Autologous bone marrow transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma resulting in long-term remission of coincidental Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease usually runs a chronic relapsing and remitting course, characterized by a repeated need for immunosuppressive drug therapy or often surgery, and is considered to be incurable by standard treatment. We report a case of successful long-term disease control of Crohn's disease following autologous bone marrow transplantation. This case provides further support for the concept that some forms of severe immune-mediated diseases may be amenable to treatment by high-dose therapy with autologous stem cell support.     

Haemostatic abnormalities in brain tumours

The coagulation profile of 25 patients with brain tumours was studied preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively. Ten patients had abnormal coagulation status preoperatively. Surgical intervention led to either an alteration of preexisting abnormality or appearance of new coagulation abnormality. Disseminated intravascular coagulation and fibrinolysis occurred with equal frequency in patients with meningiomas and gliomas. The alterations as a result of surgery were transient and compensated rapidly.     

Vascular smooth muscle response to fibrinogen degradation products and 5-hydroxytryptamine: possible role in cerebral vasospasm in man.

1 Experiments were performed to determine the effects of fibrin(ogen) degradation products on the following in vitro vascular preparations: rabbit aortic strip, rat aortic strip and human basilar arterial strip. 2 Citrated plasma and streptokinase were incubated at 37 degrees C to produce a crude preparation of fibrinogen degradation products and 0.1 ml aliquots were removed at various time intervals. These samples were tested for intrinsic activity and possible interactions with EC50 and threshold concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine on the vascular preparations. 3 Enhancement of the responses obtained by both concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine was produced by samples taken throughout the streptokinase incubation period, the maximum effect being seen at 90 min. 4 The 90 min incubate produced volume-dependent (25-400 microliters) potentiations of the responses developed in the three vascular preparations to the EC50 and threshold concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine. 5 It is suggested that fibrin(ogen) degradation products may be involved in the intense vasoconstriction of the cerebral arteries following subarachnoid haemorrhage.     

A metallic foreign body in the maxillary antrum and the nasopharynx

In this communication, we are reporting a very unusual foreign body, a 9 cms long broken piece of a knife which remained almost silent for a long period of 1 year. The foreign body was detected accidently when an X-ray was taken for unrelated complaints.     

Ancylostoma Ceylanicum: I. Protein and Antigenic Composition of Adult and Larval Stages

The protein and antigenic composition of adult and larval stages of Ancylostoma ceylanicum, a human hookworm maintained in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), was studied employing immunochemical techniques. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of 47 and 43 protein bands in adult worms and infective larvae respectively in the molecular weight range of 10-170 kD. Crossed immunoelectrophoretic analysis, using immune rabbit sera, showed the presence of 32 antigenic peaks in adults and 19 in infective larval stage. Most of the antigens were common between adult and larval stage as evidenced by cross-line immunoelectrophoresis, although some stage specific antigens were also identified. These studies also demonstrate the complex nature of adult worms as compared to larvae.     

Geometric accuracy of a real-time target tracking system with dynamic multileaf collimator tracking system

PURPOSE: Dynamically compensating for target motion during radiotherapy will increase treatment accuracy. A laboratory system for real-time target tracking with a dynamic MLC has been developed. In this study, the geometric accuracy limits of this DMLC target tracking system were evaluated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A motion simulator was programmed to follow patient-derived tumor motion paths, parallel to the leaf motion direction. A target attached to the simulator was optically tracked, and the leaf positions adjusted to continually align the DMLC beam aperture to the target. Analysis of the tracking accuracy was based on video images of the target and beam alignment. The system response time was determined and the tracking error measured. Response time-corrected tracking accuracy was also calculated to investigate the accuracy limits of an improved system. RESULTS: The response time of the system is 160 +/- 2 ms. The geometric precision for tracking patient motion is 0.6 to 1.1 mm (1 sigma) for the 3 patient datasets tested, with tracking errors relative to the original patient motion of 35, 40, and 100%. CONCLUSIONS: A DMLC target tracking system has been developed that can account for detected motion parallel to the leaf motion direction. The tracking error has a negligible systematic component. Reducing the response time will further increase the overall system accuracy.     

Effect of aqueous extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves on offensive and diffensive gastric mucosal factors in rats

Standardized aqueous extract of Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves (AIE) has been reported to show both ulcer protective and ulcer healing effects in normal as well as in diabetic rats. To study the mechanism of its ulcer protective/healing actions, effects of AIE (500 mg/ kg) was studied on various parameters of offensive acid-pepsin secretion in 4 hr pylorus ligation, pentagastrin (PENTA, 5 microg/kg/hr)-stimulated acid secretion and gastric mucosal proton pump activity and defensive mucin secretion including life span of gastric mucosal cells in rats. AIE was found to inhibit acid-pepsin secretion in 4 hr pylorus ligated rats. Continuous infusion of PENTA significantly increased the acid secretion after 30 to 180 min or in the total 3 hr acid secretion in rat stomach perfusate while, AIE pretreatment significantly decreased them. AIE inhibited the rat gastric mucosal proton pump activity and the effect was comparable with that of omeprazole (OMZ). Further, AIE did not show any effect on mucin secretion though it enhanced life span of mucosal cells as evidenced by a decrease in cell shedding in the gastric juice. Thus, our present data suggest that the ulcer protective activity of AIE may be due to its anti-secretary and proton pump inhibitory activity rather than on defensive mucin secretion. Further, acute as well as sub acute toxicity studies have indicated no mortality with 2.5 g/kg dose of AIE in mice and no significant alterations in body or tissues weight, food and water intake, haematological profile and various liver and kidney function tests in rats when treated for 28 days with 1 g/kg dose of AIE.     

Assessment of computer game as a psychological stressor

To simulate the effects of acute psychological stress, the effects of stressful computer game in young adult subjects were assessed by various physiological, psychological and biochemical parameters. The results showed a significant increase in the physiological and psychological markers of stress. It is concluded from these results that computer game can be used as an acute laboratory psychological stressor for future studies on physiological effects of stress.