Effects of acute administration of d-amphetamine and haloperidol on procedural learning in man

The effects of an indirect dopamine-agonist, d-amphetamine, and a non-selective dopamine receptor antagonist, haloperidol, were investigated in normal male volunteers using a between-subjects double-blind design in a procedural learning task, thought mainly to involve unconscious/automatic learning. The results showed: (1) d-amphetamine facilitated response speed, whereas haloperidol inhibited it, in comparison to placebo; (2) the linear increase in procedural learning corresponded with pharmacological manipulation of degree of dopaminergic activity, i.e. subjects given haloperidol showed the least, and subjects given d-amphetamine the greatest, procedural learning. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to investigation of abnormalities of procedural learning processes in schizophrenia. Received: 28 June 1996/Final version: 2 October 1996     

A comparison of conventional and fast spin-echo sequences for the measurement of lesion load in multiple sclerosis using a semi-automated contour technique

Changes on serial assessments of brain MRI lesion load are used for monitoring therapeutic efficacy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We assessed the accuracy and reliability of conventional spin-echo (CSE) and fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences for measurement of lesion volume using a semiautomated contour technique. Cranial CSE and FSE examinations of 18 patients with secondary progressive MS were studied. The mean lesion load was slightly higher with the CSE sequence (p = 0.002). Intraobserver variability was significantly higher for FSE than for CSE, according to both the coefficient of variation between two measurements (mean 2.48 % and 1.35 % respectively, p < 0.05) and back-transformed 95 % limits of agreement (1.005–1.060 for FSE; 0.988–1.019 for CSE). Although FSE sequences are quicker and the total lesion volume measurements are similar to those obtained with CSE, the poorer reproducibility raises doubts about the use of FSE to replace CSE in clinical trials. Received: 26 March 1996 Accepted: 4 April 1996     

Value of contrast-enhanced MRI of breast after silicone implant

Summary Early recognition of recurrence and work-up of clinically indeterminate lesions may be impaired after reconstruction with silicone implants due to superimposition of the implant or to scarring. This study was undertaken to evaluate the use of contrast-enhanced MRI in patients with silicone implant after breast cancer. Contrast-enhanded MRI was offered to 169 patients. Comparative two- to three-view mammography was also performed in 169 patients, as well as comparative sonography in 144 patients. Conventional imaging and clinical examination detected only 8/13 recurrences, whereas 12/13 were detected by MRI. One recurrence had been visible as a strongly enhancing 2-mm dot in a previous examination (2 years before), but was not called. It was therefore counted as false negative. In addition, multicentricity was detected by MRI alone in two of three cases. MRI correctly diagnosed scar tissue in all cases with indeterminate findings. However, due to false-positive calls caused by enhancing granulomas specificity could not be improved. Contrast-enhanded MRI allowed decisive additional information in our study group and improved the sensitivity significantly (concerning all diagnoses). Contrast-enhanded MRI is recommended in patients with diagnostic problems or high risk of recurrence after silicone implants.      

Clinical Studies on Functional Dyspepsia Treated with Different Dosage-Form of Zhishi Xiaopi Pill Recipe (枳实消痞丸方)

Ｄｙｓｐｅｐｓｉａｒｅｆｅｒｓｔｏｐａｉｎｏｒｄｉｓｃｏｍｆｏｒｔｆｏ ｃｕｓｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｅｐｉｇａｓｔｒｉｕｍ，ｗｈｉｃｈｗａｓｒｅｐｏｒｔｅｄｔｏｏｃｃｕｒｉｎｍｏｒｅｔｈａｎ 1 0 %ｏｆｏｕｔｐａｔｉｅｎｔｓｉｎｉｎｔｅｒｎａｌｍｅｄｉｃｉｎｅ，ａｎｄｎｅａｒｌｙｈａｌｆｔｈｅｐａｔｉｅｎｔｓｉｎｔｈｅｇａｓ ｔｒｏｉｎｔｅｓｔｉｎａｌ（ＧＩ）ｄｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔ（1）．Ａｌｍｏｓｔｈａｌｆｏｆｔｈｅｓｅｐａｔｉｅｎｔｓｗｉｔｈｄｙｓｐｅｐｓｉａｗｈｏｈａｖｅｎｏｄｅｆｉ ｎｉｔｅｏｒｇａｎｉ…     

脑膜病变MRI异常强化类型与病因的相关性分析

目的 探讨各种脑膜病变脑膜MRI强化类型与病因的关系。方法 回顾性分析78例资料完整，MRI增强扫描脑膜异常强化的非脑膜瘤。结果 78例中，脑膜癌病16例（硬脑膜-蛛网膜型2例，软脑膜-蛛网膜下腔型11例，混合型3例）；感染性脑膜炎18例（硬脑膜-蛛网膜型3例，软脑膜-蛛网膜下腔型13例，混合型2例）；脑梗死22例（软脑膜-蛛网膜下腔型18例，混合型4例）；开颅术后15例（硬脑膜-蛛网膜型10例，混合型5例）；硬膜下积液（血肿）7例，均为硬脑膜-蛛网膜型。结论 MRI双倍剂量Gd-DTPA增强扫描对脑膜病变敏感性高，脑膜强化类型与各种病因侵犯脑膜三层结构的方式和程度有关。     

Cervical intramedullary cavernous angioma with MRI-proven haemorrhages

Summary Two contrasting cases of cervical intramedullary cavernous angioma in young female patients are reported. One patient had a 3-year course of step-wise progressive tetraparesis; at each of the five events intramedullary bleeding from a cryptic vascular malformation at C6–7 level was diagnosed by MRI. The other patient presented with one episode which led to MRI diagnosis of a vascular malformation at the C2 level. Both patients eventually underwent complete surgical excision of the angioma with subsequent steady improvement of the neurological deficit.     

椎动脉型颈椎病的影像学诊断

本文描述了椎动脉型颈椎病的概念及发病机制 ,并对该病的各种影像学检查的主要表现及优缺点进行了综述。     

肿瘤样钙质沉着症临床病理分析

目的　加深对肿瘤样钙质沉着症 (TC)临床病理特征的认识 ,提高确诊率。方法　分析 9例TC的临床、影像学、组织病理学资料。结果　TC临床诊断误诊率较高 ,9例患者中仅有 1例术前诊断正确 ,余者分别误诊为良性肿瘤 4例、异物 3例、恶性肿瘤 1例 ;而且 9例钙化区均具有典型的影像学和组织病理学特征。结论　在诊断TC过程中 ,只要注意X线摄片检查或进行病理组织活检 ,完全可以避免漏诊或误诊 ,必要时可行特殊染色或偏振光显微镜检查     

功能性消化不良的药物治疗

功能性消化不良是一种高发性疾病,常影响着人们的生活质量,被视为重要的消化道疾病.虽然已有达成共识的罗马标准,功能性消化不良呈现出多种多样的症状.本文尝试为临床提供治疗的选择,包括幽门螺杆菌的清除、抑酸治疗、促胃肠动力药、抗抑郁药等.总的来说,根据主要症状来选择治疗方法是可行和有效的.     

Nonlinear sensory cortex response to simultaneous tactile stimuli in writer's cramp.

Writer's cramp is a task-specific dystonia that leads to involuntary hand postures during writing. Abnormalities of sensory processing may play a pathophysiological role in this disorder. Electrophysiology studies in a monkey model of focal dystonia have revealed de-differentiation of sensory maps and the existence of single cells in hand regions of area 3b with enlarged receptive fields that extend to the surfaces of more than one digit. These changes may lead to abnormal processing of simultaneous sensory inputs. To study abnormal processing of simultaneous sensory information in adult humans with writer's cramp, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare the response in primary sensory cortex with simultaneous tactile stimulation of the index and middle finger, with the response to stimulation of each finger alone. We tested five patients with writer's cramp and seven unaffected (normal) subjects. In the normal subjects, a linear combination of the activation patterns for individual finger stimulation predicts the pattern of activity for combined stimulation with 12% error. In writer's cramp patients, the linear combination predicted the combined stimulation pattern with 30% error. Results indicate a nonlinear interaction between the sensory cortical response to individual finger stimulation in writer's cramp. This altered interaction may contribute to the motor abnormalities.