Isolated complete orbital infarction: a common carotid artery occlusion syndrome

When blood flow through the internal and external carotid arteries is completely interrupted by ipsilateral common carotid artery occlusion, the arterial orbital circulation may be more compromised than the brain supply. We studied a pure and extreme example of this situation in a patient who presented with acute orbital infarction, but no cerebral ischemia on clinical, CT and single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) grounds. Ipsilateral blindness corresponded to retinal, choroidal and optic nerve infarction. The pattern of ophthalmoplegia, with relative sparing of adduction, was more compatible with a muscle than a nerve dysfunction, but a reactive dilated pupil, corneal anesthesia, and orbital pain suggested that the intraorbital branches of the ocular motor nerves and ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve were not spared. In addition, signs of widespread ocular ischemia were present. Sequential examinations documented the evolution pattern over 1 year. The absence of an orbital collateral supply from the contralateral external carotid and muscular cervical arteries systems, which contrasted with an adequate middle cerebral artery supply via the contralateral internal carotid artery, may explain this isolated and complete form of orbital ischemia due to common carotid artery occlusion.     

核磁共振法测定非离子表面活性剂 HLB 值的研究 2.几种混合体系 HLB 值的测定与计算

本文应用核磁共振法(NMR)测定了几种混合体系的 HLB 值与混合体系中各组分的 HLB 值。实验结果表明,混合体系中各组分在核磁共振图谱中的积分曲线高度也具有加和性。混合体系的 HLB 值是体系中各组分 HLB 值的加权平均值。因此,对混合体系的 HLB 值可以应用 NMR 法直接测定,也可应用 NMR 法测定各组分的 HLB值,通过计算求得,计算值与实测值完全一致。     

Delta hepatitis virus infection in China

To assess the prevalence, epidemiological features and prognostic implications of hepatitis D (Delta) in Sichuan Province, The People's Republic of China, 649 sera (515 from HBsAg positive patients and 134 from HBsAg negative subjects) were tested by radioimmunoassay (RIA) for antibody to the hepatitis D virus (anti-HD). Forty-seven sera (7.2%) showed some degree of reactivity. Serial dilutions of these sera indicated that prozoning was not responsible for the equivocal results. Thirty-four of the 47 sera were submitted under code to a second laboratory for independent analysis. According to those results anti-HD antibodies were detected in four of these sera. The overall prevalence of anti-HD in the HBsAg positive patients therefore was 0.8% (4/515). On the basis of clinical, biochemical and histological data 427 HBsAg positive sera were further divided into acute Type B hepatitis, chronic Type B hepatitis, healthy carrier state and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) subgroups. Two of 65 (3.1%) anti-HD positive sera belonged to the acute Type B hepatitis group; one of 104 (0.9%), the chronic Type B hepatitis group and one of 246 (0.4%), the healthy carrier group. No antibody was detected in sera from 12 HBsAg positive HCC patients. All HBsAg negative patients were negative for anti-HD antibody. The results of this study indicate that despite a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection, positive serology for delta virus is uncommon in Sichuan Province, The People's Republic of China.     

Stimulation of Alpha-Adrenoceptors Facilitates the Release of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone from Rat Hypothalamus in vitro

While extensive evidence suggests that adrenoceptors play an important role in the control of growth hormone in the rat, there are few studies involving the direct measurement of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). We have therefore developed a radioimmunoassay for rat GHRH, and used it to investigate the modulation of GHRH release by noradrenaline from incubated rat hypothalamus in vitro. The GHRH radioimmunoassay had no significant cross-reactivity with other hypothalamic or GHRH-related peptides, and was sensitive to 4 pg/tube; intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 6% and 12% respectively. Single incubated rat hypothalami produced a stable and readily measurable output of GHRH in successive 20 min incubations after an initial 60 min preincubation; the release of GHRH was increased in the presence of 56 mM KCI, but did not respond to KCI-depolarization when calcium was excluded from the medium. Stimulated GHRH release was identical to synthetic rat GHRH(1–43) on high-performance liquid chromatography and Sephadex G-75 chromatography.
Noradrenaline stimulated GHRH secretion in a dose-dependent manner in the concentration range 10⁻¹⁰— 10⁻⁶M, with a plateau in response at 10⁻⁷M. Stimulation with noradrenaline 10⁻⁷M was blocked by idazoxan 10⁻⁵M and attenuated by thymoxamine 10⁻⁵M, but was unaffected by timolol 10⁻⁵M. Both the α₂-adrenoceptor agonist guanfacine, and the α₁-adrenoceptor agonist methoxamine, specifically stimulated GHRH secretion.
It is concluded that noradrenaline stimulates the release of GHRH at both α₁ and α₂-adrenoceptors.     

JAK2激酶抑制剂AG490对结肠癌HT-29细胞侵袭性的影响

目的观察JAK2激酶抑制剂AG490对结肠癌HT-29细胞侵袭以及对基质金属蛋白酶-2（MMP-2）表达的影响，探讨STAT3信号转导通路在结肠癌侵袭转移调控中的作用。方法应用JAK2激酶抑制剂AG490处理结肠癌HT-29细胞，Matrigel肿瘤体外侵袭模型检测肿瘤细胞侵袭；Western blot检测STAT3蛋白表达；逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT—PCR）检测MMP2mRNA表达。结果AG490可抑制JAK2／STAT3信号转导通路活化及结肠癌HT-29细胞侵袭，在此过程中AG490在mRNA水平抑制MMP-2表达。结论STAT3信号转导通路参与结肠癌细胞侵袭调控，阻断STAT3通路活化可抑制结肠癌细胞侵袭，这一作用可能是通过抑制MMP-2表达实现的。     

Performance and comparison of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate in a Chinese Type 2 diabetic population.

AIMS: Our aim was to assess performances of the Cockcroft-Gault and simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formulae in estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Chinese diabetic populations and their association with vascular risks. METHODS: A total of 1009 patients with Type 2 diabetes were categorized into low estimated GFR groups (GFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) and control groups by the two equations. The performances of these formulae were assessed at different stages of kidney function. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy or albuminuria were compared among the groups. The ability of these formulae to identify established vascular risk markers using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were also compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of low estimated GFR was 32.7% with the Cockcroft-Gault formula and 5.2% with the MDRD formula, respectively. In low estimated GFR subjects by the MDRD formula, IMT was significantly thicker than those by the Cockcroft-Gault formula (1.2 mm vs. 1.0 mm; P < 0.05), with a higher prevalence of albuminuria (78.4 vs. 52.8%, P < 0.05) and diabetic retinopathy (46.5 vs. 30.5%; P < 0.05). The Cockcroft-Gault formula gave a specificity of 71.7% and a sensitivity of 37.0%, and the MDRD formula gave a specificity of 96.6% and a sensitivity of 7.9% in estimating low GFR relevant for established vascular risks. CONCLUSIONS: These formulae performed differently in Chinese diabetic populations. The simplified MDRD formula is minimally superior to the Cockcroft-Gault formula for its high specificity and positive predictive values in estimating low GFR relevant for vascular risks.     

Radiographic manifestations and pathologic basis of parosteal osteosarcoma. Analysis of 17 cases.

The authors reviewed the radiographic manifestations of 17 cases of parosteal osteosarcoma, with pathologic correlation in 15. There were two types of parosteal osteosarcoma radiologically. The majority of cases were type I with uniformly dense masses which had regular borders. They often adhered to the cortex and showed no evidence of soft-tissue invasion which correlated with low-grade pathologic malignancy and a relatively benign clinical course. Type II involved the bone, soft-tissue and the medullary cavity. These lesions were poorly differentiated and frequently accompanied by metastatic lesions.