Evidence of Increased Class I MHC Expression on Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes during Acute Ethanol Intoxication

Certain ethanol-related diseases in humans have been linked to disorders of immunity. Although humoral and cellular immunity have been studied, the precise mechanisms whereby ethanol use leads to tissue damage remain unknown. In order to explore the hypothesis that ethanol may lead to alteration in expression of tissue Class I major histocompatibility antigen causing an autoimmune phenomenon, a population of acutely ethanol-intoxicated patients was studied. Measurement of Class I major histocompatibility antigen on peripheral blood lymphocytes in this population showed a highly significant (p less than 0.01) increase over controls. The role that this increased antigenicity may play in the evolution of clinical disease is discussed.     

Sonographic appearance of Krukenberg tumor from gastric carcinoma

Sonographic findings in 16 cases of Krukenberg tumor from gastric carcinoma were analyzed. The patients' ages ranged from 25 to 52 years (mean 42 years). The tumor involved both ovaries in 14 patients with asymmetrical masses in 9 of 14 cases. Ascites was noted in 15 cases. Echogenicity of the tumor varied from solid to predominantly cystic: solid in 8, mixed in 6, and predominantly cystic in 2 cases. Solid masses tended to be smaller than mixed or cystic masses. The primary gastric carcinoma had been diagnosed before emergence of the tumors in only 7 cases. The findings suggest that in relatively young patients with ovarian mass, particularly bilateral tumors, careful evaluation for gastrointestinal tract involvement should be done.     

Best evidence in critical care medicine Selective digestive decontamination decreases mortality and morbidity in the intensive care

SDD reduces ICU and in-hospital mortality, the length-of-stay in the ICU, the frequency of colonization with resistant GNB, and the total costs of antibiotic treatment. This supports the use of SDD in all patients expected to be on mechanical ventilation for at least two days in ICUs that have low prevalence of VRE and MRSA.     

Benign osteoblastoma of the occipital bone: Case report and literature review

We present a case of benign osteoblastoma of the occipital bone. Benign osteoblastoma is an uncommon primary bone tumor, which usually involves the vertebrae and the long bones. This tumor rarely develops in the calvaria, showing a preference for the temporal and frontal bones when it does. To the best of our knowledge, this case is only the eighth reported case of benign osteoblastoma confined to the occipital bone. A 20‐year‐old male presented with a mild tender mass lesion of the occipital area, just below the lambda. Plain X‐ray films and CT scans demonstrated an osteolytic mass surrounded by the sclerotic rim within the diploic space. MRI proved to be effective for the evaluation of the intracranial and intraosseous extensions of the tumor. However, it was very difficult to formulate a differential diagnosis against other osteoblastic tumors, or osteoid osteoma, in view of its radiological appearance. The final diagnosis was obtained by careful consideration of the histopathological characteristics of the tumor combined with its clinical and radiological features. Although generally regarded as benign, a complete resection is preferred over conventional curettage as this can guard against possible recurrence and malignant transformation.     

Direct assessment of the role of NK cells in autoimmune diabetes.

Considerable indirect evidence implicates participation of natural killer cells (NK) in the pathogenesis of diabetes in BB rats. The most convincing evidence derives from studies showing that anti-CD8 antibody effectively prevents both primary disease onset and autoimmune damage to transplanted islets. However, anti-CD8 treatment depletes both NK and cytotoxic T cells (CTL) since both cell types express the CD8 marker. To study directly the role of NK in diabetic BB rats we used MCA 3.2.3, a monoclonal antibody which selectively depletes normal Lewis rats of NK cells but not CTL. A regimen of ip injected antibody achieved rapid reduction of NK cells in diabetic and nondiabetic BB rats by FACS analysis. NK cell activity remained low in rats treated weekly as evidenced by YAC tumor cell killing. We next studied the effect of NK depletion on disease incidence in diabetes-prone BB rats of which about one half are expected to develop diabetes. Onset and incidence of diabetes in 3.2.3-treated and control antibody-treated aged matched litter mates were equal. These studies suggest that NK cells are not necessary for autoimmune islet destruction in spontaneously diabetic BB rats and support a role for CTL in pathogenesis of the disease.