Ultrasound‐guided percutaneous tenotomy for the treatment of iliopsoas impingement: A description of technique and case study

Iliopsoas impingement is a commonly recognised source of groin pain following total hip replacement. When conservative measures fail, open or arthroscopic iliopsoas tendon release can reliably alleviate pain and improve function. This article describes an alternative ultrasound‐guided percutaneous technique, achieving iliopsoas tenotomy utilising a modified 18G coaxial needle and thus minimising the morbidity and cost associated with an open or arthroscopic procedure. This method proved successful with resultant complete resolution of patient symptoms. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first case of ultrasound‐guided percutaneous iliopsoas tenotomy for iliopsoas impingement post total hip replacement.     

PLASMA LEVELS OF INTERLEUKIN-1-ALPHA IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Interleukin-1-beta (IL-1ß has been implicated as aninflammatory mediator in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but littleis known about the related cytokine, IL-1, in this disease.IL-1 has biological properties similar to IL-1ß but,unlike IL-1ß remains mostly cell-associated. In thisstudy plasma IL- was measured by radioimmunoassay in patientswith RA and in healthy controls. Plasma levels were comparedwith conventional measures of disease activity. The mean levelsin the two groups were not significantly different and, withinthe patient group (n = 53), the only significant cross-sectionalcorrelation was between plasma IL-1 and ESR. In longitudinalstudies, some individual patients had plasma IL-1 levels thatcorrelated with different measures of disease activity. We concludethat while IL- may be involved in the immunopathogenesis ofRA, its measurement in plasma seems to offer little of clinicalvalue. KEY WORDS: Interleukin-1-alpha, Plasma, Rheumatoid arthritis, Prospective longitudinal study     

5-羟色胺对气道平滑肌细胞增生的影响及c-fos的表达

５－羟色胺对气道平滑肌细胞增生的影响及ｃ－ｆｏｓ的表达刘振千梁凤珍马军红戚好文为了探讨哮喘气道平滑肌层增厚的机制，考察哮喘的炎性介质５－羟色胺（５－ＨＴ）对兔气道平滑肌细胞（ＡＳＭＣ）增生的影响及原癌基因ｃ－ｆｏｓ的表达。新西兰大白兔，抗α－肌动蛋白...     

Deposition of autofluorescent eosinophil granules in pathologic bone marrow biopsies

Eosinophil granules are intensely autofluorescent when excited by green light. To determine if eosinophils degranulate in the bone marrows of patients with a variety of diseases, we used green light epifluorescence microscopy to examine deparaffinized and dezenkerized sections of 49 bone marrow core biopsies. In 14 of the biopsies, there was striking extracellular deposition of intensely autofluorescent eosinophil granules in addition to numerous intact eosinophils. Among the 14 specimens with extracellular autofluorescence were seven cases of leukemia, four cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, two cases of myelofibrosis, and one case of pancytopenia with eosinophilia. In the remaining 35 specimens, only intact eosinophils were identifiable. There was no extracellular autofluorescence in three normal marrows, four marrows from AIDS patients, or three biopsies from patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). We conclude that green light epifluorescence microscopy identifies extracellular deposits of eosinophil granules in bone marrow biopsies of some neoplastic disorders and in diseases associated with reticulin fibrosis.     

safety of bismuth in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases

Bismuth preparations are commonly used to treat a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including peptic ulcers and dyspepsia. The safety profile of currently approved bismuth preparations, such as tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate (De-Nol), bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) and ranitidine bismuth citrate (Pylorid, Tritec), is excellent. Adverse reactions to these agents are mild, transient and infrequent, and reports of serious adverse reactions are rare. This, in part, reflects the low systemic bioavailability of bismuth from these medicines: less than 1% of the bismuth dose administered is absorbed.
During repeated dosing with ranitidine bismuth citrate 200, 400 or 800 mg b.d. trough plasma bismuth concentrations remain well below 50 μg/L. After 4 weeks of treatment median concentrations of 3.4 μg/L or less were reported amongst 1210 duodenal ulcer patients receiving this new chemical entity, while mean concentrations of 5.1 μg/L (plasma) and 12.3 μg/L (blood) have been reported in two studies of patients receiving tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate 120 mg q.d.s. for 4 weeks. Transient peak plasma bismuth concentrations greater than 50 μg/L are observed 30–60 min after dosing with tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate in some patients, but are not associated with any toxic effects. After discontinuation of treatment with bismuth preparations its excretion in urine may continue for up to 3 months, by which time blood bismuth concentrations have declined to pre-treatment values.