Preservation of Bile Ductules Mitigates Bile Duct Loss

The finer branches of the biliary tree (FBBT) contain a regenerative compartment. We hypothesized that preservation of the FBBT together with its microvasculature will lead to recovery of biliary damage and prolonged preservation of bile ductules during the development of chronic liver allograft rejection. The interlobular bile ducts, portal bile ductules and extraportal biliary cells with and without microvessels were studied in sequential biopsies in five patients who fulfilled the Banff criteria of early chronic rejection (CR) (imminence group). Biopsies of CR patients (n = 12) served as controls. Biopsies were double immunostained with CD34 (microvessels) and cytokeratin 7 (biliary structures). Proliferation and proangiogenic activity were assessed with Ki67 and VEGF-A immunostaining. Severe damage of bile ducts in the imminence group did not progress to significant bile duct loss. This was associated with a high proliferative activity in all biliary structures and preservation of the microvascular compartment. VEGF-A expression was increased in all but the reperfusion biopsies. In conclusion, both regenerative activity of the FBBT and an intact microvascular compartment are associated with less damage of the biliary tree and could therefore be prerequisites for biliary regeneration.     

The influence of different error estimates in the detection of post-operative cognitive dysfunction using reliable change indices with correction for practice effects.

The reliable change index (RCI) expresses change relative to its associated error, and is useful in the identification of post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). This paper examines four common RCIs that each account for error in different ways. Three rules incorporate a constant correction for practice effects and are contrasted with the standard RCI that had no correction for practice. These rules are applied to 160 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery who completed neuropsychological assessments preoperatively and 1 week post-operatively using error and reliability data from a comparable healthy non-surgical control group. The rules all identify POCD in a similar proportion of patients, but the use of the within subject standard deviation, expressing the effects of random error, as an error estimate is a theoretically appropriate denominator when a constant error correction, removing the effects of systematic error, is deducted from the numerator in a RCI.     

Antibody testing in Indian children with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: We prospectively evaluated the usefulness of IgA tissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA tTG) in the initial diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) and compared its diagnostic potential with that of IgA anti-endomysial antibodies (IgA EMA) and anti-IgA and IgG gliadin antibodies (AGA and AGG, respectively). METHODS: Sera of 23 untreated children fulfilling the revised ESPGHAN criteria for diagnosis of CD (Group I; mean age 10.8 y); 19 disease controls (Group II; mean age 8.5 y) presenting with chronic diarrhea, short stature or both; and 22 healthy children (Group III; mean age 8.8 y) were studied. These were tested in a blinded manner for AGA, AGG, IgA tTG (guinea pig as antigen) and IgA EMA. RESULTS: In Group I, IgA EMA was positive in 19, IgA tTG in 17, AGA in 14 and AGG in 17 patients. In Group II, these tests were positive in 1, 0, 2 and 14 patients, respectively and in Group III, in 0, 0, 0 and 1 child, respectively. Analyzing data from Group I and II, IgA EMA, IgA tTG, AGA and AGG had sensitivity rates of 83%, 74%, 61% and 74%, respectively; the specificity rates were 95%, 100%, 89% and 26%; positive predictive values were 95%, 100%, 88% and 55% and negative predictive values were 82%, 74%, 65% and 45%, respectively. CONCLUSION: IgA tTG is useful for the diagnosis of CD, with sensitivity and specificity rates comparable to those of EMA and this test is well suited for use in tropical countries like India.     

Voltammetric determination of blood angiotensin II level

A rapid procedure for determining angiotensin II in the blood by inverse voltammetry using a TA-2 device (Tekhnoanalit Company, Tomsk) with a graphite electrode has been developed. The results of analyses using the proposed technique agree with the clinical data. The rapid analytical procedure favors optimization of cardiotropic drug therapy. __________ Translated from Khimiko-Farmatsevticheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 40, No. 12, pp. 54–56, December, 2006.