Imaging of the aging brain. Part I. Normal findings

A thorough knowledge of the normal changes that occur in the brain with age is critical before abnormal findings are analyzed. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging improves the ability to distinguish normal and abnormal findings in the brain. The major changes that may occur in elderly individuals without neurologic deficits include enlargement of the ventricles, cortical sulci, and vermian subarachnoid spaces; multifocal areas of hyperintensity in the white matter and basal ganglia; a progressive prominence of hypointensity on T2-weighted images of the putamen, almost equal to that of the globus pallidus; an increase in the oxygen extraction ratio with normal or mildly decreased neuron metabolism; arteriosclerosis in large and small arteries and amyloid angiopathy in leptomeningeal cortical vessels; and decreased dopamine receptor binding in the corpus striatum. Since approximately half of the elderly population exhibits only negligible brain alterations, MR imaging may facilitate the distinction between usual (no neurologic dysfunction) and successful (no brain or vascular changes) aging.     

Update of radiosurgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital

This is an update of the Royal Adelaide Hospital radiosurgery experience between November 1993 and December 2004 comprising 165 patients with 168 intracranial lesions. Including re‐treatment, there were 175 treatment episodes (163 radiosurgery and 12 stereotactic radiotherapy) at an average of 1.3 per month. The commonest lesions were acoustic neuroma (65), arteriovenous malformation (58), solitary brain metastasis (23) and meningioma (14). The clinical features, treatment details and outcome are described. Our results continue to be well within the range reported in the published work. Radiosurgery provides an elegant, non‐invasive alternative to neurosurgery and conventional external beam radiotherapy for many benign and malignant brain tumours.     

翼核果中蒽醌的研究

从翼核果(Ventilago Ieiocarpa Benth.)根中分得四个蒽醌化合物(Ⅰ～Ⅳ)及羽扇豆醇。Ⅲ是第一次从自然界分得。Ⅳ是新化合物,命名为翼核果醌(leiocarpaquinone)     

Influence of the HLA-DRB1 locus on susceptibility and severity in rheumatoid arthritis

We examined HLA-DR genotype risk in 288 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were carefully categorized for disease severity. Five hundred ethnically-matched bone-marrow donors were controls. A hierarchy of positive allelic associations was noted with DRB1*0401 (p < 10(-38), *0404,8 (p < 10(-43), *0405 (p < 10(-8), *10 (p < 10(-3) and *0101,2 (p < 10(-2), while DRB1*0403 was negatively associated (p = 0.02). The DRB1 genotype relative risks (and 95% CIs) for RA were: *0404,5,8/*0404,5,8 = 36.2 (15-87), *0401/*0404,5,8 = 31.3 (18-55), *401/*0401 = 18.8 (11-35), *0101,2/*0404,5,8 = 6.0 (2-14), *0101,2/*0401 = 6.4 (3-12), *0101,2/*0101,2 = 1.3 (0.3-6), *10/*0404,5,8 = 27.8 (5-148), *10/*0401 = 20.8 (5-89), *10/*0101,2 = 22.3 (5-96), *0404,5,8/DRX = 5.0 (3-8), *0401/DRX = 4.7 (3-7), *0101,2/DRX = 2.3 (1.4-4), *10/DRX = 3.4 (0.8-14). No significant correlation of DRB1 genotypes was found with severity of RA as judged by nodules or articular erosions.      

细胞凋亡与肝脏疾病

细胞凋亡(apoptosis,APO)是指在一定的生理和病理情况下,机体为维护内环境的稳定,通过基因调控而使细胞自动消亡的过程.英国Kerr教授1972年首先提出凋亡的概念,他主要根据形态学上的不同将细胞凋亡与坏死相区分,并指出前者是一种主动的、程序性的、细胞固有的过程许多文献又称凋亡为程序性细胞死亡(programmed cell death,PCD),而最新观念认为APO是形态学上的概念,PCD是发生机制上的概念,不是所有PCD都表现为APO,因而可以认为APO是PCD的一种形态学表现[1].1980年以来,细胞凋亡现象受到了广泛重视,有关的研究工作取得了重要进展,并成为医学生物学各学科所共同关注的极为活跃的研究领域[2-19].     

Small airway remodeling in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a study in autopsy lung tissue

Introduction  

Airway dysfunction in patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is evidenced by expiratory flow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation. These functional alterations have been attributed to closure/obstruction of small airways. Airway morphological changes have been reported in experimental models of acute lung injury, characterized by epithelial necrosis and denudation in distal airways. To date, however, no study has focused on the morphological airway changes in lungs from human subjects with ARDS. The aim of this study is to evaluate structural and inflammatory changes in distal airways in ARDS patients.     

Effect of low-dose aprotinin on renal function after coronary after bypass grafting under cardiopulmonary bypass

Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery -     

Treatment of Diamond-Blackfan anemia with recombinant human interleukin- 3 [see comments]

This report describes the response of eighteen Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) patients to recombinant human interleukin-3 (rhIL-3). rhIL-3 was administered subcutaneously once daily on an escalating dose schedule (0.5 to 10 micrograms/kg/d). The rhIL-3 dose was escalated every 21 days until erythroid response was attained, grade III or IV nonhematologic toxicity was observed, or the maximum rhIL-3 dose was reached. Four patients experienced clinically significant erythroid responses. Two of the responders were steroid-dependent and transfusion- independent, while two were steroid-independent and transfusion- dependent. Baseline clinical or laboratory parameters, in particular in vitro bone marrow erythroid progenitor assays, were not useful in predicting rhIL-3 response. rhIL-3 administered at 5 to 10 micrograms/kg/d was associated with an increase in total white blood cell count, secondary to increases in neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes. Patients experienced a dose-dependent elevation in absolute eosinophils across the entire dose range. Two of the responding patients remain on maintenance rhIL-3, without diminution of effect at 244 and 370 + days. rhIL-3 was discontinued in the other two responders, because of the development of deep venous thrombi.