Dexamethasone decreases the pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokine ratio during cardiac surgery

Background. Cytokines regulate inflammation associated withcardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Pro-inflammatory cytokines maycause myocardial dysfunction and haemodynamic instability afterCPB, but the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines is potentiallyprotective. We studied the effects of dexamethasone on pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses during coronary arterybypass grafting surgery. Methods. Seventeen patients were studied: nine patients receiveddexamethasone 100 mg before induction of anaesthesia (group1) and eight patients acted as controls (group 2). Plasma levelsof tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-     

Syphilitic spinal cord gumma

Syphilitic spinal cord gumma Syphilitic gummas of the central nervous system are exceptional and are in general described in the brain. We report the case of a Brown-Sequard syndrome in a 25-year-old patient. The cervical myelography and the brain CT as well as the vertebro-occipital junction were normal. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was evoked and corticosteroid therapy was initiated. The patient experienced clinical improvement. Two years later, the patient was readmitted. Immunological reactions for syphilis were positive, in serum and CSF. Tests for HIV were negative. The MRI showed a cervical spinal cord process at the C3 level with adhesive spinal associated arachnoiditis. Penicillin therapy was started prior to surgery for the spinal process. The syphilitic nature was confirmed by pathology. To our knowledge, the MR appearance of a syphilitic gumma of the spinal cord has not been described previously in the scientific literature.     

Characterization of polar brevetoxin derivatives isolated from Karenia brevis cultures and natural blooms.

Several novel brevetoxin derivatives were isolated and identified in Karenia brevis cultures and natural blooms by using solid phase extraction (SPE) and LC/MS(MS) techniques. These analogs were more polar compared with previously described brevetoxins, and were poorly extractable by conventional non-polar solvent (chloroform) partitioning. Brevetoxin analogs were structurally confirmed as hydrolyzed (open A-ring) forms of brevetoxins PbTx-1, PbTx-7, PbTx-2, and PbTx-3, and of oxidized PbTx-1 and PbTx-2. Some of these open A-ring derivatives were in greater abundance than their non-hydrolyzed counterparts. All were in much greater abundance in bloom water filtrate compared with cell-rich fractions. Open A-ring compounds were cytotoxic in mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cell assay. In the K. brevis bloom-exposed Eastern oyster, brevetoxin metabolites with opened A rings were identified (e.g., open-ring cysteine-PbTx conjugates), contributing to their overall toxin burden.     

Homeostatic regulation of sleep in a genetic model of depression in the mouse: effects of muscarinic and 5-HT1A receptor activation.

In depressed patients, sleep undergoes marked alterations, especially sleep onset insomnia, sleep fragmentation, and disturbances of the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Abnormalities of rest-activity rhythms and of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical function have also been described in these patients. In the present study, we examined the presence of such abnormalities in a recently developed line of mice (Helpless mice-H) that exhibit depression-like behaviors in validated tests, compared to the nonhelpless (NH) line derived from the same colony. Experiments were essentially carried out in females for which previous studies showed marked differences between H and NH lines. Compared to NH mice, the H line exhibited (i) lower basal locomotor activity, (ii) sleep fragmentation, shift towards lighter sleep stages, and facilitation of REM sleep reflected by increased amounts and decreased latency, (iii) larger response to the REM sleep promoting effect of muscarinic receptor stimulation (by arecoline). In contrast, H and NH mice were equally responsive to the REM sleep inhibitory effect of 5-HT1A receptor stimulation (by 8-OH-DPAT). In addition, a deficiency in delta power enhancement after sleep deprivation was observed in the H group, and acute immobilization stress in this group failed to elicit a REM sleep rebound and was associated with a long-lasting raise in serum corticosterone levels. These results further validate H mice as a depression model and suggest they might be of particular interest for investigating the neurobiological mechanisms and possibly genetic substrates underlying sleep alterations associated with depression.     

Raman spectroscopy for the determination of coating uniformity of tablets: assessment of product quality and coating pan mixing efficiency during scale-up

Spray coating is an important unit operation in the pharmaceutical industry. The quality, stability, safety, and performance of the final product depend largely on the amount and uniformity of coating applied. Raman spectroscopy is used to develop a multivariate quantitative model using tablets collected from different stages of coating. Subsequently, the calibration is used for the determination of coating progress in small-scale batches. The method developed is used as a process analytical technology tool to assess the desired product quality attributes in commercial scale equipment. Insight into the mixing efficiency is gained by examining intra-tablet variability using the Raman method.     

Spatial visualisation and quantification of expression of cell specific markers — an application for chronic parathyroiditis cases

The aim of this work was to develop a simple and fast technique for spatial visualisation of colour cell specific markers in digital microscopy. Colour light microscopy images were transformed into their spatial representation by introducing image brightness as the third dimension. Based on spatial representation, the expression of selected colour specific markers was assessed by their surface, volume, area fraction and colour intensity. This technique was implemented for quantitative analysis of expression of PCNA, Ki67 and bcl-2 in chronic parathyroiditis cases. Comparing to standard, colour sampling techniques, the presented method based on spatial visualisation of the expression of markers in tissue sections, seems an effective and practical application in objective assessment of their distribution in the investigated material.     

Bilateral frontal polymicrogyria and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.]

The authors describe the case of a six-year-old girl with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome associated to bilateral symmetrical frontal polymicrogyria. Several extracellular matrix components, including collagen, are directly implicated in the neuronal migration. We think that a defect in collagen or in another extracellular matrix protein during fetal development could result in this association.     

Ability to use duplex US to quantify internal carotid arterial stenoses: fact or fiction?

PURPOSE: To determine if duplex ultrasonography (US) can help predict the degree of internal carotid arterial (ICA) stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ICA peak systolic velocity (PSV) and the ratio of the PSV in the ICA to that in the ipsilateral common carotid artery (VICA/VCCA) were compared with the degree of arteriographically measured stenosis. ICAs were arteriographically subgrouped at 10% incremental levels of stenosis and broader ranges. Mean PSV, VICA/VCCA, and SDs were calculated for each category. Histograms showing the numbers of stenotic ICAs in subgroups and for vessels with stenoses of greater than or equal to or less than 70% narrowing were constructed. The number of vessels correctly subgrouped with typical Doppler US thresholds was calculated. RESULTS: Mean PSV and VICA/VCCA increased with stenosis level (P < .01); SDs were wide. Histograms showed Doppler US values in the central groups across all disease levels. Histograms differentiating at least or less than 70% stenosis showed minimal overlap. PSV and VICA/VCCA helped classify, respectively, 185 and 181 of 204 vessels with stenoses of less than 50%, 15 and 21 of 46 vessels with stenoses of 50%-69%, and 73 and 67 of 84 vessels with stenoses of 70% or greater. When classifying stenoses as 69% or less or 70% or more, PSV and VICA/VCCA were correct in 90.6% and 90.3% of vessels. CONCLUSION: Doppler US is excellent for classifying stenoses as above or below a single degree of severity but does not function well in stenosis subclassification.     

Diagnosis of saphenous coronary graft aneurysm by spiral computed tomography

We report two cases of coronary saphenous vein graft aneurysms diagnosed by spiral computed tomography.     

Trans-metastasis hepatectomy: results of a 21-case study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to report the feasibility and efficiency of a new approach, called post-RF trans-metastasis hepatectomy (PRFTMH). This technique consists in using RF to first ablate an ill-located liver metastasis (LM) along the planned hepatectomy resection line, the only one possible for volumetric reasons, and then to perform the hepatectomy passing via this initially ablated LM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients were treated with PRFTMH between January 2000 and May 2004. Thirteen of them had a primary colorectal tumour, four had a primary endocrine tumour and four had miscellaneous primaries. The mean number of LMs per patient was 13.8 (10.7 for primary colorectal tumours and 22.2 for primary endocrine tumours). Pre-operative hypertrophy of the future remaining liver was obtained by selective portal vein embolisation in 11 patients. RESULTS: One patient died post-operatively (4.7%) and five developed complications (24%). No local recurrence has occurred at the site of PRFTMH after a median follow-up of 19.4 months (range: 47-7), demonstrating the efficacy of this technique. All patients, except the patient who died post-operatively, are currently alive, and the median survival rate has not yet been attained, after a median follow-up of 19.4 months. CONCLUSION: PRFTMH combining RF ablation and trans-metastasis hepatectomy is a new and safe technique, allowing a curative approach to be proposed to some patients with unresectable bilateral LMs.