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1 The present study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism(s) of hypoglycaemia caused by quinolone antibiotics. We investigated the effects of various quinolone antibiotics on insulin release in rat pancreatic islets. 2 At a non-stimulatory concentration of 3 mM glucose, lomefloxacin (LFLX) or sparfloxacin at 1 mM and pipemidic acid (0.1-1 mM) induced slight insulin release but tosufloxacin or enoxacin up to 100 gtM did not. 3 At the stimulatory concentration of 10 mm glucose, all quinolones augmented insulin release in a dose-dependent manner. LFLX (100 gM) shifted the dose-response curve of glucose-induced insulin release to the left without altering the maximal response.4 At 10 mM glucose, LFLX (100 gM) increased insulin release augmented by forskolin (5 ,M) or 12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (100 nM) but not by raising the K' concentration from 6 to 25 mM.5 Verapamil (50 gM) or diazoxide (50-400 gM) antagonized the insulinotropic effect of LFLX. 6 These data suggest that quinolone antibiotics may cause hypoglycaemia by increasing insulin release via blockade of ATP-sensitive K' channels.

A portable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) -based brain-machine Interface (BMI) system featuring single-channel probe, BMI controller and Infrared-emission apparatus was developed. As a switching technology for external devices, the threshold logic was proposed, which detects the blood volume change in the operator's frontal lobe. Experiments showed that the operator was able to change the TV programs or get forward the toy robot within 16 s (the mean is 11.77 s and the standard deviation is 2.35 s) after the mental calculation. In addition, the menu selection program was proposed for motor disabilities and the preliminary test showed that he could successively select the sentence from several candidates. It was shown that this system would provide the external device's control capabilities for motor disabilities.

This paper provides an in-depth description of the current applications of robotics in clinical laboratories. The trends and impact of the use of robotics in clinical chemistry in the forseeable future are also discussed.

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