Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries associated with the pre-excitation syndrome

A case with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries associated with the pre-excitation syndrome is presented. A gated-blood-pool study and Tl-201 myocardial imaging were performed using SPECT. The tomographic gated-blood-pool images showed the shapes of the right ventricle (RV) and left ventricle (LV), i.e., anatomically LV and RV respectively, to be reversed from that of normal patients. The relationships of the great vessels and ventricles also were easily visualized. RV hypertrophy (anatomical LV) was visualized on the Tl-201 images. Phase analysis showed the earliest excitation was in the anteroseptal region near the base of the LV, which was consistent with the site of the accessory conduction pathway. The gated-blood-pool and Tl-201 tomographic studies were helpful for demonstrating the corrected transposition of the great arteries and the pre-excitation syndrome.     

Release of [3H]norepinephrine: alteration by early developmental exposure to diazepam

The effect of prenatal exposure to diazepam (over gestational days 13-20) on the release of tritiated norepinephrine [( 3H]NE) from selected brain regions was analyzed to determine mechanisms whereby such exposure could disrupt functioning in specific NE neurons, as previously observed. Pregnant rats were administered diazepam (DZ) once daily at doses of 1.0, 2.5 or 10.0 mg/kg and the offspring studied as adults at 70-90 days of age and during development at 14, 21, 35 and 56 days of age. Release of [3H]NE was measured during in vitro incubation using 25 mM potassium as the depolarizing stimulus. As noted previously, prenatal exposure to DZ induced an effect only on NE neurons innervating the hypothalamus, sparing the NE innervation to the hippocampus and cerebellum. Prenatal exposure to DZ had no effect on the depolarized release of [3H]NE in the hypothalamus until after 35 days of age, a developmental pattern previously observed with respect to endogenous NE levels. In adult rat offspring, however, the depolarization-induced release of [3H]NE from the hypothalamus decreased 28%, 32% and 64% (relative to uninjected control values) in animals prenatally exposed to DZ at 1.0, 2.5 or 10 mg/kg/day respectively. Concurrent exposure of the pregnant dam to benzodiazepine antagonists (Ro 15-1788 or ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate) prevented the effects of DZ (2.5 mg/kg/day) on [3H]NE release, demonstrating again the importance of the benzodiazepine binding site to the effects induced by the early DZ exposure. The initial accumulation of the [3H]NE was not altered by the prenatal exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Duplication of the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon

Three cases are presented, in which an anomalous tendon slip between the extensor carpi ulnaris tendon and the extensor apparatus of the fifth finger was found. One of the patients was a violinist, who had serious impairment of the left wrist joint and the small finger due to the anomaly. The symptoms disappeared after excision.     

Methamphetamine-induced behavioral alterations following repeated administration of methamphetamine

Repeated administration of a large dose of methamphetamine (MA) (25 mg/kg, i.p. twice daily for 4 days) to mice enhanced locomotor activity and decreased stereotyped behavior following a subsequent injection of MA. Simultaneous determinations of catecholamines revealed a depletion of brain dopamine. The moderate doses of haloperidol significantly enhanced MA-induced locomotor activity in mice. A significant enhancement of MA-induced locomotor activity was observed in the rats pretreated with 6-hydroxydopamine into the striatum, and this effect correlated negatively with the striatal dopamine level. These results suggest that hypofunction of striatal dopaminergic neuron systems induced by repeated administration of MA may be one of possible mechanisms of the enhancement of MA-induced locomotor activity due to the decrease of stereotyped behavior.     

Multicentric fibromatosis of familial inheritance

This is an unusual case presentation of a young woman with a clinical history and course simulating juvenile hyaline fibromatosis, but without hyalinization in the stroma. Because of the age of onset, the apparent familial inheritance, the nonaggressive and nonregressive tumor traits, the disease cannot be classified as multicentric fibromatosis. Therefore, we are referring to this case as multicentric fibromatosis with familial inheritance, a previously unreported entity to our knowledge.     

Compressed collagen sponges as gastroretentive dosage forms: in vitro and in vivo studies.

The objective of the present investigations was to develop oblong tablets which expand after contact with gastrointestinal fluids within a few minutes to a length of 4-6 cm and which should remain in the stomach for a prolonged period of time due to their size. The tablets were prepared from riboflavin-containing collagen sponges using a computer controlled single punch tablet machine. The collagen material was compressed to oblong tablets with dimensions of 3.5 mm x 9 mm x 18 mm. In vitro investigations were carried out to characterise drug release. The model drug riboflavin was released from the collagen tablets over 12h. The gastrointestinal retention time of the new dosage form was indirectly estimated by determining the duration of riboflavin excretion after oral intake of the tablet. A crossover in vivo study with 12 healthy male and female subjects was performed. The renal excretion of riboflavin was measured after oral administration of collagen tablets and small sustained release hydrocolloid tablets as reference preparation. The amount of riboflavin excreted into the urine was enhanced after administration of the expanding collagen tablets in comparison with the hydrocolloid tablets. The differences were statistically significant after 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 h.     

The association between seated immobility and local lower-limb venous coagulability in healthy adult volunteers: a simulation of prolonged travel immobility.

This is the first study to examine the hypothesis that prolonged sitting is associated with procoagulant changes in the local lower-limb venous system. A comparison was made with upper-limb venous changes. Changes in markers of thrombin generation, fibrinolysis, endothelial perturbation and haemoconcentration were analysed as 10 healthy adult male participants sat for 8 h. The change in foot volume was estimated. Subjective venous thromboembolism assessment was undertaken hourly, along with 2-week and 4-week safety follow-up for clinical events.Expected increases in median prothrombin fragments 1 and 2, thrombin-antithrombin complex and D-dimer were not observed in either limb. An increase greater than 45% in the median tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator-1 molar ratio (t-PA/PAI-1), and a decrease greater than 15% in median soluble thrombomodulin were noted in both limbs. Median haematocrit decreased minimally (1%) in the lower limbs, while the foot volume increased by 4%. Subjects experienced vague symptoms after 6 h of sitting, but none developed symptomatic venous thromboembolism. Upper and lower-limb changes in biomarkers did not correlate, except those in t-PA/PAI-1 ratio and plasminogen activator-1. Significant correlation was found between changes in the lower-limb t-PA/PAI-1 ratio and right foot volume.This study originally reveals that even in the lower limbs, prolonged daytime cramped sitting is not associated with significant procoagulant changes in healthy adult male volunteers, and confirms a previous observation that local lower-limb venous changes are not identically reflected in the upper limbs.     

Adding Bupivacaine to High-potassium Cardioplegia Improves Function and Reduces Cellular Damage of Rat Isolated Hearts after Prolonged, Cold Storage

Background: Bupivacaine retards myocardial acidosis during ischemia. The authors measured function of rat isolated hearts after prolonged storage to determine whether bupivacaine improves cardiac protection compared with standard cardioplegia alone.

Methods: After measuring cardiac function on a Langendorff apparatus, hearts were perfused with cardioplegia alone (controls), cardioplegia containing 500 [mu]m bupivacaine, or cardioplegia containing 2 mm lidocaine; were stored at 4[degrees]C for 12 h; and were then reperfused. Heart rate and left ventricular developed pressures were measured for 60 min. Maximum positive rate of change in ventricular pressure, oxygen consumption, and lactate dehydrogenase release were also measured.

Results: All bupivacaine-treated, four of five lidocaine-treated, and no control hearts beat throughout the 60-min recovery period. Mean values of heart rate, left ventricular developed pressure, maximum positive rate of change in ventricular pressure, rate-pressure product, and efficiency in bupivacaine-treated hearts exceeded those of the control group (P < 0.001 at 60 min for all). Mean values of the lidocaine group were intermediate. Oxygen consumption of the control group exceeded the other groups early in recovery, but not at later times. Lactate dehydrogenase release from the bupivacaine group was less than that from the control group (P < 0.001) but did not differ from baseline.