Statistical MUNE: A comparison of two methods of setting recording windows in healthy subjects and ALS patients

OBJECTIVE: To address the issue as to how best to perform statistical MUNE, we applied two different approaches and compared results in healthy subjects and ALS patients. METHODS: Twelve normal subjects (women 8, mean age 52years) and 11 ALS patients (women 4, mean age 54years) underwent two consecutive MUNE studies, which differed in terms of setting and modifying the recording window. These are referred to as the 'expansion' and 'narrowing' methods, respectively. Size-weighted average (Av) SMUP and MUNE values were obtained using the two methods, and compared in control and patient groups. RESULTS: Expansion method-derived Av SMUP sizes and MUNE values differed only slightly from those obtained using the narrowing method in healthy subjects, whereas the narrowing method resulted in significantly larger Av SMUP sizes and smaller MUNE values than the expansion method in ALS patients (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, p=0.003). The sizes of tested areas (mean+/-SD) were significantly larger for the narrowing method than the expansion method in both subject groups with much greater difference in ALS patients; 9.6+/-3.1% vs. 7.9+/-1.7% in healthy subjects and 16.1+/-5.1% vs. 11.2+/-3.0% in ALS patients (Student t-test, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows, unlike that found in normal subjects, that the results of statistical MUNE in ALS patients are heavily dependent on the approach used to set and modify recording windows. SIGNIFICANCE: The expansion method using a 10%-sized window is likely to suffer from systemic errors due to the ceiling effect and the sampling of artifactually small motor units in ALS patients. The authors recommend that the narrowing method be considered as an alternative that avoids these problems.     

扩大经蝶入路进入海绵窦内侧腔的应用显微解剖

目的为临床开展扩大经蝶入路进入海绵窦内侧腔手术提供解剖学依据。方法用50例成人头颅标本．在显微镜下对蝶窦外侧壁、蝶鞍、海绵窦及周围结构进行解剖学观察并测量。模拟扩大经蝶入路磨除海绵窦腹侧骨质，切开海绵窦内侧壁，显露海绵窦内侧腔。结果颈内动脉（ICA）明显隆起于蝶窦侧壁的占58％，蝶窦内隆起呈管型占3％。鞍底硬膜分为2层，海绵窦内侧壁的上部南垂体硬膜构成，无骨性结构支撑；下部由骨周硬膜构成，有蝶窦侧壁骨质支撑。两侧海绵窦内侧壁的距离为（14．8±2．7）mm。海绵窦内侧腔位于C4段ICA与垂体之间，腔内为丰富的静脉丛，最宽可达7mm，但常因ICA扭曲而闭塞。无颅神经穿越海绵窦内侧腔，ICA是扩大经蝶入路探查海绵窦遇到的第一个主要结构。结论扩大经蝶入路进入海绵窦内侧腔是安全可行的。     

妇科疾病中人乳头瘤病毒感染的分子流行病学调查

目的:探讨各种妇科疾病与人乳头瘤病毒感染的关系,建立不同妇科疾病和不同年龄段妇女人乳头瘤病毒感染的流行病学资料库。方法:应用反向点杂交技术分别对疾病组1 512例病人标本和正常组500例标本进行HPV检测,所得数据用SPSS 13.0软件包进行统计分析。结果:正常组500例标本中,阳性标本101例,感染率为20.2%,疾病组1 512例标本中,阳性标本523例,感染率为34.6%,其中双重感染82例,占阳性标本的15.7%,多重感染34例,占阳性标本的6.5%,而高危感染340例,感染率为22.5%,占阳性标本的65.0%,其中单纯HPV16亚型感染155例,占所有阳性标本的29.6%;不同年龄段、不同性生活史、不同妇科疾病以及不同首次性生活年龄的HPV感染检出率都有显著性差异。结论:正常组和疾病组的HPV感染率有显著性差异(2χ=36.37,P<0.01)。在HPV感染的普查中可以有重点的选择高危人群,这样更加有针对性,从而大大降低普查成本。     

丙型肝炎的临床特点

丙型肝炎（ＨＣ）８６例，经临床观察发现其临床特点是：①潜伏期长短不一，长者１２０ｄ短者２６ｄ，平均４０．５±１４．５ｄ。②起病缓慢而隐匿。③病状轻，体征不明显，病程长。④肝功能损害程度与症状、体征不一致，往往不能及时诊治。⑤肝功能恢复慢，ＡＬＴ、ＡＳＴ有持续升高或反复异常。⑥治疗：用治疗肝炎的常用药物仅对改善症状有一定作用，对缩短病程及肝功能恢复无效。     

老年性聋大鼠耳蜗COX活性的研究

目的:探讨线粒体呼吸链细胞色素C氧化酶(COX)活性异常在老年性聋发病中的作用机制.方法:免疫组化法检测老年性聋大鼠耳蜗COX活性.结果:与正常对照组相比,实验组老年性聋大鼠耳蜗中COX活性降低.结论:耳蜗组织中COX活性降低在老年性聋的发病中起一定作用.     

The significance of epithelial differentiation in mixed mesodermal tumors of the uterus. A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study

Mixed mesodermal tumors and carcinosarcomas of the uterus are classified as sarcomas. However, in other sites, malignant biphasic tumors may be classified as carcinomas, mesotheliomas, or sarcomas. In order to clarify their behavior and patterns of differentiation, we performed a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 22 cases aimed at analyzing the pattern of spread and histologic appearance of the metastasis, as well as the distribution of intermediate filaments in the primary tumor and the metastasis. Four monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) were used to detect epithelial lineage, three that recognize keratin (AE1/AE3, CAM5.2, MAK6) and one that recognizes epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). A Mab against vimentin was also used. Metastases involved the omentum, pelvic peritoneum, ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes, liver parenchyma, and tonsil. These metastases were composed of carcinoma only. Lymphatic/vascular invasion was identified in 11 cases; it consisted exclusively of carcinoma. In all 12 cases evaluated immunohistochemically, keratin and EMA were identified in the majority of the cells in the epithelial component and in a more focal distribution in the spindle cell component in 11 (92%). Vimentin was detected in the majority of spindle cells in nine cases (75%) and in a more focal distribution in the epithelial component in six cases (50%). In the spindle cell component, keratin and EMA were present in widely scattered individual spindle-shaped and rounded cells, within solid clusters of rounded cells, and in nests of cells with small lumens. The distribution of keratin, EMA, and vimentin in the metastases (carcinoma in all instances) was similar to the epithelial component in the primary tumor. Our findings indicate that the epithelial component of these tumors invades lymphatic/vascular spaces and metastasizes, whereas the spindle cell component has limited metastatic potential, if any. Since the behavior of these neoplasms is dictated by the epithelial element, we believe that mixed mesodermal tumors of the uterus should be classified as carcinomas rather than sarcomas.     

甲氧基红霉素对卡马西平药物动力学的影响

应用荧光偏振免疫法，测定６只家兔ｐｏ卡马西平及连续多次ｐｏ用搓甲氧基红霉素后ｐｏ卡马西平的血清卡马西平浓度，用３ｐ８７程序包按二室模型对数据进行处理并进行统计学分析。     

Growth factor pre-treatment differentially regulates phosphoinositide turnover downstream of lysophospholipid receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptors in cultured rat cerebrocortical astrocytes

Reactive gliosis is an aspect of neural plasticity and growth factor (GF) stimulation of astrocytes in vitro is widely regarded as a model system to study astrocyte plasticity. Astrocytes express receptors for several ligands including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), agonists for the G-protein-coupled lysophospholipid receptors (lpRs). Activation of lpRs by LPA or S1P leads to multiple pharmacological effects including the influx of calcium, phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, phosphorylation of extracellular receptor regulated kinase (ERK), release of arachidonic acid, and induces mitogenesis. Treatment of astrocytes in vitro with a growth factor cocktail (containing epidermal growth factor [EGF], basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] and insulin) led to a marked attenuation of lpR-induced PI hydrolysis. In contrast, under identical conditions, GF treatment led to marked potentiation of PI hydrolysis downstream of activation of another abundantly expressed G-protein coupled receptor, mGluR5. Quantitative gene expression analysis of GF-treated or control astrocytes by TaqMan RT-PCR indicated that GF treatment did not change gene expression of lpa1 and s1p1, but increased gene expression of s1p5 which is expressed at very low levels in basal conditions. These results suggest that GF differentially affected PLC activation downstream of mGluR5 versus lpR activation and that the changes in mRNA levels of lpRs do not account for marked attenuation of agonist-induced phosphoinositide turnover.     

Laryngeal edema associated with the ProSeal™ laryngeal mask airway in upper respiratory tract infection

PURPOSE: We report an unusual case of vocal cord edema associated with the use of a ProSeal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) in an adult patient with an undiagnosed upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). CLINICAL FEATURES: A 55-yr-old woman had fixation of a radial fracture under general anesthesia with muscle relaxation. She developed audible wheezing 30 min after PLMA insertion. Bronchoscopic examination revealed significant vocal cord edema. Adequate ventilation was possible at increased airway pressures, and the administration of dexamethasone 4 mg iv produced clinical resolution of the stridor and airway obstruction. The patient admitted to having mild symptoms of an URTI on postoperative questioning. CONCLUSION: Airway hyperreactivity secondary to the URTI is the most likely etiological factor; other possibilities include trauma from insertion and chemical irritation. Although pediatric studies suggest that the LMA-Classic carries less risk than endotracheal intubation in the presence of URTI, this case report demonstrates that caution is still warranted when using supraglottic airways. The PLMA permitted effective ventilation despite increased airway resistance; nevertheless its role in patients with URTI is unclear. It is possible that the bulkier cuff design of the PLMA, compared to that of the LMA-Classic, may have partly contributed to the development of edema in this setting.