Legionella myositis

Neuromuscular involvement in patients with legionnaires' disease is common, with serum CK elevations in up to 78% of patients. A few cases have been associated with neuropathy. The mechanism of injury to the neuromuscular system is unknown, but organisms have not previously been found in nerve or muscle. We report the clinical, electrophysiologic, and pathologic findings in a patient with Legionella myositis and motor neuropathy, the first case to demonstrate direct muscle invasion by the Legionella organism.     

普通男大学生关节相对峰力矩与蹲跳高度的关联分析

目的:分析普通男大学生髋、膝、踝、肩、肘各关节相对峰力矩与蹲跳高度的相关性。方法:实验于2004-11/2005-01在河北省体科所完成。①实验对象:随机抽取河北省某大学普通男生30名,年龄(21.8±0.8)岁,身高(170.67±5.48)cm,体质量(65.70±7.99)kg,测试前均从未进行过专门的肌肉力量训练,优势上、下肢均为右侧。②实验方法:从站立开始加摆臂的反向蹲跳,要求受试者上体尽可能保持前后方向稳定,从站立位开始下蹲时上肢向下加速摆臂,并迅速向上蹬伸起跳。从站立开始不加摆臂的反向蹲跳,是排除上肢对蹲跳高度的影响。从半蹲开始加摆臂的无反向蹲跳,要求半蹲的角度控制在105°,静止状态下半蹲预备后,直接进入向上的蹬伸起跳过程,不能出现在起动瞬间身体重心先小幅下移再向上的情况。每种动作做3次,每次间隔10min。③实验评估:通过爱捷图像解析系统得出蹲跳高度,取成绩最好的一次采用Biodex Ⅱ型等速测力及康复系统检测受试者各关节肌力相对峰力矩。利用多因素优势分析法得出在慢速[60(°、快速[240(°)/s])/s]状态下,髋、膝、踝、肩、肘关节相对峰力矩与蹲跳高度的相关性。结果:①从站立开始加摆臂的反向蹲跳高度与各关节相对峰力矩的关系:在慢速状态时与髋关节伸肌相对峰力矩、踝关节背屈肌相对峰力矩、膝关节伸肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(r=0.808,0.692,0.656),在快速状态时与肘关节屈肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(r=0.770)。②从站立开始不加摆臂的反向蹲跳高度与各关节相对峰力矩的关系:在慢速状态时与踝关节背屈肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(=0.747),在快速状态时与膝关节屈肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(r=0.796)。③从半蹲开始加摆臂的无反向蹲跳高r度与各关节相对峰力矩的关系:从半蹲开始加摆臂的无反向蹲跳高度,在慢速状态时与髋关节伸肌相对峰力矩、踝关节背屈肌相对峰力矩、膝关节伸肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(r=0.774,0.762,0.712),在快速状态时与肘关节屈肌相对峰力矩呈明显相关(r=0.843)。结论:①加摆臂的反向与无反向蹲跳,髋关节伸肌相对峰力矩、肘关节屈肌相对峰力矩分别是慢速、快速状态下影响其高度的首要因素。②不加摆臂的反向蹲跳,踝关节背屈肌相对峰力矩、髋关节伸肌相对峰力矩分别是慢速、快速状态下影响其高度的首要因素。③提示发展上肢肌肉力量对蹲跳高度的提高大有益处。     

CI-943, a potential antipsychotic agent. I. Preclinical behavioral effects

CI-943 (8-ethyl-7,8-dihydro-1,3,5-trimethyl-1H-imidazo[1,2-c] pyrazolo[3,4-e]-pyrimidine) is a novel agent that is chemically unrelated to available antipsychotics and is not a dopamine receptor antagonist. Like available antipsychotics, CI-943 reduces spontaneous locomotion in mice and rats and inhibits compulsive cage climbing induced by apomorphine in mice at doses that do not produce ataxia. However, CI-943 enhances rather than inhibits the locomotor stimulant effects of d-amphetamine in mice and rats. Unlike dopamine antagonists, CI-943 does not affect stereotypy caused by apomorphine or amphetamine in rats. CI-943 displays an antipsychotic-like profile in conditioned avoidance tests, inhibiting one-way avoidance in rats at doses that do not impair escape and inhibiting continuous avoidance in rats and squirrel monkeys at doses that do not impair shock termination responding. Although high doses of CI-943 produce dystonic movements in haloperidol-sensitized monkeys, CI-943 differs from dopamine antagonists that produce extrapyramidal dysfunction in humans in that doses of CI-943 that are sufficient to inhibit avoidance responding in monkeys do not produce extrapyramidal dysfunction. Unlike dopamine antagonists that produce tardive dyskinesia, CI-943 administered repeatedly at high doses does not produce behavioral supersensitivity to dopamine agonists in rats. These results demonstrate that CI-943 resembles available antipsychotics in some preclinical behavioral tests commonly used to predict antipsychotic efficacy but differs from dopamine antagonists in tests predictive of dopamine receptor antagonism and antipsychotic-induced neurological dysfunction.     

Demographic characteristics and prevalence of serologic markers among donors who use the confidential unit exclusion process: the Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

BACKGROUND: Most blood centers utilize a confidential unit exclusion (CUE) process, intended to reduce the risk of transfusion-associated infectious diseases by allowing high-risk donors confidentially to exclude their blood from use for transfusion. The effectiveness of this method remains controversial. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Confirmatory or supplemental test results for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus, human T-lymphotropic virus type I, and hepatitis C virus, as well as hepatitis B surface antigen and syphilis and screening test results for antibodies to hepatitis B core (antigen) and alanine aminotransferase levels were obtained for approximately 1.8 million units donated during 1991 and 1992 at five blood centers within the United States. The prevalences of these infectious disease markers in units that the donors confidentially excluded (CUE+) and units that the donors did not exclude (CUE-) were calculated and examined within demographic subgroups. RESULTS: Units that were CUE+ were 8 to 41 times more likely to be seropositive for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B surface antigen, and syphilis and three to four times more likely to react for antibody to hepatitis B core (antigen) or to have elevated alanine aminotransferase levels than units that were CUE- (p < 0.001). The positive predictive value of CUE (the percentage of CUE+ units that were confirmed seropositive for any marker) was 3.5 percent, and the sensitivity of CUE (the percentage of confirmed-seropositive units that were CUE+) was 2.3 percent. CONCLUSION: The current CUE process has low sensitivity and apparently low positive predictive value, and in many cases, it appeared that donors misunderstood it. Yet, CUE was not a “random process,” as CUE+ units were more likely to be seropositive for any infectious disease marker than CUE- units. This suggests that efforts to improve the CUE system may be warranted. As risk factors for transfusion-transmitted infection become more difficult to identify by history-based screening, however, such efforts may have limited effect.     

Acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine-stimulated human platelets cause pulmonary hypertension and edema in isolated rabbit lungs. Role of thromboxane A2.

Macrophages, neutrophils, and platelets may play a role in acute edematous lung injury, such as that seen in the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but their potential actions and interactions are unclear. Because stimulated human macrophages and neutrophils can release acetyl glyceryl ether phosphorylcholine (AGEPC), a potent platelet activator, we hypothesized that in ARDS, leukocyte release of AGEPC might stimulate platelets to release thromboxane A2 (TXA2), which then produces pulmonary hypertension and lung edema. In support of this premise, we found that pulmonary hypertension and edema occurred in isolated rabbit lungs perfused with human platelets and AGEPC, but not with platelets or AGEPC alone. Infusion of a vasodilator (nitroglycerin) to maintain base-line pulmonary artery pressures in lungs perfused with platelets and AGEPC prevented the development of lung edema suggesting that platelet and AGEPC-induced edema was hydrostatic in nature. Additional experiments suggested that the increased pressure was a result of TXA2 release from platelets stimulated by AGEPC. Specifically, preincubation of platelets with imidazole, a thromboxane synthetase blocker, prior to infusion with AGEPC significantly diminished pulmonary hypertension and prevented lung edema. Furthermore, pretreating lung preparations with 13-azaprostanoic acid, a TXA2 antagonist, before infusion of AGEPC and untreated platelets also reduced the pulmonary hypertension and blocked the lung edema. The role of TXA2 was further suggested when perfusates from lungs infused with platelets and AGEPC developed high levels of TXA2, whereas perfusates from controls did not. These results suggest that platelet aggregation induced by AGEPC may contribute to ARDS by releasing TXA2, which raises microvascular pressure and increases edema formation, especially when an underlying permeability defect is present.     

Practical guidelines for process validation and process control of white cell-reduced blood components: report of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Working Party of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)

Background: The increased use of white (WBC)-reduced blood components has prompted many institutions to develop quality assurance programs directed to such component preparation processes. For consistent preparation of WBC-reduced blood components that meet clinical needs as well as national standards, a program of process validation and control should be instituted. This involves controlling key factors that affect WBC reduction as well as periodic monitoring of the residual cellular content of components. Practical guidelines for the implementation of such a program are provided. Study Design and Methods: A program involving three phases of monitoring was developed by individuals belonging to an international working party of the International Society of Blood Transfusion. Results: The first phase, process validation, evaluates a minimum of 20 consecutive units (a minimum of 60 units when nonparametric measurements are used) to document the successful local implementation of a new or substantially modified process. Ongoing process control employing Levey-Jennings type control charts is used to demonstrate that the process remains stable over time. Process capability assessment and conformance with standards are evaluated once residual WBCs are counted in a sufficient number of units. This enables a facility to claim with a specified degree of confidence that a stated proportion of WBC-reduced units will meet national standards. Two approaches to determine the number of units that should be selected for counting are presented. The first approach considers units as either acceptable or not acceptable and assumes that the distribution of failed (or nonconforming) units approximates the Poisson distribution. The second approach takes into consideration the observed WBC content of the tested units, with the assumption that the residual WBC content in WBC-reduced components follows a lognormal distribution. A method to assess the lognormal distribution of residual WBCs is presented. Specific tables based on each of these approaches are provided to guide the reader in the design of a program that will verify conformance with any national standard at specific confidence levels. The approach can be generalized to other process control applications. Conclusion: Guidelines are presented for process validation, process control, and assessment of conformance in the production of WBC-reduced blood components. Policy makers retain the responsibility to establish, on the basis of the expected use of WBC- reduced components, requirements for the frequency of testing and for the proportion of prepared units that are expected with a stated degree of confidence to meet the standards. Facilities preparing WBC-reduced components can monitor key factors that influence the preparation of WBC-reduced blood, can periodically assess their conformance with the standards, and can intervene to correct adverse changes in the process. This approach can be used to ensure the consistent quality of WBC- reduced blood components.     

Sampling errors and the precision associated with counting very low numbers of white cells in blood components

Attention to the accurate and precise measurement of the white cell (WBC) content of transfused products has risen in response to awareness of the potential benefits of WBC-depleted components and the development of technical capabilities to produce these components. The techniques thus far reported have focused on the reliability of detecting a WBC, provided it is present in the test system. The likelihood of selecting a WBC from the product of interest for counting in the analytical system--that is, the sampling error--must also be considered. The occurrence of a WBC in a WBC-depleted component is a rare event and may be modeled with the binomial or the Poisson distribution. Several assay techniques were analyzed by using these distribution models to determine the confidence intervals of the WBC content. The 95-percent confidence intervals spanned more than 2 logs10 for some methods at 3 x 10(5) WBCs per product. It is concluded that the reporting of WBC content for research provides not only the estimate of the mean but also a confidence interval for this estimate. Quality control procedures should be designed to verify that the WBC content is less than the targeted amount and should provide an associated statement of confidence.     

A study of confidential unit exclusion

The effectiveness of the confidential unit exclusion (CUE) procedure recommended by the Food and Drug Administration has been questioned by the blood banking community. The purpose of this study was to determine whether donors were informing the blood center correctly regarding the disposition (transfuse or do not transfuse) of their donated blood. A letter explaining the confidential study and requesting permission to send the participant a questionnaire noting his or her self-exclusion choice was mailed to 230 donors who had chosen transfuse and 276 donors who had chosen do not transfuse. After consent was obtained, participants were sent a second packet and asked to indicate whether they had chosen correctly and, if not, to identify reasons for that incorrect choice. A seven-word terminology quiz made up of words from the CUE form was also enclosed. All participants who had chosen transfuse indicated that this was the correct choice. Approximately 50 percent of those who had chosen do not transfuse indicated that this was an incorrect choice; the most common reason was that "I was not paying attention." The most frequently misunderstood term was "confidential." Donors who chose do not transfuse had a significantly higher rate of error on the terminology quiz (p less than 0.01) than did those who chose transfuse.     

Progress in laparoscopic anatomy research: A review of the Chinese literature

The development of laparoscopic surgery has generated the new field of study, laparoscopic anatomy. This article reviews the reported literature on laparoscopic anatomy and explores how it has evolved along with advances in abdominal surgery. In addition, the principal concerns in current laparoscopic anatomy research are discussed, including: (1) types of special adjacent anatomical structures; and (2) special surgical planes and anatomical landmarks. Understanding of systematic laparoscopic anatomy can pr...