peak around 5 years of age and the second occurring in adults in the third decade of life. The mainstay of treatment is surgical resection to maintain an adequate airway; patients often require multiple surgeries. The epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, and treatment options are discussed. Current evidence regarding prognosis and the multifactorial nature of pathogenesis are also reviewed.     

Motor function of the proximal stomach and visceral perception in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Oxytocin (OT) is present in the mammalian testis and has been shown to play a role in the modulation of seminiferous tubule contractility and steroidogenesis. However, stage-specific effects of the peptide have not been previously investigated. In this study, computer-assisted analysis and time-lapse videomicrography were used to investigate basal contractility and the response to OT of seminiferous tubules at specific stages of the spermatogenic cycle. Adult rat testes were placed in fresh oxygenated DMEM F12 medium, decapsulated, and the tubules gently teased apart. Stages were identified by transillumination and a 10 mm section of tubule at each of stages IV-V, VII-VIII and XIII-I was placed in a microslide chamber and perifused with medium. After a control period of 3 h, OT (2 nM) was given for 1 h, followed by another control period of 1 h. The experiment was repeated using tubules from different rats and data were analysed to give arbitrary units of tubule contractility. Contractility was observed in all the tubules studied and the contractile activity was shown to vary depending on the stage of the spermatogenic cycle. Mean basal contractility at stages VII-VIII, the time when sperm are shed from the epithelium, was significantly lower than that at stages IV-V and XIII-I. The response of the tubules to OT was also stage-dependent, with the peptide producing the largest increases in contractile activity at stages VII-VIII and having no effect at stages IV-V. We postulate that these stage-specific differences in basal and OT-stimulated contractility may be important in co-ordinating the movement of developing germ cells towards the lumen of the seminiferous epithelium and in the process of spermiation.     

NMR studies of caldesmon-calmodulin interactions

The binding of the calcium-regulatory protein calmodulin (CaM) to caldesmon (CaD) contributes to the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. Two regions of caldesmon have been identified as putative calmodulin-binding domains. We have earlier reported on the binding of one of these domains to calmodulin (Zhang & Vogel (1994) Biochemistry 33, 1163-1171). Here we have studied the binding of CaM to synthetic peptides of CaD which contain: (1) both the first and second CaM-binding domains; (2) the second CaM-binding domain; and (3) the sequence between the first and second CaM-binding domains. Two-dimensional transferred nuclear Overhauser enhancement proton NMR measurements as well as circular dichroism studies of a 22-residue peptide NKETAGLKVGVSSRINEWLTK, which contains the second CaM-binding domain, show that only the C-terminal half of the peptide becomes alpha-helical upon binding to CaM. Somewhat surprisingly, the shorter 9-residue peptide SRINEWLTK was sufficient to form a 1:1 complex with CaM; this peptide appears to bind as a 3(10)-helix. Proton-carbon-13 correlation NMR titration studies with specifically labeled [methyl-13C]methionine CaM were used to study the participation of the hydrophobic regions in both domains of the dumbbell shaped CaM in peptide binding. Binding of a 54-residue CaD peptide containing both CaM-binding domains affects all the 8 Met residues in the two hydrophobic domains of CaM (only Met 76 in the linker region of CaM is not involved), while binding of the second CaM-binding domain of CaD influences principally Met 51, 71, and Met 124, 144. Simultaneous binding to CaM of two peptides comprising the first and the second CaM-binding domains also caused changes to all Met residues except Met 76. Taken together, these data demonstrate that both CaM-binding domains of CaD can bind simultaneously to the two hydrophobic regions of CaM.     

Predicting the development of late-life late-onset drinking problems: a 7-year prospective study

There has been little empirical study of risk factors for the development of late-life late-onset drinking problems. In the current prospective study, we compare two groups of older adults who, at a baseline assessment, were nonproblem drinkers: individuals who developed drinking problems over the course of the next 7 years (n = 77) and those who did not (n = 197). Late-onset problem drinkers reported mild to moderate drinking problems and spontaneous remission rates were high. Compared with stable nonproblem drinkers, late-onset problem drinkers at baseline were more likely to report incipient problems, heavier alcohol consumption, greater friend approval of drinking, more reliance on avoidance coping strategies, were more likely to smoke, and were less likely to have acute medical conditions that could potentially be complicated by alcohol consumption. Contrary to expectation, life stressors did not predict drinking problem onset. However, compared with stable nonproblem drinkers, late-onset problem drinkers were more likely to have a history of responding to stressors and negative affect with increased alcohol consumption.