Radiologic diagnosis of Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome （FHCS） was reported by Curtis after he found a fibrous adhesion between the surface of the liver and peritoneum in patients with gonococcal pelvic inflammation during laparoscopy in 1930, and the first report by Fitz-Hugh as acute gonococcal peritonitis in the right upper quadrant abdomen was published in 1934, The so-called FHCS is believed to originate from an inflammation in the pelvis which may ascend toward the diaphragmatic surface of the liver along the right paracolic gutters to cause the inflammation of the liver capsule with right upper abdominal pain. Previously, FHCS was only seen in females at the age of 20 and 30 years and was often misdiagnosed as acute cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, gastrointestinal diseases, pleuritis, etc., because of involvement of the liver capsule and peritoneum with right upper abdominal pain as the major clinical symptom, which was related to the respiratory movement. We retrospectively reviewed 21 patients with FHCS to evaluate the clinical manifestations and CT and MRI findings of this disease.     

A comparison between spontaneous electroencephalographic activities induced by morphine and morphine-related environment in rats

Previous studies demonstrated that drug cues could elicit drug-like or withdrawal-like effect, both subjectively and physiologically. However, few studies have compared the central activities induced by a drug-related environment and the drug itself. The aim of this study was to observe and compare electroencephalographic (EEG) changes induced by acute morphine administration and by the morphine-related environment. EEG activities were recorded via twelve skull electrodes scattered on the left and right cortex in conscious, freely moving rats, either after acute morphine administration or after successful training of conditioned place preference. Acute administration of morphine (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 20 mg/kg, i.p.) produced an increase in absolute EEG power in the delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1, and beta2 bands, as well as a decrease in the gamma band. Topographic mapping revealed a maximal increase in the lateral leads in the theta band and a maximal change in the centro-frontal region in the remaining bands. After place conditioning training, the morphine-related environment induced a diffuse decrease in absolute power in the delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1, and beta2 bands, which was opposite to the changes induced by acute morphine administration. In addition, the changes in relative power induced by the two situations also diverged. These results indicate that the central mechanisms underlying the motivation of morphine-induced place preference may be somehow different from those underlying the reward effects produced by acute morphine administration.     

Pharmacokinetic behavior of huperzine A in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid after intranasal administration in rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic behavior of huperzine A (Hup A) in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after intranasal administration (0.5 mg/kg) in male Sprague‐Dawley rats. A pharmacokinetic study of intravenous Hup A (0.5 mg/kg) was also performed. The concentrations of Hup A in the biological samples were measured by high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Blood samples were taken from the tail vein and CSF was sampled by cisternal puncture using a stereotaxic frame. The contribution of the olfactory pathway to the uptake of Hup A into CSF was determined by comparing the AUC_CSF/AUC_plasma ratios after intranasal and intravenous administration. The AUC ratios of intranasal to intravenous administration in CSF and plasma were 104% and 118%, respectively. No significant difference was observed between the AUC_CSF/AUC_plasma ratios of Hup A after intranasal administration (20%) and after intravenous infusion (23%). This indicated that approximately 20% of the Hup A level in plasma reached the CSF after both nasal and intravenous administration, and that no direct transport of Hup A from nose to CSF was found in rats. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Purification, characterization and biological activities of the l-amino acid oxidase from Bungarus fasciatus snake venom

l-Amino acid oxidases (LAAOs) are widely distributed in snake venoms, which contribute to the toxicity of venoms. However, LAAO from Bungarus fasciatus (B. fasciatus) snake venom has not been isolated previously. In the present study, LAAO from B. fasciatus snake venom was purified by SP-Sepharose HP anion exchange chromatography followed by Heparin-Sepharose FF affinity chromatography procedure and the purified enzyme was named BF-LAAO. BF-LAAO presented an estimated molecular weight of 55 kDa in SDS-PAGE and an apparent molecular weight of 70 kDa in size-exclusion chromatography suggesting that BF-LAAO is a monomeric protein. Kinetics studies showed that BF-LAAO was very active against l-Tyr, l-Asp, l-Phe, l-Glu, l-Trp, l-His, l-Gln, l-Ile, l-Met, l-Leu and moderately active against l-Lys, l-Arg, l-Ala and l-Asn. BF-LAAO exhibited a cytotoxic effect on A549 cells and caused up to 41.2% apoptosis of A549 cells following 12 h incubation period. In the mouse peritoneum, BF-LAAO provoked a marked increase in the number of neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages following injection. It also induced rabbit platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. At 3 h following injection, BF-LAAO elicited severe inflammation in the gastrocnemius muscles of mice, but failed to induce significant organ damage. In conclusion, the cytotoxic and proinflammatory activities of BF-LAAO could be the main cause of the local inflammation, which helps us to understand the pathogenesis of snakebite.     

冠状动脉内移植自体骨髓单个核细胞和内皮祖细胞对小型猪心肌缺血再灌注损伤的疗效比较

目的比较自体骨髓单个核细胞（BM—MNC）和内皮祖细胞（EPC）移植对小型猪心肌缺血再灌注损伤后修复梗死心肌和改善心功能的疗效。方法23头小型猪心肌缺血再灌注损伤模型分为BM—MNC组[（3．54±0．90）×10^8个细膨头,n=9]、EPC组[（1．16±1．07）×10^7个细胞／头,n=7]以及对照组（n=7）,比较细胞移植前以及移植4周时超声心动图、血液动力学和心肌梗死范围的变化。结果与移植前比较,移植4周时BM-MNC组、EPC组左室射血分数（LVEF）分别降低2％[（68±10）％比（66±7）％,P〉0．05]和0[（69±7）％比（69±8）％,P〉0．05],对照组则降低10％[（70±9）％比（59±7）％,P〈0．05],三组间比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。LVEF、左室收缩末压（LVESP）、心输出量（CO）和左室等容收缩压力最大上升速率（＋dp／dtmax）的变化值在BM—MNC组和EPC组间的差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）,而显著小于对照组的变化值（P〈0．05）。舒张末压（LVEDP）和等容舒张压力最大下降速率（-dp／dtmax）在细胞移植前后各组变化不明显（P〉0．05）。EPC和BM—MNC移植的心肌梗死面积均小于对照组[心肌梗死面积百分比分别为[（4．1±0．6）％、（8．4±3．8）％和（11．4±3．2）％,均P〈0．05],EPC组较BM-MNC组有减小的趋势,但差异无统计学意义（P=0．067）。结论心肌缺血再灌注损伤后,自体BM—MNC和EPC移植均可明显改善左室收缩功能,这种作用可能通过减小心肌梗死面积实现。移植EPC与BM-MNC改善心功能的疗效相当,但还需进一步评价。     

药物洗脱支架置入后血栓形成的原因分析

目的探讨药物洗脱支架置入后血栓形成的发生率以及血栓形成的原因。方法本研究为单中心药物洗脱支架的注册研究,自2001年12月至2005年12月共计3345例冠心病患者接受了药物洗脱支架的治疗,其中使用雷帕霉素洗脱支架（SES）2165例,使用紫杉醇洗脱支架（PES）1180例,完成10个月临床随访为2296例;所有患者均同时口服阿司匹林和氯吡格雷至少9个月。结果3345例患者中9例发生急性血栓形成（O．27％）,其中7例为SES、2例为PES所致（0．32％比0．17％,P=0．637）;7例发生亚急性血栓形成（0．21％）,其中5例为SES、2例为PES所致（0．23％比0．17％,P=0．526）;急性和亚急性血栓发生率为0．48％（16／3345）;13例有晚期血栓形成,5例为SES、8例为PES所致（0．34％比0．95％,P=0．114）;4例晚期血栓形成的主要原因为提前中断抗血小板药物,既往患有心肌梗死病史,心功能差,药物洗脱支架置入后晚期发生血栓致猝死6例。结论支架置入不满意,特别是分叉病变以及支架未能完全覆盖受损伤的病变段是急性和亚急性血栓形成的主要原因;中断抗血小板药物和左心功能不全是晚期血栓形成的主要原因。     

Thymosin alpha 1 improves severe acute pancreatitis in rats via regulation of peripheral T cell number and cytokine serum level

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thymosin alpha 1 (TA1) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in rats. METHODS: Healthy Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 72) were randomly divided into four groups: control group, SAP group, and two TA1 treated groups. SAP was induced by injection of 5% sterile sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct (BPD), after which TA1 was given subcutaneously at 0 and 2 h at a dose of 100 microg/kg. The rats were killed at 3, 6 and 12 h, respectively. Serum amylase and lipase, interleukin (IL)-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), pancreatic wet/dry weight ratio and the percentage of CD3/CD4+/CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were measured. Next, 30 rats were randomly divided into three groups (each group containing 10 animals): SAP group (S) and two TA1 treated groups. The effects of TA1 on the survival of SAP were assessed 72 h after the induction of SAP. RESULTS: There was no significant change in the serum amylase and lipase levels after TA1 administration. Levels of serum IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and pancreatic wet/dry weight ratio were significantly reduced after TA1-treatment. Application of TA1 significantly balanced CD3/CD4+/CD8+ T cells of PBMC and improved histological scores and the survival rate. CONCLUSION: TA1 can reduce pancreatic inflammation by regulating differentiation of CD3/CD4+ T cells and decreasing the release of cytokines, thus attenuates pancreatic severity in SAP rats.     

Collagen matrix duraplasty for cranial and spinal surgery: a clinical and imaging study

OBJECT: The repair of dural defects is controversial in contemporary neurosurgery. To date, collagen-based products remain a continued area of interest in the development of dural grafts. The authors conducted a prospective case-control study in which they evaluated collagen matrix in the repair of dural defects following cranial and spinal surgery by using specific clinical and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging outcome measures. METHODS: Enrolled in the study were 79 patients, 36 male (45.6%) and 43 female (54.4%), with a mean age of 53 +/- 15.8 years. The pathological diagnosis was brain tumor in 49 cases (62%), vascular conditions in 16 (20.2%), degenerative spine in 10 (12.7%), trauma in two (2.5%), and other in two (2.5%). Most of the patients underwent supratentorial craniotomy (57; 72.2%), whereas 11 patients (13.9%) each underwent posterior fossa and spinal surgery. Sixty-three patients (79.7%) completed the study, which included clinical and MR imaging evaluations at 3 months postsurgery. There were no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks or delayed hemorrhages. The neurosurgical wound infection rate was 3.8%: superficial wound infection in two cases and deep infection and brain abscess in one case (recurrent brain tumor following radiation therapy). Among the 63 patients in whom 3-month postsurgery imaging data were available, asymptomatic small pseudomeningoceles were detected on MR imaging in two (3.2%); a minor subgaleal fluid collection, which resolved spontaneously, was apparent in another patient (1.6%). Nonspecific dural enhancement was demonstrated on images obtained in seven patients (11.1%), and asymptomatic spinal epidural enhancement was observed on images obtained in two of three patients who had undergone lumbar laminectomy for spinal stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: When used as a dural onlay graft, collagen matrix had a 100% CSF containment rate but might be associated with occult radiological abnormalities.