Gastric teratoma in children including the third reported female case

Gastric teratoma is a very rare benign tumor. Fifty-three cases, only two of which were females, have previously been reported. This report concerns two cases of teratoma arising from stomach. One of them is the third female case described in the literature.     

Change in renal tubular sodium and water handling during progression of polycystic kidney disease: relationship to atrial natriuretic peptide

Renal tubular sodium and water handling determined by the lithium clearance technique, plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), angiotensin II, aldosterone, arginine vasopressin (AVP), and urinary excretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were determined both during basal conditions and before and after intravenous sodium loading with a 2.5% sodium chloride solution in patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), ten with normal or slightly reduced kidney function (PKDN) and seven with moderately reduced kidney function (PKDR), and in 15 healthy controls. In PKDN tubular function was normal, whereas in PKDR both proximal and distal reabsorption of sodium and water were reduced. Angiotensin II and aldosterone were normal in both groups of patients. During basal conditions ANP was higher in PKDR than in PKDN. PGE2 was significantly higher in PKDR than in PKDN. For all patients significant correlations were found between GFR and both ANP (rho = -0.51, n = 17, P less than 0.05) and PGE2 (rho = -0.53, n = 17, P less than 0.05). It is concluded that renal sodium handling is normal in the early stages of PKD. With deterioration of kidney function both proximal and distal tubular reabsorption of sodium is reduced and the accompanying changes in ANP and PGE2 may be compensatory phenomena counteracting declining glomerular filtration rate.     

Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion SPECT after dipyridamole combined with low-level exercise in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease

Tc-99m tetrofosmin is a lipophilic, cationic perfusion imaging agent that changes to Tl-201 in detecting coronary artery disease during exercise testing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of Tc-99m tetrofosmin dipyridamole stress imaging combined with low level exercise for the detection of coronary artery disease. We examined 42 patients and 10 normal volunteers who also underwent coronary angiography. A one-day protocol was used: in the stress study, 296 MBq of tetrofosmin was injected and in the rest study 888 MBq was injected. After intravenous administration of dipyridamole (0.142 mg/kg/min for 4 minutes), the patient was exercised on a bicycle ergometer for 3 min (25 Watts). Tetrofosmin was injected 2 minutes after dipyridamole infusion during the exercise. Single photon emission computed tomographic images were obtained 30 minutes after the tracer injection. Images were interpreted as abnormal in 36 of 42 patients with coronary artery disease, and normal in all of 10 normal volunteers. The overall sensitivity of detection of coronary artery disease was 83.3% and the normalcy rate was 100%. The diagnostic values for the detection of significant stenosis in the three major arteries were: LAD sensitivity 83%, specificity 92%; LCX sensitivity 47%, specificity 91%; RCA sensitivity 75%, specificity 83%. Of the 66 arteries with more than 50% stenosis, 48 arteries were correctly identified. Of the 36 with more than 70% stenosis, 31 were identified. Scintigraphic evidence of multivessel disease was found in only 9 patients (50%). A protocol of Tc-99m tetrofosmin SPECT combined with low level exercise after dipyridamole is therefore useful for the detection of the coronary artery disease.     

Effect of modulation of the transferrin receptor on gallium-67 uptake and cytotoxicity in lymphoma cell lines.

Gallium-67 is a radionuclide that accumulates in haematological malignancies and is used for diagnostic purposes. Uptake of 67Ga into the cell occurs via the transferrin receptor, which is differentially expressed during the various cell cycle phases. With the aim of selectively increasing 67Ga uptake, we studied whether the transferrin receptor (TfR) expression could be modulated in the U937 and U715 lymphoma cell lines by cytostatic drugs inducing cell cycle phase accumulation. We tested clinically relevant drugs such as 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (Ara-C), hydroxyurea and methotrexate. Cytotoxicity was determined by testing the clonogenic capacity of the lymphoma cell lines. All three drugs induced an increase in S-phase content, TfR expression and 67Ga uptake in U937 and U715 single cells. The combinations of drugs and 67Ga resulted in an additive effect on the clonogenic capacity. In U937 spheroids, cultured by the fibrin clot technique, we found an accumulation in the S-phase too as well as an increase of the transferrin receptor expression after Ara-C preincubation. As in single cells 67Ga uptake was increased without synergistic effects on the clonogenic capacity. In conclusion, priming with drugs induces increased transferrin receptor expression and 67Ga uptake. Inhibition of clonogenic capacity was additive rather than synergistic.     

Six direct radioimmunoassays of estradiol evaluated

We evaluated the analytical performance of six commercial direct radioimmunoassays of 17 beta-estradiol, those from Radioassay Systems Laboratories, IRE Medgenix, Biotecx Laboratories, Farmos Spectria, International CIS, and Diagnostic Products Corp. The mean value for estradiol (E2) and the within- and between-run CVs were determined for serum pools and control materials, measured in seven to 10 runs with each method. Mean values for E2 in pooled sera deviated by 75% to 350% from the means measured with our routinely used extraction method. Between-run CVs ranged from 4% to 14% for the direct assays as compared with 10% for the extraction assay. We also investigated, for two of the direct assays, the effect of extraction with diethyl ether before radioimmunoassay, with respect to improvement in the agreement with our extraction method. All of the assays were easy to perform and results were obtained within 4-5 h, but we conclude that matrix effects may be expected in direct assays of estradiol.     

Mechanisms underlying the enhanced elevation of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha mRNA levels following endotoxin challenge in rat alveolar macrophages cultured with low-Mg2+ medium.

We have previously shown that interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA levels in rat alveolar macrophages are increased in by endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS)- stimulation and further enhanced by culturing with low-Mg2+ medium. We have now investigated the mechanisms of underlying this enhancement by using some specific signal transduction inhibitors. The enhanced elevation of both mRNAs levels was suppressed by pretreatment with TMB-8 (which inhibits calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum) or dexamethasone (which inhibits nuclear factor [NF]-kappaB and activator protein [AP]-1), but not with verapamil or nifedipine (which inhibits calcium channels). The enhancment of IL-1beta, but not TNF-alpha mRNA levels, was suppressed by pretreatment with W-7 (which inhibits calmodulin), whereas the enhancement of TNF-alpha mRNA levels was suppressed by pretreatment with U73122 (which inhibits phospholipase C). Curcumin (an inhibitor of AP-1), suppressed the increases in both mRNAs induced by low-Mg2+ medium alone, but had no suppressive effect on the levels of either mRNA after LPS-stimulation in low-Mg2+ medium. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (an inhibitor of NF-kappaB) prevented the elevation of TNF-alpha mRNA levels induced by low-Mg2+ medium without LPS-stimulation, but had no suppressive effect on IL-1beta mRNA levels. From these results, we conclude that the enhanced elevation of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha mRNA levels seen in LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages in low-Mg2+ medium occurs partly via the same, and partly via different, signaling pathways.     

Capsaicin cough sensitivity in allergic asthmatic patients increases during the birch pollen season.

BACKGROUND: A change in neural responsiveness may occur as the result of allergic inflammation in the lower airways as well as in the upper airways. In the lower airways, capsaicin cough sensitivity is known to reflect sensory neural reactivity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish whether allergic inflammation changes airway neural sensory reactivity during prolonged allergen exposure. METHODS: Ten nonsmoking patients with birch pollen-allergic asthma performed a capsaicin inhalation challenge twice, once in the off-pollen season and once during the pollen season. The number of coughs and symptoms induced by capsaicin were recorded and compared with those of healthy control subjects. RESULTS: The response to capsaicin, expressed as number of coughs, increased in a dose-dependent manner during both tests. Before the season, the response was similar to that of healthy control subjects, but during the pollen season, the reactivity was significantly increased. Variations in forced expiratory volume in 1 second were not significant before and after each challenge, and values did not change during the pollen season as compared with the winter season. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory reactivity in allergic asthmatic patients may be increased during prolonged allergen exposure as during the pollen season. This finding suggests that allergic inflammation in the lower and/or upper airways may trigger neurogenic mechanisms of significant clinical importance.