[Effects of menopause on depressive and anxiety symptoms in community women in Beijing]

Objective: To determine the effects of menopausal stage, age and other associated risk factors on symptoms of anxiety and depression among women in a community in Beijing. Methods: This study was a community-based prospective cohort. Participants who had transitioned through natural menopause, completed two or more depressive and anxiety symptoms evaluations, aged 35 to 64 years, and did not use hormone therapy were selected from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital aging longitudinal cohort of women in midlife to this analysis. The primary outcome variables were depressive and anxiety symptoms, assessed by hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). The generalized estimation equation was used in the statistical analysis. Results: Followed up from 2006 to 2014, 430 women and 2 533 HADS assessments were retained in the cohort. Depressive symptoms were more common than anxiety symptoms during all menopausal stages. The incidences of depressive and anxiety symptoms were 14.5% (19/191) and 3.1% (4/191) in the premenopausal -3 stage, respectively. The incidence increased in both menopausal transition and postmenopausal stage, with the highest incidence in the +1c stage [20.6% (155/751) and 8.8% (66/751), respectively]. However, these differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Depressive symptoms were highest in the ≥60-<65 age group [20.8% (74/355)], and anxiety symptoms were highest in the ≥50-<55 age group [8.2% (62/754)]; but there were no statistical significances between different age groups and depressive and anxiety symptoms (all P>0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that high body mass index, low education status, and poor health status were independently associated with depressive symptoms (all P<0.05), and that poor health status, trouble falling asleep, and early awakening were independently associated with anxiety symptoms (all P<0.01). Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are more common during menopausal transition and postmenopausal stage compared with reproductive stage. Depressive symptoms are more common than anxiety symptoms. To screen and assess depressive and anxiety symptoms in perimenopausal women is essential, especially for women with high risk factors.

A 5-year retrospective study of melioidosis cases treated in a district specialist hospital

INTRODUCTION

Melioidosis is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a gram-negative aerobic bacillus, found in the soil and surface water. Treating melioidosis has been a challenge in district hospitals due to high usage of broad spectrum antibiotics and prolonged hospitalisation. This study is to review the patients' demography, clinical presentations and microbiological data.

METHODS

A 5-year retrospective study was carried out on patients admitted with culture positive for melioidosis from year 2013 to 2017 in Hospital Teluk Intan, Perak.

RESULTS

There were a total of 46 confirmed cases of melioidosis. Majority of the patients were working in the agricultural and farming (28.6%), and factories (25.7%). Thirty-one patients had diabetes mellitus (71.1%). Presentations of patients with melioidosis included pneumonia (54.3%), skin and soft tissue infection (19.6%), deep abscesses (15.2%) and bone and joint infections (13%). An average of 5.8 days was needed to confirm the diagnosis of melioidosis via positive culture. However, only 39.4% of these patients were started on ceftazidime or carbapenem as the empirical therapy. The intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate for melioidosis was 46% and the mortality rate was 52%. Our microbial cultures showed good sensitivity towards cotrimoxazole (97.1%), ceftazidime (100%) and carbapenem (100%).

CONCLUSION

Melioidosis carries high mortality rate, especially with lung involvement and bacteremia. Physicians should have high clinical suspicion for melioidosis cases to give appropriate antimelioidosis therapy early.

Multiple bilateral renal abscesses in a previously healthy young patient

The incidence of renal abscesses is not common. Patients usually have risk factors like diabetes mellitus or an underlying condition which predisposes to urinary tract infections. We report a case of a previously healthy young girl with multiple bilateral renal abscesses. Ultrasonography revealed multiple renal abscesses with a possible differential diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease with infected cysts. No renal calculi were seen. CT-scan of kidneys confirmed the diagnosis. Blood and urine cultures were repeatedly negative. She was treated with two weeks of intravenous antibiotics followed by another four weeks of oral Ciprofloxacin. No surgical intervention was carried out. Repeated ultrasound at six months showed complete resolution of all the renal abscesses.

Sputum induction to improve the diagnostic yield in patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the utility of sputum induction in the large-scale tuberculosis control program.

METHODS

Prospective study on sputum induction for improving the diagnostic yield of pulmonary tuberculosis, and estimation of the direct costs for sputum induction.

RESULTS

Of 1,648 tuberculosis suspects with poor or absent sputum production, induced sputum was smear-positive in 558 patients (353 previously smear-negative, 97 inadequate sputum and 108 unproductive). The direct cost per induced sputum was US $0.37.

CONCLUSION

Sputum induction is an effective, low-cost, and simple technique for improving the smear-positive case detection rate in a tuberculosis control program.

Construction of a cell-based high-flux assay for the rev protein of HIV-1

The Rev of HIV-1 is essential for the replication of the viruses and is therefore a very attractive target for the development of antiviral drugs. To establish a cell-based high-flux assay system for random screening of Rev inhibitors, cells carrying both the Rev-expressing gene and a Rev-inducible SeAP gene were generated by permanent transfection. SeAP produced by these cells was 5-10-fold higher than that synthesized by cells not carrying the Rev gene. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the increase in SeAP was due mainly to an increase in SeAP transcripts, indicating the effect of Rev proteins synthesized by the transfected cells. The assay system reported in this study should be useful for screening novel Rev inhibitors.

[Relationship between inhibitory action of tanshinone on neutrophil function and its prophylactic effects on myocardial infarction]

In isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rabbits, the circulating neutrophils (neu) were in an activated state. tanshinone (tan, ig) suppressed the neu functions (acid-phosphatase release, adhesiveness, and phagocytosis) dose-dependently and reduced myocardial necrosis concomitantly. There was a positive correlation between neu functions and myocardial necrosis. In addition, tan caused an obvious decrease in content of lipoperoxide malondialdehyde in serum and myocardium, an increase in superoxide dismutase activity, an inhibition of leukocytic infiltration, and a production of prostaglandin E2 in myocardium. These effects were also related closely to the suppression of neu functions. Anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone was used as control and had similar effects on Neu functions and myocardial infarction. It is suggested that the prophylactic effects of tan on myocardial infarction may result from the inhibition of circulating neu functions.

[Effects of tetrandrine on vascular permeability and neutrophil function in acute inflammation]

The effects of tetrandrine (Tet) on vascular permeability and neutrophil (Neu) functions in carrageenin induced subcutaneous air pouch inflammation in rats were studied. It was found that the vascular permeability, Neu emigration, beta-glucuronidase (beta-G) release and superoxide anion (O2-) generation were increased in the carrageenin induced inflammation. The vascular permeability, Neu emigration, beta-G release and O2- generation were suppressed by Tet ip (20, 40, 100 mg/kg), but the intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the cAMP level in Neu were increased by the same dose of Tet. The results indicate that Tet inhibits prostaglandin synthesis and scavenges free radicals. The mechanism of the inhibitory effects of Tet on Neu functions may be related to the increases in SOD activity and cAMP levels in Neu.

Role of the general dentist in maxillofacial prosthetics

Care of oral cancer patients requires the opinions and coordinated efforts of various consultants or therapists functioning as a multidisciplinary team to treat individual patients' physical, social, and economic problems. The modern medical concept of total treatment of the patient must include dentistry. Every dentist with interest and training in the basic principles of maxillofacial prosthetics can offer invaluable assistance in the treatment of maxillofacial patients.

Polyurethane elastomer as a possible resilient material for denture protheses: a microbiological evaluation

A polyurethane elastomer was microbiologically evaluated in vitro for its potential use in resilient denture liners. Specimens were immersed in suspensions of ten selected oral microorganisms; this was followed by viable cell counts at intervals during a 16-week period. Results indicated that the polyurethane neither supported the growth of the organisms nor was it degraded.