Intrahepatic cholestasis in acute viral hepatitis: a double-blind trial with dihydroxydibutylether in comparison with placebo

The authors studied the effectiveness of a choleretic drug, dihydroxydibutylether (DHBE), 900 mg daily, in patients with acute viral hepatitis and intrahepatic cholestasis. The four-week, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial showed a more rapid return to normal bilirubin and fasting and post-prandial biliary acid values and plasma transaminases levels in the DHBE-treated group of patients.     

Lack of evidence for an impairment of tuberoinfundibolar dopaminergic neurons in aged male rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain

Circulating prolactin (PRL) levels, dopamine (DA) content, in vitro basal and stimulus-evoked endogenous DA release from arcuate-periventricular nuclei median-eminence fragments were studied in young (4 months) and old (24-25 months) male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain. Serum PRL levels did not differ in young and aged animals. In addition DA tissue content, basal and K+- or d-amphetamine evoked endogenous DA release did not show age-related differences. These results suggest that in male rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain the activity of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons does not change during senescence, unlike what happens in other strains of rats.     

CT appearance of cervical lipoblastoma

We describe a case of lipoblastoma causing respiratory symptoms in an infant, where CT was useful in establishing the diagnosis and demonstrating the extent of involvement so that complete surgical resection could be planned.