Intratemporal vascular tumors: detection with CT and MR imaging

The diagnostic contributions of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were compared in 12 patients with benign intratemporal vascular tumors (hemangioma or vascular malformation). The tumors included six in the internal acoustic canal and six in the geniculate ganglion region. Clinical and histologic correlations were made. Two of the six patients with tumors in the internal acoustic canal underwent CT, and both required gas cisternography to show the tumor. Five patients in that group underwent MR imaging, and all five studies showed the tumor. All six patients with geniculate ganglion tumors underwent CT. Results in one study were questionable, and five showed the tumor. Five patients in this group underwent MR imaging, but the MR findings were positive in only two cases. MR imaging should therefore be performed before CT in the evaluation of facial nerve dysfunction, as it demonstrated all tumors in the internal acoustic canal and some in the geniculate ganglion region. If MR findings are negative, CT should then be performed to rule out a possible geniculate ganglion lesion.     

Endoscopic pH monitoring for patients with suspected or refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND: Wireless pH studies can offer prolonged pH monitoring, which may potentially facilitate the diagnosis and management of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the detection rate of abnormal esophageal acid exposure using prolonged pH monitoring in patients with suspected or refractory GERD symptoms. METHODS: Patients undergoing prolonged ambulatory pH studies for the evaluation of GERD-related symptoms were assessed. Patients with a known diagnosis of GERD were tested on medical therapy, while patients with suspected GERD were tested off therapy. The wireless pH capsules were placed during upper endoscopy 6 cm above the squamocolumnar junction. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-one patients underwent a total of 198 pH studies. Fifty ambulatory pH studies (25%) were excluded from the analysis: 27 patients (14%) had insufficient data capture (less than 18 h on at least one day of monitoring), 15 patients had premature capsule release (7%), seven were repeat studies (3.5%) and one had intolerable pain requiring capsule removal (0.5%). There were 115 patients undergoing pH studies who were off medication, and 33 patients were on therapy. For the two groups of patients, results were as follows: 32 (28%) and 22 (67%) patients with normal studies on both days; 58 (50%) and five (15%) patients with abnormal studies on both days; 18 (16%) and three (9%) patients with abnormal studies on day 1 only; and seven (6%) and three (9%) patients with abnormal studies on day 2 only, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged 48 h pH monitoring can detect more abnormal esophageal acid exposure but is associated with a significant rate of incomplete studies.     

Genetic aspects of immotile cilia syndrome

The genetics of the immotile cilia syndrome has been analyzed in a series of 46 affected individuals from 38 families. Both sexes were equally affected: there were 20 males and 26 females in this series. All patients had upper and lower respiratory disease with chronic sinusitis, otitis, and chronic cough from early childhood. Bronchiectasis was common in older children and adults. Situs inversus occurred randomly, affecting 11 males and 15 females. Biopsies of nasal and bronchial mucosa from these subjects have been investigated by electron microscopy and identified as having specific ultrastructural defects of respiratory tract cilia including deficiencies in outer dynein arms (19), inner dynein arms (3), both inner and outer dynein arms (15), radial spoke defect (5); and microtubular transposition anomaly (4). Segregation analysis of proband sibships was consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. However, the different ultrastructural defects that underly the immotile cilia syndrome involve presumably different genetic determinants, and the different types have not been analyzed separately. Examination of paternal age and birth order gave no evidence of new autosomal dominant mutation in the series.     

Response rates,duration of response,and dose response effects in phase I studies of antineoplastics

Summary Over a period of 14 years, 7,960 patients were treated in 228 phase I trials. In these patients, there were 75 complete and 432 partial responses for an overall objective response rate of 6%. Complete responses lasted a median of six months (range 1–18), while partial responses lasted a median of three months (range 1–17). Of note is that no drug has made it to the market which has not had a response in phase I trials. Responses were noted in very diverse histologic types of tumors. Although there were responses at doses which were as low as 3–5% of the recommended dose for phase II trials, the majority of responses did occur at 80–120% of the dose recommended for phase II trials. Although the response rate in phase I trials is indeed low, responses do occur. This response rate information should help the clinician provide facts for the patient considering a phase I trial with new anticancer agents. These findings also emphasize that although phase I trials are characteristically dose-finding studies, if no responses are noted in phase I studies, it is unlikely the drug will be used routinely in the clinic.     

NOS1 polymorphism is associated with atopy but not exhaled nitric oxide levels in healthy children

Exhaled nitric oxide (FE_NO) is raised in atopy. The mechanism for this is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the number of AAT repeats in intron 20 of the NOS1 gene, recently associated with variations in FE_NO in adults with asthma and cystic fibrosis, was associated with the raised FE_NO in healthy atopic children. Eighty-seven healthy children (44 girls, 42 atopic, age range 6–18 years) underwent measurements of FE_NO, spirometry, airway responsiveness and skin prick testing. Genotyping was carried out to determine the number of AAT repeats. There was no association between the number of AAT repeats and FE_NO in either the whole sample of healthy children (n = 87) or in the subsample of healthy atopics (n = 42). However, a greater number of atopic children had two high repeat alleles compared with non-atopic children (33.3% vs. 13.6%, respectively, p = 0.03). This suggests that variations in the NOS1 gene may contribute to atopy without this relationship being reflected by FE_NO.     

Fluid movement in the lumen of the rat epididymis: effect of vasectomy and subsequent vasovasostomy

Intraluminal fluid movement rate was measured in four regions of the rat epididymis. The fastest flow occurred in the proximal caput epididymis (18.5 +/- 3.7 mm/hour) and the slowest in the distal cauda (2.5 +/- 0.5 mm/hour). Vasectomy significantly reduced caput fluid flow rates unless a sperm granuloma was present at the vasectomy site. Thirty days after vasovasostomy, caput fluid movement remained reduced in animals unless a granuloma was present. Failures of this or other aspects of epididymal biology to return to normal after vasovasostomy could play a role in the frequent infertility which persists after the operation.     

Nerve growth factor and p75NGFR factor receptor mRNA change in rodent CNS following stress activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis

The synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) by the hippocampus raises the possibility that NGF may play a role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA). Subchronic cold stress has been shown to activate the HPAA in a mild noninvasive manner, to stimulate serum glucocorticoid levels, and to perturb NGF binding in hippocampus and basal forebrain. One or repeated episodes of cold stress increased NGF mRNA levels in the hippocampus and p75^NGFR mRNA levels in the basal forebrain. These changes were not due to elevated serum glucocorticoid levels since treatment with exogenous corticosterone had no effect on NGF and p75^NGFR mRNA levels. Adrenalectomy did not prevent the stress induced increases in NGF and p75^NGFR mRNA. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.