DLCO/Q and diffusion limitation at rest and on exercise in patients with interstitial fibrosis

Pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) and pulmonary capillary blood flow (Qp) were measured on exercise in patients with a low DLCO with the aim of predicting, from the overall DL/Qp ratio, diffusion limitation for oxygen and relating it to the fall in arterial oxygen saturation actually observed. Five patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (DLCO ranging from 20-54% predicted normal) exercised for 5 min at a work load equal to 60% of their maximum (45 to 90 watts). At 5 min (and previously at rest) they rebreathed rapidly for 15 sec from a 1.0 L bag containing helium (He), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and freon-22, 30% oxygen in argon and less than 1 ppm 11C-labelled carbon monoxide. Pulmonary capillary blood flow (Qp) and diffusing capacity (DLCO) were measured from flow-weighted breath-by-breath concentrations of freon-22 and 11CO, after correction for gas mixing delays (using He and SF6). Oxygen saturation (SaO2) (ear oximetry), MO2 and MCO2 and cardiac frequency were measured. PAO2 (ideal) was derived and mixed venous O2 saturation and content were calculated (Fick); PaO2 and PVO2 were derived from standard dissociation curves. For comparison, DLCO and Qp were measured in a similar fashion in five normal subjects exercising at 60 watts. Mean DLCO in patients with fibrosis was 9.62 (SD 2.88) ml.min-1, mm Hg-1 on exercise and mean Qp was 10.48 (SD 1.79) L.min-1 giving mean DLCO/Q ratios of 0.92 (SD 0.28). At 60 watts mean DLCO/Qp in normal subjects was 2.54 (SD 0.3), 2.76-times greater than in patients. SaO2% fell in patients by 3-15% on exercise. Predictions of alveolar-end capillary PO2 gradients from these overall DL/Q gradients showed that diffusion limitation accounted for 99% of the alveolar-arterial PO2 gradient on exercise in fibrosing alveolitis. Hughes (1991 Respir. Physiol. 83:167-178) [corrected] suggests that this simple approach overestimates the contribution of diffusion limitation by about 30%.     

脑肿瘤干细胞体外分化过程中的回逆现象分析

目的探讨脑肿瘤干细胞（BTSCs）体外分化过程中的回逆现象，为研究其分化抑制机制奠定基础。方法利用CD133免疫磁珠筛选系统，从肿瘤组织中分离获得的CD133^＋细胞（BTSCs）分成4组进行培养：（1）含10％胎牛血清（FCS）；（2）10％FCS＋丙戊酸钠注射液（VPA）；（3）无FCS＋生长因子；（4）无FCS＋生长因子＋VPA。取不同时间点上的细胞，相差显微镜观察其形态变化：流式细胞术检测与分化相关的标志物、细胞周期和DNA倍体变化；利用免疫激光共聚焦分析与分化相关标志物的共表达情况。结果无FCS条件下培养的BTSCs呈悬浮球状生长，高表达CD133和巢蛋白（nestin），不表达胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）和β-微管蛋白Ⅲ（β-TubulinⅢ）。G0／G1期细胞占大多数，G2／M期细胞接近0％，DNA都是异倍体，对VPA反应不敏感。含FCS培养的原本悬浮的细胞约4h开始贴壁。均呈圆形。此后逐渐向多形性分化，至7d时分化的细胞部分又返回至圆形。至10d-21d时，有的还能重新恢复球形，并呈悬浮生长。培养3d、7d、10d和21d时，CD133、nestin阳性细胞数先降后升，GFAP^＋和β-TubulinⅢ^＋细胞数始终处于较低水平。含FCS培养液中加入VPA。细胞形态上未见上述的回逆现象，CD133和nestin表达的先降后升现象消失，GFAP和β-TubulinⅢ在第7天以后表达明显升高，但极大部分细胞共表达nestin。而神经干细胞（NSCs）在含FCS培养至10d时，即以GFAP和β-TubulinⅢ表达为主，未见CD133^＋细胞。此外，含血清培养时BTSCs仍以异倍体为主。含少量的G2／M期细胞，加VPA诱导后细胞周期和DNA倍体变化不明显。结论BTSCs在含血清条件下培养出现的多向分化表型不稳定，时有去分化所导致的回逆。加入诱导分化剂VPA培养，虽然能阻止回逆现象出现，并有代表星形胶质细胞和神经元标志物表达上升．但因其共表达nestin而仍属于未完全分化细胞，表明BTSCs分化始终处于受抑状态。     

Regional flow during experimental hemorrhage and crystalloid resuscitation: persistence of low flow to the splanchnic organs.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS. Rapid changes in cardiac output (CO) and organ perfusion occur with hemorrhagic shock and fluid resuscitation. To assess regional alterations of flow, 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats were subjected to hemorrhagic shock and crystalloid resuscitation under halothane anesthesia. Polyethylene microspheres were injected before and after hemorrhage and after resuscitation. At sacrifice, brain, lungs, heart, liver, intestine, spleen and kidneys were harvested, weighed and radioactivity counted. Changes in mean arterial pressure, oxygen consumption, organ flow and CO were also measured. RESULTS: Cardiac output decreased during hemorrhage (P less than 0.01), it increased with resuscitation but did not return to baseline even with infusion of fluid volumes of three times the blood loss. Flow decreased during hemorrhage in all organs, but the difference was not statistically significant in the liver (P greater than 0.05), since a larger percentage of CO was maintained as hepatic perfusion. During resuscitation, flow to brain and kidneys increased over the percentage values expected by increased CO (P less than 0.01), but flow to the liver did not increase significantly. Flow to small bowel remained depressed (P less than 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Following hemorrhage there is hypoperfusion of all splanchnic organs; however, flow to the liver decreases least. Crystalloid resuscitation in our model failed to return CO to baseline. Blood supply to intestine remained depressed in disproportion to CO both after hemorrhage and resuscitation and hepatic blood flow remained decreased after resuscitation.     

99Tcm-DMSA肾皮质显像诊断小儿肾发育不良

目的 探讨^99Tc^m—二巯基丁二酸(DMSA)肾皮质显像诊断小儿肾发育不良的价值。方法 疑为肾发育不良患儿29例，行常规^99Tc^m—DMSA肾皮质显像和腹部B超检查。图像分析：将发育不良肾分为0～4级。结果 ^99Tc^m—DMSA肾皮质显像示29例患儿中24例为单侧肾发育不良，其中11例1级，7例2级，6例3级，余5例患肾未显影为0级，结合其他：检查诊断为肾发育不良。患肾分肾功能为0～24．9％(平均6．3％)。29例患儿中24例患肾肾皮质显像诊断为肾发育不良，5例患肾未显影，由其他影像学方法确诊，诊断灵敏度为82．76％。29例中19例经手术治疗，病理检查证实为肾发育不良。结论 ^99Tc^m—DMSA肾皮质显像诊断肾发育不良灵敏度高、可靠，可确定发育不良肾部位和判断肾功能。     

下肢深静脉瓣功能不全的二维及彩色多普勒超声诊断

目的 探讨下肢深静脉瓣功能不全的二维及彩色多普勒超声声像图改变。方法 应用二维及彩色多普勒超声检查下肢深静脉瓣功能不全36例，47条腿，观察下肢静脉血管及瓣膜的解剖结构和血流动力学改变。结果 有静脉瓣功能不全的患肢静脉管腔内径均有不同程度增宽，瓣膜均有不同程度的改变，脉冲多普勒显示返流频谱返流时间大于0.5s。结论 该检查对诊断下肢深静脉瓣功能不全有较高的实用价值。     

High-frequency ventilation: issues of strategy

Although each high-frequency ventilator has functional characteristics that are design related, it now appears that when used with similar treatment strategies and within their functional limitations, similar clinical outcomes can be realized. Optimized treatment protocols must vary depending on the pulmonary disease to be treated, with strategies during treatment for pulmonary injury different from those used in pulmonary injury prevention. It is still unclear whether any one particular high-frequency ventilator will have specific disadvantages that cannot be overcome by device modification and that are inherent in a particular HFV methodology. Experimental and clinical data suggest that HFV will contribute significantly in reducing neonatal pulmonary morbidity and aid in the prevention of chronic pulmonary disease.     

系统性红斑狼疮患者淋巴细胞亚群早期凋亡的初步研究

目的：检测系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)患者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)中不同细胞亚群发生凋亡的情况，并初步分析其在SLE发病机制中的意义。方法：取28例SLE患者和性别年龄与之相匹配的20个正常对照者。采用淋巴细胞亚群标志、Annexin-V及碘化丙啶三色荧光标记、流式细胞术检测细胞的早期凋亡。结果：SLE患者体内CD3^ T细胞、CD4^ T细胞和CD8^ T细胞的凋亡百分率均显著高于正常对照组(P＜0．05)。同时，SLE患者T淋巴细胞的死亡百分率也高于正常人。经激素治疗一定时间后，这些细胞亚群的凋亡率会进一步升高(P＜0．01)，但CD4／CD8比值恢复至接近正常人。SLE患考体内CDl9^ B淋巴细胞的凋亡或死亡百分率和正常对照组相比均无明显差别，激素治疗对B细胞凋亡和死亡的影响亦不显著。结论：在SLE患者体内主要是T淋巴细胞凋亡增加，但SLE患者淋巴细胞数目减少不仅仅是因为细胞凋亡所致，死亡细胞数目明显升高也是其中一个重要原因。激素治疗可诱导SLE患者T淋巴细胞进一步发生凋亡，并使T细胞亚群比例有所改善。     

Intrauterine position affects motoneuron number and muscle size in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system

The intrauterine position occupied by a rodent fetus influences the amount of testosterone to which it is exposed before birth. Animals that are gestated between two male fetuses (2M) are exposed to higher circulating levels of testosterone than are animals positioned between two female fetuses (2F) and there are reliable differences in the reproductive physiology and behavior of 2M and 2F animals when adult. To determine whether intrauterine position modifies development of the central nervous system, we examined the sexually dimorphic spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) in male and female gerbils from known intrauterine positions. We found that adult 2M female gerbils had 16% more SNB motoneurons than did 2F females. 2M males did not differ from 2F males in SNB motoneuron number, but the bulbocavernosus muscle, which is innervated by SNB motoneurons, was approximately 50% larger in 2M than in 2F males. These data indicate that intrauterine position can influence the morphology of the sexually dimorphic SNB neuromuscular system.     

A cost-effectiveness comparison of supported employment and rehabilitative day treatment

Recent research suggests that, for some people with severe mental illness, supported employment could improve vocational outcomes for little additional expense. This study describes the costs and client outcomes in one mental health center that converted two rehabilitative day treatment programs to supported employment. Converting from day treatment to supported employment improved vocational outcomes significantly without increasing costs. Although total costs for community treatment were lower in both sites after implementing supported employment, differences appeared to be due to decreasing unit costs over the study period. Results illustrate the importance of testing the effects of cost estimation methods on findings.This study was supported by West Central Services, the New Hampshire Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, and NIMH grant K02-MH-00839. The authors are grateful to Jesse Turner and Phil Wyzik for facilitating the research.