The Introduction of H2-Receptor Antagonists to Scandinavia: Effects of Experts' Opinions

To evaluate the therapeutic potential of the newly developed proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole in patients with reflux oesophagitis, we performed a double-blind randomized clinical trial comparing 20 mg omeprazole and 30 mg lansoprazole, involving 229 patients at 9 Scandinavian hospitals. The treatment period was 4 or 8 weeks, and main efficacy variables were healing of endoscopic changes, relief of reflux symptoms, and occurrence of adverse events. No significant difference in terms of healing was found, either after 4 or after 8 weeks' treatment. Patients receiving lansoprazole experienced a greater improvement in heartburn after 4 weeks (p = 0.03), and there was a similar trend for acid regurgitation. Lansoprazole was found to be an effective and safe alternative to omeprazole in short-term treatment of moderate reflux oesophagitis.     

Fat element—a new marker for chromosome and genome analysis in the Triticeae

Chromosomal distribution of the Fat element that was isolated from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) end sequences of wheat chromosome 3B was studied in 45 species representing eight genera of Poaceae (Aegilops, Triticum, Agropyron, Elymus, Secale, Hordeum, Avena and Triticale) using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). The Fat sequence was not present in oats and in two barley species, Hordeum vulgare and Hordeum spontaneum, that we investigated. Only very low amounts of the Fat element were detected on the chromosomes of two other barley species, Hordeum geniculatum and Hordeum chilense, with different genome compositions. The chromosomes of other cereal species exhibited distinct hybridisation patterns with the Fat probe, and labelling intensity varied significantly depending on the species or genome. The highest amount of hybridisation was detected on chromosomes of the D genome of Aegilops and Triticum and on chromosomes of the S genome of Agropyron. Despite the bioinformatics analysis of several BAC clones that revealed the tandem organisation of the Fat element, hybridisation with the Fat probe produces uneven, diffuse signals in the proximal regions of chromosomes. In some of the genomes we investigated, however, it also forms distinct, sharp clusters in chromosome-specific positions, and the brightest fluorescence was always observed on group 4 chromosomes. Thus, the Fat element represents a new family of Triticeae-specific, highly repeated DNA elements with a clustered–dispersed distribution pattern. These elements may have first emerged in cereal genomes at the time of divergence of the genus Hordeum from the last common ancestor. During subsequent evolution, the amount and chromosomal distribution of the Fat element changed due to amplification, elimination and re-distribution of this sequence. Because the labelling patterns that we detected were highly specific, the Fat element can be used as an accessory probe in FISH analysis for chromosome identification and investigation of evolutionary processes at the chromosomal level.     

Pulmonary hydatid disease mimicking sequestration: Differentiation on magnetic resonance imaging

A case of hydatid disease of the lung proven by thoracotomy and histopathological evaluation is described. It was clinically and radiologically suggestive of a complicated pulmonary sequestration or non-resolving consolidation.     

Giant cell tumor of bone: radiographic changes following local excision and allograft replacement

The authors retrospectively evaluated the clinical records and radiographs obtained from 41 patients who had giant cell tumor of bone and who were treated by local resection and allograft replacement. Postoperative complications developed in 41% of the patients. However, the eventual clinical outcome was considered to be satisfactory in 85% of all cases. There were no instances of tumor recurrence, and surprisingly, postoperative arthritis was not a major problem. The major complications encountered were infection and allograft fracture; bone infection accounted for most of the clinical failures. All infections were associated with the increasing soft-tissue swelling and bone resorption detected on radiographic studies. Other radiographic parameters that were associated with an increased rate of complications included osteopenia, increased periosteal reaction, and decreased bone formation at the host-donor junction site. The clinical outcome was distinctly less favorable in those cases in which the patient had had a pathologic fracture or a previous resection, or in whom the graft was implanted at the distal radius.     

Respiratory distress syndrome treated with human surfactant: radiographic findings

Chest radiographs of 18 newborns treated with endotracheal instillation of human surfactant for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were compared with those of 18 similar but untreated infants. In the treated infants, severity of RDS significantly improved after surfactant administration. Most treated infants (16/18) exhibited a left-to-right shunt, presumably through a patent ductus arteriosus; similar findings were noted in untreated infants (17/18). Complications of respiratory assistance in the treated infants included transient pulmonary interstitial emphysema (n = 1), pneumothorax (n = 1), and mild (n = 4) to moderate (n = 2) bronchopulmonary dysplasia; the incidences of these complications did not exceed those in untreated infants. In three treated infants, a transient interstitial lung disease developed 3-4 days after surfactant administration.     

Kinetics and 28-day test–retest repeatability and reproducibility of [11C]UCB-J PET brain imaging

[¹¹C]UCB-J is a novel radioligand that binds to synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A). The main objective of this study was to determine the 28-day test–retest repeatability (TRT) of quantitative [¹¹C]UCB-J brain positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and healthy controls (HCs). Nine HCs and eight AD patients underwent two 60 min dynamic [¹¹C]UCB-J PET scans with arterial sampling with an interval of 28 days. The optimal tracer kinetic model was assessed using the Akaike criteria (AIC). Micro-/macro-parameters such as tracer delivery (K₁) and volume of distribution (V_T) were estimated using the optimal model. Data were also analysed for simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) with centrum semi-ovale (white matter) as reference region. Based on AIC, both 1T2k_V_B and 2T4k_V_B described the [¹¹C]UCB-J kinetics equally well. Analysis showed that whole-brain grey matter TRT for V_T, DVR and SRTM BP_ND were –2.2% ± 8.5, 0.4% ± 12.0 and –8.0% ± 10.2, averaged over all subjects. [¹¹C]UCB-J kinetics can be well described by a 1T2k_V_B model, and a 60 min scan duration was sufficient to obtain reliable estimates for both plasma input and reference tissue models. TRT for V_T, DVR and BP_ND was <15% (1SD) averaged over all subjects and indicates adequate quantitative repeatability of [¹¹C]UCB-J PET.