Response of hypothalamic accessory nonapeptidergic centers to hypophysectomy in rats

Accessory centers were calculated to contain more than 600 nonapeptidergic cells, most of which proved to be oxytocinergic. One week after hypophysectomy, morphometric measurements and morphofunctional changes in the nonapeptidergic cells of accessory centers indicated decreased synthesis of oxytocin and vasopressin by these cells as well as diminished transport of these neurohormones along their fibers. In contrast to the supraoptic, postoptic, and paraventricular nuclei, no degenerative cells were present in the accessory centers following hypophysectomy. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 117, N ^o 6, pp. 605–608, June, 1994     

THERAPEUTIC BILIARY ENDOSCOPY: EXPERIENCE AT A SERVICE HOSPITAL

Therapeutic Biliary Endoscopy (TBE) is becoming a popular mode of treatment for patients with obstructive jaundice. This paper highlights our early experience of TBE at Armed Forces Medical College and Command Hospital (SC), Pune with this mode of treatment. TBE was used as a primary therapeutic option in 46 patients with obstructive jaundice. The age of the patients ranged from 11 to 80 (mean and SD:45.5 ± 16) years and majority 29 (63%) were males. The cause of obstructive jaundice in these patients was choledocholithiasis (n=31), benign biliary stricture (n=8), post cholecystectomy recurrent stones (n=3), carcinoma of pancreas (n=3) and papillary stenosis (n-1). Endoscopic Sphincterotomy (ES) was technically successful in all the 46 patients and brought prompt symptomatic relief in 43 patients. Sixteen patients (34.8%) required additional drainage such as stenting or nasobiliary drain. In patients with choledocholithiasis, bile duct could be cleared of stones in 29 (93.5%) patients and in two surgical removal was required. Of the remaining patients, surgery was required in 4 (50%) patients with benign biliary structure, in 1 (33.3%) of those with malignant stricture and none of the patients presenting with papillary stenosis or recurrent bile duct stones after cholecystectomy. Complications were seen in only two patients (4.4%): one had mild acute pancreatitis and another had GI bleed, which did not require blood transfusion. Both the complications were self-limiting. No procedure related deaths were noted. Endoscopic therapy, thus, a simple, effective and safe method of treatment in patients with choledocholithiasis and selected patients with malignant biliary obstruction.KEY WORDS: Biliary obstruction, Endoscopic sphincterotomy, Endotherapy, Gall stones, Obstructive jaundice, Therapeutic endoscopy     

EXTERNAL FIXATION OF INTERTROCHANTERIC FRACTURES OF FEMUR IN ELDERLY

Twenty patients with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were treated by external fixation. They were selected because of their surgical risk and evaluated clinically and radiographically after 6,12 and 18 weeks. Fourteen out of twenty patients had excellent results. Caxa vara deformity, shortening and delayed union was observed in two patients. Results indicate that external fixation is a useful method for treatment of these type of patients.KEY WORDS: External fixation, Femur, Intertrochanteric fracture     

Surveillance of testicular microlithiasis?: Results of an UK based national questionnaire survey

Background

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney tumor in adults and accounts for approximately 3% of adult malignancies. An increased incidence of second malignancies has been well documented in a number of different disorders, such as head and neck tumors, and hairy cell leukemia. In addition, treatment associated second malignancies (usually leukemias and lymphomas but also solid tumors) have been described in long term survivors of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), Non Hodgkin's lymphoma and in various pediatric tumors.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 66 year-old woman with abdominal pain and dyspnea. We performed a thorax CT scan that showed lymph nodes enlargement and subsequently by presence of abdominal pain was performed an abdominal and pelvis CT scan that showed a right kidney tumor of 4 × 5 cms besides of abdominal lymph nodes enlargement. A radical right nephrectomy was designed and Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed in the abdominal lymph nodes while renal cell tumor exhibited a renal cell cancer. Patient received EVA protocol achieving complete response.

Conclusion

We described the first case reported in the medical literature of the coexistence between Hodgkin's lymphoma and renal cell cancer. Previous reports have shown the relationship of lymphoid neoplasms with solid tumors, but they have usually described secondary forms of cancer related to chemotherapy.     

Thymus endocrine function and the immune system indices of cancer patients after neutron and gamma therapy]

Patients with head and neck and locomotor system tumors received neutron therapy in the total doses of 4-8 and 12-14 Gy which was followed by a pronounced dose-dependent decrease in the serum thymus factor and total blood-lymphocyte levels. The latter changes were predominantly due to a decrease in the non-T-non-B cell concentration. Following the treatment, a rise in the level of circulating immune complexes and those of IgA and IgG was observed. Changes in the immune system proved less apparent in patients with locomotor system cancer who had been given 20 Gy of gamma-ray radiation.     

Activity of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical System and Sleep-Wake Cycle in Rats with Acute Systemic Inflammation

Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system and EEG characteristics of the sleep-wake cycle were studied on adult male Wistar rats with acute inflammation produced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide in a dose of 250 g/100 g body weight. Blood concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone increased by 6 and 10 times, respectively, 30 min after lipopolysaccharide administration and peaked 2 hours after challenge. In this period the sleep-wake cycle underwent the most pronounced changes that could be attributed to the stupor-like state observed in clinical practice. It was manifested in dissociation between locomotor activity of animals and EEG characteristics, suppression of EEG components in slow-wave sleep, increase in the number of -waves, and decrease in the number of -waves in EEG. In the present work we consider possible mechanisms of temporal relationships between activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system and disorganization of the sleep-wake cycle during acute systemic inflammation.