Severe Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Three Sisters with Sickle Cell Disease

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which usually causes mild infections in normal children, has been shown to cause isolated cases of severe pneumonia in children with sickle cell disease. We recently observed an outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumonia in three sisters with homozygous sickle cell disease. Two of them required hospitalization, and one progressed to respiratory failure requiring prolonged ventilatory assistance. All eventually recovered without long-term pulmonary complications. Familial outbreaks are not uncommon in Mycoplasma infection, but they have not been described previously in siblings with sickle cell disease. It is assumed that local or systemic host defense abnormalities predispose patients with sickling syndromes to more severe courses of Mycoplasma infections.     

Can misoprostol and omeprazole reduce nicotine and ethanol induced gastric mucosal injury? A quantitative macroscopic and microscopic analysis in rats

We compared the effects of misoprostol, omeprazole and methylcellulose (control) on gastric mucosal injury induced by nicotine and/or ethanol. The results demonstrate that misoprostol and omeprazole each significantly reduce macroscopic injury and deep injury at a microscopic level (P < 0.05) induced by nicotine alone, ethanol alone or a combination of ethanol and nicotine. Misoprostol and omeprazole each reduced the leakage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin into the interstitium in the gastric mucosa. Misoprostol and omeprazole are each effective in preventing injury induced by nicotine and ethanol and vascular factors are involved.     

辽西蜂胶中一新的桂皮酸酯成分的分离与鉴定

A new cinnamate ester drivitive (II) and three flavonoids (I, III, IV) were isolated from Liaoxi propolis. Their chemical structures were established as benzyl caffeate (II), 7-O-methylchrysin (I), genkwanin (III) and rhamnazin (IV) by spectral analysis. II is a new natural compound; I, III and IV were found from the propolis for the first time.     

多培沙明,非诺多泮和丙卡特罗对心肌缺血时电生理变化影响的比较

新型多巴胺受体激动剂多培沙明(DPX)能显著减轻缺氧和缺血豚鼠心室乳头肌静息电位,动作电位幅度和O相除极速度的降低程度及动作电位时程的缩短程度,其减轻作用明显大于非诺多泮(FODA)和丙卡特罗(PCTR)。DPX能使缺氧时缩短的有效不应期(ERP)延长,而使缺血时延长的ERP缩短,其程度明显大于FODA与PCTR。提示DPX抗缺血性心律失常的作用优于其他类型的多巴胺激动剂。     

Spinal cord sarcoidosis: a new finding at MR imaging with Gd-DTPA enhancement

Three patients with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis with spinal cord involvement were examined with high-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging (1.5 T) before and after the administration of gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid. In addition to intramedullary expansion, areas of patchy, multifocal, parenchymal enhancement and areas of linear peripheral enhancement were seen in all three patients; these findings have not been previously reported and are unusual for other more common spinal cord lesions. This observation led to a correct diagnosis and a limitation of the extent of biopsy in two of the cases. Unfortunately, this enhancement pattern is not specific for sarcoidosis, as the authors have observed similar findings in two cases of biopsy-proved myelitis and multiple sclerosis. The peripheral enhancement is thought to be located in the leptomeninges due to leptomeningeal involvement, which was proved histologically in one case. This pattern of involvement, while not specific, is certainly consistent with and, in the appropriate clinical setting, highly suggestive of sarcoidosis.     

Tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT®) for cross-sectional implant site assessment in the posterior mandible

PURPOSE: This study was designed to optimize a new radiographic modality known as tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT) for cross-sectional imaging of implant sites in human dry mandibles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five imaging modalities were compared for image quality and measurement accuracy: (1) conventional hypocycloidal tomograms, (2) TACT images reconstructed using the average method produced using a linear x-ray source movement, (3) TACT images reconstructed using the average method produced using a multidirectional x-ray source movement, (4) minimally reconstructed TACT images without a fiducial marker at the site of interest, and (5) minimally reconstructed TACT images with a fiducial marker at the site of interest. RESULTS: The extended Mantel-Haenszel mean score statistic was used to investigate the influence of modality on subjective image quality. A statistically significant difference for certain types of TACT images and multidirectional tomography (P < 0.0001) was observed. Linear TACT and multmin TACT were rated as significantly better than other image modalities (P < 0.0009), whereas multidirectional tomography was rated as being significantly worse than other radiographic modalities (P < 0.0001). For the quantitative assessment, data were normalized and analyzed statistically through a paired-comparisons t test. For each modality, the accuracy for maximum height and height was significantly different from ground truth (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The qualitative data suggest that visibility of structures important to the choice of implant location and dimension were seen better with certain TACT methods. Quantitative differences from ground truth (actual measurements of the bone-absolute truth) were clinically negligible. TACT appears to offer the potential of superior image quality over the status quo.     

脉冲电流对胰岛素经皮渗透的促进作用

实验结果表明,脉冲电流能有效地提高胰岛素的透皮扩散速率,并随着释放池中胰岛素浓度的递增,透皮扩散速率呈线性增加。同时,胰岛素在pH值偏离等电点的酸性溶液(pH3.6)中透皮速率最高,为324.2±33.4μU/(cm²·h),而在pH值高于等电点的溶液(pH7.4)中其透皮速率降至143.7±27.3μU/(cm²·h),在pH值接近等电点(pH5.3)时,胰岛素的透皮速率最低,为78.4±21.9μU/(cm²·h)。