Pure hippocampal sclerosis: a rare cause of dementia mimicking Alzheimer's disease

OBJECTIVES: To identify patients with pure hippocampal sclerosis (HS) as a cause of dementia, to determine whether they have had histories of hypotension or hypoxia, and to compare the clinical features of patients with pure HS with a control group of AD patients without HS. METHODS: In a retrospective study, the authors reviewed all 1771 cases received in their dementia brain bank from 1978 through 1996 to identify those patients with pure HS, defined as severe degeneration and gliosis of the CA1 sector and subiculum of the hippocampal formation in the absence of other significant dementing disease such as Alzheimer's changes. The control group included all patients received during the same period with severe AD without HS, infarcts, or other dementing disease. RESULTS: Seven pure HS cases (0.4%) were identified. None had any episodes of syncope, hypotension, or hypoxia reported in association with dementia onset. Six had memory loss as the primary presenting symptom, and all became progressively demented. Forty-five AD patients without HS were identified for the control group. There were no clear clinical differences between the two groups with regard to sex, age at onset, risk factors for vascular disease, symptoms of cerebrovascular disease, treatment with tranquilizing medications, treatment for depression, or nursing home placement. There was a tendency for heart disease to be more prevalent and the duration of illness to be shorter in the patients with pure HS. CONCLUSIONS: Pure hippocampal sclerosis (HS) occurred in only 0.4% of our dementia patients. Clinically, the seven patients with pure HS were similar to our AD control group. Further research is needed to determine the causes of HS and why HS appears to mimic AD.     

Improved myocardial function with the addition of pinacidil to custadiol

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the efficacy of pinacidil, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel opening agent, added to custadiol solution on myocardial protection during deep hypothermia and prolonged global ischemia on isolated rat hearts. METHODS: After 20 minutes of stabilization, 24 rats were divided into two groups. In group I (n=12), hearts were arrested with cold (4 degrees C) custadiol solution containing 50 micromol/L of pinacidil and subsequently dipped into the same solution for 120 minutes at 4 degrees C. Group I hearts were perfused with low-flow pinacidil-custadiol (PC) solution during the ischemic period. Group II (n=12) hearts, after the stabilization period, were arrested with cold custadiol solution only, then subsequently dipped and perfused with the same solution for 120 minutes at 4 degrees C. All hearts were reperfused with Krebb's-Henseleit solution at 37 degrees C for 60 minutes. Hemodynamic parameters (peak systolic pressure, end diastolic pressure, maximum rate of increase of left ventricular pressure [+dP/dt], ischemic contracture, and coronary sinus flow) were recorded at the end of the stabilization period and at 10-minute intervals during the reperfusion period. Biochemical data (creatine kinase [CK-MB] washout and troponin I [cTnI] levels) were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in any hemodynamic or biochemical parameters between the two groups during the stabilization period. The peak systolic pressure, +dP/dt, ischemic contraction amplitude, and coronary flow values were significantly higher in group I ( P<0.05) compared with group II during reperfusion. End diastolic pressures as well as CK-MB and cTnI levels were lower in the pinacidil-treated group, which is consistent with improved functional recovery during the reperfusion period. CONCLUSION: The addition of pinacidil to the preservation solution, custadiol, improves myocardial recovery after deep hypothermia and prolongs ischemia.     

Intestinal response of sheep to intraperitoneal immunization

The aim of the present study was to develop an immunization procedure which centrally stimulated the IgA system of sheep with the release of antibody-containing cells (ACC) of the IgA class into intestinal lymph. It was found that intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin resulted in a substantial output of ACC in intestinal lymph. ACC of the IgA class reached a peak 8--9 days after intraperitoneal injection when they comprised 1.4% of cells in lymph. ACC of the IgM and IgG1 classes comprised 3.5 and 2.9% of cells in lymph at this time. The output of ACC of the IgA, IgM and IgG1 classes in lymph at the peak of the response was respectively, 3.7 X 10(6), 9.8 X 10(6) and 8 X 10(6) cells/h. In marked contrast to rats, virtually no ACC appeared in intestinal lymph of sheep following intraduodenal infusion of ovalbumin in animals primed 2 weeks earlier by intraperitoneal injection of antigen in Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA).     

Optimized analytical method for cyclosporin A by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The Micromass Platform LCZ mass detector parameters were optimized for simultaneous recording of the protonated (CsA-H+), sodium adduct (CsA-Na+) and potassium adduct (CsA-K+) of cyclosporin A eluted from a Symmetry Shield RP8 column. The optimized procedure allows a precise analysis of CsA in whole blood or serum without removal of salts prior to analysis. The ratio of the three forms of CsA varied depending on the assay condition and the types of specimens being analyzed. The summation of three ionic forms of CsA detected by LC-ESI-MS is a reliable and simple method to assess CsA concentration in the blood.     

Clinical Evaluation of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Test for the Diagnosis of Dengue Virus Infection

A rapid immunochromatographic test was compared to the hemagglutination inhibition assay for separate determinations of dengue virus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG levels in paired serum specimens from 92 patients (34 with primary dengue virus infection, 35 with secondary dengue virus infection, and 23 without dengue virus infection). The rapid test showed 99% sensitivity in the diagnosis of dengue virus infection. The majority (30 of 34 [88%]) of patients with primary infection showed positive IgM but negative IgG, while 34 of 35 (97%) patients with secondary infection showed positive IgG with or without IgM. Specificity in nonflavivirus infections was 96% (1 of 23 positive). The rapid test should be a useful aid in rapid diagnosis of dengue virus infection.     

Self evaluation and functional testing two to four years post ACL reconstruction

This study examined subjective perceptions of knee status and performance in single limb functional tests following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The Tegner activity scale, modified Noyes and an analogue scale were administered to 20 subjects. Performance outcome in the 6m and 12m timed hop, cross-over hop and stairs hopple tests were described using the limb index. In general, subjects experienced minimal limitations during daily activities and a slight reduction in their present activity level. Poorer performance was noted in the operated limb in all functional tests. Subjective data gathered from the questionnaire compared favourably with functional outcome. Interpretation of subjective outcomes in relation to functional testing results potentially enhances the accuracy of post-operative knee evaluation.     

An Enhanced Linkage Map of the Sheep Genome Comprising More Than 1000 Loci

A medium-density linkage map of the ovine genome has been developed. Marker data for 550 new loci were generated and merged with the previous sheep linkage map. The new map comprises 1093 markers representing 1062 unique loci (941 anonymous loci, 121 genes) and spans 3500 cM (sex-averaged) for the autosomes and 132 cM (female) on the X chromosome. There is an average spacing of 3.4 cM between autosomal loci and 8.3 cM between highly polymorphic [polymorphic information content (PIC) > or = 0.7] autosomal loci. The largest gap between markers is 32.5 cM, and the number of gaps of > 20 cM between loci, or regions where loci are missing from chromosome ends, has been reduced from 40 in the previous map to 6. Five hundred and seventy-three of the loci can be ordered on a framework map with odds of > 1000 : 1. The sheep linkage map contains strong links to both the cattle and goat maps. Five hundred and seventy-two of the loci positioned on the sheep linkage map have also been mapped by linkage analysis in cattle, and 209 of the loci mapped on the sheep linkage map have also been placed on the goat linkage map. Inspection of ruminant linkage maps indicates that the genomic coverage by the current sheep linkage map is comparable to that of the available cattle maps. The sheep map provides a valuable resource to the international sheep, cattle, and goat gene mapping community.