Clinical and laboratory characteristics of cerebral infarction in tuberculous meningitis: a comparative study.

Cerebral infarction as a complication of tubercular (TB) meningitis is not uncommon, but an adequate comparison of patients with and without stroke has not been carried out. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of cerebral infarction secondary to TB meningitis, and to investigate predictive factors for cerebral infarction in patients with TB meningitis. Patients with TB meningitis were recruited over a period of 56 months. They were divided into two groups, those with and those without stroke. Demographic features and clinical, laboratory, and neuroradiological findings were compared between the two groups. We classified strokes into subtypes using neuroimaging findings. Of the 38 patients who were diagnosed with TB meningitis, eight also experienced cerebral infarction. The percentage of cerebrospinal fluid leukocytes that were neutrophils was significantly higher in patients with stroke (68%) than in patients without stroke (31%; p=0.0001). Upon initial CT imaging, meningeal enhancement was found in 11 patients, and of these patients, six experienced stroke. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to other clinical and laboratory features, including demographic features, time between meningitis onset and treatment initiation, peripheral white blood cell count, and cerebrospinal fluid findings. Five of the eight patients who developed stroke had lacunar infarcts. One of the three patients with territorial nonlacunar infarction died due to herniation. When treating patients with TB meningitis, the possibility of cerebral infarction should be considered when patients develop focal neurological signs, meningeal enhancement on a CT scan, and sustained polymorphic cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis.     

肝癌患者血清12种肿瘤标志物的变化

目的探讨定量测定肝癌患者血清12种肿瘤标志物的临床意义。方法用蛋白芯片技术定量测定42例正常人、46例肝癌、41例肝炎和23例肝硬化患者血清12种肿瘤标志物的变化并对检测效果进行评价。结果42例正常人CA-199(KU/L)、NSE(g/L)、CEA(g/L)、CA-242(KU/L)、Ferritin(g/L)、β-HCG(g/L)、AFP(g/L)、f-PSA(g/L)、PSA(g/L)、CA-125(KU/L)、HGH(g/L)和CA-153(KU/L)的含量分别为12.42±10.62、2.22±1.43、1.28±1.20、5.72±5.73、91.17±79.43、0.64±0.34、2.96±3.93、0.13±0.11、0.61±1.40、5.46±9.65、1.61±2.40、9.83±9.51;46例肝癌患者血清12种肿瘤标志物含量依次为:35.09±39.50、2.83±4.13、2.98±8.72、8.47±23.42、157.50±129.77、0.72±0.72、87.58±63.27、0.15±0.19、0.58±1.88、56.34±102.02、3.63±4.57、15.65±51.09;41例肝炎患者其含量依次为:76.23±96.57、4.12±4.94、2.06±3.92、4.68±6.99、298.76±326.82、1.00±0.74、63.16±91.76、0.11±0.006、0.27±0.94、18.57±36.60、3.63±4.00、6.13±6.86;23例肝硬化患者其含量依次为:49.85±75.60、5.47±14.97、1.71±1.77、12.44±34.55、278.32±326.82、0.70±0.54、52.89±98.28、0.22±0.21、2.24±4.36、111.50±191.99、2.15±0.99、10.51±15.79。该蛋白芯片测定的敏感性为50.0%,特异性为64.2%,阳性预测值为37.7%,阴性预测值为74.7%。结论采用蛋白芯片技术同时测定患者血清多种肿瘤标志物,对普查肿瘤和临床疗效观察有较好应用价值。     

Longitudinal Analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus-Specific Antibody in SARS Patients

The serum antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus of 18 SARS patients were checked at 1 month and every 3 months after disease onset. All of them except one, who missed blood sampling at 1 month, tested positive for the immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody at 1 month. Fifteen out of 17 tested positive for the IgM antibody at 1 month. The serum IgM antibody of most patients became undetectable within 6 months after the onset of SARS. The IgG antibody of all 17 patients, whose serum was checked 1 year after disease onset, remained positive.     

B超经腹壁引导碘化油输卵管造影30例观察

对不孕症患者进行碘化油输卵管造影检查是临床上经常需要做的一种检查,以往施行输卵管碘化油造影是在X线照射下,由于造影需要时间较长,医患双方都会接受大量X线照射,不利于身体健康。我院自2002年1月~2003年3月,对30例不孕症患者,利用B超经腹壁,在实时观察引导下行碘化油输卵管造影术,现总结报告如下。1材料与方法本组患者年龄在25~45岁,均经临床妇科检查及B超常规检查,经输卵管通液及药物治疗无效者。其中原发不孕5例,继发不孕25例。采用东芝公司的SSH-140A型超声诊断仪,探头频率3·75MHz。窥阴器、宫颈钳、宫颈导管、20ml或30ml注射器…     

Cigarette smoke toxicants alter growth and survival of cultured mammalian cells.

Our purpose was to determine the effects of six cigarette toxicants (pyridine, nicotine, 2-ethylpyridine, 3-ethylpyridine, p-cresol, and pyrazine) on three types of cultured mammalian cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells [HUVECs], human microvascular endothelial cells [HMVECs], and NIH 3T3 cells) using a cell proliferation/survival assay. Synchronized cells were cultured in proliferation or survival medium containing various doses (10(-18)M-10(-2)M) of the tested chemicals. After 48 h, cells were counted using a hemacytometer. The no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL), lowest observable adverse effect level (LOAEL), and the efficacy were determined for each compound in the cell proliferation and survival assays. Pyridine and p-cresol did not show significant effects with any cell types, except at high doses. Derivitization of the pyridine ring altered its potency, especially when an ethyl group or nitrogen was added. In survival medium, nicotine stimulated proliferation of all three cell types at doses found in smoker's serum (10(-8)M-10(-7)M). For HUVEC and HMVEC, 2-ethylpyridine, 3-ethylpyridine, and pyrazine inhibited proliferation in proliferation medium and induced cell death in survival medium at attomolar and femtomolar doses. All chemicals, except pyridine and pyrazine, stimulated NIH 3T3 cell proliferation at low doses and induced cell death at high doses. LOAELs and efficacies revealed that endothelial cells from a developing organ (umbilical cord) were more sensitive to these chemicals than endothelial cells from an adult organ (lung). 3-Ethylpyridine and pyrazine, which induced cell death at low doses, are added to consumer products and should be subjected to further toxicological testing.     

Effects of cerulenin on the endogenous fatty acid synthetic activity in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.

PURPOSES: Inhibition of cerulenin on the endogenous fatty acid synthetic activities of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and normal oral mucosa was assayed. METHODS: Squamous cell carcinoma and normal oral mucosa were collected fresh from surgical specimens. The collected tissues were minced in RPMI 1640 and divided into 3 groups: cerulenin treated, dimethylsulfoxide treated, and control. The tissues were incubated in [1(2)-(14)C]acetic acid, sodium salt for the last 2.5 hours of the treatment at 37 degrees C in 5% CO(2). After labeling, total lipids were extracted and counted for (14)C by scintillation counting. RESULTS: Endogenous fatty acid synthetic activities of oral squamous cell caranoma in the cerulenin-treated group decreased by 19% at 1 hour, 64% at 2 hours, and 87% at 4 hours; remained nearly unchanged in the dimethylsulfoxide-treated group; and increased slightly in the control group. The oral mucosa tissues were only mildly affected by cerulenin in fatty acid synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Cerulenin significantly inhibits fatty acid synthetic activity in squamous cell carcinoma and only mildly affected the oral mucosa, indicating that the fatty acid synthetic pathway may be exploited as a target for developing anticancer drugs.     

余甘子功能食品的开发及其类SOD活力测定

余甘子是一种具有较高的食用和药用价值的野生植物资源，风味独特，含有丰富的类SOD活性物质和其他多种具有生物活性的物质，具有清除自由基、抗肿瘤、抗衰老等保健作用。作者提出了余甘予保健口服液的生产工艺流程及配方，并采用改良的Marklund方法测定了类SOD的活力，结果较为满意。     

A comparative study of using comet assay and gammaH2AX foci formation in the detection of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced DNA damage.

Comet assay is a useful technique in the detection of DNA damages, particularly DNA strand breaks; and it has been utilized to show that a potent carcinogen N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), can induce such damages. Recently, gammaH2AX foci formation has been suggested as another sensitive way to detect DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). However, there is no systematic comparison being conducted to evaluate the consistency of these two methods. Using MNNG as a model chemical, the sensitivity of neutral comet assay and gammaH2AX foci formation in detecting MNNG-induced damage was studied. It was found that at concentrations of 0.1 and 1 microg/ml, both methods can detect MNNG-induced damage in human amnion FL cells. However, at 0.1 microg/ml, comet assay revealed more percentage of cells with DNA damage than gammaH2AX fluorescence revealed. On the other hand, while gammaH2AX foci were readily formed at very early times by 10 microg/ml MNNG treatment, neutral comet assay did not detect any significant DNA damage at the same time points. In addition, 10 microg/ml MNNG induced a distinct whole nuclei staining pattern of gammaH2AX, a type of DNA damage which was not detected by neutral comet assay but could be detected by alkaline comet assay. Therefore, gammaH2AX may be used as a sensitive indicator for DNA damage.     

Methacholine and adenosine 5'-monophosphate challenges in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans.

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a characteristic feature of asthma, but is also frequently demonstrated by children and adults with chronic obstructive lung diseases. AHR is usually measured by bronchial challenges using direct or indirect stimuli. The aim of this study was to compare these two types of bronchial challenge in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). Methacholine and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) challenges were used as tools for the evaluation of AHR to direct and indirect stimuli, respectively, in children with post-infectious BO (n = 28). These results were compared with those of asthmatic (n = 30) and control children (n = 25). Altogether, twenty-two patients (78.6%) with post-infectious BO were hyperreactive to methacholine with a provocative concentration causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (PC20) of <16 mg x mL(-1), but only six (21.4%) were hyperreactive to AMP with a PC20 of <200 mg x mL(-1). All patients with asthma responded positively to methacholine, and most (28, 93.3%) also responded positively to AMP. The majority of controls were insensitive to both challenges. Airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine is a frequent, but by no means universal, finding in children with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans, but is usually not accompanied by airway hyperresponsiveness to adenosine 5'-monophosphate. This finding suggests that airway hyperresponsiveness in patients with post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans has characteristics that differ from those of asthmatic subjects.     

Buccal mucosal graft for urethral reconstruction.

Urethral reconstruction with graft substances, such as skin and bladder mucosa, has been previously used when primary anastomosis cannot be achieved. However, stricture and meatal prolapse are associated with these grafts. We report the use of buccal mucosa for the reconstruction of urethral defects in 3 patients. One patient with failed operation for hypospadias received tube buccal mucosal graft for urethral replacement. Two patients with urethral necrosis and stricture received onlay buccal mucosal graft. All patients were disease-free during follow-up (range, 12 to 49 months; mean, 36 months). One patient had a pinhole fistula that was successfully managed with simple repair. This technique appears to be useful for urethral reconstruction when a local graft is not available, even in patients with complicated conditions.