A pilot study on the antibodies to HHV-6 variants and HHV-7 in CSF of MS patients

In the possible role for human herpesviruses (HHV) in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) neither clear distinction between the two variants of HHV-6, nor the involvement of HHV-7 have been described. Therefore, we quantitated HHV-6 variant specific and HHV-7 reacting antibodies in the CSF of 13 patients with MS or other neurological disorders by ELISA. Predominance in the positivity of IgG (67%) and IgM (44%) to HHV-6B over that of IgG (44%) with no detectable IgM to HHV-6A, and no antibodies to HHV-7 were found in the CSF of MS patients. None of these antibodies were found in the CSF of controls. This suggests that, intrathecal chronic active or primary HHV-6B infection might contribute to MS progression, while the local effects of HHV-6A and HHV-7 seem to be less important.     

药流与负压吸宫法的效果和可接受性研究

研究的目的:比较RU486/Cytotec药物和负压吸宫术两种流产方法的效果,以及医学的和个人的可接受性.对象为通过咨询,介绍两种流产方法后,让对象自愿选择而组成.年龄在20～34岁.药物组100例,闭经35～42天,第1天口服RU486 600mg,第3天服Cytotec(PGE1)0.4mg,第17、43天回医院随访.手术组100例,闭经≤56天,负压吸宫术后第14、43天回医院随访.结果:完全流产率药物组为89%,手术组为100%.对象选择这两种流产方法的主要原因:药物组94%的人认为痛苦少,手术组的55%认为手术快、节省时间,而且手术同时可取出或放置宫内节育器(占45%).结论:RU486/Cytotec药物流产和负压吸宫术在各自适合的人群中都具有高度的可接受性.两种方法各具优缺点,不能相互取代,二者相辅相成,取长补短,将使终止妊娠的措施更为安全     

The treatment of the distal epiphyseal fracture of the tibia (author's transl)

The distal epiphyseal fractures cases for 10 years period have been reported. The authors state that it is always worth-while to carry out an operation in group "B" of the Müller's scheme, while in group "A" and "C" only selected cases are worth to operate. In the 17 cases being observed till now no disturbed growth has been found.     

"Cyto-assisted", ultrasound-guided biopsy in the diagnosis of focal disease of the abdomen.

From May 1988 to June 1990, 260 patients with abdominal focal disease underwent ultrasonically guided percutaneous fine needle biopsy. The technique of so-called "FNAB-CYT" is described. The procedure entailed very few complications: the mortality rate was 0% and the morbidity rate was 1.5%. The specificity of the technique was 100%, and sensitivity was 93.43%. False-negative diagnoses were made in 8 cases, and in 5 patients the cytologic diagnoses were uncertain. There were no false-positives. The possibility of an immediate control of the collected material by the pathologist avoids the risk of inadequate samples and reduces the number of biopsies for the patient. Comparison among diagnoses on rapid and definitive preparations and histologic ones was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the cytologic procedure. In our experience, a rapid staining of the smears allowed a correct cytologic diagnosis in 87.7% of the cases within approximately 5 min of the biopsy. On the basis of our experience, the authors recommend FNAB-CYT as a routine first-level (less invasive) procedure for diagnosis of abdominal focal disease.     

小儿耳蜗植入后电诱发复合动作电位的阈值及其临床应用

目的　研究应用神经反应遥测 (neuralresponsetelemetry ,NRT)技术 ,测试电诱发复合动作电位 (electrically evokedcompoundactionpotential,ECAP)阈值以指导小儿人工耳蜗映射调图的策略与时机。方法　应用NRT3 0软件对幅值增长函数进行线性拟合 ,确定ECAP阈值。比较 6例儿童植入者在术后 1、2、3个月ECAP阈值的变化 ,同时比较 7例儿童术中、术后ECAP阈值的差异。结果ECAP幅值增长函数在接近阈值或进入饱和时不再呈线性。术后ECAP阈值保持稳定。各导电极的术中ECAP阈值比术后阈值平均高约 15CL ,二者有显著性相关 (R2 =0 915 4)。结论　应选取幅值增长函数的直线段部分进行拟合以确定ECAP阈值。术后应用ECAP阈值指导小儿映射调图时 ,测试一次ECAP阈值即可。术中ECAP阈值可用作开机时映射图的C值     

Clinical and biochemical features of sporadic and hereditary phaeochromocytomas: an analysis of 41 cases investigated in a single endocrine centre.

The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of phaeochromocytomas among adrenal tumours and to analyse the clinical and biochemical features of sporadic and hereditary tumours. Our series of 609 adrenal tumours evaluated between January 1995 and July 2003 was reviewed. Catecholamine content in phaeochromocytoma tissues was also determined and correlated with clinical behaviour and biochemical parameters of patients. Forty-one (6.7%) of the 609 patients had phaeochromocytomas, of which 28 were sporadic (25 benign and three malignant) and 13 (all benign) were associated with hereditary diseases (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A in seven cases from four unrelated families carrying mutations of the RET gene, von Hippel-Lindau disease in two unrelated cases with mutations of the VHL gene, and type 1 neurofibromatosis in four unrelated cases). Bilateral tumours were found in three patients with hereditary syndromes and in one sporadic case. Tumour diameter was slightly but not significantly greater in patients with hereditary than in those with sporadic tumours. Systolic but not diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in patients with sporadic compared with those with hereditary tumours, but comparison of other clinical data and biochemical parameters indicated an absence of significant differences in the mean age, presenting symptoms, heart rate, or fasting serum glucose levels. Tissue catecholamine content measured in 8 sporadic and 5 hereditary phaeochromocytomas was highly variable and it failed to show significant differences between hereditary and sporadic tumours. These results indicate a high proportion of hereditary diseases among patients with phaeochromocytomas. Genetic and clinical testing for hereditary diseases may be of great help to offer an appropriate treatment, follow-up and family screening for these patients.     

Surgical Treatment of Aortic Root Aneurysm Related to Marfan Syndrome in Early Childhood

The prognosis of Marfan syndrome in both adult and pediatric patients is primarily related to the cardiovascular complications. In infantile Marfan syndrome, although involvement of the mitral valve is the most frequently encountered cardiovascular lesion, the aortic root can be more worrisome because of its excessive dilatation, leading to aortic insufficiency or dissection. If the role of elective surgery is relatively well defined for adult patients, it is still debated during childhood. We report two patients, aged 22 months and 5 years, each presenting an aortic root aneurysm related to Marfan syndrome, and each treated with the Bentall procedure without specific age-related mortality or morbidity. These two patients experienced normal growth and were free of any complication for a follow-up period of 8 and 2 years, respectively. More than an absolute value of the aortic root dimension, it is the conjunction of the rate of progression of the aortic root dilatation, the degree and the duration of the aortic valve regurgitation, and its resulting left ventricular dysfunction that must be taken into consideration in choosing the surgical option.     

Early ovarian cancer: Is there a role for systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy?

Baiocchi G, Raspagliesi F, Grosso G, Fontanelli R, Cobellis L, di Re E, di Re F. Early ovarian cancer: Is there a role for systematic pelvis and para-aortic lymphadenectomy? Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8 : 103–108.
In order to focus on the incidence and the clinical significance of lymphatic spread in patients with cancer apparently confined to the ovaries, we present our 20 year experience in a large series of patients with early ovarian cancer who had systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. A retrospective study of 280 consecutive patients is presented. Systematic pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy was performed in 205 cases (73.2%). Selective sampling and node biopsy were performed in 30 (10.7%) and 7 (2.5%), respectively. Node metastases were found in 32/242 patients (13.2%). The incidence of metastatic nodes was significantly higher in patients with serous adenocarcinomas and/or poorly-differentiated tumors. When few nodes were involved (1–3) lymphatic spread was most ipsilateral to the tumor. Even though the retrospective nature of the study has to be considered, univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in 5-year survival based on FIGO stage, histology, grade of differentiation, and node status. By contrast, using multivariate analysis, none of these risk factors was an independent variable for predicting long-term survival. However, node status closely approached the statistically significant level ( P = 0.06). Only prospective and randomized studies can clarify the role of lymphadenectomy in early ovarian cancer. However, while awaiting these results, this surgical procedure should be a part of a research protocol.     

抗脑抗体对精神分裂症自身免疫反应的探讨

目的探讨精神分裂症患者脑脊液中抗脑抗体(ABAb)的致病作用。方法应用ELISA法检测患者脑脊液抗脑抗体，并对患者尸解脑组织进行免疫组化染色和病理学检验。结果患者脑脊液中有73．9％(34／46)检出抗脑抗体；在脑右侧扣带回、海马及胼胝体等脑组织神经元细胞胞浆中发现IgG和补体C3沉着；脑组织呈现明显的多种退行性改变，伴胶质细胞增生。结论抗脑抗体可能参与精神分裂症自身免疫反应，使患者脑内某些部位出现自身抗体沉着并引起补体活化，而导致脑组织病理性改变。