The kinetic occipital (KO) region in man: an fMRI study

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore, in individual subjects, the properties of the kinetic occipital (KO) region, which previous position emission tomography studies have shown to be involved in the processing of kinetic boundaries. The KO region was significantly activated in 23/25 subjects tested in the subtraction of uniform motion from kinetic gratings. The KO region is genuinely specialized for processing kinetic boundaries since it is significantly more activated by kinetic gratings than by luminance-defined gratings, uniform motion or transparent motion. This leaves only the kinetic boundaries, created by discontinuities in motion direction, as the specific stimulus aspect, activating the KO region. The KO region is anatomically and functionally distinct from areas MT/V5, V3 and V3A. It also has minimal overlap with the lateral occipital (LO) region. The selective activation of the KO region is robust and relatively immune to changes in stimulus size, spatial frequency and type of kinetic boundary. These results strongly argue for the view that the KO region is a new, separate, functional region in human occipital cortex.      

An assessment of the efficacy of preoperative radio- and thermoradiotherapy in treating rectal cancer]

Immediate results of combined and surgical treatment of 415 patients with stage III rectal cancer were analysed. Combined treatment including intensive preoperative irradiation and preoperative thermoradiotherapy was not associated with higher postoperative lethality as compared to surgery alone, the indexes being 1.9 +/- 0.9%, 3.8 +/- 2.6% and 2.7 +/- 1.3%. Pyoinflammatory complications developed in 40.7 +/- 3.3% and 45.6 +/- 6.8% of cases in the two combined treatment groups, respectively, and in 33.2 +/- 3.8% in the control group. In patients subjected to preoperative irradiation in combination with microwave hyperthermia, no increase in the occurrence of pyoinflammatory complications was observed, but surgical wounds took longer to heal. The rate of complications following sphincter-sparing procedures, whether used alone or in combination treatment, was similar. It is concluded that the use of combined modality treatment should not bar sphincter-sparing surgery.     

脑利钠肽与超声心动图在川崎病诊断中的意义

目的探讨脑利钠肽(brain natriuretic peptide,BNP)与超声心动图在川崎病急性期及恢复期诊断中的临床意义。方法选取川崎病患儿35例为病例组,以发热、皮疹为主诉的肺炎支原体或病毒感染的48例患儿为对照组,测其急性期与恢复期脑利钠肽及左、右冠状动脉内径值,并做相关分析。结果川崎病患儿急性期脑利钠肽值明显高于恢复期,且差异有统计学意义;川崎病患儿恢复期冠状动脉内径值明显高于急性期,且差异有统计学意义。结论应用超声心动图检测冠状动脉扩张是在恢复期诊断川崎病的重要手段,而脑利钠肽可作为急性期诊断川崎病的生化指标之一。     

Adhesion of sickle neutrophils and erythrocytes to fibronectin

The pathophysiology of vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease involves interactions among blood cells, plasma proteins, and vessel wall components. The initial goal of this work was to quantify the adhesion of sickle red blood cells (RBCs) to fibronectin immobilized on glass under both static and dynamic shear stress conditions. High-power microscopic inspection of static assay plates showed striking numbers of adherent neutrophils as well as RBCs. Sickle neutrophils and RBCs were significantly more adherent to fibronectin than the corresponding normal cells in static adhesion assays. Adhesion of both sickle neutrophils and sickle RBCs in dynamic adhesion assays was promoted by a period of static incubation preceding initiation of shear stress conditions. Adherent neutrophils remained attached at shear stresses up to 51 dyne/cm2; most adherent RBCs were attached at shear stresses up to 13 dyne/cm2, but detached at a shear stress of 20 dyne/cm2. Sickle neutrophil adhesion was enhanced significantly by autologous plasma. Elevated levels of plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6; but not IL-1 or IL-8) were found in 6 of 9 sickle cell disease samples examined, and elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor were found in 2 of 9 samples. Plasma IL- 6 levels correlated positively with both the number of sickle neutrophils adherent to fibronectin and the ability of sickle plasma to enhance adhesion of normal neutrophils to fibronectin. These data suggest possible roles for neutrophil activation and for fibronectin in mediating sickle neutrophil and RBC adhesion.