Beneath the surface: hyper-connectivity between caudate and salience regions in ADHD fMRI at rest

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) comprises disturbances in attention, emotional regulation, and reward-related processes. In spite of the...     

Circulating prostaglandin E2: a novel potential prognostic biomarker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Clinical and Experimental Medicine - We aimed to explore the activation of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) axis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),...     

Comparison of the Conox (qCON) and Sedline (PSI) depth of anaesthesia indices to predict the hypnotic effect during desflurane general anaesthesia with ketamine

Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing - Comparison of two depth of anesthesia indices, qCON (Conox) and PSI (Sedline), during desflurane sedation and their sensitivity to random ketamine...     

Biphasic Diurnal Periodicity in Bleeding from Peptic Ulcer

Objective : To evaluate if tbere was periodicity in the manifestations of gastrointestinal bleeding (hemateme-sis and melena). Method : This is a multicenter prospective study carried out in the Endoscopy Units of eight hospitals. At the time of the emergency endoscopy, the following data were collected: age, sex, endoscopic diagnosis, solar hour of the first hematemesis (vomiting of bright red or tarry black material) and of the first melena (black or bloody soft stools), and any drugs taken during the week before the bleeding episode, regardless of the dose. Results : 806 patients were studied. Bleeding was from peptic ulcer in 405 patients (50%), from esophageal varices in 197 (24%), and from other sources in the remainder. Analysis using single cosinor statistics showed a nonrandom distribution in bleeding from peptic ulcer, whether presenting first with hematemesis (p = 0.02) or melena (p = 0.03). There were two peaks at 6:45 AM and 6:45 PM for hemate-mesis and at 7:25 AM and 7:25 PM for melena, representing a biphasic diurnal (ultradian) rhythm. Conclusions : This study shows that bleeding due to peptic ulcer has a biphasic diurnal periodicity. 1 his has potential importance for the pathogenesis of bleeding, for the management of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and the administration of drugs known to cause peptic ulcer bleeding.     

Persistence of e antigen as prognostic marker in acute hepatitis B

Summary Serial determinations of HBeAg and anti-HBe were made in sera of 155 selected patients with acute hepatitis B who were followed up for one to four years. In the early phase of hepatitis, HBeAg was present in 43 cases (27.7%) and anti-HBe in 12 cases (7.7%). Evaluation of the outcome of hepatitis showed that development of chronic hepatitis occurred in 11 out of 43 HBeAg positive patients, in 10 out of 100 HBeAg negative patients (P=<0.05) and in 2 out of 12 patients carrying anti-HBe. Nine out of 11 HBeAg positive chronic subjects showed persistent HBe antigenemia over two months, while the remaining 32 patients, who recovered completely, lost HBeAg within two to three weeks from the onset of the disease. These data suggest that the prognostic value of HBeAg in acute hepatitis patients may be taken into account when HBeAg persists in the serum and that anti-HBe does not invariably protect from the development of chronic hepatitis.

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Persistenz des e-Antigens als prognostischer Marker bei akuter Hepatitis B

Zusammenfassung Seren von 155 ausgewählten Patienten mit akuter Hepatitis B wurden innerhalb einer ein- bis vierjährigen Beobachtungszeit wiederholt auf HBeAg und anti-HBe untersucht. In der frühen Phase der Hepatitis wurde HBeAg bei 43 Fällen (27,7%) und anti-HBe bei 12 Fällen (7,7%) nachgewiesen. Die Auswertung der Krankheitsverläufe zeigte, daß sich eine chronische Hepatitis bei 11 von 43 HBeAg positiven und bei 10 von 100 HBeAg negativen Patienten (p=<0,05) und bei 2 von 12 Patienten, die anti-HBe aufwiesen, entwickelte. Neun von 11 HBeAg-positiven Patienten mit chronischem Verlauf zeigten eine über zwei Monate anhaltende Antigenämie, während die übrigen 32 Patienten, bei denen die Hepatitis vollkommen ausheilte, innerhalb von zwei bis drei Wochen nach Beginn der Erkrankung HBeAg negativ wurden. Aus diesen Daten ist zu schließen, daß der prognostische Wert des HBeAg bei akuter Hepatitis bei Persistenz des HBeAg zu berücksichtigen ist, und daß das anti-HBe nicht unbedingt vor Entwicklung einer chronischen Hepatitis schützt.

     

Chronic Viral Hepatitis in Thalassemic Liver Disease: A Long-Term Study in Patients with Acute Hepatitis with Nontransfusion-Dependent Thalassemia Minor

To evaluate the effective role of hepatitis viruses in thalassemic (Th) liver disease, we carried out a long-term study in 42 subjects with nontransfusion-dependent Th minor hospitalized for an episode of acute viral hepatitis. 10 patients had serologic evidence of hepatitis A, 23 of hepatitis B and 9 of hepatitis non-A, non-B. In the follow-up chronic hepatitis was detected histologically in 5/23 patients with hepatitis B and 5/9 with hepatitis non-A, non-B. All hepatitis A patients recovered completely. The prevalence in 7 out of 10 patients with chronic hepatitis of piecemeal necrosis and of inflammatory changes over hepatic siderosis and fibrosis evidenced a determinant role of chronic viral infection in the development of liver damage in these patients. Thus, heterozygous nontransfusion-dependent Th patients seem to have a high risk of developing a chronic inflammatory liver disease especially after an episode of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Therefore, in our geographical area, chronic hepatitis of viral origin should be taken into account, among other pathogenetic factors, in many cases of cryptogenic thalassemic liver disease.