Pneumothorax preceding pulmonary blastoma in a child

Serial plain radiographic, ultrasound and CT findings of an unusual case of pulmonary blastoma are described with a review of the literature.     

Simultaneous confirmation and differentiation of human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II infection by modified western blot containing recombinant envelope glycoproteins

A modified Western blot (WB) that includes both shared (r21e) and unique recombinant envelope proteins from human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I (rgp46I) and type II (rgp46II) was compared to conventional HTLV serologic tests in 379 United States blood donors and individuals residing in diverse geographic regions, and the specimens were categorized as positive (n = 158), indeterminate (n = 158), or negative (n = 63) for HTLV infection. Of the 158 HTLV-I/II-positive specimens (66 requiring radioimmunoprecipitation assay [RIPA] for confirmation), 156 reacted concordantly with r21e, gag, and either rgp46I or rgp46II, thus eliminating the need for RIPA in all but two specimens and yielding a test sensitivity of 98.7 percent. Of the 158 indeterminate and 63 negative specimens, none reacted with r21e and rgp46I or rgp46II, yielding a test specificity of 100 percent. Furthermore, analysis of an additional 184 consecutive specimens from a retrovirology reference laboratory demonstrated that the modified WB correctly identified 27 of 28 HTLV-I specimens and all 13 HTLV-II specimens, with a test sensitivity of 97.6 percent. None of specimens that were indeterminate or nonreactive in conventional WB and/or RIPA and none of the screening enzyme immunoassay-negative specimens reacted with r21e and either rgp46I or rgp46II, for a test specificity of 100 percent. Thus, the modified WB appears to be highly sensitive and specific for simultaneous detection and discrimination of HTLV-I from HTLV-II and has the advantage of being a one-step assay that is easily performed in all types of laboratory settings and allows rapid, reliable, and standardized testing for HTLV-I/II infection.     

Human immunodeficiency virus seroprevalence among blood product recipients in San Francisco before transfusion

To determine the incidence of transfusion-associated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection after routine screening of donated blood, a pilot study estimated the pretransfusion prevalence of HIV infection among blood product recipients in San Francisco. Among the 911 nonduplicate pretransfusion specimens from recipients without a clinical history of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC), the overall prevalence of antibody to HIV was 2.9 percent (5.2% among males and 0.6% among females; p = 0.00002). If recipients in specifically defined or possible high-risk groups (n = 348) were excluded, a seropositivity rate of 1.8 percent (10/563) was detected, with all the positives occurring in men (10/242, 4.1%) and none in women (0/321, 0%). This demonstrated prevalence of HIV infection among blood product recipients in San Francisco before transfusion was substantially higher than the known 0.02 to 0.04 percent prevalence in the donor population. Therefore, the population of women without known risk for AIDS is the best in which to assess the risk of HIV infection in patients who are currently receiving seronegative blood transfusions.     

基于椎弓根三维形态测量实施个体化置钉技术

目的:观察胸腰段椎弓根CT测量在椎弓根螺钉内固定中的作用,寻找一种个体化椎弓根螺钉置入的方法。方法:选择1999-02/2006-03河北工程大学附属医院收治的T12和/或L1段骨折患者59例,行螺旋CT检查及图像三维重建,重建结束后,得到胸腰段标本的三维图像,通过旋转和切割进行图像处理并测量,模拟出T11～L2的椎弓根形态,根据CT测量椎弓根的实际投照点进行调整,即横断面上椎弓根轴线与矢状位上椎弓根轴线的交点,在确定进钉点时选择下关节突为参照物,选用合适直径的螺钉进行植钉,植入螺钉后,连接棒或板系统。结果:262个椎弓根行植钉术,242个完全在椎弓根内,仅有20个螺钉穿透椎弓根皮质。术后平均随访16.1个月,均无临床并发症的发生,Frankel平均增加1.4级。术后有2例患者出现断钉(3枚),1例患者出现断棒,所植入的螺钉与机体生物相容性好,无不良反应的发生。结论:利用三维CT测量的数据辅助,严格按照个体化的椎弓根的轴线方向植钉,在置钉时应考虑到螺钉本身直径的因素,可以提高植钉的成功率。