High affinity neurotrophin receptors in the human pre-term newborn, infant, and adult cerebellum

The immunohistochemical occurrence of the high affinity neurotrophin (NT) receptors trkA, trkB, and trkC is shown in the pre-term newborn, infant, and adult human post-mortem cerebellum. Immunoreactive neuronal perikarya and processes were observed in all specimens examined, where they appeared unevenly distributed in the cerebellar cortical layers and deep nuclei, and showed regional differences among cerebellar lobules and folia. The trk receptor-antibodies, tested by Western blot on human cerebellum homogenates, revealed multiple immunoreactive bands for trkA and single bands for trkB and trkC. The results obtained show the tissue localization of the trk receptor-like immunoreactivity in the human cerebellum from prenatal to adult age. The analysis for codistribution of the receptors with the relevant ligand and among the receptors in discrete cortical and deep nuclei tissue fields shows a wide variety of conditions, from a good similarity in terms of type and density of labeled structures, to a lack of correspondence, and suggests the possibility of colocalization of trk receptors with the relevant neurotrophin and among them in the cerebellar cortex. These results sustain the concept that the neurotrophin trophic system participates in the development, differentiation, and maintenance of the human cerebellar connectivity and support the possibility of a multifactorial trophic support for the neurotrophins through target-derived and local mechanisms.     

High Stroke Volume Para-aortic Counterpulsation Device versus Centrifugal Pump in Cardiogenic Shock: Experimental Study

p < 0.001), the tension time index (712 ± 381 versus 1333 ± 694, p < 0.01), and the double product (5629 ± 2574 versus 7440 ± 3294, p < 0.01) were significantly lower during assistance with the PACD than with the CBP. It was concluded that PACD is at least as effective as CBP for restoring hemodynamic status during acute experimental cardiogenic shock. Moreover, the PACD unloads the left ventricle more effectively than CBP, making it suitable for left ventricular mechanical support in cases with reversible myocardial damage.     

Dolichol content in isolated sinusoidal liver cells after in vivo chronic treatment with thioacetamide.

The content of dolichol, an isoprenoid present in all biological membranes, was determined in isolated sinusoidal liver cells after treatment of rats for 2 and 4 months with a low dosage of the hepatotoxin thioacetamide. The significant decrease in dolichol observed in hepatocytes after 2 months might be explained by peroxidation of the isoprenoid. At the same time point, retinol was retained, and decreased only after 4 months of treatment. After 4 months of treatment therefore both lipids decreased. In a subfraction of hepatic stellate cells, Ito-1 cells, the main storage site of vitamin A, dolichol decreased significantly only after 4 months. A remarkable difference from hepatocytes is that in Ito-1 cells retinol content significantly decreased after 2 months of treatment. In another subfraction, Ito-2 cells, the content of the two isoprenoids decreased in parallel. This heterogeneous subfraction might represent those transitional hepatic stellate cells that, while losing retinol, are in the process of differentiating into myofibroblasts secreting extracellular matrix components. In Kupffer cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells, impairment of dolichol might be observed later, only after 4 months of treatment, while retinol decreases uniformly over time. Starting after two months of treatment, the decrease of dolichol and the increase of retinol in hepatocytes, at the same time as retinol decreases in hepatic stellate cells, might be taken as an early index of incipient liver injury due to thioacetamide. This hypothesis is discussed with regard to a role of dolichol in the modulation of membrane fluidity for intracellular and intercellular retinol transport.     

Effect of artifacts due to flowing blood on the reproducibility of phase-contrast measurements of myocardial motion

The reproducibility of myocardial motion trajectories calculated from cine phase-contrast (PC) velocity data is reduced by artifacts due to the inconsistent motion of intracardiac blood. Spatial presaturation reduces these artifacts but requires a longer sequence TR, with a potentially negative effect on trajectory accuracy and reproducibility. We investigated the effect of spatial presaturation on trajectory reproducibility. A midventricular transaxial slice was imaged in five normal volunteers. The same slice was imaged three times each with sequences using spatial presaturation or not. Because the most serious artifacts originate in the heart chambers and propagate in the phase-encoded direction, myocardial regions that were in line with the heart chambers (in the phase-encode direction) had the highest artifact level in the scans without spatial presaturation. The reproducibility of trajectories for regions placed in these areas (the anterior wall, septum and posterior wall in the transaxial scans with phase encoding in the anterior-posterior direction) improved by a factor of two when presaturation was used (P < .001). In areas that were not in line with the heart chambers (eg, the anterior aspect of the lateral wall in the transaxial scans), the effect of presaturation was not significant. These results correlate well with the measured reduction in artifact level. The reproducibility of myocardial motion trajectories over large areas of the heart is improved to approximately 1 mm when presaturation is used. Therefore, use of presaturation is recommended for myocardial motion studies using cine PC velocity data.     

Chromosomes in Anorexia Nervosa. A Study of 47 Cases Including a Population-Based Group: A Research Note

Forty-seven cases with anorexia nervosa (including a total population group) and 47 sex-, age-, and school-matched comparison cases were subjected to chromosome analyses in a blind fashion. No major abnormalities were found in any of the cases. Sex chromatin was analysed in buccal smears from the girls. No differences between the anorexia nervosa and the comparison cases were found. It seems that chromosomal/sex chromatin analyses in anorexia nervosa are not warranted.     

Immediate saccade amplitude disconjugacy induced by unequal images

We tested the ability of normal subjects to make changes in the conjugacy of their saccades. Subjects dichoptically viewed a grid the size of which was 10% larger in one eye. The grids were centred onto a flat screen at 57 cm or 1 m from the subject. Horizontal saccades immediately became larger in the eye viewing the larger grid. For some subjects this disconjugacy persisted even under subsequent monocular viewing. Such persistent changes occurred mainly in the field where the required disconjugacy was divergent for centrifugal saccades, convergent for centripetal saccades. Vertical saccades also developed compensatory disconjugacy; its amplitude was smaller but less variable. To explain these results we propose a fast associative learning mechanism that pairs peripheral disparity with saccades and is capable of producing saccade disconjugacy even in the absence of disparity. For horizontal saccades a secondary conditioning of monocular depth cues by the disparity would also be involved.     

Tube feeding in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients: a prospective clinical audit.

BACKGROUND: When and whether early enteral nutrition (EN) benefits critically ill patients is debatable. This prospective clinical audit aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an early EN protocol and to identify factors that may hinder EN delivery in critically ill patients. METHODS: Thirty-six medical patients with severe respiratory failure under invasive ventilation and scheduled to receive early EN, with a length of ICU stay >72 hours, were included. As asserted by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, 8% of patients were priority 1, 72% priority 2, and 20% priority 3 for intensive therapeutic and vital support interventions. RESULTS: Overall, because of gastrointestinal complications, only 39% of the prescribed EN was administered; only 8 (22%) patients did tolerate EN within the first 48 hours after admission and did achieve their minimum nutritional requirements. The most frequent complication (78%) was high volume of gastric residuals followed by abdominal distention (61%), both associated with hemodynamic instability (HI). Gastrointestinal dysfunction was associated with high Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (p = .01), total calorie intake (p = .02), total carbohydrate intake (p = .02), HI (p = .03), malnutrition (p = .04), volume of IV saline (p = .04), and concurrent vasoactive drug administration (p = .05). CONCLUSIONS: This audit in extremely severe intensive care patients identified several factors that impair gastrointestinal function and preclude EN at any stage, namely early EN. Nutrition management must take into account concurrent therapies, given their potential interference with nutrition and organ function.     

CRITERIA ADOPTED BY DENTISTS TO INDICATE THE EXTRACTION OF PERIODONTALLY INVOLVED TEETH

When dealing with patients with periodontal disease of variable severities, dentists must often choose between treating and restoring the involved tooth or indicating its extraction. Different criteria have been adopted in this decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the criteria adopted by dentists to indicate the extraction of teeth with periodontitis. Dentists were interviewed at their private practices in three cities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The evaluated criteria included severity of attachment loss, tooth mobility, furcation involvement, prosthetic planning, periodontal-endodontic lesion, possible systemic involvement due to the presence of periodontitis, referral to a periodontist for evaluation, radiographic bone loss greater than 50%, presence of extensive caries, socio-economic and cultural status of the patient, among others. The most often adopted criteria to indicate the extraction of periodontally affected teeth were the presence of mobility (37.5%), severity of attachment loss (24.3%) and radiographic bone loss greater than 50% (21.2%). The results of the present study demonstrated the difficulties faced by dentists to indicate the extraction of teeth with severe attachment loss, in addition to the establishment of an adequate prognosis. Aspects associated with the past disease were still the most often reported to indicate the extraction of teeth for periodontal reasons.