Clinical and laboratory characteristics of cerebral infarction in tuberculous meningitis: a comparative study.

Cerebral infarction as a complication of tubercular (TB) meningitis is not uncommon, but an adequate comparison of patients with and without stroke has not been carried out. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of cerebral infarction secondary to TB meningitis, and to investigate predictive factors for cerebral infarction in patients with TB meningitis. Patients with TB meningitis were recruited over a period of 56 months. They were divided into two groups, those with and those without stroke. Demographic features and clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological findings were compared between the two groups. We classified strokes into subtypes using neuroimaging findings. Of the 38 patients who were diagnosed with TB meningitis, eight also experienced cerebral infarction. The percentage of cerebrospinal fluid leukocytes that were neutrophils was significantly higher in patients with stroke (68%) than in patients without stroke (31%; p=0.0001). Upon initial CT imaging, meningeal enhancement was found in 11 patients, and of these patients, six experienced stroke. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to other clinical and laboratory features, including demographic features, time between meningitis onset and treatment initiation, peripheral white blood cell count, and cerebrospinal fluid findings. Five of the eight patients who developed stroke had lacunar infarcts. One of the three patients with territorial nonlacunar infarction died due to herniation. When treating patients with TB meningitis, the possibility of cerebral infarction should be considered when patients develop focal neurological signs, meningeal enhancement on a CT scan, and sustained polymorphic cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis.     

Augmentation of intrarenal angiotensin II levels in uninephrectomized aldosterone/salt-treated hypertensive rats; renoprotective effects of an ultrahigh dose of olmesartan.

Recent studies have suggested that aldosterone plays a role in the pathogenesis of renal injury. In this study, we investigated whether local angiotensin II (Ang II) activity contributes to the progression of renal injury in aldosterone/salt-induced hypertensive rats. Uninephrectomized rats were treated with 1% NaCl in a drinking solution and one of the following combinations for 6 weeks: vehicle (2% ethanol, s.c.; n=9), aldosterone (0.75 mug/h, s.c.; n=8), aldosterone+Ang II type 1 receptor blocker olmesartan (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.; n=8), or aldosterone+olmesartan (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.; n=9). Aldosterone/salt-treated hypertensive rats exhibited severe proteinuria and renal injury characterized by glomerular sclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Aldosterone/salt-induced renal injury was associated with augmented expression of angiotensin converting enzyme and Ang II levels in the renal cortex and medullary tissues. Renal cortical and medullary mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) as well as the collagen contents were increased in aldosterone/salt-treated hypertensive rats. Treatment with olmesartan (10 or 100 mg/kg/day) had no effect on blood pressure but attenuated proteinuria in a dose-dependent manner. Olmesartan at 10 mg/kg/day tended to decrease renal cortical and medullary Ang II levels, TGF-beta and CTGF expression, and collagen contents; however, these changes were not significant. On the other hand, an ultrahigh dose of olmesartan (100 mg/kg/day) significantly decreased these values and ameliorated renal injury. These data suggest that augmented local Ang II activity contributes, at least partially, to the progression of aldosterone/salt-dependent renal injury.     

类风湿病中左心室收缩功能障碍：一种未被认识的负荷？

目的:本研究旨在明确左心室收缩功能障碍在临床类风湿病(RD)患者中是否较正常人群中更常见,并评价脑利钠肽(BNP)的诊断价值。背景:RD患者罹患缺血性心脏病的风险增加,而采用超声心动图评估RD患者心功能不全的大型研究却少见。假定左心室收缩功能障碍在RD患者中较正常人群中更为     

Lethal effect of mononuclear cells derived from human umbilical cord blood differentiating into dendritic cells after in vitro induction of cytokines on neuroblastoma cells

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cell is the most major antigen presenting cell of organism. It is proved in recent studies that human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells induced and cultured in vitro by recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhG-MCSF) and recombinant human interleukin-4(rhIL-4) can generate a great many dendritic cells and promote the lethal effect of T cells on human neuroblastoma, but it is unclear that whether the lethal effect is associated with the most proper concentration of dendritic cells. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the lethal effect of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells induced in vitro by cytokines differentiating into dendritic cells on human neuroblastoma, and its best concentration range. DESIGN: Open experiment. SETTING: Department of Pediatrics, the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University. MATERIALS: The study was carried out in the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory (Laboratory for the Department of Pediatrics of the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University) during September 2005 to May 2006. Human umbilical cord blood samples were taken from the healthy newborn infants of full-term normal delivery during October to November 2005 in the Medical School Hospital of Qingdao University, and were voluntarily donated by the puerperas. Main instruments: type 3111 CO2 incubator (Forma Scientific, USA), type 550 ELISA Reader (Bio-Rad, USA). Main reagents: neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH (Shanghai Institute of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences), RPMI-1640 culture fluid and fetal bovine serum (Hyclone), rhIL-4 (Promega, USA), rhG-MCSF (Harbin Pharmaceutic Group Bioengineering Co.Ltd), rat anti-human CD1a monoclonal antibody and FITC-labeled rabbit anti-rat IgG (Xiehe Stem cell Gene Engineering Co.Ltd). METHODS: ① Human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells obtained with attachment methods differentiated into human umbilical cord blood dendritic cells, presenting typical morphology of dendritic cells after in vitro induction by rhG-MCSF and rhIL-4. ② Different concentrations of dendritic cells[ dendritic cells: neuroblastoma cells=20∶1,50∶1,100∶1（2×108 L-1，5×108 L-1，1×109 L-1）], 1×109 L-1 T cells and 1×107 L-1 neuroblastoma cells were added in the experimental group. 1×109 L-1 T cells and 1×107 L-1 neuroblastoma cells were added in the control group. ③ Main surface marker CD1a molecules of dendritic cells were detected with indirect immunofluorescence, and the percent rate of dendritic cells was counted with ultraviolet light and expressed as the expression rate of CD1a+ cells. ④ Single effector cells and target cells were respectively set in the experimental group and control group to obtain the lethal effect. The lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma cells was indirectly evaluated by detecting cellular survival with MTT assay. The lethal effect(%)=（1-A experimental well-A effector cell well/A target cell well）×100%.⑤The experimental data were presented as Mean ±SD, and paired t test was used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Morphological characters of dendritic cells in the process of induction and differentiation. ②CD1a+ cellular expression rate. ③Lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma cells. RESULTS: ①Morphological characters of dendritic cells in the process of induction and differentiation: On the 15th day after human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells were induced by rhG-MCSF and rhIL-4, typical morphology of dendritic cells could be seen under an inverted microscope. ②Expression rate of CD1a+ cells was （43.12±5.83）%. ③Lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma cells: Lethal effect of dendritic cells stimulated T cells in each experimental group ( dendritic cells: neuroblastoma cells=100∶1,50∶1,20∶1 respectively) on neuroblastoma cells was significantly higher than that in control group[（31.00 ±4.41）%，（30.92±5.27）%，(33.57±5.35)%,(26.23±5.20)%, t=3.51，2.98，4.24, P < 0.01）; But the lethal effect of dendritic cells on neuroblastoma was significantly lower when their ratio was 100∶1 and 50∶1 in comparison with 20:1 （t=2.01，2.36, P < 0.05）, and no significant difference in lethal effect existed between the ratio at 100∶1 and 50∶1（t=0.06,P > 0.05）. CONCLUSION: Dendritic cells differentiated from human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells after in vitro induction of cytokines can promote the lethal effect of T cells on neuroblastoma cells. The lethal effect is associated with the concentration of dendritic cells within some range.     

胸腰椎骨折术后内固定松动、断裂的原因及预防

目的 探讨椎弓根螺钉系统用于胸腰椎骨折术后出现松动、断裂的原因，并提出相应的预防对策。方法 12例胸腰椎骨折术后内固定失效病例，采用RF系统3例，AF系统9例。均未行植骨融合，AF系统中未按要求安装横连结3例，术后伤椎前缘高度平均恢复至正常的85．2％。结果 术后8—21个月出现棒断裂4例，螺钉断裂3例，钉帽松动5例。结论 内固定物的自身问题、术者的经验欠缺及操作不规范是胸腰椎骨折术后椎弓根螺钉系统松动、断裂的原因，但伤椎骨结构未能得到良好重建及术后椎间盘退变可能是其更重要的因素。因此重视内固定物的选择、加强规范操作，强调对损伤椎体及椎间盘的全面处理是预防内固定失效的有效措施。