Thymic cyst appearing after treatment of mediastinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma

We report the first case of a thymic cyst appearing in the course of treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the anterior mediastinum. The patient was a 9-year-old child in whom an abnormal contour of the left cardiac border persisted after chemotherapy, suggesting residual disease. The mass was found at thoracotomy to be a benign thymic cyst. The lesion was not present 2 years previously, and most likely represented cystic degeneration of the thymus, secondary to lymphomatous involvement. CT scan was not helpful in distinguishing the cystic lesion from residual lymphoma.     

抑制差减杂交筛选严重烫伤大鼠免疫细胞差异基因

目的 探索严重烧伤早期免疫细胞基因表达变化与烧伤后免疫功能紊乱的关系。方法 分离严重烫伤F344雌性大鼠的外周血免疫细胞并提取mRNA，以烫伤前为对照进行抑制差减杂交筛选差异表达基因，将差异基因克隆后测序，与Genbank进行同源性比较。结果 分离的免疫细胞经检测基本为单核细胞及淋巴细胞，抑制差减杂交得到多个位于200－400bp的条带，将它们克隆到pGEM-T质粒载体，构建了差异表达基因库。随机测序20个克隆，得到的基因与烧伤后机体改变相符，部分新基因序列在Genbank登录。结论 严重烧伤早期外周血免疫细胞的基因表达就有改变。构建了F344雌性大鼠的差异表达基因库，从中检出的部分基因可能对严重烧伤后的免疫功能紊乱有诱发作用。     

Liver-spleen axis dysfunction in COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an acute infectious disease that spreads mainly through the respiratory route. Besides interstitial pneumonia, a number of other clinical manifestations were noticed in COVID-19 patients. In particular, liver and spleen dysfunctions have been described both as complications of COVID-19 and as potential predisposing factors for severe COVID-19. Liver damage is rather common in COVID-19 patients, and it is most likely multifactorial, caused by the direct insult of SARS-CoV-2 to the liver by the cytokine storm triggered by the virus, by the use of hepatotoxic drugs, and as a consequence of hypoxia. Although generally mild, liver impairment has been found to be associated with a higher rate of intensive care unit admission. A higher mortality rate was reported among chronic liver disease patients. Instead, spleen impairment in patients with COVID-19 has been poorly described. The main anatomical changes are the architectural derangement of the B cell compartment, white pulp atrophy, and reduction or absence of lymphoid follicles, while, from a functional point of view, the IgM memory B cell pool is markedly depleted. The outcome of COVID-19 in asplenic or hyposplenic patients is yet to be defined. In this review, we will summarise the current knowledge regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the liver and spleen function, as well as the outcome of patients with a pre-existent liver disease or defective spleen function.     

血透对慢性肾功能衰竭患者心脏结构和功能的影响

目的 探讨慢性肾功能衰竭（ＣＲＦ）患者心脏结构和功能的改变及血液透析对心脏的影响。方法 ４０例正常对照及２０例慢性肾衰患者血透前后分别用彩色多普勒超声心动图（ＵＣＧ）进行心脏结构和功能的测定,并监测透析前后血压、肾功能的变化。结果 ＣＲＦ患者与正常对照组相比,ＳＢＰ显著升高（Ｐ〈０．０１）,ＡＯＥ降低,ＬＡＤ、ＲＡＡ、ＩＶＳＴ、ＬＶＰＷＴ及ＬＶＭＩ均明显增高（Ｐ〈０．０１）,心脏收缩功能代偿性增强     

彩色多普勒超声评价肾外肾动静脉瘘所致复杂血流动力学改变

目的 应用彩色多普勒超声主人肾外肾动静肪 所致血流动力学改变。方法 采用Ｇａｔｅｗａｙ ＦＸ彩色多普勒超声仪进行检查,对腹部受累血管进行观察、测量和分析,并与ＤＳＡ和手术结果进行对照。结果 彩超能够显示肾外肾动静脉瘘的瘘口和血流动力学改变,受累脏器的缺血性改变,以及心脏的结构和功能的改变。结论 彩超可较好地评价发生于腹部大血管的动静脉瘘的血流动力学改变,并很好地与动脉瘤、囊性病变和管道扩张等进行鉴     

An image analysis of the spatial distribution of perivascular mast cells in human melanoma

A mutual spatial and functional relationship occurs between mast cells (MCs) and endothelial cells and the density of MCs is highly correlated with the extent of tumor angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of MCs around the blood vessels in melanoma samples by means of an approach derived from spatial statistics, based on the analysis of the distribution of the distances of MCs from vessels to objectively establish if the two structures (MCs and vessels) are distributed independently over the studied area or if they displayed any kind of spatial association. Results showed that a higher number of vessels and MCs can be observed in melanoma as compared with samples from common acquired nevi (control group). The percent of area covered by vessel profiles was significantly higher in the melanoma group than the control group and the MC density was also significantly different; the melanoma group showing a number of MCs per unit area twice as high as the number measured in the control group. Furthermore, in the melanoma group, MCs were closer to each other and to the vessels. In fact, both the mean distance from vessels and the mean distance from the nearest cell profile were significantly lower than in the control group. This close association between MCs and the endothelium does not necessarily imply a participation of MCs in angiogenic processes, but might rather indicate that MCs are involved in the maintenance reaction necessary for the long lasting functional integrity of the endothelium.