Bronchiectasis and related disorders

Abstract Bronchiectasis is defined in current medical parlance as the abnormal and permanent dilatation of one or more bronchi, and in clinical practice, the condition is often characterized by features of chronic bronchial infection. Apart from occurring as a primary lung disease, bronchiectasis is a major component of two other disease entities, cystic fibrosis and diffuse panbronchiolitis. Although the three conditions have distinctly different underlying causes, they share the similarity of a predominantly neutrophilic airways inflammation, and the persistent bronchial infection by bacteria, in particular Pseudotnonas aeruginosa . Hence, new knowledge in one disease may be explored and applied in the others.     

Atypical computed tomography appearance of a duodenal diverticulum

The typical CT appearance of a duodenal diverticulum is of a rounded air collection with or without fluid or contrast. An unusual case in which gas bubbles mixed with particulate matter mimicked faecal material in the large bowel is presented here. A similar appearance has been described in abnormally dilated small bowel, usually associated with obstruction, and is probably due to stasis of undigested food.     

Flunarizine, the vestibular system and migraine

The vestibular function was extensively investigated in 75 patients suffering from migraine. Pathological findings were present in 62 patients (82.6%). With the exception of position nystagmus, vestibular abnormalities were not related to migraine characteristics. Fifty-six patients were treated with flunarizine 10 mg daily for three months. A favourable effect on headache was obtained in 44 patients (78.5%). Flunarizine therapy influenced significantly gaze nystagmus and position nystagmus. The latter tended to be related to anti-migraine efficacy. Other electronystagmographic parameters were not substantially influenced. The authors assume that the vestibular abnormalities in migraine are side phenomena, the clinical relevance of which, at least during the headache-free phase, is not yet well understood.     

A simple and rapid approach for screening of SARS-coronavirus genotypes: an evaluation study

Background  

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was a newly emerged infectious disease which caused a global epidemic in 2002–2003. Sequence analysis of SARS-coronavirus isolates revealed that specific genotypes predominated at different periods of the epidemic. This information can be used as a footprint for tracing the epidemiology of infections and monitor viral evolution. However, direct sequencing analysis of a large number of clinical samples is cumbersome and time consuming. We present here a simple and rapid assay for the screening of SARS-coronavirus genotypes based on the use of fluorogenic oligonucleotide probes for allelic discrimination.     

Functional correction of short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency in transgenic mice: implications for gene therapy of human mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies

We report the therapeutic effects of liver-specific expression of a short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) transgene in the SCAD- deficient mouse model. Transgenic mice were produced with a rat albumin promoter/enhancer driving a mouse SCAD minigene (ALB-SCAD) on both the SCAD normal genetic background and a SCAD-deficient background. In three transgenic lines produced on the SCAD-deficient background, recombinant SCAD activity and antigen in liver mitochondria were found up to 7-fold of normal control values. All three lines showed a markedly reduced organic aciduria and fatty liver, which are sensitive indicators of the metabolic abnormality seen in this disease found in children. We found no detrimental effects of high liver SCAD expression in transgenic mice on either background. These studies provide important basic and practical therapeutic information for the potential gene therapy of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies, as well as insights into the mechanisms of the disease.      

人乳头瘤病毒11型主要衣壳蛋白L1基因的克隆及序列分析

目的 从临床尖锐湿疣标本克隆人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）11型主要衣壳蛋白L1基因,进行序列测定及序列分析比较,以为研究该临床病毒株的免疫原性及流赞美同学奠定基础。方法 以临床尖锐湿疣标本总DNA为模板,用L1基因保守区简并引物以PCR方法分段扩增衣壳蛋白L1基因在部,重组入pGEM-3zf(-)质粒载体,以双脱氧法双向测定插入片段序列,拼接出L1基因序列,通过BLAST2.0与已报道序列进行比较。结果 从西安地区一尖锐湿疣临床标本克隆到的一株HPV11型L1蛋白编码序列与一文献报道大部分相同,但有些位点有点突变,结论 构建的pGEM-3zf(-)重组质粒为进一步通过杂交、体内分段表达等手段研究研究该株病毒L1蛋白的免疫学和流行病学性质创造了条件。     

Membrane plasmalogen composition and cellular cholesterol regulation: a structure activity study

Background  

Disrupted cholesterol regulation leading to increased circulating and membrane cholesterol levels is implicated in many age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and cancer. In vitro and ex vivo cellular plasmalogen deficiency models have been shown to exhibit impaired intra- and extra-cellular processing of cholesterol. Furthermore, depleted brain plasmalogens have been implicated in AD and serum plasmalogen deficiencies have been linked to AD, CVD, and cancer.     

前列腺基底细胞增生的诊断与鉴别

目的：探讨前列腺基底细胞增生的诊断及鉴别，以免误诊为癌。方法：选择原诊断有疑义的６ 个中国病例，应用组织病理学和免疫组化标记方法观察。结果：没有不典型增生，５ 例３４βＥ１２ 全部强阳性。结论：此病变需与不典型增生、上皮内瘤、腺癌、腺病和腺体萎缩鉴别