Post-synthetic modification in vivo of the major hemoglobin beta chain in the rat

Rat hemoglobins are unusually heterogeneous among mammals. This heterogeneity provides multiple opportunities for asynchronies in synthesis and degradation. We have examined rat hemoglobin turnover after an intravenous injection of 2-14C-glycine. After analyzing incorporation into the seven nonallelic globin chains of adult rats, we found the percentage of the major beta chain decreases over the red cell lifespan while the percentage of one of the minor beta chains increases. This suggests that a post-synthetic modification event converts a portion of the latter into the former.     

Single photon emission computed tomography using 99mTc-HM-PAO in the routine evaluation of Alzheimer's disease

Regional cerebral blood flow was studied in 7 patients with clinically suspected Alzheimer's disease and 10 normal controls by single photon computed emission tomography (SPECT) using HM-PAO. All patients with Alzheimer's disease and no controls had parietal lobe hypoperfusion which was usually bilateral. In patients with more severe dementia hypoperfusion extended into the frontal lobes. Parietal lobe hypoperfusion corresponds to parietal lobe degeneration which is the one of the first neocortical regions to show the typical degenerative changes of Alzheimer's disease. SPECT with HM-PAO is a non-invasive investigation available in most nuclear medicine departments and complements existing tests in the routine evaluation of patients presenting with dementia.     

Limb-length discrepancy measured with computerized axial tomographic equipment

A simple, rapid, and accurate method for measuring limb-length discrepancies with computerized axial tomographic equipment is described. With this method less irradiation is delivered and some of the errors of computation are eliminated, compared with conventional methods. The costs of the technique are comparable with those of scanograms. The method is particularly applicable in the patient who has contracture of a joint.     

Comparison of hand-sewn and stapled esophagogastric anastomosis after esophageal resection for cancer: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the hand-sewn and stapled methods in esophagogastric anastomosis. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: After esophageal resection for cancer, the relative merits of the hand-sewn and the stapled methods of esophagogastric anastomosis, especially regarding leakage and stricture rates, have not adequately been studied. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial was undertaken in 122 patients with squamous cell cancer of the thoracic esophagus who underwent a Lewis-Tanner esophagectomy. Patients were stratified according to esophageal size, based on the diameter of the divided esophagus (< or > or = 30 mm) and then were randomized to have either a hand-sewn or a stapled anastomosis. RESULTS: The mean total operating times (standard error of the mean) when the hand-sewn and the stapled methods were used were 214 (4) minutes and 217 (3.4) minutes, respectively (p = not significant [NS]). The respective in vivo proximal resection margins (standard error of the mean) were 8 (0.4) cm and 7.6 (0.4) cm (p = NS). Leakage rates were 1.6% and 4.9% (p = NS). Excluding hospital deaths, patients with leakage or anastomotic recurrence, and those who received radiation therapy to histologically infiltrated resection margin, anastomotic stricture was found in 5 (9.1%) of 55 patients in the hand-sewn group and 20 (40%) of 50 in the stapler group (p = 0.0003). The difference in stricture rates was significant in small as well as large esophagi. Anastomotic recurrence developed in only one patient in each group. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that both methods were safe, but the stapled technique resulted in more stricture formation.     

动态血压监测的临床评定

无创性动态血压（ＡＢＰＭ）能较客观地反映血压水平及其昼夜变化规律，对高血压病的诊断、指导用药、药物疗效的评定以及预后评估等均有较大价值。本文对ＡＢＰＭ的发展及临床应用等问题进行综述。     

Deprivation of form vision suppresses diurnal cycling of retinal levels of leu-enkephalin

Deprivation of form vision by the fitting of translucent occluders suppressed the diurnal cycling of enkephalinergic amacrine cells (the ENSLI amacrine cells), in the chicken. Daily periods of normal vision or enforcing temporal contrast using strobe lighting appeared to restore normal functioning of the ENSLI cells. These results suggest that the ENSLI cells are involved in retinal circuits that assess the quality of the visual image and control eye growth.     

Expression and activation of 15-lipoxygenase pathway in severe asthma: relationship to eosinophilic phenotype and collagen deposition

BACKGROUND: Although 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15(S)-HETE), a product of 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO), may be involved in mild to moderate asthma, little is known about its potential roles in severe asthma. OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to evaluate 15(S)-HETE levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from severe asthmatics with and without airway eosinophils and from the control groups. In addition, 15-LO protein expression was examined in endobronchial biopsy, while its expression and activation were evaluated in BAL cells. RESULTS: While 15(S)-HETE levels in BALF were significantly higher in all severe asthmatics than normal subjects, severe asthmatics with airway eosinophils had the highest levels compared with mild, moderate asthmatics and normal subjects. 15(S)-HETE levels were associated with tissue eosinophil numbers, sub-basement membrane thickness and BALF tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 levels, and were accompanied by increased 15-LO expression in bronchial epithelium. In addition, activation of 15-LO was suggested by the increased proportion of 15-LO in the cytoplasmic membrane of alveolar macrophages from severe asthmatics. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that severe asthmatics with persistent airway eosinophils manifest high levels of 15(S)-HETE in BALF, which may be associated with airway fibrosis. It is likely that 15-LO expression and activation by airway cells explain the increased 15(S)-HETE levels.