Evidence of impaired pain modulation in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and chronic back pain

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Although 40% of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients present with chronic back pain, the pathophysiology and underlying pain mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that development of chronic pain syndrome in AIS is associated with alterations in pain modulatory mechanisms.

Long-term results of surgical treatment of dysphagia secondary to cervical diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis

Background contextLarge, prominent osteophytes along the anterior aspect of the cervical spine have been reported as a cause of dysphagia. Improvement of swallowing after surgical resection has been reported in a few case reports with short-term follow-up. The current report describes outcomes of a series of five patients with surgical treatment for this rare disorder, with a long-term follow-up.PurposeTo study the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a case series of patients surgically treated for dysphagia secondary to cervical diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH).Study designRetrospective review of a case series.Patient sampleFive cases from a University Hospital.Outcome measuresClinical and imagenological follow-up.MethodsThe records of five patients with dysphagia who had undergone anterior surgical resection of prominent osteophytes secondary to DISH were reviewed. Extrinsic esophageal compression secondary to anterior cervical osteophytes was radiographically confirmed via preoperative barium esophagogram swallowing study. All patients underwent anterior cervical osteophytes resection without fusion. Postoperatively, patients were followed-up clinically and radiographically with routine lateral cervical radiographs.ResultsPreoperative esophagogram showed that the esophageal obstruction was present at one level in three cases and two levels in two cases. The C3–C4 level was involved in three cases, C4–C5 in three cases, and C5–C6 in one case. There were no postoperative complications, including recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, wound infection, or hematomas. All patients had resolution of dyphagia soon after surgery (within 2 weeks). Postoperative radiographs demonstrated complete removal of osteophytes. At final follow-up, ranging from 1 to 9 years (average 59.8 months, median 53 months), no patients reported recurrence of dysphagia. Final radiographic examination demonstrated minimal regrowth of the osteophytes.ConclusionsAlthough rarely indicated, surgical resection of anterior cervical osteophytes from DISH causing dyphagia produces good clinical and radiographical outcomes. After thorough evaluation to rule out other intrinsic or extrinsic causes of swallowing difficulty, surgical treatment of this uncommon condition might be considered.     

Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopical characterization of cerebrovascular and senile plaque amyloid in aged dogs'' brains

Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopical studies were carried out on 28 aged dogs' brains. Amyloid deposits were seen in the arteries and capillaries in the leptomeninges and in superficial areas of the cortices in 19 (67.9%) of the 28 dogs (10-22 years of age). Immunohistochemically, these amyloid deposits were reactive for anti-beta/A4 antibody. Additionally, a variable number of parenchymal deposits with diffuse beta/A4-immunoreactivity (diffuse plaques) was also noted throughout the cerebral cortex in 24/28 dogs (85.7%). However, these plaque lesions were undetectable in Congo red staining. Electron microscopically, amyloid fibrils, measuring 10 nm in width, were located mainly in the tunica media of the arteries, and in less involved vessels they tended to be present among collagen fibres in the adventitia and smooth muscle cells in the outer layer of the media. The plaque lesions appeared to contain sparse aggregations of amyloid fibrils. In immunoelectron microscopical examinations, all amyloid fibrils in both blood vessels and plaques were selectively labelled by gold particles. These findings indicate that aged dogs can provide a useful experimental model for research into the beta/A4-type of cerebral amyloidosis commonly seen in Alzheimer's disease.     

MR扩散加权成像对脑弥漫性轴索损伤的诊断价值

目的:探讨磁共振扩散加权成像在脑弥漫性轴索损伤诊断中的应用价值.方法:对13例临床诊断为弥漫性轴索损伤的脑外伤患者磁共振检查资料进行回顾性分析.结果:扩散加权成像对弥漫性轴索损伤出血性病灶和水肿性病灶检出均很敏感,尤其是对小出血灶和小水肿灶的检出能力显著超过自旋回波序列.扩散加权成像对小出血灶有独特优势,其特征性表现是斑点状低信号周围有水肿环,而且通过消除脑脊液信号,扩散加权成像能更好显示胼胝体水肿灶.讨论:与自旋回波序列比较,磁共振扩散加权成像能更加敏感地检出脑内小病灶,对脑弥漫性轴索损伤的诊断显示出更高的应用价值.     

川芎嗪对弥漫性轴索损伤影像学变化及预后的影响

目的：探讨川芎嗪对弥漫性轴索损伤（DAI）的治疗作用。方法：42例DAI患者随机分为两组，治疗组除常规治疗加用川芎嗪，对照组仅常规治疗。结果：两组在伤后影像学及预后方面均有显著性差异。结论：伤后早期应用川芎嗪能明显促进挫伤及出血灶的吸收，改善DAI的预后。     

百草枯所致大鼠弥漫性肺损伤的病理特点

作者选用ＳＤ大鼠进行腹腔内一次性注入百草枯２５ｍｇ／ｋｇ后，在７个不同时间点观察其肺病理组织和超微结构改变。结果显示：百草枯可引起弥漫性毛细血管内皮细胞和肺泡１型上皮细胞为主的整层气一血屏障结构的损害，主要表现为肺泡水肿、出血、透明膜形成和（或）程度不等的肺泡炎，当损伤不能完全修复时则局部终结为纤维化。     

MRI gadolinium enhancement of bone marrow: age-related changes in normals and in diffuse neoplastic infiltration

 Objective: To quantify gadolinium-related enhancement in the bone marrow of the spine in normals and in patients with homogeneous diffuse malignant bone marrow infiltration. Design and patients: The patients consisted of two groups: group 1 comprised 94 healthy adults (18–86 years) without bone marrow disease and group 2 comprised 30 patients with homogeneous diffuse malignant bone marrow infiltration due to myeloma (n=20) or breast carcinoma (n=10). All patients received intravenous gadopentetate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA), 0.1 mmol/kg body weight. Pre- and postcontrast signal intensity (SI) on T1-weighted spin-echo (SE) images (TR/TE: 572 ms/15 ms) was measured over a region of interest (ROI) and the percentage SI increase was calculated. The results were confirmed by bone marrow biopsy (n=20) and clinical parameters (n=10). Dynamic contrast-enhanced studies using a spoiled gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) sequence (TR/TE/α: 68 ms/6 ms 75°) were performed in 10 controls with normal bone marrow. Results and conclusion: Contrast material enhancement in healthy persons can vary greatly (range 3–59%, mean 21%, SD 11%). With increasing age there is a significant decrease in contrast enhancement (Pearson’s correlation, P<0.01). The percentage SI increase in patients with intermediate-grade (biopsy 20–50 vol%) and high-grade (biopsy >50 vol%) diffuse malignant bone marrow infiltration was significantly higher than in normals (mean 67%, SD 34%, P<0.001). Low-grade (biopsy <20 vol%) diffuse malignant bone marrow infiltration can not be assessed by non-enhanced T1-weighted SE images or Gd-DTPA application. In conclusion, contrast material enhancement in healthy persons can vary greatly and is dependent on age, while intermediate-grade and high-grade diffuse malignant bone marrow infiltration can be objectively assessed with SI measurements.     

Diffuse liver disease: MRI with Gd-DTPA versus CT and ultrasound

Twenty-nine patients with diffuse liver disease were examined by ultrasound, CT and MRI. MRI was performed using T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences as well as fast gradient-echo-sequences. The paramagnetic contrast agent Gd-DTPA was applied intravenously (0.1 mmol/kg). in patients with hepatitis, MRI could be used in guiding liver biopsies as inflammatory changes were clearly delineated. CT and ultrasound were superior to MRI in the detection of focal or diffuse fatty degeneration. On the other hand MRI was more helpful in differentiating fatty changes and neoplasm. In liver cirrhosis, fibrotic changes were most clearly demonstrated by MRI. In patients suffering from hemochromatosis MRI offers advantages over CT and ultrasound in the diagnosis and follow up due to the paramagnetic properties of iron, resulting in a reduction in signal intensity. In patients with Wilson's disease a characteristic pattern of parenchymal changes was seen. Administration of Gd- DTPA contributes additional information about perfusion conditions in the liver parenchyma, however this information was not of diagnostic relevance in the cases we studied. Correspondence to: T.J. Vogl     

准分子激光原位角膜磨镶术后界面性角膜炎的临床观察

目的 :动态观察准分子激光原位角膜磨镶术 (LASIK)后界面性角膜炎 (DLK)的临床变化 ,同时对其角膜瓣下临床特点及处理方法进行分析。　方法 :对 35 0 0例行LASIK后 1 0例 (1 8只眼 )发生DLK患者进行观察。按3、7、1 4天和 1、2、6个月不同时间进行视力、裂隙灯显微镜检查。　结果 :局部用激素、抗生素治疗 1周 ,症状控制 ,1～ 2个月全部吸收。视力恢复至 1 .0～ 1 .5 (1 6只眼 ) ,0 .8～ 1 .0 (2只眼 )。　结论 :LASIK后DLK常发生在术后 1～ 7天内 ,迟发者偶见 ,男性多于女性 ,以局部激素治疗为主 ,严重患者需全身激素加抗生素治疗。DLK早期须与角膜上皮植入、层间感染鉴别     

Heterotopic ischemic pain attenuates somatosensory evoked potentials induced by electrical tooth stimulation: diffuse noxious inhibitory controls in the trigeminal nerve territory.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the late component of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) induced by electrical tooth stimulation and pain intensity are inhibited by heterotopic ischemic stimulation. The tourniquet pressure with 50 mmHg greater than the individual's systolic pressure was applied to the left upper arm for 10 min as ischemic conditioning stimulation. The late component of SEP and visual analogue scale (VAS) were recorded at 4 times and both were significantly decreased when ischemic conditioning stimulation was applied. The maximum reductions in SEP amplitude and the VAS value were 26.1% and 21.2%, respectively, during ischemic conditioning stimulation. After-effect was observed 5 min after removal of the conditioning stimulation. The present study revealed that heterotopic ischemic stimulation attenuated the late component of SEP induced by electrical tooth stimulation, triggering diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) and after-effects in the trigeminal nerve territory. It was also suggested that the DNIC effect differs, depending on the intensity, kind, and quality of the test and conditioning stimuli.