Acute esophageal necrosis

Acute esophageal necrosis (AEN) or “black esophagus” is a rare condition presented by patients with critical state of health and characterized by a darkened esophagus, usually the distal third, in upper digestive endoscopy. The main clinical manifestation is upper gastrointestinal bleeding and there may be abdominal pain, dysphagia, nausea, vomiting, fever and syncope associated. The diagnosis depends on clinical suspicion and performing endoscopy, the biopsy not being required. In this article we present a case of a patient who had lots of comorbidities and developed AEN during a post-operative period, and discuss the importance of AEN in an increasingly ageing population.     

Physiological responses during linear periodized training in rats

This study was undertaken to characterize the effects of the linear periodized training in rats on aerobic and anaerobic performance, glycogen concentration in soleus, gastrocnemius and liver, hormones concentrations (testosterone and corticosterone), enzymes and metabolites (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, uric acid and urea) as well as antioxidant system (catalase, superoxide dismutase and sulfhydryl groups) after basic, specific and taper periods. Seventy male Wistar rats were randomly separated in two groups: control/sedentary (CT, n = 40) and linear periodized training (LPT, n = 30). The LPT was carried out during a period of 12 weeks (w) with frequency of 6 days/week. The training period was subdivided in three mesocycles: basic (6 weeks), specific (4.5 weeks) and taper (1.5 weeks). The real volume of the training obtained in LPT reduced 7% in relation to the estimated volume. The anaerobic index in LPT after basic and taper was higher than CT in respective period but unchanged intra-group during mesocycles. The aerobic performance in LPT was higher than CT after basic, specific and taper. The creatine kinase and catalase reduced after the taper period in relation to CT and baseline. The glycogen stores in soleus increased after basic in relation to CT. The liver glycogen concentration increased after taper in relation to basic and specific period as well in comparison to CT. In conclusion, the stress biomarkers reduced in taper period in order to increase the aerobic and anaerobic performance in relation to CT.     

Tissue Doppler imaging and long axis left ventricular function: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus athlete's heart.

BACKGROUND: The different diagnosis between hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and athlete's heart has important clinical implications. The assessment of long axis left ventricular function with tissue Doppler imaging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (showing systolic and diastolic dysfunction with heterogeneity and asynchrony), may be useful in the differentiation of these situations. AIM: To study, with tissue Doppler imaging, long axis left ventricular function in a population of athletes (rowers) and to compare it with a population of non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients. METHODS: In 24 patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in 20 competitive rowers with similar age, blood pressure and heart rate, we analyzed mitral annulus motion with pulsed tissue Doppler imaging in the 4 sides of the annulus (septal, lateral, inferior, anterior), in apical views. In each wave (systolic, rapid filling and atrial contraction) we measured velocities, time intervals and velocity-time integrals, and calculated heterogeneity and asynchrony indices. Data were compared between the groups, between the different sides in each group ("parallel analysis") and with conventional indices of global function. RESULTS: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients showed: systolic function: lower velocities and integrals, shorter ejection time and shorter systolic time. These abnormalities occurred even in annular sites contiguous to walls without hypertrophy. DIASTOLIC FUNCTION: Much lower rapid filling velocities and integrals, lower atrial contraction velocities and integrals, lower e/a, longer isovolumic relaxation time and time to peak rapid filling wave. These abnormalities occurred even in annular sites adjacent to walls without hypertrophy. In the athletes group, the e/a ratio was never < 1, in any annular site. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients this ratio was < 1 in 27% of the sites. CONCLUSIONS: 1--Systolic and diastolic long axis left ventricular function is different in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and in athletes, in all mitral annulus sides. 2--The presence of these abnormalities in annular sites contiguous to walls without hypertrophy suggests that this technique may be useful in the differential diagnosis between these groups, particularly in the "gray zone" of Maron.     

Comparison of direct immunofluorescence, conventional cell culture and polymerase chain reaction techniques for detecting respiratory syncytial virus in nasopharyngeal aspirates from infants

A total of 316 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirate from infants up to two years of age with acute respiratory-tract illnesses were processed for detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) using three different techniques: viral isolation, direct immunofluorescence, and PCR. Of the samples, 36 (11.4%) were positive for RSV, considering the three techniques. PCR was the most sensitive technique, providing positive findings in 35/316 (11.1%) of the samples, followed by direct immunofluorescence (25/316, 7.9%) and viral isolation (20/315, 6.3%) (p < 0.001). A sample was positive by immunofluorescence and negative by PCR, and 11 (31.4%) were positive only by RT-PCR. We conclude that RT-PCR is more sensitive than IF and viral isolation to detect RSV in nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens in newborn and infants.     

Lymphokine-induced phagocytosis in angiocentric immunoproliferative lesions (AIL) and malignant lymphoma arising in AIL

A factor that augmented the phagocytosis of IgG-coated ox red blood cells by the human monocyte/macrophage line U937 was identified in cell culture supernatants from two of two patients with angiocentric peripheral T cell lymphomas, three of three patients with angiocentric immunoproliferative lesions that were not frankly malignant, and one of two patients with T lymphoblastic malignancies. The factor was not present in supernatants derived from 14 nonangiocentric peripheral T cell lymphomas of other histologic types nor in ten cases of B cell lymphoma and two cases of Hodgkin's disease. A similar factor was present in the supernatants of concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in the supernatants of IL-2- dependent T cell lines derived from normal peripheral blood. The factor had an apparent mol wt of greater than 50,000 daltons, was heat labile (100 degrees C for two minutes), and stable at pH 2.0. Its stimulation of phagocytosis was independent of any increase in number of Fc receptors. Thus, this factor is probably not gamma-interferon. This factor may play a pathogenetic role in the hemophagocytic syndromes associated with certain T cell malignancies and immunodeficient states.     

Cumulative Marijuana Use and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness at Middle Age: The CARDIA Study

BackgroundLong-term cardiovascular health effects of marijuana are understudied. Future cardiovascular disease is often indicated by subclinical atherosclerosis for which carotid intima-media thickness is an established parameter.MethodsUsing the data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a cohort of 5115 Black and white women and men at Year 20 visit, we studied the association between carotid intima-media thickness in midlife and lifetime exposure to marijuana (1 marijuana year = 365 days of use) and tobacco smoking (1 pack-year = 20 cigarettes/day for 365 days). We measured carotid intima-media thickness by ultrasound and defined high carotid intima-media thickness at the threshold of the 75th percentile of all examined participants. We fit logistic regression models stratified by tobacco smoking exposure, adjusting for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and other drug exposures.ResultsData was complete for 3257 participants; 2722 (84%) reported ever marijuana use; 374 (11%) were current users; 1539 (47%) reported ever tobacco smoking; 610 (19%) were current smokers. Multivariable adjusted models showed no association between cumulative marijuana exposure and high carotid intima-media thickness in never or ever tobacco smokers, odds ratio (OR) 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63-1.21) at 1 marijuana-year among never smokers and OR 1.11 (95% CI: 0.85-1.45) among ever tobacco smokers. Cumulative exposure to tobacco was strongly associated with high carotid intima-media thickness, OR 1.88 (95%CI: 1.20-2.94) for 20 pack-years of exposure.ConclusionsThis study adds to the growing body of evidence that there might be no association between the average population level of marijuana use and subclinical atherosclerosis.