Aging of the adult human brain: in vivo quantitation of metabolite content with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of aging on brain metabolite concentrations, including N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), the major marker of neurones, using short echo proton spectroscopy. Single-voxel proton spectra (TE 30 msec, TR 2 seconds) were obtained from white and gray matter using automated software (PROBE, G.E., Milwaukee, WI). Spectra were analyzed using the variable projection technique. Thirty healthy volunteers were studied within the age range 24-89 years. No significant trend in change of concentrations of NAA, total creatine, total choline or myo-inositol were seen with age. The total creatine concentration of parietal white matter in the over 60 age group (6.5 +/- 0.3 mmol/l) was significantly higher than the under 60 age group (6.0 +/- 0.4 mmol/l:; P < 0.05). No other significant difference between the two age groups was seen. The tissue concentration of the major neuronal marker, NAA, does not decline with age. No age-related changes in the concentrations of choline and myo-inositol and occipital gray matter total creatine were observed. These results provide a normal range of values for spectroscopically detectable metabolites within the regions studied, against which neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease can be compared in vivo.     

Metachronous pulmonary and oesophageal neoplasia.

Primary carcinomas of the lung and oesophagus are common, surgical resection offers the only hope of long-term survival with both conditions. We present the unusual case of a patient who underwent transhiatal oesophagectomy for an adenocarcinoma carcinoma of the oesophagus, 5 years after left pneumonectomy for small cell carcinoma of the lung.     

Langer's axillary arch in association with sentinel lymph node

Langer's axillary arch is a relatively rare anatomical variation of latissimus dorsi muscle insertion. The clinical importance of this condition in axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and lymphoedema as well as latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction has been described previously. Axillary vein obstruction in association with this condition has also been reported. We report two cases of Langer's axillary arch encountered during sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy which had some bearing on the procedure.     

Three-body wear associated with three ceramics and enamel.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Wear of human enamel is a clinical concern whenever opposing teeth need to be restored using ceramic restorations. PURPOSE: This in vitro study investigated wear of human enamel and 3 dental ceramics: a conventional porcelain (Vitadur Alpha), a low-fusing hydrothermal ceramic (Duceram-LFC), and a machinable ceramic (Vita Mark II) in a 3-body wear test. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty pairs of tooth-ceramic specimens were tested in a dental wear machine, under a standard load (40 N), rate (80 cycles/minute), and for 25,000 cycles in a simulated food slurry medium. Amount of wear was determined by measuring the height loss of the tooth and depth of wear track of the ceramic materials. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data, followed by Bonferroni multiple comparisons method to produce sets of simultaneous 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed significant differences between the groups for both enamel wear (P =. 002) and ceramic wear (P <.001). Further comparisons (95% CI significance level) revealed that the difference in enamel wear produced by Alpha porcelain and Duceram-LFC ceramic material was not statistically significant, whereas that produced by Vita Mark II ceramic was significantly less. Vita Mark II ceramic was significantly more resistant to wear than Alpha porcelain and Duceram-LFC ceramic. Furthermore, Alpha porcelain was significantly more resistant to wear than Duceram-LFC ceramic. CONCLUSION: The abrasiveness of Alpha porcelain and Duceram-LFC ceramic was similar, yet both were significantly more abrasive than Vita Mark II ceramic. In addition, Vita Mark II was the most wear-resistant ceramic and Duceram-LFC ceramic the least resistant.     

一种能精确检测人间期细胞核中21号染色体拷贝数的DNA探针

目的制备能精确检测人类间期细胞核中２１号染色体拷贝数的ＦＩＳＨ探针。方法利用万能引物ＰＣＲ法,从定位于人２１ｑ１１的ＹＡＣ克隆８８１Ｄ２分离制备ＤＮＡ探针,并用于与８例正常人和５例２１三体患者的外周血淋巴细胞中期相和间期核,及经细胞松弛素Ｂ（ｃｙｔｏｃｈａｌａｓｉｎＢ）诱导的双核细胞进行ＦＩＳＨ分析。结果该探针具有以下特点：（１）长度集中于３５０～７５０ｂｐ;（２）其靶序列位于２１号染色体长臂上且紧靠着丝粒;（３）特异性强;（４）杂交信号明亮,容易辨认;（５）对中期相及间期细胞核中２１号染色体的检出率分别高达９９．６０％和９８．４０％。结论制备的ＤＮＡ探针能精确检测人类间期细胞核中２１号染色体的拷贝数,且适用于细胞分裂时２１号染色体分离情况的研究     

Clients' assessment of the affective environment of the psychotherapy session: relationship to session quality and treatment effectiveness.

This study investigated clients' affective experience during therapy. Clients (N= 268) completed Therapy Session Reports (TSR) in an early session of treatment. The two sections of the TSR that assess how the client felt and how the client perceived the therapist to be feeling were combined and factor analyzed. Six stable and meaningful factors were derived (Client Distressed, Client Remoralized, Reciprocal Intimacy, Therapist Confident Involvement, Client Inhibited, and Therapist Distracted). Affect scale scores were created and compared to session quality and treatment effectiveness. Clients' affective experience was highly correlated with patient-rated session quality. The association between clients' affective experience during the session and treatment effectiveness was fairly strong for relatively brief therapy but insignificant for relatively lengthy treatment. The implications for practitioners, who--in contrast to most measures of therapeutic process--have easy access to clients' in-session emotional experiences, are discussed.     

Opportunities for novel therapeutic agents acting at chemokine receptors

Chemokines are proinflammatory mediators that primarily control leukocyte migration into selected tissues and upregulation of adhesion receptors. They also have a role in pathological conditions that require neovascularization and are implicated in the suppression of viral replication. By interaction with their respective G-protein-coupled receptor, chemokines have a profound influence over the selective recruitment of specific cell types in acute inflammatory disease and, hence, inhibition of their action should be of therapeutic benefit. Only now are small molecule inhibitors becoming available to validate this speculation. In this review, without seeking to be comprehensive, the authors provide an introduction to chemokines, their receptors and their role in certain disease processes. Also, recent disclosures claiming novel nonpeptide ligands for chemokine receptors are summarized.