Heart rate reduces when stroke patients are touched . . . And??

McFadden KL, Hernández TD. Cardiovascular benefits of acupressure (Jin Shin) following stroke. Complement Ther Med 2010; 18: 42–8.     

Priming of human neutrophils with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl- phenylalanine by a calcium-independent, pertussis toxin-insensitive pathway

Resting neutrophils may be "primed" to augmented effector function, eg, superoxide (O2-) production in the respiratory burst, upon a second stimulation with a variety of soluble agonists including formylated methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). At priming concentrations of FMLP (5 x 10(-9) mol/L) that did not initiate O2- generation, two metabolic activities were noted: (1) approximately a threefold increase in the baseline intracellular calcium (Ca++i) level, that was not dependent on extracellular Ca++, and (2) a rapid rise in intracellular pH that was blocked by 5-(N,N- dimethyl) amiloride (DA), that had no effect on the Ca++i response to priming. Furthermore, there were no significant increases in inositol metabolites in cells primed and stimulated with FMLP compared with cells receiving the stimulating dose of FMLP alone and pretreatment with pertussis toxin (PT) (before the addition of the priming -5 x 10(- 9) mol/L dose of FMLP), whereas abolishing the response to FMLP during the second stage of stimulation, had (1) no effect on FMLP-primed cells subsequently stimulated with PMA, and (2) only partially ablated the rise in Ca++i initiated with FMLP. That FMLP priming involved distinctive processes to those of the well characterized FMLP-coupled Ca++-dependent activation cascade was shown by the full priming effect attained in a Ca++-free buffer, which did not sustain an O2- response to a second-stage FMLP stimulation, but sustained a primed response to PMA. These data demonstrate that FMLP primes human neutrophils by a Ca++-independent and PT-insensitive pathway, offering a functional model for studying heterogeneous FMLP receptor-coupled reactions.     

Hypergammaglobulinemia can be associated with a positive direct antiglobulin test, a nonreactive eluate, and no evidence of hemolysis

To determine the cause of a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT), blood banks routinely perform serologic tests on eluates prepared from DAT-positive red cells. Negative eluates traditionally have been suspected to be associated with drug reactions. This report confirms that the most frequent cause of a positive DAT and a nonreactive eluate is hypergammaglobulinemia. The results of 74 patient samples with positive DATs were analyzed retrospectively. Eluates prepared from the red cells of 54 patients (72.9%) reacted; eluates from 20 patients (27.1%) did not react. This latter group had identical serologic and clinical findings, suggesting that they made up a homogeneous group. In particular, the patients had a positive DAT, a negative indirect antiglobulin test, and a negative eluate; an increased serum concentration of IgG; and no evidence of hemolysis. In a subsequent study, DATs were performed prospectively on red cells from 44 consecutive patients with elevated serum IgG levels. The serum IgG concentration was highest in the three patients whose red cells had a positive DAT. The DAT also became positive in two patients treated with high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin (IV IgG). These studies indicate that a negative eluate from red cells with a positive DAT, a common serologic finding, is often caused by hypergammaglobulinemia. The authors postulate that IgG binds nonspecifically to the red cells because of the hypergammaglobulinemia.     

雌激素与C型利尿钠肽介导的青春期线性生长的关系

 目的：探讨青春期女孩雌激素与C型利尿钠肽（C-type natriuretic peptide, CNP）介导的长骨生长的关系,及两者在中枢性性早熟女孩GnRHa治疗相关身高增长减速中的作用。方法：（1）检测56例正常不同青春发育期女孩空腹血清雌二醇（E2）、CNP的N端前肽（N-terminal propeptide of CNP, NT-proCNP）、胰岛素样生长因子1（insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1）以及骨形成生化标志物N端中段骨钙素（N-terminal mid-fragment of osteocalcin, N-MID OC）的浓度。（2）检测13例特发性中枢性性早熟（idiopathic central precocious puberty, ICPP）女孩在促性腺激素释放激素类似物（gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue, GnRHa）治疗开始、治疗6个月末及12个月末时血清E2、NT-proCNP、IGF-1和N-MID OC水平,并计算身高增长速度（height velocity, HV）。结果：(1) 在56例正常不同青春发育期女孩中,与青春前期相比,血清NT-proCNP、IGF-1、E2和N-MID OC浓度均自青春早期开始升高（P<005或P<0.01）;血清NT-proCNP在青春中期维持高水平,至青春后期达峰值（P<005）;血清IGF-1和E2浓度于青春中期继续升高（P<0.01）,亦至青春后期达峰值（P<0.01）;血清N-MID OC浓度于青春中期达到峰值（P<0.05）,青春后期则开始下降（P<0.05）。(2) ICPP女孩GnRHa治疗6个月末HV、血清NT-proCNP和血清N-MID OC均较治疗开始时显著下降（P<0.05）,但与12个月末相比无显著差异;GnRHa治疗开始、治疗6个月末和12个月末后血清IGF-1浓度无显著差异;治疗后血清E2显著下降并回复至青春前期水平（P<0.05）。结论：女孩血清NT-proCNP水平随青春发育进程升高,与血清E2和IGF-1浓度平行,提示女孩青春期升高的雌激素在一定程度上可诱导CNP介导的青春期生长加速。ICPP女孩经GnRHa治疗后,随着雌激素受抑,生长速度减慢,血清NT-proCNP浓度下降,并与生长速度和骨形成平行,提示GnRHa致ICPP女孩生长减速部分缘于雌激素被抑制后CNP介导的长骨生长减慢。     

Severe congenital absence of skin in a preterm infant

A severe case of aplasia cutis congenita in a preterm infant is described. Although major problems with thermoregulation and fluid balance were anticipated, these parameters were relatively easy to control once the patient was stabilized. Meticulous skin care and rapid formation of a membranous-like fibrous tissue layer covering the denuded areas probably played an important role in minimizing excessive fluid and heat loss. The prognosis in aplasia cutis congenita is determined by the underlying associated anomalies, the severity of skin lesions and, in our case, the maturity of the infant who died from complications of prematurity.