Patients who develop inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) after immunization are clinically indistinguishable from other patients with IP

Musculoskeletal symptoms may occur following various types of immunization, and it has also been suggested that, like infection, immunization may act as a trigger for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 48 of 898 (5.3%) patients with early inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) referred to the Norfolk Arthritis Register reported an immunization in the 6 weeks prior to symptom onset. There were no important clinical or demographic differences between the 48 immunized patients and 185 consecutive patients who did not report prior immunization. In addition, the frequencies of HLA-DRB1*01. *04 and the shared epitope in 33 of the immunized patients were similar to those in the 185 non-immunized patients and to those in 136 healthy controls. Further results from a case-control study suggest that the rate of immunization is higher amongst cases (5.5%) than age- and sex-matched controls (2.8%). In a small number of susceptible individuals, immunization may thus act as a trigger for RA.      

Four-dimensional multiphoton imaging of brain entry, amyloid binding, and clearance of an amyloid-beta ligand in transgenic mice

The lack of a specific biomarker makes preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) impossible, and it precludes assessment of therapies aimed at preventing or reversing the course of the disease. The development of a tool that enables direct, quantitative detection of the amyloid-beta deposits found in the disease would provide an excellent biomarker. This article demonstrates the real-time biodistribution kinetics of an imaging agent in transgenic mouse models of AD. Using multiphoton microscopy, Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) was imaged with sub-microm resolution in the brains of living transgenic mice during peripheral administration. PIB entered the brain quickly and labeled amyloid deposits within minutes. The nonspecific binding was cleared rapidly, whereas specific labeling was prolonged. WT mice showed rapid brain entry and clearance of PIB without any binding. These results demonstrate that the compound PIB has the properties required for a good amyloid-imaging agent in humans with or at risk for AD.     

Recycling with nicotine patches in smoking cessation

The aim was to evaluate if recycling of failures from a smoking cessation study may be of value. The study comprised 126 smokers (50%) of 252 failures, from a double-blind smoking cessation trial with nicotine patch, who accepted recycling after 1 year. Subjects were allocated nicotine patches delivering 15, 20 or 25 mg of nicotine (over 16 hours) according to their base-line saliva cotinine concentrations in an open trial. The treatment period was 12 weeks followed by tapering over 6 weeks. The percentage of quitters after 3, 12, 26, and 52 weeks was 44, 20, 7 and 6%, respectively. After 26 weeks, all subjects had relapsed in the group previously treated with active nicotine patch compared with 12% abstainers in the previous placebo subjects. The sustained abstinence rate without slips after one year was 2%. Recycling does not seem to be of long-term clinical relevance in our set-up for subjects initially treated with nicotine, but of some value in subjects quitting without nicotine therapy initially.     

Compound heterozygosity for the shared epitope and the risk and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in extended pedigrees

The objective was to explore the role of HLA-DRB1 genes in determining disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The population comprised extended pedigrees of 17 multicase RA families. Family members were genotyped for both HLA-DRB1 alleles using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Identification of HLA-DRB1*04 variants was performed using the Multiplex ARMS-RFLP technique. Compound heterozygote individuals carrying two different alleles containing the shared epitope (SE) were at greatest risk of developing RA (odds ratio = 36, 95% CI 9.1-143). A synergistic or additive effect of these alleles is suggested. Individuals carrying no SE alleles expressed milder disease, as measured by the Spread Severity (SS) index, compared to compound heterozygotes (P = 0.045). Compound heterozygosity was not invariably associated with severe disease with six (50%) having clinically mild disease at a median age of 57.5 yr and median disease duration of 16 yr. Inheriting two different SE-bearing alleles results in an increased risk of RA and, on average, greater disease severity. This is not, however, invariably associated with severe disease, making it of limited use as a predictor of prognosis.      

A variant of von Willebrand's disease with abnormal expression of factor VIII procoagulant activity

Reports on variants of von Willebrand's disease are numerous, but many of these are based on tests that will show marked fluctuations with time and tests that might not be similar in affected family members. This report describes 8 patients with a new variant of von Willebrand';s disease in which there is a normal APTT, slightly reduced one-stage factor VIII:C assay (VIII:C-1), and a drastically reduced two- stage factor VIII:C assay (VIII:C-2). The VIII:C in this variant is more readily adsorbed to AI(OH)3. This variability in VIII:C assays and excessive adsorption to AI(OH)3 are corrected by the addition of either hemophilic plasma or hemophilic factor-VIII-related antigen. This variant is stable with restudy on multiple occasions and is inherited in a stable fashion in three generations of one family. The multimeric structure of the VIIIR:Ag appears normal, although the concentration is moderately reduced. The differences in functional activity, the adsorption to AI(OH)3, and the differences between functional and antigenic (VIII:C Ag) assays of VIII:C support that this is a functional abnormality of type I von Willebrand's disease.     

Direct evidence of monocyte recruitment to inflammatory bowel disease mucosa

Alterations in phenotype and function of intestinal macrophages occur in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but it is unclear whether these changes result from the recruitment of circulating monocytes to the intestine or from proliferation of resident intestinal macrophages. We sought to demonstrate the arrival of blood monocytes, the precursors of macrophages, in IBD mucosa. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 23 patients with clinically active intestinal inflammation (13 Crohn's disease, eight ulcerative colitis, two infective colitis), then radiolabelled with ^99mtechnetium (Tc)-stannous colloid (n=13) or ¹¹¹indium (In)-oxine (n=10) before re-injection and abdominal scanning. Four patients had demonstrable intestinal monocyte uptake using [^99mTc]-stannous colloid, while six [¹¹¹In]-oxine-labelled monocyte scans were positive. Uptake sites correlated with actively inflamed regions. Patients demonstrating monocyte uptake had been treated with corticosteroids for a significantly (P < 0.02) shorter duration (median 3 vs 20 days) than those with negative scans. There was no significant difference between positive and negative scans for disease category, clinical or histological disease activity, or radioisotope used. Biopsies of inflamed mucosa from two patients suffering ulcerative colitis who had positive scans showed a high proportion of CD14-positive macrophages, 4–9% of which contained autoradiographic grains. These results demonstrate that blood monocytes are recruited to the mucosa of actively inflamed bowel, and suggest that this process may be inhibited by corticosteroids. Moreover, the phenotype of the recently-arrived monocytes indicates their susceptibility to stimulation by lipopolysaccharide, and suggests a mechanism for the continuing inflammation in the bacterial product-rich milieu of IBD.     

682株鲍曼不动杆菌分布及耐药性分析 FREE

目的方法结果结论为了解鲍曼不动杆菌临床分布及其耐药情况,对某院2005-2007年间分离的鲍曼不动杆菌的耐药性进行监测分析。共分离鉴定鲍曼不动杆菌682株,其中674株分离自住院患者：重症监护室（ICU）248株,内科221株,外科205株;8株分离自门诊患者。标本来源以痰为主,共分离443株,占64.95%;其次为分泌物、脓液标本,分离91株,占13.34%。药敏结果显示,鲍曼不动杆菌对头孢他啶和头孢吡肟的耐药率较高,分别为69.17%和58.58%;对头孢哌酮/舒巴坦、哌拉西林/他唑巴坦、亚胺培南和美罗培南的耐药率分别为25.85%、66.46%、3.80%和7.10%。提示鲍曼不动杆菌在ICU的分离率高,对常用抗菌药物的耐药率高,必须加强抗菌药物合理使用的管理。     

碘缺乏和甲状腺功能减退对大鼠仔鼠海马钙调磷酸酶表达的影响

目的 观察碘缺乏和甲状腺功能减退对大鼠仔鼠海马钙调磷酸酶蛋白表达的影响.方法 健康2月龄雌性Wistar大鼠,交配妊娠后,取孕鼠28只,按体质量随机分成对照组、甲状腺功能减退组和碘缺乏组,甲状腺功能减退组根据饮水中含丙基硫尿嘧啶剂量分为5 ppm组和15 ppm组.每组7只孕鼠.分别于出生后7 d(PN7)、14 d(PN14)和31 d(PN21)时,每组随机取5只仔鼠,灌流固定大脑,进行组织病理切片和免疫组化染色,观察分析海马钙调磷酸酶的表达.结果 PN14和PN21时,在海马CA1和CA3区15 ppm组和碘缺乏组仔鼠海马钙调磷酸酶表达显著高于对照组(P<0.05),而海马DG区则相反.PN7时,各区均几乎观察不到阳性反应产物,各组间蛋白表达无显著差异.结论 碘缺乏和甲状腺功能减退可增加海马CA1和CA3区钙调磷酸酶的蛋白表达.