Sensory axonopathy in hereditary distal spinal muscular atrophy

A girl of 14 year is presented with a distal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with autosomal recessive inheritance. The technical findings are in agreement with the diagnosis. Light microscopical examination of sural nerve biopsy, including teased fiber studies and morphometry, showed no abnormalities. Electron microscopical investigation however demonstrated axonal pathology. The question arises if distal SMA is a distal axonopathy mainly of motor nerves, but to some extent also of sensory nerves.     

慢性乙型肝炎中可溶性白细胞介素2受体与其它血清学指标的关系

目的 :探讨血清可溶性白细胞介素 2受体 (sIL 2R)在慢性乙型病毒性肝炎 (慢乙肝 )中的发病机制及sIL 2R与肝纤维化指标、肝功能的相关关系。方法 :对 312例肝活检病人按组织病理学炎症和纤维化程度进行分级分期 ,同时检测了病人血清sIL 2R、肝功能及肝纤维化相关指标。结果 :血清sIL 2R均值较对照组明显增高 (P <0 .0 1) ,增幅随着肝脏病理炎症和纤维化程度的加重而逐渐加大 ,各组间比较差异有显著性 (P <0 .0 5或P <0 .0 1)。sIL 2R与血清白蛋白 (A)呈显著负相关 ,与血清脯氨酸肽酶 (PLD)、Ⅳ型胶原 (CⅣ )、层粘连蛋白 (LN)、透明质酸 (HA)、Ⅲ型前胶原氨基端肽 (PⅢNP)、肝功指标中的TB、DB、G、ALT、AST、AKP、γ GT呈显著正相关 (P <0 .0 5或P <0 .0 1)。结论 :慢乙肝病人血清sIL 2R水平与A呈显著负相关 ,与PLD、CⅣ、LN、HA、PⅢNP呈显著正相关 ;sIL 2R的血清水平能反映肝脏组织学病变的程度 ,可作为判断肝组织炎症和纤维化程度的参考指标。     

Menghini针在经皮肺活检中的应用

本文介绍了44例经皮肺活检的经验,40例诊断正确,占90.9%;气胸发生率6.8%,作者认为 Menghini 针具有操作简单,无气栓发生,更换注射器方便等优点。同时对导向的选用及穿剌方法的改进也做了介绍。     

超声引导下VacoraTM旋切系统的实验研究

目的探讨VacoraTM真空辅助活检系统的准确性和安全性,为临床应用奠定基础。方法选用里脊肉和鱼丸作为实验材料,根据鱼丸大小将实验分为5组:0.5、0.8、1.0、1.5及2.0cm组,每组鱼丸3~5个。采用VacoraTM活检系统,先行灰阶超声扫查肌肉后将鱼丸置入肌肉中,超声扫查置入的鱼丸,同轴套管针在超声引导下插入鱼丸底部,在套管针引导和超声监视下行旋切真空抽吸术;旋切后取出采样腔内的组织标本,用超声检查肌肉内的残腔,确定无鱼丸残留声像图。结果每次旋切组织条比较完整,其大小为20.0mm×0.6mm,旋切次数随鱼丸大小的增加而增加;0.5、0.8、1.0、1.5及2.0cm组里脊肉内鱼丸全部切除的平均旋切次数分别为12、15、19、26和31。所用的平均时间分别为15、18、23、27和34min。结论VacoraTM真空辅助活检系统定位准确、取样完整、操作简便。可为良恶性病变的诊断提供足够量的病理检查标本,为良性病变的完全切除提供具有潜在价值的手段。     

In vivo quantification of fluorescent molecular markers in real-time: A review to evaluate the performance of five existing methods

With the advent of molecular-targeted fluorescent markers, there is a renewed interest in fluorescence quantification methods that are based on continuous wave excitation and multi-spectral image acquisition. However, little is known about their in vivo quantification performance. We reviewed the performance of five selected methods by analytically describing these and varying input parameters of irradiance, excitation geometry, collection efficiency, autofluorescence, melanin content, blood volume, blood oxygenation and tissue scattering using optical properties representing those for human skin. We identified one method that corrects for variations in all parameters. This requires image acquisition before and after marker administration, under identical geometry. Hence, it is suited for applications where the site of interest can be relocated (e.g. anaesthetized animals and dermatology). For applications where relocation is not possible, we identified a second method where the uncertainty in the fluorescence signal was ±20%. Hence, use of these methods can substantially aid in vivo fluorescence quantification compared to use of the raw fluorescence signal, as this changed by more than 3 orders of magnitude. Since these methods can be computed in real-time, they are of particular interest for applications where direct feedback is critical, as diagnostic screening or image-guided surgery.     

Tacrolimus Exposure and Evolution of Renal Allograft Histology in the First Year After Transplantation

Tacrolimus has a narrow therapeutic window and is characterized by a large inter-individual variability in bioavailability. The impact of tacrolimus exposure on subclinical evolution of graft histology has not been studied in renal recipients. This analysis included 239 protocol biopsies (obtained at implantation, 3 and 12 months) of 120 consecutive kidney recipients treated with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and corticosteroids. Biopsies were scored according to the Banff 2001 criteria and a chronicity score was calculated. Prospective pharmacokinetic data were included in the analysis (5544 tacrolimus predose blood concentrations and tacrolimus AUC(0-12) at 3 and 12 months). Higher donor age and higher number of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) mismatches were independent predictors of subclinical acute rejection at 3 months, present in 8.7% of patients. The number of HLA-DR mismatches was independently associated with biopsy-proven clinical acute rejection. Biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes and low mean tacrolimus exposure were independently associated with higher increase in chronicity scores between 3 and 12 months after transplantation. This observational study suggests that rejection phenomena and immune-mediated mechanisms remain important in the early progression of chronic allograft pathology. Tacrolimus doses or systemic exposure were not associated with lesions of calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, suggesting that other factors determine susceptibility to tacrolimus nephrotoxicity.     

Discontinuation of Living Donor Liver Transplantation for PSC Due to Histological Abnormalities in Intraoperative Donor Liver Biopsy

Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment known to date for end-stage liver disease occurring as a result of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Here, we report a case in which living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for PSC was cancelled because of histological abnormalities in intraoperative biopsy of the donor liver. The donor was the mother of the recipient, and her preoperative evaluation revealed no abnormalities. In the donor operation, the donor liver biopsy revealed expansion of the portal zone with lymphocytic infiltration and dense concentric fibrosis developed around a bile duct. These histological findings were identical to those of early-stage PSC; therefore, the LDLT was called off. The experience in this case suggests that preoperative liver biopsy may be useful to exclude first-degree relative donors with potential PSC prior to LDLT for PSC.     

经直肠超声引导前列腺穿刺活检术诊断前列腺癌

目的　总结和评价经直肠超声引导下前列腺穿刺活检术对前列腺癌诊断的准确率。方法　222 例直肠指检阳性或 PSA>4μg/L的患者应用经直肠超声引导下前列腺6点系统穿刺活检以明确诊断。结果　222 例受检者中病理证实前列腺结节性增生41例、前列腺炎24例、前列腺肉瘤3例、前列腺癌 154 例,其中低分化癌 74 例、中分化癌 58 例、高分化癌 22 例。术后血尿15例、发热6例,其中高热1例,经抗生素治疗后体温恢复正常、尿检阴性。结论　经直肠超声引导下前列腺穿刺活检无需麻醉,患者痛苦小、安全性高,是诊断前列腺癌的可靠方法。     

Significance of lateral biopsy specimens during transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies in Japanese men

OBJECTIVES: Lateral biopsies are thought to have a better cancer detection rate compared with standard sextant biopsies. This study aimed to determine whether lateral peripheral zone biopsies in Japanese men who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies provided a significantly higher cancer detection rate than sextant biopsies. METHODS: Between 1999 and 2004, data were collected from 461 men who underwent prostate biopsy and had enough data regarding the performance of lateral biopsies for statistical analysis. There were two categories in this study: (i) patients who underwent sextant prostate biopsies; and (ii) patients who underwent sextant biopsies plus lateral biopsies. RESULTS: Prostate cancer was detected in 141 (30.6%) of 461 patients. It was detected in 24 (22.2%) of 108 patients who underwent sextant biopsies and 117 (33.1%) of 353 patients who underwent sextant plus lateral biopsies. Lateral biopsies were not associated with a statistically higher rate of positive biopsy findings; however, we found a significantly higher ratio of patients with positive findings in those with prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels 10 ng/mL (one of 71, 1.4%) among those who had positive cores only in lateral biopsy samples (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Lateral biopsies did not show a significantly higher detection ratio of prostate cancer compared to sextant biopsies. However, lateral biopsies were more effective than sextant biopsies in patients with lower PSA levels. Our findings might be useful for the establishment of biopsy strategies to detect prostate cancer, especially in patients with lower PSA levels.