The inferior alveolar artery in its bony course

Based on the dissection of 30 hemi-mandibles, the authors report a study of the inferior alveolar artery in its intraosseous course. On morphologic considerations they propose a classification of the collaterals into two groups: the principal collaterals destined for the teeth and the bony alveolar tissue and the secondary collaterals destined for the sheath and the nerve as well as the bony tissue around the canal. Loss of the teeth and absorption of the alveolar bone modify the caliber of the inferior alveolar arterial axis, the distribution of its collaterals and possibly its mode of termination. These facts suggest a consideration of the vascularization of the mandible in terms of four sectors. They arrive at practical conclusions that may be drawn from this study in stomatology.     

Hemodynamics in congenital heart disease

This paper introduces a very general and flexible model for the study of hemodynamic changes in congenital heart disease. The generality of the model makes it possible to use the same computer program (which is included in an Appendix) to study both the fetal circulation and the adult circulation, as well as such diverse disease states as patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries. In this paper, only patent ductus and ventricular or atrial septal defect are studied, with special emphasis on the influence of increasing pulmonary vascular resistance on the shunt flow. In the case of patent ductus and ventricular septal defect, the computed shunt flow is very time-dependent and the left-to-right shunt becomes first bidirectional and then right-to-left as the pulmonary resistance increases. By contrast, the computed shunt flow of atrial septal defect is nearly time-independent and is also somewhat less sensitive to the pulmonary vascular resistance.     

钙拮抗剂对出血性休克犬重要器官组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性的影响

在休克过程中，体内活性氧代谢与细胞内钙超负荷存在着相互影响。为了研究林克和复苏过程中钙拮抗剂对脂质过氧化的影响，用１７只杂种犬快速放血使平均动脉压为５．３２ｋｐｄ，并维持９０ｍｉｎ。然后回输全部失血。在休克３０ｍｉｎ时，各组别静脉注射（１５ｍｉｎ内）硫氮酮（４０ｇ／ｋｇ·ｍｉｎ￣（－１）），异搏定（１０μｇ／ｋｇ·ｍｉｎ￣（－１）），或等量生理盐水。复苏后１５０ｍｉｎ处死动物，取心、肝、肺、肾、胰和小肠组织备检。结果显示，用硫氮酮和异搏定治疗组，各主要脏器组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性和丙二醛含量均显著低于休克对照组。而各检测组织中超氧化物歧化酶活性变化不一。这些资料显示钙拮抗剂抗休克的机制与其阻滞Ｃａ２＋内流，降低组织中黄嘌呤氧化酶活性，抑制脂质过氧化有密切关系。     

Laryngeal and velopharyngeal sensory impairment in obstructive sleep apnea

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether mucosal sensory dysfunction is present at multiple upper-airway sites in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). DESIGN: Physiologic testing of consecutive patients with OSA and nonsnoring controls. SETTING: University hospital sleep center. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine subjects with OSA and 17 controls. INTERVENTIONS: Endoscopic testing was used to determine sensory detection thresholds for air-pressure pulses delivered to the oropharynx, velopharynx, hypopharynx, and larynx (aryepiglottic eminence). The air-pulse stimulus intensity required to elicit the protective laryngeal adductor reflex was also determined. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: There was a significant impairment in sensory detection threshold for OSA versus control subjects in the oropharynx, as previously described by ourselves using other techniques, as well as at the velopharynx (median 11 mm Hg [confidence interval 9-11] for subjects with OSA vs 8 mm Hg [confidence interval 4-11] for controls, P = .03) and, at the larynx, 4 mm Hg [confidence interval 2-9] for subjects with OSA vs 2 mm Hg [confidence interval 2-3] for controls, P < .001). The threshold stimulus intensity for the laryngeal adductor reflex was also significantly higher for OSA subjects. For OSA patients with abnormal laryngeal sensation (61% of OSA subjects), there were significant correlations between laryngeal sensory values and measures of apnea severity, including apnea-hypopnea index (r = 0.82, P < .001) and nadir SaO2 (r = -0.48, P < .05). CONCLUSION: Mucosal sensory function is impaired at multiple upper-airway sites in OSA.     

低频超声透皮给药的研究进展与应用

低频超声可以增强包括大分子药物在内的许多药物的透皮传输,其主要机制是超声的空化作用,大多数人认为是通过改变角质层角化细胞排列结构来提高皮肤渗透能力的.低频超声透皮给药已被人们用于离体实验和动物活体实验,到目前为止,无论是小分子透皮传输还是大分子透皮传输都有很多成功的例子.但是真正通过低频超声透皮导入药物进行治疗的临床应用报道很少,需要更进一步大量的临床试验以确定其安全性与实用价值.一旦其安全性得以证实,合适的低频超声透皮仪研制成功,低频超声快速透皮必将成为一种安全、有效、可控、经济的新型给药方式.     

Novel method for the quantitative assessment of cell migration: a study on the motility of rabbit anterior cruciate (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) cells

A novel method of quantitating cell migration has been proposed for the potential utilization of tissue engineered scaffolds. Applying Alt's conservation law to describe the motion of first passage ACL and MCL cells, we have developed a quantitative method to assess innate differences in the motility of cells from these two ligamentous tissues. In this study, first passage ACL and MCL cells were cultured from four mature New Zealand white rabbits. One side of the cell monolayer was scraped completely away to create a wound model. The cell moved into the cell-free area, and cell density profiles were analyzed at 6 h and 12 h. Values of the random motility coefficient (mu) were then estimated by curve fitting the 6 h and 12 h data to a mathematical model, derived from the conservation law of cell flux. During 6 h of incubation in medium supplemented with 1% FBS, MCL cells (mu(MCL) = 4.63 +/- 0.65 X 10(-6) mm(2)/sec) were significantly (p < 0.05) more mobile than ACL cells (mu(ACL) = 2.51 +/- 0.31 X 10(-6) mm(2)/sec). At 12 h, the MCL cells also appeared to move faster (mu(ACL) = 4.39 +/- 0.63 X 10(-6) mm(2)/sec, mu(MCL) = 6.59 +/- 1.47 X 10(-6) mm(2)/sec), but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.18). Exposure of the cells to growth factors PDGF-BB or bFGF for 6 h had no significant effect on the migration of the ACL and MCL cells. However, exposure of the ACL cells (p < 0.05) and the MCL cells (p = 0.19) to 1 ng/mL of PDGFBB for 12 h enhanced their migration. Incubation with a high concentration (100 ng/mL) of PDGF-BB or bFGF at concentrations tested (1 or 100 ng/mL) for 12 h, produced little or no migratory stimulation on these ligament cells. Our findings support the previous qualitative observations made by numerous investigators. The novel methodology developed in this study may provide a basis for tissue engineering, and the results may be applied to tissue reconstruction techniques of the knee ligaments.     

Human hepatic lipase mutations and polymorphisms.

Human hepatic lipase (HL) is a 477 residue glycoprotein that hydrolyzes triglycerides from plasma lipoproteins. Familial HL deficiency is a rare recessive disorder that is characterized by premature atherosclerosis and abnormal circulating lipoproteins. While studying the HL gene from the world's index family with HL deficiency, we identified four coding sequence variants of HL, one in each of exons 4, 5, 6, and 8. In this report we present the genetic basis for two new HL gene variants, one in each of exons 3 and 5. All six HL DNA variants are single base pair changes. Two variants (at codons 133 and 202) are diallelic DNA polymorphisms that are silent at the amino acid level. One variant (V73M) is an allele that defines an uncommon HL isoprotein. One variant (N193S) has two alleles of approximately equal frequency in the population that specify two common HL isoproteins. Two variants (S267F and T383M) are rare mutations found to date only in HL deficient subjects and their relatives. Of the six HL variants described to date, only S267F and T383M are associated with hyperlipidemia.     

Detecting pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone surges in urine

The study objectives were to determine (i) if pre-ovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surges, undetected in urine by two immunoradiometric assays (IRMA), were detectable by an ultrasensitive immunofluorometric assay (IFMA) and (ii) the influence of creatinine adjustment on the detection and timing of the urinary LH surges. Daily urine specimens were contributed by healthy 25-36 year old volunteers during 14 ovulatory menstrual cycles for an epidemiological study conducted in 1983-1985. Specimens were selected as having been previously assayed by two IRMA without consistently detecting LH surges. These urine specimens were remeasured using an IFMA and adjusted for creatinine concentration. IFMA measurements revealed unambiguous LH surges in all cycles. Adjusting IRMA urinary LH values for creatinine concentrations revealed previously undetected LH surges in four of eight cycles. Creatinine adjustment also altered the timing of IRMA and IFMA LH surges by 1-5 days. These results demonstrate an IFMA that detects pre- ovulatory LH surges in unpreserved, frozen urine from cycles where such surges were previously undetectable. Further, creatinine adjustment can markedly affect detection and timing of the onset and peak of the urinary LH surge. While our analysis suggests that this adjustment improves the validity of the LH measure, this requires further investigation.      

Analysis of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) gene in Japanese patients with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia

Genomic DNA from 19 Japanese patients with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (lipoid CAH) representing 16 different families was examined to identify the genetic alterations of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). Ten of 19 patients had a 46,XX karyotype and nine had a 46,XY karyotype. Six of the 46,XX patients have experienced spontaneous pubertal changes including breast development and irregular menstruation whereas none of the 46,XY subjects displayed pubertal changes. Eight different mutations were identified. Sixteen patients were either homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for the Q258X mutation. The seven other mutations identified were 189delG, 246insG, 564del13bp, 838delA, Q212X, A218V and M225T. The 189delG, 246insG, 546del13bp and Q212X mutants encode truncated proteins. COS-1 cells transfected with expression vectors encoding cDNAs for the mutant StAR proteins which affect the C-terminus, 838delA, A218V and Q258X, exhibited no steroidogenesis enhancing activity. However, the M225T mutant retained some steroidogenic activity. The patient with the M225T mutation had late onset of this disorder and some capacity to secrete testosterone in response to hCG. These findings suggest: (i) that the Q258X mutation can be used as a genetic marker for the screening of Japanese for lipoid CAH, (ii) that the C-terminus of StAR plays an important role in the protein's activity and (iii) that there are differences in the extent of functional impairment of the testis and ovaries in lipoid CAH.      

Improved oocyte quality is obtained with follicle stimulating hormone alone than with follicle stimulating hormone/human menopausal gonadotrophin combination

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of pure follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) with that of FSH/human menopausal gonadotrophin (HMG) combination in downregulated cycles. A total of 357 patients was evaluated retrospectively. Sixty percent of patients in the FSH group and 55% in the FSH/HMG group were new; the others were repeat patients. Ovulation was suppressed with leuprolide acetate in all patients, followed by either FSH (n = 218) or FSH/HMG (n = 119). There was no difference in patients' age, infertility factors, number of ampoules used, length of stimulation, oestradiol levels on day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration, number of oocytes recovered or the number of embryos transferred. Also, nuclear maturity at aspiration and fertilization rates were not different between the two groups. FSH stimulation resulted in a significantly higher percentage of mature oocytes that showed the typical 'mature' morphological characteristics (P < 0.0001). The clinical pregnancy rates per transfer were 40 and 28% in patients stimulated with pure FSH and FSH/HMG respectively (P < 0.05). The significantly higher number of immature oocytes matured in vitro in the FSH/HMG group (P = 0.001) suggests a possible effect on in-vitro maturation, due to luteinizing hormone present in HMG. The difference in mature oocyte quality may be an important determinant in the higher pregnancy rates for the FSH- stimulated patients.