Histogenesis of Abrikossoff tumour of the oral cavity

Abstract: Background: Abrikossoff or granular cell tumour (GCT) is a relatively rare neoplasia, benign in most of the cases. It may occur in any part of the human body, but it has an oral location in 70% of the cases. Its origin has been discussed for decades, and it is not yet definitively determined. Immunohistochemical techniques suggest its origin in the Schwann cells, while more recent studies with new markers indicate an origin related to neuroendocrine cells. Objective: Contribute to the clarification of histogenesis of oral Abrikossoff tumour studying immunohistochemical marking of 11 oral Brazilian cases. Materials and methods: Samples of tissues from the oral mucosa, tongue and lips placed in paraffin blocks, from eleven patients with a histopathological diagnosis of benign GCT were studied. Four different anti‐serums (S‐100, vimentin, PGP9.5 and ENE) were used for immunoperoxydase technique. Results: A clear positivity for S‐100 protein and vimentin was observed, with markers indicating origin from the Schwann cells. Less intense positivity was found in some cases, for ENE and PGP9.5, which suggests a neuroendocrine origin. Conclusions: The results obtained suggest an origin from Schwann cells, but also arise the possibility of neuroendocrine origin. New methods and more specific immunohistochemical markers are needed to elucidate the origin of the Abrikossoff tumour.     

P-矩阵分光光度法同时测定复方降压片中六种组分的含量

本文应用P-矩阵分光光度法同时测定十组分的复方降压片中维生素B₁、维生素B₆、利眠宁、盐酸异丙嗪、硫酸双肼肽嗪及氢氯噻嗪等六种组分的含量,并应用“条件数”原理来选择最佳测定波长,同时就实验误差,测定点数、“条件数”、组分浓度对处方量的偏差等因素对该法计算结果的影响进行了较为深入的探讨。被测组分的平均回收率均在97～10?%范围之内,变异系数(CV%)均小于或等于9.5(n=11)。     

Renal artery angioplasty: increased technical success and decreased complications in the second 100 patients

In 200 consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA), a significant increase in primary success rate (P less than .02) and a concomitant decrease in complications were noted in the second 100 patients. The primary success rate increased from 93% to 97%, and the incidence of total complications fell from 20% to 13%. The incidence of complications requiring surgery fell from 5% to 2%, and the incidence of renal failure declined from 10% to 5% of the patient population. Variables that contributed to improvement in the procedure included new approaches to crossing arterial stenoses, increased use of digital imaging, less contrast material used in each case, better hydration of patients, and increased use of vascular sheaths at the puncture site.     

Stenosis of individual pulmonary veins: radiologic findings

Congenital stenosis of individual pulmonary veins is uncommon. Of the 49 cases reported, four were seen at the IWK Hospital for Children and are reported here. Plain radiographs show a shift of the heart toward the side of major involvement, Kerley B lines, fluid in the fissures, and interstitial edema of the affected lobes. These findings, while subtle, should nevertheless suggest stenosis. Technetium-99m macro-aggregate lung perfusion scans show absence of or diminished perfusion of the affected lobes. The diagnosis can usually be confirmed with angiography. Congenital stenosis of individual pulmonary veins should be considered in children with repeated pulmonary infections, dyspnea, failure to thrive, hemoptysis, or unexplained pulmonary hypertension.     

A microcomputer program to determine the precision of elimination rate constant and half-life estimates when sampling time is short

Summary— First-order elimination of drugs is often assumed in pharmacokinetics and elimination rate constant is then frequently determined by log-linear regression analysis from plasma concentration measurements. When the time which elapses between the first and the last plasma sample is short compared to the decay half-life, the elimination rate constant may not be determined with satisfactory precision, in particular because of analytical error. Application of basic principles of linear regression analysis allowed us to quantify the theoretical effect of analytical error on the determination of the drug elimination rate constant in that situation. It was highlighted that the precision of that determination could be efficiently improved by measuring samples in replicate, which should be recommended in practice. A user-friendly program was developed which can be used prospectively to optimize sampling strategy, and retrospectively to estimate the precision of parameter estimates. The program works on IBM PC and compatible microcomputers and is available on request.     

Inflammation: imaging with Tc-99m HMPAO-labeled leukocytes

Leukocytes labeled with technetium-99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) were used in 100 patients: 32 with suspected inflammatory bowel disease, 17 with fever of unknown origin, 21 with suspected abdominal sepsis, 20 with suspected bone sepsis, seven with bronchiectasis, and three with recent myocardial infarction. The distribution of activity in patients subsequently shown not to have inflammatory bowel disease was similar to that previously described for indium-111-labeled leukocytes. However, in this study, activity was also seen in the kidneys and bladder and occasionally the gallbladder on both early (1-3 hours) and late (24 hours) views, and in the colon in late views. Migration of Tc-99m-labeled granulocytes was seen in inflammatory disease as early as 30 minutes after injection, while normal bowel activity was not seen before 4 hours. The sensitivity of Tc99m-labeled leukocytes in the detection of inflammation was 100%, the specificity was 95%.