通腑解毒汤联合血液滤过对重症急性胰腺炎患者炎症介质及疗效的影响

目的  探讨通腑解毒汤联合连续性静-静脉血液滤过（CVVH）对急性重症胰腺炎（SAP）患者肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白介素-6（IL-6）的影响及临床疗效。方法  选择发病72 h的SAP患者40例,随机分为对照组和治疗组,每组20例。对照组予以西医常规治疗,治疗组在对照组的基础上加用中药通腑解毒汤联合CVVH治疗。比较两组治疗前及治疗72 h后IL-6和TNF-α的浓度;观察两组治疗前后生命体征、血气、生化指标、急性生理学与慢性健康状况评分系统Ⅱ（APACHE Ⅱ）评分、Ranson评分等指标,判断患者整体病情。结果  治疗72 h后,治疗组IL-6、TNF-α浓度较对照组降低（P <0.01）,治疗组较对照组患者发热、呼吸窘迫等症状有不同程度的缓解,血清淀粉酶（AMY）、丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、总胆红素（TBIL）、血肌酐（SCr）、尿素氮（BUN）下降（P <0.05）,平均动血压（MAP）逐渐上升,氧分压（PaO2）和氧合指数提高,肠麻痹时间、多器官功能障碍综合征发生率下降,平均住院日缩短（P <0.05）。治疗7 d后,治疗组较对照组APACHE Ⅱ评分、Ranson评分降低（P <0.01）,住院费用比较差异无统计学意义（P >0.05）。结论  通腑解毒汤联合CVVH治疗SAP能清除部分促炎因子,减轻炎症反应,提高临床疗效,可作为SAP重要的辅助治疗措施之一。

     

常规MRI表现正常的AIDS患者脑白质弥散张量成像TBSS分析

目的采用弥散张量成像(diffusion tensor imaging,DTI)及基于纤维束追踪的空间统计(track-based spatial statistics,TBSS)观察常规磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)表现正常的获得性免疫缺陷综合征(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,AIDS)患者脑白质微结构变化。方法对性别、年龄相匹配的22例常规MRI表现正常的AIDS患者(患者组)及23例健康志愿者(对照组)行DTI检查,采用TBSS分析所有受试者脑白质DTI的各相关参数指标的改变,包括各向异性分数(fractional anisotropy,FA)、平均弥散度(mean diffusivity,MD)、组间轴向弥散(axial diffusivity,AD)值和径向弥散(radial diffusivity,RD)值,进一步提取组间差异有统计学意义脑区的患者组的DTI参数值并与CD4+进行相关性分析。结果与正常对照组相比,患者组多个脑区MD值升高,主要包括胼胝体膝部、胼胝体体部、胼胝体压部、双侧前辐射冠、上辐射冠、后辐射冠、上纵束、左侧内囊前肢、外囊和扣带回(P<0.05,TFCE及FWE校正)。患者组多个脑区AD值升高,主要包括胼胝体膝部、胼胝体体部、胼胝体压部、双侧前辐射冠、上辐射冠、后辐射冠、上纵束、内囊前肢、外囊和扣带回(P<0.05,TFCE及FWE校正)。左侧白质改变多于右侧,胼胝体及双侧前辐射冠是损伤范围较大的脑区。两组各脑区FA值和RD值差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05,TFCE及FWE校正)。与对照组相比,患者组中差异有统计学意义脑区的MD值与患者CD4计数呈负相关(r=-0.435,P=0.043)。结论常规MRI表现正常的AIDS患者大脑多个区域白质微结构损伤,其病理特征可能是轴索异常改变,损伤区域主要涉及记忆、智能、认知控制等相关脑区。DTI和TBSS技术可以敏感地发现常规MRI表现正常的AIDS患者脑损伤白质微观结构变化。     

表皮生长因子受体和多药耐药蛋白在非小细胞肺癌中的表达及其与化学药物治疗疗效的相关性

目的  探讨表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）与多药耐药蛋白（MDR）在非小细胞肺癌中的表达及与化学药物治疗（以下简称化疗）疗效的相关性。方法  采用免疫组织化学二步法检测95例非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）组织和15例正常肺组织中EGFR与肺耐药蛋白（LRP）、P-糖蛋白（P-gp）、多药耐药相关蛋白（MRP）及谷光甘肽转移酶（GST-π）的表达。结果  95例NSCLC中,EGFR、LRP、P-gp、MRP及GST-π在NSCLC组织中的阳性表达率分别为50.53%、60.00%、40.00%、41.05%和55.79%。EGFR表达在有无吸烟史、不同病理类型（鳞癌vs腺癌）、不同TNM分期及有无淋巴结转移的NSCLC患者间比较,差异有统计学意义（P <0.05）。LRP和MRP在腺癌中的阳性表达率高于鳞癌（P <0.05）,MRP在高分化癌的表达阳性率低于中、低分化（P <0.05）。MRP与LRP、P-gp与GST-π的表达呈正相关（r =0.341,P =0.001;r =0.213,P =0.038）,EGFR与LRP、P-gp、MRP、GST-π的表达无关（P >0.05）。EGFR阳性表达的化疗有效率为37.5%,低于EGFR阴性表达的化疗有效率（66.0%）（P <0.05）。结论  NSCLC组织中EGFR与多药耐药蛋白常阳性表达,形成MDR的4种蛋白相互联系,可能对耐药的形成起协同作用,EGFR可以作为评价NSCLC化疗疗效的客观指标。

     

Pulmonary hamartoma. A case report

A 71-years-old man presented with an incidentally finding of a tumor in the left pulmonary apex that measured approximately 4.5 cm of diameter. The patient, had de preceding of chronic smoking. Bronchoscopy with biopsy by transthoracic punction suggested the presence of epidermoid carcinoma. In the radiologic control, an increase in tumor size from 4.5 cm to 5 cm of the lesion was observed in a period of three months. The patient was submited to surgery and a tumorectomy by posterolateral thoracotomy was performed. The postoperatory evolution was satisfactory. The final diagnosis was hamartoma of the lung.     

Presynaptic D1 dopamine receptors facilitate glutamatergic neurotransmission in the rat globus pallidus

The effects of D1/5 dopamine agonists on spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) were studied in neurons of the rat globus pallidus using whole-cell recordings in the presence of TTX and bicuculline. In this condition, CNQX abolished the sEPSCs, indicating that they were solely mediated by AMPA receptors. SKF 38393, a D1-like agonist, increased the frequency but not the amplitude of the sEPSCs, suggesting a presynaptic site of action. The increase in frequency was blocked by SCH 23390, a D1/5 antagonist. Quinpirole, a D2-like agonist, decreased the frequency but did not affect the amplitude of the synaptic currents. SKF 38393 increased the frequency of sEPSCs currents, even in presence of quinpirole, indicating that D1/5- and D2-like receptors independently modulate glutamate release upon a single neuron. The results suggest that the dopaminergic control of the glutamate transmission in the globus pallidus may play a role in processing cortical information in the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia.     

Pentoxifylline attenuates the development of hyperalgesia in a rat model of neuropathic pain

In newborns, hypoxia elicits defensive behaviors including awakening from sleep, body movements and crying. An inability to produce this defense response is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome and other respiratory control disorders. In this study, we examined the possibility that the defense response to hypoxia in newborns is partly determined by early exposure to hypoxia. We explored this possibility in 6-day-old mice, which resemble human preterm infants of approximately 25–30 weeks’ gestational age. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) were recorded as a marker for the defense response to hypoxia. In a conditioning experiment, newborn mice were exposed to two artificial odors (conditioned stimuli, CS). For acquisition (two trials), pups were exposed to one odor (CS+) in a hypoxic gas mixture (10% O₂, which was the unconditioned stimulus, US) and to another odor (CS−) in air. Then, the pups were exposed to each odor while breathing air. Newborn mice produced significantly more USVs when exposed to the odor previously paired with hypoxia than to the control odor. Thus, associative learning may shape the defense response to hypoxia in newborns.     

Success rates of nuclear short tandem repeat typing from different skeletal elements

Aim

To evaluate trends in DNA typing success rates of different skeletal elements from mass graves originating from conflicts that occurred in the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo) during the 1990s, and to establish correlation between skeletal sample age and success of high throughput short tandem repeat (STR) typing in the large data set of the International Commission on Missing Persons.

Method

DNA extraction and short tandem repeat (STR) typing have been attempted on over 25 000 skeletal samples. The skeletal samples originated from different geographical locations where the conflicts occurred and from different time periods from 1992 to 1999. DNA preservation in these samples was highly variable, but was often significantly degraded and of limited quantity. For the purpose of this study, processed samples were categorized according to skeletal sample type, sample age since death, and success rates tabulated.

Results

Well-defined general trends in success rates of DNA analyses were observed with respect to the type of bone tested and sample age. The highest success rates were observed with samples from dense cortical bone of weight-bearing leg bones (femur 86.9%), whereas long bones of the arms showed significantly lower success (humerus 46.2%, radius 24.5%, ulna 22.8%). Intact teeth also exhibited high success rates (teeth 82.7%). DNA isolation from other skeletal elements differed considerably in success, making bone sample selection an important factor influencing success.

Conclusion

The success of DNA typing is related to the type of skeletal sample. By carefully evaluating skeletal material available for forensic DNA testing with regard to sample age and type of skeletal element available, it is possible to increase the success and efficiency of forensic DNA testing.The aftermath of the 1992-1995 conflict in the area of former Yugoslavia was marked with estimated 40 000 missing individuals. To address the issue of missing persons, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) was created in 1996 following the G-7 Summit in Lyon, France. ICMP’s mandate was expanded to also cover the DNA typing of missing persons resulting from 1999 conflict in Kosovo region.ICMP employs a “population based, DNA-led” identification system for the identification of missing persons in the region of former Yugoslavia. On a regional scale, DNA profiles from reference samples of living relatives of missing persons are continuously compared in a batch mode to the DNA profiles obtained from mortal remains of victims. To date, more than 84 000 blood samples representing over 28 000 missing individuals have been collected, analyzed, and entered into the database. Since 2001, short tandem repeat (STR) profiles from more than 21 000 skeletal samples, representing more than 15 000 different individuals, have also been entered into the ICMP database (1). DNA matching reports of greater than 99.95% probability of identity have been issued for over 11 600 individuals.ICMP DNA laboratories currently operate at a target rate of 105 bone or tooth extractions per day, using a silica-based extraction method (1-3). Bone and teeth samples tested are between 8 and 15 years post mortem. The quality of DNA preservation in these bones is highly variable and often substantially limited or/and degraded. This reflects the fact that the remains were buried or disposed in many different environmental contexts, with differential exposure to potentially harsh extrinsic factors such as temperature, UV radiation, humidity, and exposure to animals, insects, and microbes. Different disposal conditions are marked by burial in different soil types, complete or partial immersion of remains in water, contact with fire, or use of plastic sheeting. Microbial degradation is variably evidenced in these samples by both bone morphology and co-extraction of sometimes large amounts of microbial DNA (our unpublished observation). As always in this type of work, co-extraction of DNA inhibitors is a serious issue, and is also variable among samples.Bone and teeth samples clearly protect DNA through their physical and/or chemical robustness to environmental degradation and/or biological attack. An elementary manifestation of this is that bone and teeth are often the only surviving material that can be tested. However, the mechanisms by which DNA is preserved in bone are not very well characterized (4). Bone tissue is primarily composed of protein and mineral. The two most abundant proteins in bone tissue are collagen and osteocalcin. Approximately 70% of the mineral portion of the bone is composed of hydroxyapatite, which includes calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium fluoride, calcium hydroxide, and citrate. Structural arrangement of bone tissue is such that the mineral portion provides structural support to the protein portion in the bone and, by doing so, physically excludes exogenous/extracellular agents/enzymes that are potentially harmful to the protein portion of the bone (4). DNA has a very strong affinity for hydroxyapatite. DNA degradation is linked to the loss of crystallinity in the hydroxyapatite, but it may also be related to the loss of collagen (5).Overall, it seems reasonable to suppose that the characteristics of the bone that are correlated with its general long term survival, ie its resistance to morphological degradation at the macroscopic and microscopic level, would be those that contribute to the protection of DNA from degradation. Bone density, ie the extent of mineralization, is one of the most important intrinsic factors in survival of bone material. There is a significant difference in bone density between men and women, with the latter showing lower density values. The difference in bone density is also specific for different areas of the skeletal element morphology, with the highest density values noted for the mid-shaft region (6). Teeth are the hardest tissue in the human body because of the dental enamel (7).To know which bones best preserve DNA is of fundamental importance to DNA identification casework in mass fatality incidents and mass graves from armed conflict or genocide. The question equally applies to “ancient DNA” analyses in archaeological or human molecular evolutionary investigations. Despite the logical expectation that denser, more intact bones may be preferable, there is very little empirical data published on this issue (8). We also note that a successful recovery of DNA is linked not only to the degree of protection within the bone, but also the total amount of starting DNA. One reason for the lack of precise information on the best samples for DNA testing from degraded bone is the difficulty in performing controlled experiments, with regard to the effect of relevant environmental variables, inter-individual variation (related to for example sex or age), the long periods of time involved, and the need for large sample size.The aim of our study was to analyze DNA typing success rates from very large sample sizes of various skeletal elements from victims of conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Given the large number of variables affecting DNA preservation, a large sample size helps to average out the influences of a wide range of environmental contexts and permit general conclusions. Further, we divided our data into three time periods, with respect to time since death. This allows the analysis of the relative rate of degradation in different skeletal elements over time. These empirical data can serve as a useful guide to sampling strategies from degraded skeletal remains.     

Excessive body weight is associated with additional loss of quality of life in children with asthma

BACKGROUND: Asthma and excessive body weight frequently coexist, whereas the exact relationship between the 2 diseases is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To study whether asthma combined with excessive body weight has a greater effect on quality of life in children than the separate effects of asthma or excessive body weight alone. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 1758 school children (age 7-10 years) participated: 4 study groups were composed of children with asthma and with/without excessive body weight, and healthy controls with/without excessive body weight. Diagnosis of asthma was defined by either a doctor's diagnosis or by core questions of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire in combination with either reversible airway obstruction or bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Excessive body weight was defined by using international cutoff points for body mass index. Quality of life was evaluated by the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS: For all domains of quality of life, children with both asthma and excessive body weight had lower scores than children with either asthma alone or excessive body weight alone. Compared with healthy controls, the score was 25% lower in children with asthma and excessive body weight, 14% lower in children with asthma and normal weight, and only 1% lower in overweight controls. CONCLUSION: Excessive body weight is associated with an additional decrease in quality of life in children with asthma. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians should be aware of the interaction between asthma and excessive body weight and the effect on quality of life and should give extra attention to children with both conditions.     

云南不明原因聚集性猝死中心肌炎病例的病理特点分析

目的观察分析云南不明原因聚集性猝死病例心肌炎的病理改变特点,探讨心肌炎在这类猝死中的作用。方法心肌炎的病理诊断参照Dallas和世界心脏联合会的标准。分析云南省1991—2006年进行猝死监测期间收集的尸检病例29例,其中14例为心肌炎病例。心肌炎患者年龄8～68岁,平均30岁。男9例、女5例。回顾流行病学资料,核查心脏标本,观察心脏等器官的组织切片,其中3例做了心脏传导系统检查。结果心肌炎共14例,占尸检病例的48％。其中淋巴细胞性心肌炎11例,中性粒细胞性心肌炎3例。心肌炎均表现为局灶性,未见弥漫性心肌炎。仅20％（8％～42％）的心肌组织切片可检出炎性病灶,病灶多分布在左心室侧壁,少数在室间隔和右心室部心肌。病灶区心肌细胞形态损伤多数较轻微,个别病例出现片状心肌溶解或凝固性坏死。多数病变为急性炎,也可见机化和急性损伤共存。4例还伴有心包炎,1例伴亚急性心内膜炎,3例行传导系统检查者中1例炎症波及房室结。心脏外观多无异常,仅2例左室或全心扩大。5例伴有呼吸道和肺部感染。结论心肌炎是云南不明原因聚集性猝死的主要病变之一,病理表现以局灶性为主,病变形态提示病毒和细菌性感染均有可能,但是,尚不能确定心肌炎症与中毒的关系。心肌炎的病因及其与猝死聚集性的关系值得进一步研究。