Cognitive impairments of alcoholic cirrhotic patients: correlation with endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligands and increased affinity of platelet receptors.

OBJECTIVES--To determine whether differences in cognitive function between alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients relate to differences in endogenous ligands for the benzodiazepine receptor and/or benzodiazepine binding. METHODS--Seventeen grade-I hepatic encephalopathic patients (nine alcoholic, eight non-alcoholic) were compared with 10 matched controls on plasma concentrations of endogenous ligands for the neuronal benzodiazepine receptor, benzodiazepine binding in platelets, and performance on tests of cognitive function. RESULTS--Both groups of patients were impaired on verbal recall and on reaction time tasks compared with controls; alcoholic patients were also impaired on Reitan's trails test and digit cancellation. Four of the 17 patients had detectable concentrations of endogenous benzodiazepine ligands and they were more impaired than other patients on trails and cancellation tests. The groups did not differ in the density of benzodiazepine platelet receptors, but receptor affinity was higher in alcoholic patients than in controls; furthermore, receptor affinity correlated with the time to complete the cancellation task and with reaction time. CONCLUSION--Alcoholic cirrhotic patients may have enhanced concentrations of ligands for neuronal and peripheral benzodiazepine receptors and these may contribute to cognitive impairments in these patients.     

Bacterial meningitis in infants: sonographic findings

A retrospective study was performed on 78 patients (newborn to 2 years old) with clinically proved bacterial meningitis. Sonograms were obtained during the acute illness and medical records were reviewed. The spectrum of sonographic features of meningitis included normal scans (30 patients), ventriculomegaly (11 patients), echogenic sulci (31 patients), extra-axial fluid collections (26 patients), abnormal parenchymal echogenicity (9 patients), evidence of ventriculitis (5 patients), and brain abscess (1 patient). In 46 patients, correlation between the sonographic findings and neurologic outcome on clinical follow-up (6 months to 4 years) was made. Findings of abnormal parenchymal echogenicity and/or moderate-to-marked ventriculomegaly were associated with significant neurologic sequelae; however, echogenic sulci and small extra-axial fluid collections did not appear to have any prognostic significance. Twenty-nine of the 78 patients had sonography without clinical indication of complications of meningitis, and in no patient was a significant abnormality found. Our study suggests that sonography is indicated only when there is clinical suspicion of complications.     

变价态唐松草新碱—PVC膜离子选择电极的研制及解离常数的测定

本文研制了以四苯硼—唐松草新碱缔合物为电活性物质的变价态唐松草新碱—PVC膜电极。电极膜按电活性物质:PVC:DBP为1:8:8组成。该电极在pH 5.0～6.0,Ⅰ=0.05的NaCl—HCl溶液中Nernst响应范围为1×10^-3～1×10^-5mol/L。电极斜率为58.2 mV/logc。检测限为2.5×10^-6mol/L。用直接电位法考察了TDH⁺,TDH₂CF⁺⁺共存时溶液pH和电极斜率S的关系。用S—pH关系,测定了25℃,Ⅰ=0.05时的Ka₁值为(2.5±0.2)×10^-4,用E—pH关系,测定了25℃,Ⅰ=0.05时的Ka₂值为(8.1±0.9)×10^-8。