麦冬类中药组织切片计算机三维重建图鉴

利用计算机技术实现麦冬类中药组织连续切片三维重建与动态显示,为计算机辅助生药学鉴定和教学提供了新的三维图像技术和研究资料。     

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: Medical or surgical treatment? Report of an interactive workshop

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With the introduction of proton pump inhibitors medical treatment of GERD has been significantly improved. However, the development of laparoscopic antireflux surgery resulted in an increasing interest of surgeons in this disease. An interactive meeting was organized in order to develop an agreement between gastoenterologists and surgeons regarding therapeutic decisions and this is the main topic of this paper.     

Low-artifact intravascular devices: MR imaging evaluation

Flow-phantom magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, with use of both spin-echo (SE) and gradient-echo (GRE) techniques at 1.5 T, was performed on the percutaneous Greenfield (beta-III titanium alloy [TMA wire]), Amplatz (MP32-N alloy), and Simon nitinol filters and TMA wire facsimiles of the bird's nest, Gunther, new retrievable, and Amplatz vena caval filters. SE imaging allowed detection of thrombi as small as 5 X 5 mm trapped within the percutaneous Greenfield, Simon nitinol, and TMA-wire facsimile filters; with the MP32-N Amplatz filter, a larger volume of thrombus (10 X 20-mm clots) was necessary for clot detection. GRE imaging allowed detection of intraluminal tilting of the percutaneous Greenfield and facsimile Amplatz (TMA-wire) filters. GRE imaging was useful for demonstrating postfilter turbulence due to clots, which was greatest for the Amplatz filter. Imaging of facsimile vascular devices made of tantalum or TMA wire did not cause the severe "black-hole" MR artifacts typical of the stainless-steel devices. SE and GRE imaging were very useful for determining caval patency in two patients with previously placed Mobin-Uddin filters. Noninvasive MR evaluation of blood vessels in the presence of a variety of low-artifact intravascular devices appears feasible.     

Annular pancreas in adults: embryological development, morphology and clinical significance

Abstract: Three cases (two male, one female) of annular pancreas are presented, which were found and operated on within the last three decades. Diagnosis was made using imaging techniques, especially ultrasonography and computed tomography. In two cases there was incomplete obstruction, while in the other obstruction was complete. It is characteristic that in the case of complete obstruction the annular portion of the pancreas attached to a circular band of connective tissue, while in the two cases of incomplete obstruction there was a complete ring of pancreatic tissue. In all cases surgical intervention was needed in order to create a bypass. In the first case gastroenterostomy and truncal vagotomy was performed, in the second latero-lateral duodeno-jejunostomy and in the third latero-lateral antropyloroduodeno-jejunostomy. The embryology and morphology of the annular pancreas, the morphology of its duct system, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and the surgical treatment of this rare condition are reviewed.     

Sequence comparison of human and yeast telomeres identifies structurally distinct subtelomeric domains

We have sequenced and compared DNA from the ends of three human chromosomes: 4p, 16p and 22q. In all cases the pro-terminal regions are subdivided by degenerate (TTAGGG)n repeats into distal and proximal sub- domains with entirely different patterns of homology to other chromosome ends. The distal regions contain numerous, short (<2 kb) segments of interrupted homology to many other human telomeric regions. The proximal regions show much longer (approximately 10-40 kb) uninterrupted homology to a few chromosome ends. A comparison of all yeast subtelomeric regions indicates that they too are subdivided by degenerate TTAGGG repeats into distal and proximal sub-domains with similarly different patterns of identity to other non-homologous chromosome ends. Sequence comparisons indicate that the distal and proximal sub-domains do not interact with each other and that they interact quite differently with the corresponding regions on other, non- homologous, chromosomes. These findings suggest that the degenerate TTAGGG repeats identify a previously unrecognized, evolutionarily conserved boundary between remarkably different subtelomeric domains.      

Genetic polymorphisms and cerebrospinal fluid levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 in sporadic Alzheimer's disease

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) inhibits several proteinases including a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10), a major alpha-secretase that cleaves the beta-amyloid precursor protein within its amyloidogenic Abeta domain. The gene encoding TIMP-1 (TIMP 1) maps to the short arm of the X chromosome, in a region previously suggested as conferring genetic susceptibility for Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine whether genetic variability of TIMP 1 contributes to the pathogenesis of AD, we analysed one single nucleotide polymorphism within TIMP 1 and one single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'-untranslated region of TIMP 1 in patients with AD and control subjects from two independent and ethnically different populations. We did not observe any association between TIMP 1 genotypes and the diagnosis of AD in men or women. We also measured TIMP-1 protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AD, healthy control subjects, and patients with other neurological disorders. TIMP-1 levels were similar in all groups. In addition, no significant differences were observed after stratification for TIMP 1 genotypes. Our data show that neither genetic variability nor protein levels of TIMP-1 are associated with AD.     

Study of the carrying angle of the human elbow joint in full extension: a morphometric analysis

This study measured the carrying angle of the elbow joint in full extension in 600 students, using the supplementary angle to that between the longitudinal axis of the arm and that of the forearm. The mean carrying angle was 12.88°±5.92: 10.97°±4.27 in men and 15.07°±4.95 in women. The carrying angle changes with skeletal growth and maturity. The angle is always greater on the side of the dominant hand. We confirmed the inverse relationship between the carrying angle and the intertrochanteric diameter. Also, the type of constitution influences the value of the carrying angle, especially in women.     

Annular pancreas in adults: embryological development, morphology and clinical significance

Three cases (two male, one female) of annular pancreas are presented, which were found and operated on within the last three decades. Diagnosis was made using imaging techniques, especially ultrasonography and computed tomography. In two cases there was incomplete obstruction, while in the other obstruction was complete. It is characteristic that in the case of complete obstruction the annular portion of the pancreas attached to a circular band of connective tissue, while in the two cases of incomplete obstruction there was a complete ring of pancreatic tissue. In all cases surgical intervention was needed in order to create a bypass. In the first case gastroenterostomy and truncal vagotomy was performed, in the second latero-lateral duodeno-jejunostomy and in the third latero-lateral antropyloroduodeno-jejunostomy. The embryology and morphology of the annular pancreas, the morphology of its duct system, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and the surgical treatment of this rare condition are reviewed.