Aspergillus fumigatus as a cause of mycotic tracheitis in a chicken

An unusual case of mycotic tracheitis in a young chick caused by Aspergillus fumigatus was recorded from Anand, India, during 1987. The pathogen was demonstrated in the tracheal exudate by potassium hydroxide technique and also recovered from the trachea on Sabouraud dextrose agar at 37 degrees C. The characteristic hyphae of Aspergillus spp. were demonstrated in tracheal mucosa in histopathological sections stained by periodic acid Schiff method. Interestingly, the lesions were confined only to the trachea. Environmental investigations established the source of infection in the farm where the litter was highly contaminated with A. fumigatus.     

Respiratory distress syndrome treated with human surfactant: radiographic findings

Chest radiographs of 18 newborns treated with endotracheal instillation of human surfactant for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were compared with those of 18 similar but untreated infants. In the treated infants, severity of RDS significantly improved after surfactant administration. Most treated infants (16/18) exhibited a left-to-right shunt, presumably through a patent ductus arteriosus; similar findings were noted in untreated infants (17/18). Complications of respiratory assistance in the treated infants included transient pulmonary interstitial emphysema (n = 1), pneumothorax (n = 1), and mild (n = 4) to moderate (n = 2) bronchopulmonary dysplasia; the incidences of these complications did not exceed those in untreated infants. In three treated infants, a transient interstitial lung disease developed 3-4 days after surfactant administration.     

消旋棉酚拆分的研究——Ⅲ.胺缩棉酚理化性质的研究

本文报道消旋棉酚与15种不同结构的光学活性胺缩合产物的薄层色谱性质和核磁共振氢谱数据,以及8个光学活性胺与光学活性棉酚缩合物的光学稳定性,并探讨了结构与这些性质的关系。     

Studies on healthy contacts of leprosy patients--a preliminary report

91 healthy contacts of leprosy patients were studied for subclinical infection and possibly the pre-clinical stage of the disease using a battery of tests. It was observed that the test based on competitive inhibition of monoclonal antibody binding to the MY2 a determinant of M. leprae identifies a preclinical stage of the disease.     

Genetic structure of the population with rheumatoid arthritis in north east England: a genetic approach to define different subtypes.

Clinically and immunologically rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is possibly a heterogeneous disorder. Despite numerous efforts clearer definition of this heterogeneity has been of limited success. Measurements of rheumatoid factor (RF) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by conventional methods define subpopulations of patients with RA and in a few recent studies an association of human leucocyte antigens (HLA) undoubtedly indicates the immunogenetic differences in the susceptibility of RA patients with different status of autoantibodies. The studies on a few isolated non-HLA genetic markers in RA are controversial. To understand the role of genetic factors in susceptibility 24 single gene characters other than HLA were investigated in 225 patients with RA classified by humoral status (presence or absence of RF and ANA) into three groups and in 104 healthy control individuals from the north east of England. Locus by locus comparison suggested associations of MN, Lewis, and Bf system with RF positive patients. Although the associations with MN and Lewis blood groups require further investigations, the involvement of the Bf locus is in agreement with the immunological component of the disease suggested by HLA associations and it could be due to the phenomenon of linkage disequilibrium. Measures of genetic distance applied to the subpopulations of patients with RA, divided according to the presence or absence of humoral factors, suggest that RF+ ANA+, RF- ANA-, and RF+ ANA- subgroups are distinct genetic diseases, each affecting a different subsection of the population which is genetically distinct. Such genetic heterogeneity may suggest a different pathogenetic mechanism for each of these subpopulations of rheumatoid arthritis.     

Infusion methods for determination of peripheral resistance: Influence of infused medium and back pressure

It has been suggested that peripheral vascular resistance (PR), measured intraoperatively, can predict the outcome of infrainguinal reconstructions. There is, however, a great deal of variability in design and predictive value with this method, and it is prone to technical difficulties and possible errors. The present study evaluated the influence of the choice of infusion medium and the back pressure on PR as measured by the infusion technique. In a porcine model of experimentally induced stenosis, standard PR (calculated by the pressure difference across the stenosis and the Doppler volume flow) was compared with PR based on infusions of blood or saline solution. With blood as the infusion medium there was a significant correlation between the PR and the standard values (r = 0.795,p = 0.0005),whereas there was no correlation when saline solution was infused (r = 0.067,p = 0.345).Subtracting the back pressure resulted in a slight improvement in the correlations between standard PR and PR measured after infusion of blood but not saline solution. In summary, blood should be used as an infusion medium in methods of PR determination, but the influence of back pressure remains uncertain.Supported by the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the Karolinska Institute, the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Swedish Society for Medical Research, Torsten, and the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation.The authors thank Per Nelvig of Regam Medical Inc., Sundsvall, Sweden, for technical advice.     

Auditory evoked response, median frequency and 95% spectral edge during anaesthesia with desflurane and nitrous oxide

We have studied in 12 patients the effect of desflurane in nitrous oxide on the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the early cortical auditory evoked response (AER). After induction with desflurane, patients' lungs were ventilated to maintain three different end-expiratory concentrations of desflurane (1.5, 3 and 6%) during four consecutive 10- min periods before surgery. As the end-expiratory concentration of desflurane was increased, Pa and Nb (AER) amplitudes decreased and their latencies increased, and spontaneous EEG showed an increase in amplitude and a slowing of frequency. A linear relationship was demonstrated between log10 concentration of desflurane and all variables (P = 0.001). Pa amplitude showed the greatest linearity followed by the derived variable F95 of the EEG. From regression slopes, mean percentage changes of each variable were calculated for a 1 MAC change in desflurane concentration, Pa amplitude showed the largest change (mean 49% (95% confidence interval 40-56%) decrease for a 1 MAC increase). This was greater than that of F95 for a similar confidence interval, indicating better resolution. This study confirms that the early cortical AER is affected by desflurane in a similar manner to that of other anaesthetic agents and as such remains the most promising EEG derived measure of depth of anaesthesia.      

Purification and characterization of a new 85-kDa glycoprotein antigen from human breast tumor

A new breasttumorassociated antigen (BTAA) was purified and partially characterized from human breast tumor. By DEAE-cellulose discontinuous NaCl-gradient chromatography of a crude extract of human malignant breast tumor, 3 major protein peaks were obtained. Circulating antibodies against one of the protein peaks, HF₁, was observed in breastcancer patients. The antibodies were absent in patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix, lung, stomach and liver or with benign breast diseases and in healthy women. Absorption of the sera of breastcancer patients with normal human breast tissue pellet did not remove the HF₁-reactive circulating antibodies. The BTAA was partially purified from HF₁ by subjecting the fraction to SDS-PAGE and eluting the band 3 (HF₁-3). Westernblot analysis confirmed the presence of the BTAA in HF₁-3. Using an affinity column of protein-A-Sepharosebound IgG, purified from breastcancer patients' sera, the BTAA was also recovered from HF₁. Purification of the BTAA was achieved by subjecting HF₁ to sizeexclusion highperformance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC). The antigen was characterized as a glycoprotein with MW of approximately 85 kDa and appeared not to be related either to murine mammarytumor virus (MuMTV) structural antigens or to human fetal antigens. The BTAA-reactive circulating antibodies in the breastcancer patients were of lgG₂ subtype, and the level of these antibodies significantly decreased in patients following surgical removal of the breast tumors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Implant‐Driven Tibial Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Refractory Overactive Bladder Syndrome: 12‐Month Follow‐up

Objectives. To investigate feasibility and safety of implant‐driven tibial nerve stimulation. Materials and Methods. Eight patients with refractory overactive bladder were successfully treated with implanted percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS). Patients were evaluated with bladder diaries, quality of life questionnaires, and physical examination before implantation, and at 3, 6, and 12 months of follow‐up. The primary objective was ≥ 50% reduction of the number of incontinence episodes and/or voids on bladder diary. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used. Results. At 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively five, six, and four patients met the primary objective. At 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up, voiding and quality of life parameters had significantly (p < 0.05) improved. Urinary tract infection, temporarily walking difficulties, and spontaneous radiating sensations were reported as adverse events and no local infection, erosion, or dislocation. Conclusions. Implant‐driven tibial nerve stimulation seems to be feasible and safe.