Subclinical hepatic encephalopathy: relationship between neuropsychological deficits and standard laboratory tests assessing hepatic status.

A multivariate analysis of the relationship between biochemical measures of hepatic function and neuropsychological assessments of specific cognitive domains was performed on data obtained from 74 patients with chronic liver disease and subclinical hepatic encephalopathy. Biochemical tests of hepatic protein synthesis correlated significantly with measures of impaired language efficiency, perceptual speed, and psychomotor efficiency. Biochemical indices of impaired processing of nitrogenous compounds correlated with visuopractic deficits. Hepatic blood flow indices correlated with language inefficiency. Interestingly, biochemical measures of hepatic injury did not demonstrate a significant association with any neuropsychological parameter assessed. These results suggest that subclinical hepatic encephalopathy is the consequence of a multifactorial hepatic dysfunction, and that acute hepatic injury, as assessed by elevation of aminotransferases, does not appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of subclinical hepatic encephalopathy.     

传染病研究40年（1955～1995年）

本文综述本校传染病学教研室１９５５～１９９５年间所取得的科研成果。内容包括１０余种传染病与寄生虫病的临床和基础研究，其中以华支睾吸虫病、恙虫病等有广东特色的传染病以及伤寒、痢疾、病毒性肝炎等影响人民健康最普遍的传染病为重点。反映了建国以来各个时期本教研室对防治这些传染病所作的贡献。所取得的成果，相当一部分通过多年来的验证，已获得广大传染病工作者所认同或列为常规，部分已获得部委级奖励。现在重温这些成果，可能起承前启后的意义。     

“鸡皮疙瘩”，非典型肌肤恐怖片

有一套系列恐怖畅销书叫做《鸡皮疙瘩丛书》，意思是故事恐怖到让看书人身上起满鸡皮疙瘩。可是，当你并不觉得寒冷或害怕时身上依然出现鸡皮疙瘩，那就代表着一种并不算恐怖却令许多女生苦恼不已的皮肤问题——毛周角化症。[编者按]     

勃起功能障碍可能是心血管疾病的信号

近期一项调查研究显示，出现勃起功能障碍的老年健康男子可能存在隐性心血管疾病。共有8063名55岁以上无心血管疾病的美国男子参加了该项队列研究，试验初始时4247人具有正常勃起功能。     

Concentric sclerosis (Baló): Morphometric and in situ hybridization study of lesions in six patients

Brain tissues from 6 patients with concentric sclerosis (Baló) were examined by in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, morphometry, and histological methods. The patients were 24 to 48 years old and had progressive cerebral symptoms and signs that lasted 15 to 100 days. Large demyelinative lesions, most frequent in the frontal white matter, contained alternating bands of demyelinated and partly myelinated white matter that were arranged in concentric or mosaic patterns. In the areas of demyelination, axons were relatively well preserved and there were perivascular inflammatory infiltrates. In 2 specimens, lesions contained regions with the characteristic appearance of actively demyelinating multiple sclerosis plaques. Oligodendroglial densities were highest in normal-appearing white matter, lower in partially myelinated areas, and lowest in demyelinated areas, which also contained many hypertrophic astrocytes closely associated with oligodendroglia. Messenger RNA levels for myelin-related proteins followed the same pattern; they were lowest in demyelinated areas, higher in partially myelinated areas, and highest in normal-appearing white matter beyond lesion margins. Our findings suggest that concentric sclerosis is a variant of multiple sclerosis, that oligodendroglial loss is important in the pathogenesis of demyelination, and that partially myelinated areas probably represent stages of ongoing myelin breakdown rather than remyelination of previously demyelinated areas.     

Study of pyogenic granuloma of the oral cavity]

Pyogenic granuloma is one of the diseases sometimes seen in otorhinolaryngology clinics. The clinical features of this disease are understood to be that the lesion is located in the oral cavity in the majority of cases that its causative agent is usually discovered and that it most likely grows as a malignant tumor. However, the entity of pathological diagnosis has not been established. Thirty-one cases of oral pyogenic granuloma, including 16 males and 15 females, are reported in this paper. The granuloma was located most frequently at the tongue, followed, in order, by the gingiva, buccal mucosa, hard palate, lip and oral floor. The period between the patient's first visit to our clinic and the onset of his/her complaint was variable. It was relatively shorter in those cases with the lesion at the gingiva or tongue as compared to other locations. The size of the lesion was smaller than 10 x 10 mm. We classified the pathological features into three patterns; granuloma type, hemangioma type, and intermediate type. Many cases of lesions located at the back of the tongue, buccal mucosa, or hard palate were of the hemangioma type, while many cases of lesions located at the top of the tongue, gingiva, or oral floor were of the granuloma type. We have the impression that pyogenic granuloma could be one of the purulent changes associated with benign oral tumors.     

Protective effect of Re-LPS antiserum on experimental multiple system organ failure.

This study examines the possible beneficial effect of Re-LPS (F515) antiserum on experimental multiple system organ failure (MSOF) in rabbits. The results showed that the plasma LPS level was significantly decreased, and it took a shorter period to clear up LPS in experimental than in control rabbits after receiving Re-LPS antiserum. Pretreatment with antiserum can markedly improve the function of the liver, lungs, kidneys, blood and gastrointestinal tract. The MSOF incidence in the group of rabbits receiving immune sera was only 11.2% and the survival rate was raised by about 40.0%. The results suggest that early passive immunotherapy may neutralize gut-derived endotoxin, inhibit endotoxin-induced mediators release and prevent development of severe complications due to sepsis. It is therefore postulated that LPS core antiserum may provide a prophylactic effect on the development of experimental MSOF.

     

Effect of (+/-)-, (+)- and (-)-gossypol on the lactate dehydrogenase-X activity of rat testis

The effect of (+/-)-, (+)- and (-)-gossypol on testicular lactate dehydrogenase-X (LDH-X) was studied in vitro and in vivo. It was found that racemic gossypol and the two optical enantiomers had similar inhibitory effects on rat testicular LDH-X in vitro. However, neither racemic gossypol nor the enantiomers exhibited an inhibitory effect on testicular LDH-X in vivo. It is concluded that inhibition of testicular LDH-X is not likely to be the mechanism of the antifertility action of gossypol. The inhibition of testicular LDH-X in vitro by all three preparations of gossypol is probably non-specific.     

The expression of nuclear estrogen receptor and its relation to cytoplasmic estrogen receptor in breast cancer]

Sixty specimens of breast cancer were assayed with ER-monoclonal antibody by immunocytochemical staining. Twenty-nine (48.33%) were nuclear estrogen receptor positive (ERn+). The number of ERn+ cancer cells decreased in the following sequence: mucinous carcinoma, invasive lobular carcinoma, invasive ductal carcinoma, and papillary adenocarcinoma. Two apocrine carcinomas were ERn-. ERn+ rate was higher in patients over 60 years of age (P less than 0.05). The amount of ERn+ cells was much greater in cancer cells than in the surrounding benign epithelial cells. This phenomenon may indicate that malignant cells are more hormone-dependent than benign cells. The results of immunocytochemical staining and steroid binding assay were compared. By immunocytochemical staining, twenty-four of fifty-seven cases (42.11%) were ERn+ and ERc+. Sixteen cases (28.07%) were ERn- and ERc-. This study showed that in a number of breast cancers ERs were positive in both cytoplasms and nuclei and the concordant rate was 70.18%. In the remaining cases 13 (22.81%), ERs were positive in the cytoplasm, and in 4 cases (7.02%) positive in nuclei only. Additionally, fifty-two out of 60 cases were assayed by 3H-estradiol and 3H-R5020 by means of steroid binding assay. Twenty-seven cases of them (51.92%) showed ERc+ and PRc+, and seventeen cases (32.69%) were ERc- and PRc-. Their correspondent rate was 84.61%.