Hyperoxaluria, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and renal failure after massive resection of the small intestine: report of a case.

Hyperoxaluria is frequently seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or after resection of the ileum. It is assumed to be responsible for the development of nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis (oxalate nephrosis) and progressive renal impairment in these patients. Steatorrhea may aggravate the severity of hyperoxaluria. A 60-year-old male underwent massive resection of the jejunum and ileum 10 years prior to admission, due to strangulation of the small bowel, with occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. He remained well except for steatorrhea which developed two-and-a-half years prior to admission, when microhematuria, proteinuria and oxaluria developed progressively. Since that time, the nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis and renal failure have continued to worsen despite therapy with oxalate restriction and oxalate-binding agents. A renal biopsy, performed late in the clinical course, showed severe changes in the renal parenchyma. The decline in renal function proved irreversible. The unusual metabolic consequences of massive resection of the small intestine and their mechanisms are discussed.     

Loss of heterozygosity for distal markers on 22q in human gliomas.

Loss of constitutional heterozygosity as determined through the analysis of restriction-fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) on tumoral and constitutional DNA has proven to be helpful to delimit the location of tumor-suppressor genes in the human genome. In malignant gliomas this approach indicates that chromosomes 9p, 10, 17p, and 22 may contain genes of this category involved in its origin and/or progression. Regarding chromosome 22, the data so far provided by molecular studies confirmed those previously reported by cytogenetic studies, suggesting the existence of a sub-group of malignant gliomas characterized by monosomy of this chromosome. However, the precise location of the putative glioma suppressor gene on chromosome 22 remains ambiguous. We have performed a combined cytogenetic and RFLP study on a series of 31 gliomas, looking for structural abnormalities of this chromosome. In 3 instances, terminal deletions of the long arm of chromosome 22 were observed by both methodologies, suggesting that the band q13 region distal to the D22S80 marker might be the critical domain non-randomly involved in tumor suppression of gliomas.     

男性慢性胃炎患者人格特征初探

本文采用卡氏十六种人格因素量表，对纤维胃十二肠镜和活体组织病理检查确诊，剔除可能影响调查的疾患之后的５６例慢性胃炎患者做了测查，结果与中国男性成人常模对照，提示男性慢性胃炎患者的主要人格特征有：严谨、保守、忧郁、紧张、顺从、依赖、有焦虑倾向，非内向个性，不属于心理不健康人群，而与消化性溃疡个性特征有所不同，但是，矫治其人格缺损及属必要。     

大学生生涯规划及其对护理教育的意义

对大学生生涯规划及国内外研究状况进行综述，指出生涯规划对护理教育的意义，提出在高等护理教育中加强大学生的生涯规划将是我国护理教育的主要发展方向之一。     

Prospective clinical outcomes of revision fusion surgery in patients with pseudarthrosis after posterior lumbar interbody fusions using stand-alone metallic cages.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is a popular method of arthrodesis for surgical treatment of instabilities and degenerative conditions of the spine. With the introduction of threaded titanium cage devices, surgeons began performing PLIF procedures using these cages as stand-alone devices. Complications have been reported, however, including pseudarthrosis with persistent pain. Outcomes after revision surgical treatment for these patients with failed PLIF are not known. PURPOSE: To prospectively evaluate clinical outcomes of revision fusion surgery in patients who previously underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion with stand-alone metallic cages resulting in pseudarthrosis. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Prospective case series. METHODS: Nineteen patients referred to the senior author were evaluated and diagnosed with pseudoarthrosis having previously undergone a PLIF procedure with stand-alone metallic cages. History, physical exam, and imaging studies were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. All underwent revision posterolateral fusion with iliac crest graft and pedicle screw instrumentation. Patient demographics, SF-36, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) data were collected prior to surgery and two years postoperatively. RESULTS: Patients undergoing revision fusion surgery were found to have had extensive facetectomies and pseudarthrosis intraoperatively. Outcomes data was collected on eighteen of nineteen patients (95%). Mean clinical follow up was 3.2 years (range 2.5-3.5 years). Seventeen patients (94%) achieved a solid fusion. Improvement was noted in seven of eight SF-36 sub-categories, but was significant only in two (Physical Function and Role Emotional). There was no significant difference in ODI scores. CONCLUSIONS: Pseudarthrosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis if severe symptoms persist in patients who undergo PLIF with stand-alone metallic cages. Successful revision fusion did not always correlate with improved clinical outcomes in these challenging patients undergoing further surgery. Performing PLIF using stand-alone metallic cages, especially after total resection of the facet joints, is not advocated unless supplemental instrumentation is utilized.     

Involvement of IL-1beta in acute stress-induced worsening of cerebral ischaemia in rats.

Stress is known to be one of the risk factors of stroke. Most of the knowledge on the effects of stress on cerebrovascular disease in humans is restricted to catecholamines and glucocorticoids effects on blood pressure and/or development of atherosclerosis. However, few experimental studies have examined the possible mechanisms by which stress may affect stroke outcome. We have used an acute stress protocol consisting of the exposure of male Fischer rats to an acute, single exposure immobilisation protocol (6 h) prior to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and we have found that stress worsens behavioural and neurological outcomes and increased infarct size after MCAO. The possible regulatory role of the TNFalpha and IL-1beta was studied by looking at the release of these cytokines in brain. The results of the present study showed an increase in IL-1beta release in cerebral cortex after exposure to acute stress. Brain levels of IL-1beta are also higher in previously stressed MCAO rats than in MCAO animals without stress. Pharmacological blockade of IL-1beta with an antibody anti-IL-1beta led to a decrease in the infarct size as well as in neurological and behavioural deficits after MCAO. In summary, our results indicate that IL-1beta, but not TNFalpha, accounts at least partly for the worsening of MCAO consequences in brain of rats exposed to acute stress.     

Onychopathy in a Patient with Fetal Hydantoin Syndrome

Abstract: Hydantoin is an anticonvulsant drug with several side effects. A teralogenic potential has been suggested. The fetal hydantoin syndrome is an entity that consists of a broad range of morphologic and developmental disorders in children born of epileptic mothers exposed to hydantoin during pregnancy. We treated a girl in whom onychopathy was a monosymptomatic or mild form of this syndrome.