Aspirin Has a Protective Effect Against Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - To determine the effect of aspirin and anticoagulants on clinical outcomes and cause of in-hospital death in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal...     

超声乳化联合囊袋内可调节人工晶状体植入术对白内障患者对比敏感度视觉影响研究

目的探讨超声乳化联合囊袋内可调节人工晶状体植入术对白内障患者对比敏感度视觉恢复的影响,并分析相关机制。方法回顾性分析2009年1月—2010年12月在我院住院治疗的78例(96只眼)白内障患者。其中38例46只眼行超声乳化联合囊袋内可调节人工晶状体植入术(为研究组),40例50只眼行白内障超声乳化联合囊袋内硬性人工晶状体植入术(为对照组)。观察两组患者术后3个月矫正远、近视力,屈光度数,对比敏感度的变化以及并发症数量。结果两组治疗后矫正近、远视力差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);对比敏感度视觉检查结果显示,研究组有32例34只眼对比敏感度曲线在参考范围内;对照组29例32只眼对比敏感度曲线在正常范围内。研究组在高频段对比敏感度与对照组相比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。对照组与研究组比较虹膜色素播散(13.15%vs.7.50%)、角膜内皮褶皱(18.42%vs.10.00%)、瞳孔变形(18.42%vs.5.00%)、角膜水肿(23.68%vs.7.50%)、前房纤维性渗出(21.05%vs.5.00%)发生率间差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论超声乳化联合囊袋内可调节人工晶状体植入术对白内障患者对比敏感度视觉具有一定调节作用,且并发症少。     

Serum HCV-RNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Correlation with histological features

Background and study aimsLiver disease in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection ranges from minimal lesion to liver cirrhosis and sometimes eventually evolving hepatocellular carcinoma. Whether and how HCV determines the different clinical and histological manifestation of the disease is not fully understood. It has not been clearly elucidated whether the extent of liver injury induced by HCV is influenced mainly by direct cytopathic damage or by an immune-mediated response against HCV-infected hepatocytes. The aim of this study is to verify whether the amount of virus in individual patient’s serum could be related to the severity of liver injury.Patients and methodsThis study was carried out in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad. Serum levels of HCV-RNA were measured in 27 patients with chronic HCV using b-DNA assay. Core liver biopsies of the patients were evaluated according to Ishak histological activity index system.ResultsThe serum HCV RNA concentrations in the patients ranged from 3.2 × 10³ to 1.2 × 10⁷ copies/ml. In all patients no correlation was observed between the variable levels of viraemia and the age of the patients. Furthermore no correlations were observed between the serum HCV RNA concentrations and the biochemical liver function test levels: Total serum bilirubin, AST, ALT, and alkaline phosphatase. Histologically; patients were categorized into four subgroups: four patients (14.8%) had minimal activity, 17 patients (63%) had mild activity, and six patients (22.2%) had moderate activity. No significant correlation was found between viraemic levels and these histological findings or their individual components: Interface hepatitis, confluent necrosis, intralobular liver cell necrosis and portal inflammation. According to the stage of the fibrosis, the patients were categorized into seven subgroups: one patient (3.7%) with stage zero, seven patients with stage one (25.9%), four patients with stage two (14.9%), eight patients with stage three (29.6%), three patients with stage four (11.1%), two patients with stage five (7.4%), and two patients in cirrhotic stage six (7.4%). There was no correlation between the serum HCV RNA concentration and the stage of fibrosis. Hepatic steatosis was observed in 16/27 patients. It was mild in nine patients, moderate in five patients, and severe in two patients. Correlation has not been observed between the serum HCV RNA viraemic level and the severity of steatosis.ConclusionSerum HCV-RNA level does not determine the degree of hepatic injury precisely and liver biopsy is necessary to accurately evaluate the extent of liver damage.     

Regression of prostatic cancer metastasis by high doses of diethylstilbestrol diphosphate

Diethylstilbestrol diphosphate (DES-P) has shown effective symptomatic relief in patients with metastatic carcinoma of the prostate. Although there is little known about its role in soft tissue metastasis, our experience in 3 patients with advanced carcinoma of the prostate infiltrating the trigone and ureterovesical junction revealed significant improvement of hydronephrosis. All patients failed to respond to conventional doses of stilbestrol. Diethylstilbestrol diphosphate is recommended in the treatment of advanced carcinoma of the prostate with soft tissue metastasis. It is safe and effective, and the tumor responses outweigh the side effects of the drug. The mechanism of action of this compound is discussed.     

Hemoglobin Villejuif [beta 123(H1) Thr----Ile]: a new variant found in coincidence with polycythemia vera

A new abnormal hemoglobin, Hb Villejuif [beta 123(H1) Thr----Ile] has been discovered during the exploration of a polycythemia in a 87-year-old patient of French origin. The isoelectric focusing of the lysate revealed the presence of a variant hemoglobin with an isoelectric point very close to that of HbA. The oxygen binding properties of the patient's red blood cells being normal, it was clear that the polycythemia was not a consequence of the presence of this hemoglobin. In fact, the red blood cell morphology and the involvement of the other blood cell lines, demonstrating excessive hemopoiesis, led to the diagnosis of polycythemia vera.     

A clinic and a paraclinic study of Tunisian population of children with autism. About 63 cases

Autistic disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder which starts before the age of 3. The clinic features of autism are variable; the autonomy degree, the speech quality, the mental retardation associated and specially the existence of an organic disease change its clinic expression. A good knowledge of the basic signs is important to put diagnosis.This work, propose to describe a clinic and a Para clinic profile of Tunisian population of children with autism. The study included 63 children referred to the child psychiatry department between January 1998 and September 2003 and diagnosed with autistic disorder according to DSMIV and ADI-R criteria.The population profile studied is drawn as following : The sex ratio was of 3/1, the average age was of 8 years+/-3 years. Parents were related in 39.3% of cases. On the clinical plan, 51.2% of children with autism studied did not have expressive speech. They presented a mental retardation associated in 60.8% of cases. Epilepsy was presented in 21 children out of 63. This profile links literature study except in 2 points: - The rate of relatives with autism (8.6%) is superior to the rate found in literature(3%).This result can be explained by the high rate of consanguinity in the Tunisian studied population (39.3%). - Importance of associated organic pathologies (mental retardation).     

An unusual cause of hand nodule: peri-tendon dirofilariasis

Dirofilariasis is a zoonosis affecting dogs and cats. It was transmitted to man by mosquito bites. Human dirofilariasis is rare. We report a case of 4-year-old girl presented with a subcutaneous palmar nodule of the hand. Surgical excision shows a nodule encircling the forth flexor tendon. The histological examination established the diagnosis by the presence of an adult worm identified as Dirofilaria repens. Surgical excision was curative.