Caroli disease: high-frequency US and pathologic findings

Three infants with nonobstructive bile duct dilatation (Caroli disease) are described. The bile duct pathology was associated with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease in two patients and with severe destruction of the renal parenchyma of unknown origin in the other. Sonograms of the liver showed, besides bile duct dilatations, intraluminal bulbar protrusions, bridge formation across dilated lumina, and portal radicles partially or completely surrounded by dilated bile ducts. Liver biopsy was performed in two patients, and in one patient, the biopsy sample confirmed the findings noted on sonograms. These findings support the hypothesis that the normal embryogenesis of intrahepatic bile ducts is arrested in the pathogenesis of this disease.     

11Effect of an immune stress on prolactin secretion in early pregnancy

Problem:  Stress in early pregnancy has been linked to increased abortion rates. Immune stress in early pregnancy inhibits progesterone secretion in mice. As prolactin both mediates implantation and drives progesterone secretion, we hypothesised that stress would decrease prolactin secretion in early pregnancy.
Material and Methods:  Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 12.5μg intraperitoneally) as an immune stress or vehicle were administered to day 5.5 early pregnant and virgin c57/Bl6J mice. They were killed by decapitation 60, 120 or 240 min later and trunk blood was collected and analysed for prolactin concentration (ELISA); corticosterone was also analysed (RIA).
Results:  LPS significantly decreased prolactin concentration in early pregnancy (P<0.001, 2-way ANOVA); however, there was no significant difference in the virgin groups. In contrast, LPS significantly elevated corticosterone concentration in all groups (P<0.001, 2-way ANOVA), confirming activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal stress axis.
Conclusions:  Stress decreased prolactin secretion during early pregnancy, and might explain stress-disrupted implantation and progesterone secretion.     

白蛋白置换液替代血浆置换治疗难治性肝炎高胆红素血症

我们曾应用血浆置换治疗难治性病毒性肝炎高胆红素血症，取得了一定的疗效。但血浆作为置换液可能会引起丙型或乙型等肝炎病毒的感染。自１９９６年２月至１９９８年３月，我们探索以白蛋白替代血浆置换治疗２９例难治性病毒性肝炎高胆红素血症的病人，现将结果报告如下。...     

Evaluation of some properties of two fiber-reinforced composite materials

Objective. Water sorption, flexural properties, bonding properties, and elemental composition of photopolymerizable resin-impregnated fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) materials (everStick C&B and BR-100) (FPD) were evaluated in this study. Material and methods. Bar-shaped specimens (2×2×25 mm) were prepared for water sorption and flexural strength testing. The specimens (n=6) were polymerized either with a hand light-curing unit for 40 s or, additionally, in a light-curing oven for 20 min and stored in water for 30 days. Water sorption was measured during this time, followed by measurements of flexural strength and modulus. A shear bond strength test was performed to determine the bonding characteristics of polymerized FRC to composite resin luting cement (Panavia-F), (n=15). The cement was bonded to the FRC substrate and the specimens were thermocycled 5000 times (5–55°C) in water. SEM/EDS were analyzed to evaluate the elemental composition of the glass fibers and the fiber distribution in cross section. Results. ANOVA showed significant differences in water sorption according to brand (p<0.05). Water sorption of everStick C&B was 1.86 wt% (hand-unit polymerized) and 1.94 wt% (oven polymerized), whereas BR-100 was 1.07 wt% and 1.17 wt%, respectively. The flexural strength of everStick C&B after 30 days’ water storage was 559 MPa (hand-unit polymerized) and 796 MPa (oven-polymerized); for BR-100, the values were 547 MPa and 689 MPa, respectively. Mean shear bond strength of composite resin cement to the FRC varied between 20.1 and 23.7 MPa, showing no statistical difference between the materials. SEM/EDS analysis revealed that fibers of both FRC materials consist of the same oxides (SiO₂, CaO, and Al₂O₃) in ratios. The distribution of fibers in the cross section of specimens was more evenly distributed in everStick C&B than in BR-100. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that there are some differences in the tested properties of the FRC materials.