用巢式PCR检测育龄妇女人群人细小病毒B19感染的研究

目的调查人类细小病毒B19在武汉地区普通人群,尤其是育龄妇女中的感染状况。方法采集武汉地区2家医院的血液样本1700份,分为两组。以血清中提取的DNA为模板,进行巢式PCR扩增。结果第Ⅰ组（普通组,包括男性和女性）阳性检测率为4．50％,第Ⅱ组（妇女组）阳性检测率为8．33％。结论武汉地区育龄妇女的B19感染率高于普通人群,很有必要对孕妇进行诊断从而预防新生儿感染B19病毒。另外,由于巢式PCR具有灵敏、特异、简便等优点,适合于用来检测血液样本中的人细小病毒B19。     

Are Research Schools Necessary? Contrasting Models of 20th Century Research at Yale Led by Ross Granville Harrison, Grace E. Pickford and G. Evelyn Hutchinson

This paper compares and contrasts three groups that conducted biological research at Yale University during overlapping periods between 1910 and 1970. Yale University proved important as a site for this research. The leaders of these groups were Ross Granville Harrison, Grace E. Pickford, and G. Evelyn Hutchinson, and their members included both graduate students and more experienced scientists. All produced innovative research, including the opening of new subfields in embryology, endocrinology and ecology respectively, over a long period of time. Harrison's is shown to have been a classic research school; Pickford's and Hutchinson's were not. Pickford's group was successful in spite of her lack of department or institutional position or power. Hutchinson and his graduate and post-graduate students were extremely productive but in diverse areas of ecology. His group did not have one focused area of research or use one set of research tools. The paper concludes that new models for research groups are needed, especially for those, like Hutchinson's, that included much field research.     

'Arimidex' (anastrozole) versus tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer--efficacy overview

ATAC, a randomized, double-blind trial, compared tamoxifen (20 mg) with anastrozole (‘Arimidex’) (1 mg) alone, and the combination of anastrozole plus tamoxifen (combination), as adjuvant endocrine treatment for postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer. Patients with operable invasive breast cancer following completion of primary therapy, who were candidates to receive adjuvant endocrine therapy, were eligible for this study. Primary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and tolerability. Other endpoints included time to recurrence (TTR: censoring non-breast cancer deaths before recurrence) and the incidence of contralateral breast cancer. A total of 9366 patients were included in this study (N=3125, 3116 and 3125 for anastrozole, tamoxifen and the combination, respectively). Median duration of therapy was 30.7 months and median follow-up was 33.3 months. The total numbers of events were 317, 379 and 383 for anastrozole, tamoxifen and the combination, respectively. DFS was significantly improved in the overall population for anastrozole versus tamoxifen (hazard ratio (HR)=0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.71–0.96), P=0.013). Anastrozole showed improved TTR compared with tamoxifen (HR=0.79, CI (0.67–0.94), P=0.008), which improved even further in the ER+ and/or PR+ subgroup (HR=0.73, CI (0.59–0.90), P=0.003). The incidences of hot flushes, thromboembolic events, ischaemic cerebrovascular events, vaginal bleeding/discharge and endometrial cancer were significantly reduced with anastrozole compared with tamoxifen (P<0.03 for all). Musculoskeletal disorders and fractures were significantly reduced in patients receiving tamoxifen compared with those on anastrozole (P<0.03 for both). No increase in hip fractures was seen for anastrozole versus tamoxifen (11 versus 13, respectively). Combination treatment was equivalent to tamoxifen in terms of both efficacy and tolerability. Anastrozole showed superior efficacy to tamoxifen for DFS, TTR and contralateral breast cancer. Early findings show anastrozole to be an effective and well-tolerated endocrine option for the treatment of postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer. For the first time a choice now exists for adjuvant endocrine treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone responsive tumours. Longer follow-up will further define the benefit/risk of anastrozole adjuvant therapy.     

Zinc and copper concentrations in serum from Spanish women during pregnancy

A cross-sectional study of serum zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) levels in 31 healthy pregnant women and 51 healthy, nonpregnant controls living in the Mediterranean area of Granada, Spain, was performed. The subjects were divided into two groups: Group A, consisted of pregnant women in three categories according to the trimester of pregnancy, and Group B consisted of nonpregnant women acting as controls. In pregnant women, serum Zn levels were found from 0.300-1.340 mg/L and serum Cu from 0.936-2.304 mg/L, whereas in the nonpregnant women group, the mean serum levels were 0.947 ±0.265 mg/L for Zn and 1.092 ±0.365 mg/L for Cu. Serum Zn progressively decreased with gestation. Mean Zn levels were 0.829 ±0.253, 0.846 ±0.329, and 0.620 ±0.142 mg/L, corresponding to the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, respectively. Serum Zn concentrations were significantly lower in pregnant women as compared to controls: 0.712 ±0.236 mg/L vs 0.947 ±0.265 mg/L, respectively (p < 0.05). In contrast, Cu levels increased with period of gestation from 1.053 ±0.498 mg/L in the first trimester to 1.616 ±0.304 mg/L in the second and 1.689 ±0.344 mg/L in the third. Serum Cu levels in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those determined during the first trimester and for nonpregnant controls. Both Zn and Cu during pregnancy did not appear to be dependent on the subject’s age (p > 0.05).     

Land,livestock, and livelihoods: Changing dynamics of gender,caste, and ethnicity in a Nepalese Village

Over the past 10 years, Ghusel VDC, Lalitpur District has moved from primarily subsistence agriculture into the wider cash economy aided by the Small Farmers' Development Program (SFDP), which provides credit to farmers mainly for the purchase of buffalo for milk production, and by the National Dairy Corporation, which supports local dairy cooperatives. Analysis reveals that buffalo-keeping and milk sales are increasing the well-being of many households, while at the same time creating new inequalities in gender roles and responsibilities, greater inequities between Brahmin and Tamang residents in Ghusel, and placing pressures on the ecosystem for increased supplies of fodder and fuelwood. Evidence suggests that there is critical, need for attention to the social, and particularly gender-based, implications of maintaining livestock for milk sales and to the ecological underpinnings of this livelihood system.     

Prevalence and Exoenzyme Secretion by Candida Albicans Isolates from Oral and Vaginal Mucosas of HIV-Infected Women

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the prevalence and the aetiology of forms of mucosal fungal infections of HIV-negative and HIV-positive women. Candida albicans was the predominate specie isolated from both groups of patients, with remarkable proportion of isolation from symptomatic women. All 239 C. albicans isolates, regardless of their source, showed activity of proteinase and phospholipase. It was verified that isolates with particularly higher levels of exoenzymes production were significantly more common in HIV-positive patients. However, isolates obtained from the HIV-positive patients in use of HAART, with protease inhibitor, presented lower levels of these exoenzymes, similar to the levels observed in the isolates from HIV-negative patients.     

Menstrual cycle-related changes in plasma oxytocin are relevant to normal sexual function in healthy women

Circulating levels of the neuro-hypophysial nonapeptide oxytocin increase during sexual arousal and orgasm in both men and women. A few studies have evaluated the effect of the menstrual cycle on plasma oxytocin in normally cycling, sexually active, healthy fertile women using or not using contraceptive pills. In 20 ovulating women and 10 women taking an oral contraceptive (group 1 and group 2, respectively), sexual function, hormonal profile, and plasma oxytocin (OT) were evaluated throughout the menstrual cycle. In group 1, plasma OT was significantly lower during the luteal phase in comparison with both the follicular and ovulatory phases. Plasma oxytocin was significantly correlated with the lubrication domain of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) during the luteal phase and showed a trend towards statistical significance during the follicular phase. In group 2, plasma OT did not show any significant fluctuation throughout the menstrual cycle, even though a significant correlation was evident with both the arousal and the lubrication domain of the FSFI during the assumption of the contraceptive pill. These findings suggest that plasma OT fluctuates throughout the menstrual cycle in normally cycling healthy fertile women with adequate sexual activity but not taking any oral contraceptive pill. Moreover, plasma OT levels significantly relates to the genital lubrication in both women taking and not taking oral contraceptive pill apparently confirming its role in peripheral activation of sexual function.     

The vascular protective role of oestradiol: a focus on postmenopausal oestradiol deficiency and aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage

The steroid hormone, oestradiol, has pleiotropic functions. The protective effects of oestradiol are attributed to its anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, anti‐atherogenic, anti‐apoptotic, vasodilatory activities and regulation of micro RNA. Oestradiol upregulates endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene expression and increases the production of nitric oxide, an important vasodilator. It suppresses the renin–angiotensin system and monitors haemodynamic stress. The hormone maintains the integrity of blood vessels by reducing oxidative stress while upregulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes and prevents vascular inflammation by regulating pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines. Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) occurring as a consequence of the rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is a devastating cerebrovascular event, representing 5–7% of all strokes. Postmenopausal women are more susceptible to aSAH compared to men in the same age group. This gender disparity has been attributed to reduced levels of the vascular protective hormone oestradiol following menopause. This review is focused on the protective role of oestradiol on vasculature and how the drop in oestradiol levels after menopause dramatically increases the incidence of aSAH in women. During menopause, oestradiol deficiency may affect vascular integrity causing dysregulation of vascular homeostasis by affecting the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) and inflammatory and apoptotic cascades, resulting in the weakening of the cerebral arterial wall and potentially to development of an aneurysm and its rupture. In view of the role of oestradiol in maintaining vascular integrity, treatments involving hormone replacement could be a promising approach in postmenopausal women who are at risk of developing or rupturing an intracranial aneurysm.     

Assessment of Global Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Overweight and Obese African‐American Women

Objective : To examine, with the use of national guidelines, coronary heart disease (CHD) risk with increasing BMI for primary prevention in urban African‐American women. Research Methods and Procedures : Participants were recruited for CHD risk factor screening from 20 churches as part of a larger study of nutrition and fitness (Project Joy). All participants had a demographic, smoking and medical history assessment, and the following measurements were taken: weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, lipid levels, and glucose. Three methods of defining risk, the Framingham Point Scoring System, a count of risk factors, and the presence of the multiple metabolic syndrome, based on the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Report and BMI classes established by the Clinical Guidelines, were used. Results : A total of 396 women were eligible. Participants were 40 to 80 years of age and had marked excess prevalence of overweight and obesity (84%); 55% were obese. There was a linear increase in risk factors as BMI increased. Lipids did not differ significantly among BMI classifications. Seventeen percent of women had multiple metabolic syndrome. Eight percent and 16% of women in the normal and overweight BMI classes, respectively, had two or more modifiable risk factors. There was no difference in number of modifiable risk factors among the obese classes. The Framingham Point Scoring System assigned a <10% risk of a hard CHD event in 10 years to 97% of the women. Discussion : National risk assessment guidelines for primary prevention of CHD may not be adequate for overweight and obese urban African‐American women and require further study.     

The effect of muscle power training with elastic band on blood glucose,cytokine, and physical function in elderly women with hyperglycemia

[Purpose]

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of muscle power training with elastic band on body composition, glucose relation factor, and physical function in elderly women with hyperglycemia.

[Methods]

A total of 16 elderly women volunteered to participate in this study as subjects, and they were randomly assigned into one of the following two groups: muscle power training group (MPT: n = 8) and control group (CON: n = 8). The muscle power training group took exercise program using elastic band for 12 weeks, and the other group did not receive any exercise program during the same period. Before and after the experiment, both of the two groups received measurement in body composition (BMI, %Fat, skeletal muscle mass), glucose, cytokine (interleukin 6, adiponectin), and physical function (IPPB, grip strength). With these methods, the following conclusions were achieved.

[Results]

The results showed significant increases in adiponectin (p = 0.006), interleukin 6 (p = 0.018), SPPB (p = 0.024), and grip strength (P=.014). Blood glucose was significantly decreased in exercise group than contruo group.

[Conclusion]

It shows that the muscle power training with elastic band can give positive effects in elderly women with hyperglycemia.