Packed red blood cell transfusion (PRBC) attenuates intestinal blood flow responses to feedings in pre-term neonates with normalization at 24 hours

Objective: To determine whether packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusion affects post-prandial superior mesenteric artery blood flow velocities (SMA BFVs) in very-low birth weight (VLBW) neonates and if so, at what time point after transfusion restoration of previous SMA BFV patterns occurs.

Design/Methods: VLBW pre-term neonates, older than 14 days and tolerating bolus enteral feedings administered every 3?h were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Pulsed Doppler ultrasound was used to measure pre- and post-prandial (at 45?min) time-averaged mean, peak and end diastolic velocities (TAMV, PSV, EDV) immediately before and after 15?ml/kg of PRBC transfusion was given over 3?h; patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) status was also evaluated. Subsequent pre- and post-prandial SMA BFVs were recorded 24 and 48?h after the transfusion.

Results: Pre- and post-prandial measurements were obtained for 21 out of 25 enrolled infants. Post-prandial SMA BFVs were attenuated during the feedings immediately after transfusion; at 24 and 48?h after transfusion, changes in post-prandial SMA BFVs were similar to those measured prior to transfusion; the presence of the PDA did not affect results.

Conclusions: PRBC transfusion blunted SMA BFV responses to feedings immediately after the transfusion with normalization observed 24?h post-transfusion.     

The association between seated immobility and local lower-limb venous coagulability in healthy adult volunteers: a simulation of prolonged travel immobility.

This is the first study to examine the hypothesis that prolonged sitting is associated with procoagulant changes in the local lower-limb venous system. A comparison was made with upper-limb venous changes. Changes in markers of thrombin generation, fibrinolysis, endothelial perturbation and haemoconcentration were analysed as 10 healthy adult male participants sat for 8 h. The change in foot volume was estimated. Subjective venous thromboembolism assessment was undertaken hourly, along with 2-week and 4-week safety follow-up for clinical events.Expected increases in median prothrombin fragments 1 and 2, thrombin-antithrombin complex and D-dimer were not observed in either limb. An increase greater than 45% in the median tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator-1 molar ratio (t-PA/PAI-1), and a decrease greater than 15% in median soluble thrombomodulin were noted in both limbs. Median haematocrit decreased minimally (1%) in the lower limbs, while the foot volume increased by 4%. Subjects experienced vague symptoms after 6 h of sitting, but none developed symptomatic venous thromboembolism. Upper and lower-limb changes in biomarkers did not correlate, except those in t-PA/PAI-1 ratio and plasminogen activator-1. Significant correlation was found between changes in the lower-limb t-PA/PAI-1 ratio and right foot volume.This study originally reveals that even in the lower limbs, prolonged daytime cramped sitting is not associated with significant procoagulant changes in healthy adult male volunteers, and confirms a previous observation that local lower-limb venous changes are not identically reflected in the upper limbs.     

Influence of urbanization of the western coast of the United Arab Emirates on trace metal content in muscle and liver of wild Red-spot emperor (Lethrinus lentjan).

We hypothesized that increased ambient concentrations of metals, as a consequence of escalating urbanization and industrialization of the Gulf region will respond in increased contamination of edible fish species. In this study, we report concentrations of chromium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead in meat and liver of wild Red-spot emperor (Lethrinus lentjan) from three sampling points at the UAE coast. Analysis was performed by the ICP-MS/microwave digestion. Our study has shown that meat and liver metal content was significantly higher in areas with higher industrial activity, although metal values did not exceed permitted levels of fish for human consumption.     

Retrospective histopathological analysis of various neoplasms of different parts of the gastrointestinal tract seen at the Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital (KUTH), Dhulikhel, Nepal

Objective: To find out the spectrum of various histopathologic types of primary neoplasms of different parts of the gastrointestinal tract (oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, colorectum, anal canal) seen at the Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital (KUTH), Dhulikhel as there exists a worldwide wide variation in the distribution of various neoplasms of different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, which appears largely due to exogenous factors rather than due to inherent differences between populations. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study. It was carried out at Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital (KUTH), Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal. All neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract seen at the KUTH during the period 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2004 were included in this study and examined by light microscope (LM). Results: A total number of 18 cases of neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract were seen. Out of these, 3 (16.7%) were of the oesophagus (all squamous cell carcinoma), 10 (55.5%) were of the stomach (six intestinal type and four diffuse type), 2 (11.1%) were of the small intestine (one was lymphoma of the mucosa associated lymphoid tissue - MALTOMA and other was a malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumour - GIST), 3 (16.7%) were of the colorectum (all adenocarcinoma), and none was of the anal canal. Conclusion: Relatively large number of cases of the carcinoma of the stomach were found in our this small series of the cases of the gastrointestinal tract in comparison to the Western countries. Key words: Neoplasms, gastrointestinal tract, gastric carcinoma intestinal type, gastric carcinoma diffuse type, Kathmandu University Teaching Hospital (KUTH).     

Astrocyte and microglial motility in vitro is functionally dependent on the hyaluronan receptor RHAMM

RHAMM (Receptor for Hyaluronic Acid Mediated Motility) has been identified as a receptor for the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan (HA) and was recently shown to be essential for the locomotion of normal and transformed peripheral cells. Until now the potential role of RHAMM in the motility of neural-derived cells has not been investigated. Here, we report that cultured primary astrocytes, astrocyte cell lines, and microglia express this receptor and exhibit RHAMM-dependent motility. Immunocytochemical localization of RHAMM showed that it was often present as aggregates at the periphery of cells in contact with one another or concentrated on protruding processes of isolated cells. Glial cells contained 50 and 72 kDa forms of RHAMM, and both of these forms were found to have HA binding capacity. Time lapse imaging of cell locomotion revealed a significant inhibition of motility and process elongation by neutralizing anti-RHAMM antibodies and by peptides corresponding to the HA binding domains of RHAMM. These results demonstrate that RHAMM serves a role in glial cell locomotion in vitro and provide the basis for investigations of the motile behavior of glial cells in vivo after CNS injury.     

Airway responsiveness to beta-adrenergic agonist (salbutamol) in asthma.

Despite the controversy of airway responsiveness to beta2-agonist drugs in asthma, in a previous study we showed increased responsiveness of asthmatic airways to isoprenaline. Therefore, in the present study of airway sensitivity to other beta2-agonists, salbutamol and its relationship to histamine responsiveness was reexamined. The threshold bronchodilator concentrations of inhaled salbutamol required for a 20% increase in forced expiratory flow in 1 sec (FEV1), (PC20) was measured in 20 normal and 19 asthmatic adults. Airway responsiveness to histamine, as the concentration that caused a 20% decrease in FEV1, was also measured in 11 normal and 12 asthmatic subjects; and the correlation between PC20 salbutamol and PC20 histamine was evaluated. Sensitivity to salbutamol was greater in asthmatics (PC20 = 7.24 mg/L) than in non-asthmatics (PC20 = 124.25 mg/L, p < 0.001). Airway responsiveness to histamine in asthmatics (PC20 = 0.18 g/L) was also significantly greater than in normal subjects (PC20 = 19.46 g/L, p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between PC20 salbutamol and histamine (Rs = 0.6052, p < 0.005). Maximum response to both salbutamol and histamine and slope of concentration-response curves of both agents were significantly greater in patients with asthma than in normal subjects (p < 0.001 and p < 0.005 for maximum response and slope, respectively). The increased sensitivity of asthmatics to inhaled salbutamol suggests that they also may be more sensitive to their endogenous adrenaline, which may thus dilate and stabilize their airways.     

Bilateral Duane syndrome and bilateral aniridia.

Duane retraction syndrome has been reported in association with structural abnormalities of the eye, including epibulbar dermoid, keratoconus, iris dysplasia, heterochromia iridis, persistent fetal vasculature, cataract, choroidal coloboma, microphthalmia, and optic nerve dysplasia. A novel association, that of bilateral Duane syndrome with bilateral aniridia, is the subject of this report.