Pathophysiology of spasticity

Neurological Sciences - Spasticity arises from lesions involving the corticoreticulospinal system in the brain, brainstem or spinal cord. Abnormal suprasegmental influences lead to increased spinal...     

Hemichorea associated with polycythaemia vera

Abstract Chorea is a rare complication of polycythaemia vera. Polycythaemic chorea occurs predominantly in females and usually in generalised form. We present a 66-year-old woman with acute onset hemichorea-ballism with no vascular pathology in the basal ganglia region. A clear relationship was observed between the onset of chorea and worsening of haematological parameters in the patient. After repeated phlebotomies the patient's clinical status was improved. Polycythaemic chorea must be considered, especially in the elderly, as early diagnosis leads to effective treatment and prevention of complications.     

Caudate nucleus volume and cognitive performance: Are they related in childhood psychopathology?

BACKGROUND: Impaired neuropsychological test performance, especially on tests of executive function and attention, is often seen in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Structures involved in fronto-striatal circuitry, such as the caudate nucleus, may support these cognitive abilities. However, few studies have examined caudate volumes specifically in children with ASD, or correlated caudate volumes to cognitive ability. METHODS: Neuropsychological test scores and caudate volumes of children with ASD were compared to those of children with bipolar disorder (BD) and of typically developing (TD) children. The relationship between test performance and caudate volumes was analyzed. RESULTS: The ASD group displayed larger right and left caudate volumes, and modest executive deficits, compared to TD controls. While caudate volume inversely predicted performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in all participants, it differentially predicted performance on measures of attention across the ASD, BD and TD groups. CONCLUSIONS: Larger caudate volumes were related to impaired problem solving. On a test of attention, larger left caudate volumes predicted increased impulsivity and more omission errors in the ASD group as compared to the TD group, however smaller volume predicted poorer discriminant responding as compared to the BD group.     

Tuberculosis trends in Madrid, 1994-2003: impact of immigration and HIV infection.

SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) cases reported from nine districts of Madrid, where the percentage of immigrant population varied from 1.9% in 1996 to 12.2% in 2003. OBJECTIVE: To describe the trends in TB incidence from 1994 to 2003. DESIGN: Observational study. RESULTS: Between 1994-1995 and 2002-2003, the TB rate decreased from 48.5 (95% CI 45.8-51.1) to 23.3 per 100000 population (95% CI 21.5-25.1) (P < 0.001). The percentage of TB cases co-infected with HIV decreased from 55.9% in 1994 to 14.3% in 2003 (P < 0.001), whereas TB cases in foreigners increased from 2.6% in 1994 to 33.7% in 2003 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although the TB rates showed a marked decrease in the study period, the increasing impact of immigration contributed to slowing down the trend.     

快速供肝切取与修整的外科技巧

目的总结肝脏移植供肝的快速切取和修整经验。方法分析2004年共186例快速供肝的切取和修整的资料。快速切取技术采用原位腹主动脉、肠系膜上静脉灌注附加下腔静脉引流，快速切取供肝，4℃UW液中保存和修整肝脏。结果供肝热缺血时间为3～10min，平均4．5min；冷缺血时间平均为3-16h，平均7h。供肝的修整时间为26～90min，平均46min。供肝修整时发现肝动脉解剖变异20例。结论快速供肝切取法要求术者技术娴熟、动作迅速和准确，可最大限度地减少供肝热缺血时间。快速切取法能保证供肝的质量和确保供肝切取的成功。     

透明质酸钠对大鼠成肌细胞增殖和分化的影响

目的 研究透明质酸钠对成肌细胞增殖和分化的影响。方法 采用酶消化法将新生SD大鼠骨骼肌组织分离、纯化、原代培养及传代培养；取第3代成肌细胞，分别加入浓度为0．05%、0．1％及0．2％的透明质酸钠溶液作为生长培养基行体外培养为实验A、B及C组，加入常规生长培养基为对照D组，观察各组成肌细胞增殖情况，并采用细胞计数及MTT法绘制生长曲线。另选择0．1%透明质酸钠融合培养基行体外成肌细胞培养，常规融合培养基作对照，观察透明质酸钠对成肌细胞分化功能的影响。结果A、B及C组成肌细胞增殖表现相似，2d时进入对数生长期，4d时均达顶峰；D组成肌细胞于3d时进入对数生长期，5d时细胞数倍增，6d时达顶峰。MTT法所测吸光度（A）值的变化反映成肌细胞的增殖情况，与细胞计数的结果一致，以B组细胞增殖作用最明显，B组A值在2～8d时均高于C、D组（P〈0．05），8d时高于A组（P〈0．05）。0．1％透明质酸钠融合培养基中的成肌细胞融合率较低且上升缓慢，7d时融合率最高，为11．7％；常规融合培养基成肌细胞融合率于6d时达到峰值，约为35．0%。结论 透明质酸钠与成肌细胞的细胞相容性较好，可以作为良好的成肌细胞培养基。