MRI and ultrasound in solitary muscular and soft tissue cysticercosis

Solitary cysticercosis of muscles and soft tissue is a rare disease and can cause a diagnostic dilemma clinically. We present the MRI and ultrasound findings in six patients with solitary muscular and soft tissue cysticercosis. Five of them had clear cysts that displayed low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Four of these cysts had scolices within them. One patient had an ill-defined hyperintense lesion on T2-weighted images without any clear cyst. Ultrasound performed in all patients showed similar findings, with the scolices being more clearly appreciated. MRI and ultrasound are useful in the diagnosis of solitary muscular and soft tissue cysticercosis and they reliably establish the diagnosis when a clear cyst with scolex is seen.     

Radiologic case study. Acute calcific retropharyngeal tendinitis

Knowledge of the characteristic clinical spectrum and imaging features of this disorder are crucial for a correct diagnosis of this uncommon cause of odynophagia and dysphagia.     

Evaluation of the knee pathology by ultrasonography

Fourteen patients undergoing total knee replacement for the arthritic conditions of the knee were evaluated by ultrasonography (USG) prior to surgery. USG findings (synovium, fluid, femoral cartilage, cyst and loose bodies) were compared with surgical findings. USG and surgical findings matched for synovial pathology in 57%, for presence fluid in 71% and for cartilage damage in 45%. Loose bodies and cyst present in one patient was not picked up by USG. Baker's cyst was detected in one patient.     

Evaluation of auditory brainstem responses for hearing screening of high-risk infants

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded in 30 normal and 60 high-risk neonates with gestational age between 30 and 45 weeks. The normative data of normal group as regard to age, sex and various parameters of ABR were compared with high-risk group. ABR parameters especially wave V and interwave V-I intervals were significantly prolonged in high-risk infants. An infant was considered to “pass” the ABR test if an identifiable and replicable wave V response was present at 30 dB HL in both ears. All the normal neonates had click thresholds consistent with normal hearing. 12 of the highrisk neonates showed mild to moderate hearing impairment (absent replicable wave V at 30–60 dB HL) and 2 of them showed severe to profound hearing impairment (absent replicable wave V at 70 dB HL). 9 of the “failed” group were reevaluated within 3 months and several times thereafter if the abnormal responses persisted. 2 (3.3%) infants showed persistent hearing loss, which was confirmed later by behavioral audiometry.     

3-Aminobenzamide – a PARP inhibitor enhances the sensitivity of peripheral blood micronucleus and comet assays in mice

Context: DNA repair is an essential outcome of DNA damage, which may compromise the end point of various in vitro and in vivo test systems of the genotoxicity evaluation. poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes have an essential role in DNA repair. Here, we investigated the effect of 3-AB, a PARP inhibitor on the sensitivity of comet and PBMN assays.

Objective: This study aimed to enhance the sensitivity of the comet and peripheral blood micronucleus (PBMN) assays using 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB), a well-characterized PARP inhibitor.

Materials and methods: Cyclophosphamide (CP, 50?mg/kg), 5-flourouracil (5-FU, 25?mg/kg), zidovudine (AZT, 400?mg/kg) and furosemide (FUR, 60?mg/kg) were selected as genotoxins. 3-AB was given every 8?h with the first dose given 2?h before the genotoxin treatment. For the PBMN assay, small amount of blood was taken from the tail tip of each animal and smears were prepared. The comet assay was performed in PBL, bone marrow and liver.

Results: In the comet as well as PBMN assay, 3-AB pre-treatment enhanced the extent of DNA damage in all the combination groups (3-AB?+?CP, 3-AB?+?5-FU and 3-AB?+?AZT) compared to CP, 5-FU and AZT per se. 3-AB also enhanced the DNA damage caused by FUR in the bone marrow and liver.

Discussion: This study results clearly demonstrate that the pretreatment with 3-AB (30?mg/kg) significantly enhances the sensitivity of the PBMN and comet assays. This model may be useful for the detection of marginally active DNA damaging agents.     

Is surgical vestibular ablation necessary in disabling peripheral vertigo?

The use of intratympanic gentamicin is an easily performed office procedure for the conservative treatment of the Meniere’s disease patient who has failed medical therapy. The procedure provides excellent control for the symptom of vertigo and is one of the most successful methods in the treatment of vertigo due to inner ear disorders. Surgical ablation is no longer necessary for adequate control of vestibular symptoms and that chemical ablation/alteration may replace the need for surgical vestibular ablation in cases of disabling Meniere’s disease and other inner ear causes for peripheral vertigo.     

Elevated alanine aminotransferase is associated with metabolic syndrome but not consistently associated with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background

Abnormally elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of nonspecific causes is a common outpatient problem. Without considering ethnicity, several studies had suggested that it was associated with insulin resistance (IR).

Objective

To investigate whether nonspecific elevated ALT in Taiwanese population could reflect a likely underlying IR and was associated with impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes mellitus (IFG/T2DM).

Methods

The health examination profiles of 1313 Taiwanese were investigated cross-sectionally. The prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) for IFG/T2DM and metabolic abnormalities in relation to elevated ALT were analyzed.

Results

Subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS) all had IFG/T2DM. The elevated ALT significantly correlated with MS and IFG/T2DM (i.e., 19.9-29.2% vs. 7.8% for MS, and 27.0-31.5% vs. 16.1% for IFG/T2DM). However, after excluding MS and adjustment for age and sex, the elevated ALT alone was not consistently associated with IFG/T2DM (36 < ALT ≤ 80 IU/L with OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.58-1.61; 80 < ALT ≤ 120 IU/L with OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.13-2.37; none with ALT > 120 had IFG).

Conclusions

In a cross-sectional analysis of Taiwanese industrial employees, elevated ALT associated with MS, but in subjects who did not meet MS criteria, elevated ALT by itself did not associate with IFG/T2DM.     

Outcome of single level instrumented posterior lumbar interbody fusion using corticocancellous laminectomy bone chips

Background:

Interbody fusion surgery has been considered by many to be a treatment of choice for instability in lumbar degenerative disc disease. A posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) has the advantages of spinal canal decompression, anterior column reconstruction, and reduction of the sagittal slips from a single posterior approach. The PLIF using double cage was a standard practice till many studies reported comparable results and lesser complications with single cage. Iliac crest was considered as an appropriate source of bone graft until comparable spinal fusion rates using local bone graft and cage emerged. Till date, there has been no report of corticocancellous laminectomy bone chips alone being used for spinal fusion. In this paper, we present radiologic results of single level instrumented PLIF, where in only corticocancellous laminectomy bone chips were used as a fusion device.

Materials and Methods:

It is a retrospective cohort study of 35 consecutive patients, who underwent single level instrumented PLIF surgery, wherein only locally obtained bone chips was used for spinal fusion. The average follow-up was 26 months. The indications for the surgery were as follows: 19 patients had disc herniations, with back pain of instability type, normal disc height on radiology. Ten patients had grade 1 spondylolisthesis, with significant back pain and translational instability on radiography. Three patients were redo spine surgeries, and three patients had healed spondylodiscitis with significant back pain and instability. All patients were regularly followed up and decision of spinal fusion or no fusion was taken at 2 years using modified criteria of Lee.

Results:

Of total 35 patients, there were 24 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 41 years. There were 16 patients with definitive fusion, 15 patients with probable fusion, 04 patients with possible pseudoarthrosis, and no patient had definitive pseudoarthrosis. The mean time for fusion to occur was 18 months. The average loss of disc height, over 2 year follow up, was only 3 mm in 8 patients. Three patients had a localized kyphosis of more than 3° at the fusion level. The average blood loss was 356 ml and average operating time was 150 min.

Conclusion:

Corticocancellous laminectomy bone chips alone can be used as a means of spinal fusion in patients with single level instrumented PLIF. This has got a good fusion rate.     

Regulation of inflammatory responses by IL-17F

Although interleukin (IL) 17 has been extensively characterized, the function of IL-17F, which has an expression pattern regulated similarly to IL-17, is poorly understood. We show that like IL-17, IL-17F regulates proinflammatory gene expression in vitro, and this requires IL-17 receptor A, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6, and Act1. In vivo, overexpression of IL-17F in lung epithelium led to infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages and mucus hyperplasia, similar to observations made in IL-17 transgenic mice. To further understand the function of IL-17F, we generated and analyzed mice deficient in IL-17F or IL-17. IL-17, but not IL-17F, was required for the initiation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Mice deficient in IL-17F, but not IL-17, had defective airway neutrophilia in response to allergen challenge. Moreover, in an asthma model, although IL-17 deficiency reduced T helper type 2 responses, IL-17F-deficient mice displayed enhanced type 2 cytokine production and eosinophil function. In addition, IL-17F deficiency resulted in reduced colitis caused by dextran sulfate sodium, whereas IL-17 knockout mice developed more severe disease. Our results thus demonstrate that IL-17F is an important regulator of inflammatory responses that seems to function differently than IL-17 in immune responses and diseases.