Peritoneal lavage: a useful diagnostic adjunct for peritonitis

Diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) was used to aid in the rapid diagnosis of peritonitis in 138 patients for whom standard diagnostic criteria were not applicable because the patients had altered sensorium, were elderly, or had multiple medical problems. There were abnormal results in 77 patients, and all but one patient had peritonitis. Sixty-five patients had lesions that could be cured only by operative means; 54% of this group of extremely ill patients survived. Of 61 patients with negative results of DPL, only one had intraperitoneal inflammation (acute cholecystitis), which occurred 4 days after DPL. We believe DPL is a useful procedure for the detection of peritonitis in a critically ill subset of patients for whom the standard diagnostic criteria were not available.     

Immunoblastic lymphoma: an immunologic study

An immunologic study of a 59-year-old man with immunoblastic lymphoma is presented. Shortly after his hospital admission, an uncompensated hemolytic process developed, caused by cold agglutinins. These antibodies had anti-i specificity, were of low titer at cold temperature, but demonstrated a high thermal amplitude. An apparent paraprotein was found by further immunochemical analysis to be polyclonal. The majority of cells in the peripheral blood (over 2000/cu nm), lymph node, and bone marrow that contained cytoplasmic IgG or IgM were plasma cells, although a small number of cells resembled lymphoblasts. Their staining with anti-lambda and anti-kappa chain reagents confirmed the polyclonality of the immunoglobins. Some plasma cells displayed the concomitant presence of both IgM and IgG immunoglobulins. Free immunoglobin was also demonstrated intercellularly in the lymph node section. The patient's acute hemolysis was controlled by plasmapheresis and eventually by combination chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, the clinical improvement was rapid, immunoglobulin levels returned to normal, and the patient remains asymptomatic 40 months after completing six courses of combination chemotherapy. This report provides evidence for polyclonal proliferation of B-lymphocytes in immunoblastic lymphoma.     

Laryngeal muscle surface receptors identified using random phage library

OBJECTIVES: The ultimate goal of this study is to improve the efficiency of gene transfer in mammalian muscle by developing targeted adenoviral vectors. Altering the tropism of viral vectors to recognize tissue specific antigens is one method to achieve this goal. This approach requires identification of cell-surface receptors and the insertion of target peptide sequences into the adenoviral fiber protein. In this study, phage biopanning was performed on cultured rat skeletal and laryngeal muscle to identify cell-surface receptors. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro cell culture and in vivo animal model. METHODS: M-13 Phage biopanning was used for muscle cell-surface receptor analysis on cultured rat skeletal and laryngeal muscle. Nonbinding and binding phage to cultured skeletal and laryngeal muscle were screened for muscle specific surface peptides. In vivo studies were then performed using muscle specific phage. RESULTS: Skeletal muscle specific binding by the YASTNPM phage was observed by in vivo immunostaining. Phage titering demonstrated a 10(9)-fold increase in skeletal muscle binding compared with nontarget tissue. A peptide sequence (NPSQVKH) specific for laryngeal muscle yielded a 10(7)-fold increase in laryngeal muscle phage titer compared with nontarget tissue. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify muscle cell-surface receptors that may be used as potential targets for genetic modification of adenovirus tropism. Moreover, phage specificity for skeletal and laryngeal muscle indicates specific muscle groups may be targeted.     

Sleep disturbance and rage attacks in opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome: response to trazodone

OBJECTIVES: Parents of children with opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) frequently describe poor sleep and rage attacks. We hypothesized that these manifestations are related and could result from underlying monoaminergic dysfunction. STUDY DESIGN: We clinically characterized the sleep and behavioral characteristics of 51 young children with OMS; 19 of those with the most disruptive sleep patterns were treated with trazodone, a soporific serotonergic agent. RESULTS: Sleep disturbances, including prolonged sleep latency, fragmented sleep, reduced quantity of sleep, snoring, and non-restorative sleep, were reported in 32 children, and frequent rage attacks were reported in 25. In 59% of the poor sleepers, parents felt that the problem was severe enough to warrant treatment. Children sleeping <10 hours/night had a higher rage frequency than those who slept more. Of the children who required trazodone, 84% were receiving corticosteroids or adrenocorticotropic hormone (corticotrophin), compared with 37% in the subgroup with normal sleep. Trazodone (3.0 +/- 0.4 mg/kg/day) improved sleep and behavior in 95% of the children, significantly increasing total sleep time by 72%, decreasing the number of awakenings by 76%, and reducing rage attacks by 33%. CONCLUSIONS: Children with OMS exhibited multiple types of sleep disturbances, which contributed to rage attacks. Trazodone was effective in improving sleep and decreasing rage attacks and was well tolerated, even in toddlers.     

Interaction of sleep disturbances and anxiety in later life: perspectives and recommendations for future research

Both sleep disturbances and anxiety are quite common in older adults. Although increasing research efforts have investigated sleep disturbances and anxiety in older adults, little has been written concerning the relation between sleep disturbances and anxiety in this population. This article reviews the epidemiological and clinical literature concerning the overall prevalence of sleep disturbances and relations between sleep and anxiety in later life. The article begins with a discussion of the prevalence of sleep and anxiety problems in older individuals, continues with a clinical review of the complex interrelationship between sleep and anxiety in older adults, and briefly considers possible neurobiological underpinnings of this interrelationship. This is followed by a brief discussion of the impact of medical illness on both anxiety and sleep disturbances. The article ends with a summary of findings from this review and provides recommendations for future research.     

Pulmonary candidiasis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: thin-section CT findings

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate thin-section computed tomographic (CT) findings in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (ie, bone marrow transplant) patients with histopathologically proved pulmonary candidiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board of each of the three institutions; informed consent was not required. The study included 17 hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with proved pulmonary candidiasis. Histopathologic specimens were acquired at transbronchial biopsy (n = 8), open lung biopsy (n = 6), and autopsy (n = 3). The patients included seven men and 10 women (age range, 20-62 years; mean age, 37 years). The thin-section CT scans were retrospectively reviewed by two thoracic radiologists for the presence, appearance, and distribution of parenchymal abnormalities. RESULTS: Multiple nodules were present in 15 (88%) patients, including centrilobular nodules and tree-in-bud pattern in seven (41%) patients. Nodules were bilateral in 12 patients and unilateral in three. An associated halo of ground-glass opacity was identified in five (33%) patients. Nodules were the only CT finding in five patients (29%). Areas of air-space consolidation were identified in 11 (65%) patients. Areas of ground-glass opacity were seen in six (35%) of 17 patients and were always associated with other abnormalities. Other less common CT findings included pleural effusion (n = 3), thickening of the bronchial walls (n = 2), and cavitation (n = 1). CONCLUSION: The most common thin-section CT findings of pulmonary candidiasis in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients are multiple bilateral nodular opacities often associated with areas of consolidation.     

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: spectrum of high-resolution CT findings

OBJECTIVE: Characteristic high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) include reticulation, architectural distortion, and honeycombing involving mainly the lung periphery and the lower lobes. In 50% of IPF patients, HRCT is nonspecific. This article illustrates the HRCT findings of IPF correlating with the pathology. CONCLUSION: The spectrum of HRCT manifestations varies from typical findings that allow confident diagnosis to atypical patterns mimicking other diseases, including predominance of ground-glass opacity, consolidation, nodules, and atypical distribution of lesions.     

Congenic mapping and genotyping of the tetrahydrobiopterin-deficient hph-1 mouse

The hph-1 ENU-mutant mouse provides a model of tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency for studying hyperphenylalaninaemia, dopa-response dystonia, and vascular dysfunction. We have successively localized the hph-1 mutation to a congenic interval of 1.6-2.8 Mb, containing the GCH gene encoding GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTP-CH I). We used these data to establish a PCR method for genotyping wild type, hph-1 and heterozygote mice, and found that heterozygote animals have partial tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency. These new findings will extend the utility of the hph-1 mouse in studies of GTP-CH I deficiency.     

Multiple synchronous fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the clinical, radiological presentation and surgical management of fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx. METHODS: Retrospective medical analysis of a case report. We report the case of a 66-year-old man, who presented with an incarcerated left inguinal hernia, vomiting and regurgitation of a large mass into the oral cavity resulting in syncope. MRI and cine-esophagram demonstrated a large mass in the cervical esophagus. At the time of herniorrhaphy, endoscopy revealed an 11.8-cm hypopharyngeal mass that completely obstructed the oropharynx. RESULTS: The airway was secured by tracheostomy and the lesion was subsequently removed via open pharyngotomy. Postoperatively, a second polyp was found ball-valving into the airway, and an endoscopic resection was performed prior to decannulation. Histopathology of both lesions confirmed the diagnosis of a fibrovascular polyp. CONCLUSION: Fibrovascular polyps are rare benign intraluminal esophageal lesions resulting in mild symptoms of dysphagia that may also cause significant morbidity such as syncope and asphyxia. This is the first report of synchronous fibrovascular polyps of the hypopharynx.