Local infusion of interleukin-6 attenuates the neurotoxic effects of NMDA on rat striatal cholinergic neurons.

The potential neuroprotective effects of IL-6 against the excitotoxic neuronal loss induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) have been studied. Infusion into the rat striatum of excitotoxic amounts (250 nmol) of NMDA resulted in a 45% decrease in striatal choline acetyl transferase activity (ChAT; a marker of cholinergic neurons) and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD, a marker of GABAergic neurons) at 2 days post-injection. Co-infusion of 10 U of IL-6 reduced the loss of ChAT activity to 21% but failed to prevent the loss of GAD activity. IL-6 per se, up to the dose of 500 U, failed to affect ChAT or GAD activities. The in vivo effects of IL-6 are not mediated by a direct antagonism of NMDA toxicity, since IL-6 (up to a concentration of 500 and 5000 U/ml, respectively) did not antagonize either the increase in cyclic GMP levels resulting from NMDA receptor activation in cerebellar slices or the glutamate-induced release of lactate dehydrogenase, an index of neurotoxicity, by cultured cortical neurons. These results suggest that the increase in IL-6 levels observed in experimental brain lesions may play a role in the protection and regeneration of cholinergic neurons.     

Steuerliche Einordnung der wirtschaftlichen Vorteile aus einer Vertragsarztzulassung

Der wirtschaftliche Vorteil einer Vertragsarztzulassung stellt kein gesondert zu bewertendes Wirtschaftsgut dar, sondern einen wertbildenden Faktor des Wirtschaftsguts “Praxiswert” im Rahmen des Gesamtkaufpreises zum Erwerb der Vertragsarztpraxis.     

Transient intestinal colonization by multiple phenotypes of Aeromonas species during the first week of life.

The intestinal colonization rate of Aeromonas spp. was determined for 52 cesarean-born Peruvian neonates. Rectal swabs were obtained daily from newborns during their postdelivery hospitalization (mean = 5.5 days), and the gross appearances of their feces (blind determinations) were recorded. Aeromonas spp. were recovered from rectal swabs of 12 of 52 (23.1%) infants during their first week of life; the isolates were obtained from 5 of 9 (55.6%) infants with at least one stool with a watery consistency and from 7 of 43 (16.3%) neonates with no watery stools (P = 0.022). None of the infected infants became clinically ill. No other commonly recognized enteropathogens were detected in watery stools. An environmental survey indicated that hospital water was the probable source of infection. These and other data indicated that Aeromonas colonization occurs transiently at a very early age in Peruvian neonates and that in some instances, initial infection may be followed several days later by one or more watery stools of normal volume.     

Return to work after a non-work related sick spell: the role of age, sex, economic activity and autonomous community

BACKGROUND: To describe the duration of non-work related sickness absences incidents according to age, sex, economic activity and Autonomous Community. METHODS: The sample of non-work related sick spells included 76,598 incident cases started in 2002 among workers cover by the general regime of the Social Security system, and managed by an insurance company. The median and intercuartils range were estimated by sex, age, economic activities and Autonomous Comunnity. Probability ratio of continuing out of work (PRCOW) were compared among Autonomous Comunities, after adjusting by sexo, age and economic activities, taking Navarra as reference, using a log-logistic regression model with a gamma distribution. RESULTS: The 25% of cases there were returned to work at 40 day, the 50% at 90 day; and the 75% at 26 degrees day. Extremadura (PCOW=2,7; IC95%: 2,4-3,1) and Galicia (2,6; 2,4-2,9) showed the highest differences with Navarra. There were also statistically significant differences among economic activities after adjusting by age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Return to work after a non-work related sick spell is a complex process, which is influenced by age, sex, economic activities and autonomous community.     

Follow-up after surgical treatment of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: results in a southern Spanish population]

OBJECTIVE: The study was to assess changes in the rectal mucosa and pouch in a series of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who underwent either subtotal colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) or proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), and to evaluate the suitability of the follow-up interval and postoperative treatment employed to prevent the development of cancer. METHOD: This study involved 28 patients with FAP who underwent IRA (n=20) or IPAA (n=8), and were followed endoscopically over a mean period of 7.47 years. The number and both macroscopic and histological features of polyps before and after surgery, the treatment, and complications were all analyzed. The suitability of the follow-up interval was assessed. RESULTS: None of the 26 patients who complied with follow-up developed rectal cancer. Two patients developed rectal cancer at 21 and 36 months after withdrawing from the protocol. Except in two cases in which surgery was indicated, patients who developed adenomas during follow-up were treated by endoscopic polypectomy. CONCLUSIONS: In our series, the failure to comply with follow-up examinations was associated with cancer development.     

Assessment of cardiac function by echocardiography in Paget's disease of bone

OBJECTIVE: To identify the mechanisms which influence the development of cardiac insufficiency in Paget's disease of bone (PD). METHODS: In this hospital-based case-control study 23 consecutive, recently diagnosed and untreated PD patients were compared against 23 controls frequency-matched by sex, age and body index. All subjects underwent non-invasive assessment of cardiac function by two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Calcium, phosphate, and creatinine were determined in the serum and urine, along with alkaline phosphatase and hydroxyproline excretion, two biochemical parameters of PD activity. RESULTS: Peripheral vascular resistance proved lower (1604.9 +/- 390.1 vs 1801.2 +/- 421.0) and the stroke volume higher in PD patients (67.2 +/- 14.4 vs 56.0 +/- 8.6; p = 0.07) compared with controls. These differences were greater (1504.7 +/- 289.9 and 71.0 +/- 6.2) and attained statistical significance (p = 0.008) when the subgroup with more extensive skeletal disease only was considered. A moderate correlation was observed between hydroxyproline excretion and the E/A ratio (r = 0.45; p = 0.03), peripheral vascular resistance (r = -0.42; p = 0.04), and diastolic arterial pressure (r = -0.42; p = 0.04). The final model obtained via multivariate analysis identified both urinary hydroxyproline and age as predictive variables linked to peripheral vascular resistance. CONCLUSION: In the early phases of PD there is a trend towards a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance. If this persists, it may lead progressively to increased cardiac output, which is mainly influenced by the degree of turnover impairment and the age of the individual.