Hepatic amebic abscess: cholescintigraphic rim enhancement

Cholescintigrams of 17 amebic liver abscesses (ALAs) in 13 patients were studied retrospectively. Rim enhancement around a photopenic defect was seen in nine (53%) of 17 abscesses. Most of the ALAs were solitary, in the right lobe, and ovoid. All were contiguous with the liver capsule. Ultrasonograms, obtained in 11 of 13 patients, showed the ALAs to be predominantly hypoechoic, with low-level echoes on high-gain settings. No sonographic finding could be identified to correlate with rim enhancement. Cholescintigraphic rim enhancement may allow early diagnosis of ALA in patients with right-upper-quadrant pain, facilitating early institution of specific therapy while definitive serologic confirmation of ALA is awaited.     

Peptide growth factors and preimplantation development

This paper examines some of the problems and questions thatmust be considered in relation to research on the role of growthfactors in preimplantation embryos. It reviews and summarizesthe large body of work on gene expression of growth factor receptorsand ligands in preimplantation embryos and in oviduct and uterinetissue. It also reviews the literature on the effects of geneknockout in preimplantation embryos and concludes with a reviewof work on the effects of growth factors on cultured embryos.     

前益母草素(prehispanolone)对小鼠T,B淋巴细胞的影响

用[³H]-thymidine参入法表明:益母草半日花烷型双环二萜——前益母草素(prehi-spanolone,LC-5504)对由Con A活化的T淋巴细胞有较强的促进增殖作用。其作用是单独使用Con A的5～8倍。实验研究提示,前益母草素能够增强机体的细胞免疫功能。     

Medication induced gingival overgrowth

A number of idiopathic, pathological and pharmacological reactions may result in an overgrowth of the gingiva. This review concentrates on those overgrowths associated with various pharmacological agents. The pharmacokinetics and side effects of each drug associated with gingival overgrowth are discussed along with the clinical and histological features and treatment. By examining the possible pathogeneses for these overgrowths we propose a unifying hypothesis for the causation based around inhibition of apoptosis and decreased collagenase activity modulated by cytoplasmic calcium.