两种方案对断奶仔猴慢性肠炎治疗效果的比较

目的探索断奶仔猴慢性肠炎的较优治疗方案。方法比较了治疗方案Ⅰ（庆大霉素碳酸铋联合淮山米粉＋奶粉＋乳酸菌素片）和治疗方案Ⅱ（庆大霉素碳酸铋联合蒙脱石散）对断奶仔猴慢性肠炎的治疗效果。结果治疗方案Ⅰ的治愈率更高,治愈后不易复发,且费用相对低廉。结论此方案可以在生产中推广应用。     

Comparison of Complex DNA Mixtures with Generic Oligonucleotide Microchips

Abstract

The reproducibility of melting curves for repeated hybridizations of target DNA with generic oligonucleotide microchips is shown experimentally to depend on the character of matching between fragments of target DNA and immobilized oligonucleotides. The reproducibility of melting curves is higher for the perfect match duplexes and decreases as the number of mismatched pairs within duplexes increases. This effect was applied to the comparative analysis of complex DNA mixtures. We developed a scheme in which we can identify and discriminate between the probe oligonucleotides responsible for the distinctions between target DNA mixtures. A scheme is illustrated by comparing DNA mixtures corresponding to VD-J genes connected with populations of mRNAs CDR3 TCR Vb (T-cell receptor beta complementarity determining region 3) from the thymus and pancreas of NOD mice. Our results demonstrate that generic microchips can be applied efficiently to the analysis of DNA mixtures.     

The Cultural Validation of Two Scales to Assess Social Stigma in Leprosy

Background

Stigma plays in an important role in the lives of persons affected by neglected tropical diseases, and assessment of stigma is important to document this. The aim of this study is to test the cross-cultural validity of the Community Stigma Scale (EMIC-CSS) and the Social Distance Scale (SDS) in the field of leprosy in Cirebon District, Indonesia.

Methodology/principle findings

Cultural equivalence was tested by assessing the conceptual, item, semantic, operational and measurement equivalence of these instruments. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to increase our understanding of the concept of stigma in Cirebon District. A process of translation, discussions, trainings and a pilot study followed. A sample of 259 community members was selected through convenience sampling and 67 repeated measures were obtained to assess the psychometric measurement properties. The aspects and items in the SDS and EMIC-CSS seem equally relevant and important in the target culture. The response scales were adapted to ensure that meaning is transferred accurately and no changes to the scale format (e.g. lay out, statements or questions) of both scales were made. A positive correlation was found between the EMIC-CSS and the SDS total scores (r = 0.41). Cronbach''s alphas of 0.83 and 0.87 were found for the EMIC-CSS and SDS. The exploratory factor analysis indicated for both scales an adequate fit as unidimensional scale. A standard error of measurement of 2.38 was found in the EMIC-CSS and of 1.78 in the SDS. The test-retest reliability coefficient was respectively, 0.84 and 0.75. No floor or ceiling effects were found.

Conclusions/significance

According to current international standards, our findings indicate that the EMIC-CSS and the SDS have adequate cultural validity to assess social stigma in leprosy in the Bahasa Indonesia-speaking population of Cirebon District. We believe the scales can be further improved, for instance, by adding, changing and rephrasing certain items. Finally, we provide suggestions for use with other neglected tropical diseases.     

Cross-Sectional Association between Length of Incarceration and Selected Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases in Two Male Prisons of Mexico City

Background

Mexico City prisons are characterized by overcrowded facilities and poor living conditions for housed prisoners. Chronic disease profile is characterized by low prevalence of self reported hypertension (2.5%) and diabetes (1.8%) compared to general population; 9.5% of male inmates were obese. There is limited evidence regarding on the exposure to prison environment over prisoner’s health status; particularly, on cardiovascular disease risk factors. The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between length of incarceration and selected risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs).

Methods and Findings

We performed a cross-sectional analysis using data from two large male prisons in Mexico City (n = 14,086). Using quantile regression models we assessed the relationship between length of incarceration and selected risk factors for NCDs; stratified analysis by age at admission to prison was performed. We found a significant negative trend in BMI and WC across incarceration length quintiles. BP had a significant positive trend with a percentage change increase around 5% mmHg. The greatest increase in systolic blood pressure was observed in the older age at admission group.

Conclusions

This analysis provides insight into the relationship between length of incarceration and four selected risk factors for NCDs; screening for high blood pressure should be guarantee in order to identify at risk individuals and linked to the prison’s health facility. It is important to assess prison environment features to approach potential risk for developing NCDs in this context.     

Dyselectrolytemia in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases with acute exacerbation

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity world wide. Due to lack of awareness about the precipitating factors and predictors of prognosis, cases of acute exacerbation of COPD often suffer the fatal outcomes. In our study we assessed the levels of serum sodium and potassium in subjects with acute episodes of COPD and their healthy controls. We found a significantly low level of serum sodium (133± 6.86 meq/lit) and potassium (3.39 ± 0.96 meq/L)) in subjects with acute exacerbation of COPD than their healthy counterparts [sodium-142 ± 2.28 meq/L and potassium- 4.52 ± 0.02 meq/L (p <0.05)]. Therefore, our study findings suggest that, serum sodium and potassium levels may get deranged in subjects with acute exacerbations of COPD which should be routinely checked for to avoid fatal outcomes.     

A Generic Model to Simulate Air-Borne Diseases as a Function of Crop Architecture

In a context of pesticide use reduction, alternatives to chemical-based crop protection strategies are needed to control diseases. Crop and plant architectures can be viewed as levers to control disease outbreaks by affecting microclimate within the canopy or pathogen transmission between plants. Modeling and simulation is a key approach to help analyze the behaviour of such systems where direct observations are difficult and tedious. Modeling permits the joining of concepts from ecophysiology and epidemiology to define structures and functions generic enough to describe a wide range of epidemiological dynamics. Additionally, this conception should minimize computing time by both limiting the complexity and setting an efficient software implementation. In this paper, our aim was to present a model that suited these constraints so it could first be used as a research and teaching tool to promote discussions about epidemic management in cropping systems. The system was modelled as a combination of individual hosts (population of plants or organs) and infectious agents (pathogens) whose contacts are restricted through a network of connections. The system dynamics were described at an individual scale. Additional attention was given to the identification of generic properties of host-pathogen systems to widen the model''s applicability domain. Two specific pathosystems with contrasted crop architectures were considered: ascochyta blight on pea (homogeneously layered canopy) and potato late blight (lattice of individualized plants). The model behavior was assessed by simulation and sensitivity analysis and these results were discussed against the model ability to discriminate between the defined types of epidemics. Crop traits related to disease avoidance resulting in a low exposure, a slow dispersal or a de-synchronization of plant and pathogen cycles were shown to strongly impact the disease severity at the crop scale.     

Comparison of Different Techniques to Assess Surface and Subsurface Streambed Colmation with Fine Sediments

Methods commonly used to assess physical colmation are mainly based on observations of streambed surface. These methods have been widely used but remain relatively subjective because of the observer effect. Visual estimation, penetrometry, hydraulic conductivity and wooden stake methods were applied to assess colmation conditions on 9 reaches with the objective of comparing them with the direct measurement of fine sediment content in subsurface habitat using the freeze coring method. The results demonstrated that surface estimation efficiency in separating colmation level is relatively poor and cannot indicate the colmation pattern of the subsurface zone and thus could not be a good indicator of internal colmation. Among the different techniques used to estimate subsurface colmation, wooden stakes and penetrometry have presented inconstant results in assessing internal colmation. A high correlation between percentage of fine sediments from freeze coring and hydraulic conductivity (R² = 0.98) was found. Hydraulic conductivity was therefore identified as the most accurate and robust method. Thus, this method could be proposed for large scale and long term colmation monitoring programs. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Method to Assess Seasonality of Urinary Tract Infections Based on Medication Sales and Google Trends

Background

Despite the fact that urinary tract infection (UTI) is a very frequent disease, little is known about its seasonality in the community.

Methods and Findings

To estimate seasonality of UTI using multiple time series constructed with available proxies of UTI. Eight time series based on two databases were used: sales of urinary antibacterial medications reported by a panel of pharmacy stores in France between 2000 and 2012, and search trends on the Google search engine for UTI-related terms between 2004 and 2012 in France, Germany, Italy, the USA, China, Australia and Brazil. Differences between summers and winters were statistically assessed with the Mann-Whitney test. We evaluated seasonality by applying the Harmonics Product Spectrum on Fast Fourier Transform. Seven time series out of eight displayed a significant increase in medication sales or web searches in the summer compared to the winter, ranging from 8% to 20%. The eight time series displayed a periodicity of one year. Annual increases were seen in the summer for UTI drug sales in France and Google searches in France, the USA, Germany, Italy, and China. Increases occurred in the austral summer for Google searches in Brazil and Australia.

Conclusions

An annual seasonality of UTIs was evidenced in seven different countries, with peaks during the summer.     

Comparison of Four Methods to Assess Erosive Substance Loss of Dentin

Erosion of dentin results in a complex multi-layered lesion. Several methods have been used to measure erosive substance loss of dentin, but were found to have only limited agreement, in parts because they assess different structural parameters. The present study compared the agreement of four different methods (transversal microradiography [TMR], Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy [CLSM], Laser Profilometry [LPM] and modified Knoop Hardness measurement [KHM]) to measure erosive substance loss in vitro. Ninety-six dentin specimens were prepared from bovine roots, embedded, ground, polished and covered with nail-varnish except for an experimental window. Erosion was performed for 1 h using citric acid concentrations of 0.00% (control), 0.07%, 0.25% and 1.00% (n = 24/group). Adjacent surfaces served as sound reference. Two examiners independently determined the substance loss. After 1 h erosion with 1% citric acid solution, substance losses (mean±SD) of 12.0±1.3 µm (TMR), 2.9±1.3 µm (LPM), 3.9±1.3 µm (KHM) and 17.0±2.6 µm (CLSM) were detected. ROC curve analysis found all methods to have high accuracy for discriminating different degrees of erosive substance loss (AUC 0.83–1.00). Stepwise discriminatory analysis found TMR and CLSM to have the highest discriminatory power. All methods showed significant relative and proportional bias (p<0.001). The smallest albeit significant disagreement was found between LPM and KHM. No significant inter-rater bias was detected except for KHM. LPM is prone to underestimate erosive loss, possibly due to detection of the organic surface layer. KHM was not found suitable to measure erosive loss in dentin. TMR and CLSM detected the loss of mineralised tissue, showed high reliability, and had the highest discriminatory power. Different methods might be suitable to measure different structural parameters.     

The Ability of Aquatic Macrophytes to Assess Fish Farm Pollution in Two Salmon Rivers

The wastewater from freshwater fish farming is responsible for important water quality modifications in receiving ecosystems. These point source pollution cause local problems for the management of the freshwater environment, especially in salmon rivers. The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between plant communities and environmental factors in two rivers basins on which seven fish farms are located and to assess the relative part of water pollution compared to other environmental factors involved in water plant distribution. The disturbance due to fish farming wastewater increased both richness and diversity of aquatic plant communities and modified the distribution of 11 aquatic macrophytes. Nevertheless, the main factors involved in the aquatic plant distribution in the whole data set were not the location upstream or downstream from one point source pollution but the belonging to one river system and the habitat physical features. Relevant prediction of macrophytic communities is a useful tool for bioindication purposes but several groups of variables that manifest themselves at different spatial levels must be considered.     

慢性缺氧模型与病证相关性的研究进展

长期或反复处于缺氧状态,可以影响机体组织器官的正常供氧,使心血管、呼吸和神经等系统功能紊乱,从而诱导机体多系统损伤,严重危害人体健康.随着现代人生活方式以及饮食结构的改变,生活中有氧运动不足再加上地球污染与破坏逐年加剧,人类不知不觉地处在一个慢性缺氧的环境中.因此,了解并重视慢性缺氧对生理功能的影响造成的危害,从而采取相应的防治措施具有重要的意义.国内外学者根据宏观指征与生理生化指标等微观指征变化的不同,采用不同缺氧周期与缺氧强度制备模拟不同疾病与证候的慢性缺氧模型,对慢性缺氧诱导的生理病理演变过程进行了大量的探索研究.本文综述了近5年来慢性缺氧模型与阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征、肺动脉高压、心血管疾病、神经退行性病变等疾病以及气阴两虚、气滞血瘀等证候相关性的研究进展,为遴选体现与缺氧相关病证临床特点的动物模型,并用以合理评价药物的作用特点提供参考.     

超氧化物歧化酶两种邻苯三酚自氧化测定活力方法的比较

在同一反应条件下,以酵母SOD为原料,对2种邻苯三酚自氧化测定SOD的方法进行了比较,实验结果表明325 nm法测定的酶活力单位与420 nm法测定的酶活力单位的比值约为2.7,考察了不同浓度邻苯三酚对SOD活力的影响。     

“知己健康管理”在慢性疾病患者的应用

目的:探讨"知己健康管理"模式对社区慢性疾病患者中改变不良生活方式后所产生的效果。方法:对社区57例慢性疾病患者进行3个月的强化知己健康管理,采用自身对照方法对其管理前后的生活方式、行为改变、血压及血脂等变化进行比较。结果:管理后患者血压、体重指数、腰围、血糖、血脂等均得到改善(P<0.05)。结论:"知己健康管理"可以强化社区居民对疾病的认识,改变不良的生活方式,有利于疾病的控制及危险因素水平的降低。     

“知己健康管理”在慢性疾病患者的应用

目的：探讨“知己健康管理”模式对社区慢性疾病患者中改变不良生活方式后所产生的效果。方法：对社区57例慢性疾病患者进行3个月的强化知己健康管理,采用自身对照方法对其管理前后的生活方式、行为改变、血压及血脂等变化进行比较。结果：管理后患者血压、体重指数、腰围、血糖、血脂等均得到改善（P〈0．05）。结论：“知己健康管理”可以强化社区居民对疾病的认识,改变不良的生活方式,有利于疾病的控制及危险因素水平的降低。     

Life Satisfaction and Risk of Chronic Diseases in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Germany Study

Objective

The aim of the study was to examine the prospective association between life satisfaction and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer. Previous studies suggested that psychosocial factors may affect the development of chronic diseases but the impact of positive attitudes, in particular life satisfaction, is yet to be determined.

Methods

The analysis included 50,358 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Germany study in Potsdam and Heidelberg. Life satisfaction was assessed in a baseline interview and incident cases of chronic diseases were identified and verified during follow-up. Hazard ratios were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models that were systematically multivariable-adjusted for established risk factors and prevalent diseases.

Results

During an average of 8 years of follow-up 2,293 cases of cancer, 1,840 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus, 440 cases of stroke, and 562 cases of myocardial infarction were observed. Women who were unsatisfied with life at baseline showed in all models a significantly increased risk of cancer (HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.18-1.78) and stroke (HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.05-2.73) as well as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus by trend across categories (p-trend=0.04) compared to women very satisfied with life. In men, a relationship between life satisfaction and stroke was found but did not persist after consideration of lifestyle factors and prevalent diseases. No significant association was observed between life satisfaction and risk of myocardial infarction.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that reduced life satisfaction is related to the development of chronic diseases—particularly in women and partly mediated by established risk factors.     

Cell-mediated Immune Responses in Chronic Liver Diseases

Studies of the cell-mediated response to liver antigens, using the leucocyte migration test, in 163 patients with various liver disorders showed that abnormal responses were almost confined to active chronic hepatitis (53% abnormal), primary biliary cirrhosis (64%), and cryptogenic cirrhosis (29%). The test was also abnormal in five out of seven patients with jaundice due to drug hypersensitivity and in one patient with acute infectious hepatitis at a time when mitochondrial antibodies were present in the serum. More of those with active chronic hepatitis on prednisone or azathioprine had normal tests than of those who were untreated, and in 8 out of 10 examined serially during therapy there was an accompanying improvement in leucocyte migration. Abnormal responses to salivary gland or kidney antigens were also found in nearly half of those with features of Sjögren''s syndrome or renal tubular acidosis as part of a multisystem involvement—this, though occurring in cryptogenic cirrhosis, was found with greater frequency in active chronic hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. These cell-mediated immune responses, perhaps triggered by the initial damage to the liver from viral or other agents, may be responsible both for the perpetuation of the liver disease and, because of common surface antigens, for the damage to other organs.     

Generic Scan Using AFLP Markers as a Means to Assess the Role of Directional Selection in the Divergence of Sympatric Whitefish Ecotypes

DOI:10.1093/molbev/msh153 David Campbell and