Recovery of T cell subsets after autologous bone marrow transplantation is mainly due to proliferation of mature T cells in the graft

In 22 patients with malignancies, treated with high-dose chemoradiotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT), peripheral blood T cell subsets and functions were studied. In ten cytomegalovirus (CMV)-negative patients, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (representing T cells of the helper/inducer phenotype and T cells of the suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype, respectively), recovered slowly and simultaneously. In 12 CMV-positive patients, however, CD8+ T cells recovered more rapidly than CD4+ T cells and rose to increased counts. No T cells with an immature phenotype (CD1+, OKT6+) were observed. Lymphocyte stimulation by herpes simplex virus infected fibroblasts (and by CMV-infected fibroblasts in CMV-positive patients) in contrast remained high and even increased after BMT in both groups. These data indicate that T cell recovery after autologous BMT is mainly due to proliferation of mature T cells present in the BM graft and not to generation of new T cells from T cell precursors.     

Invasive pulmonary haemangiomatosis

Invasive pulmonary haemangiomatosis is a recently described disease in which exceedingly thin-walled vessels of capillary or venous dimensions infiltrate the lung parenchyma and pulmonary blood vessels. The angiomatous vessels, of obscure origin, infiltrate the media and intima of muscular pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins and venules. The occlusion of the veins and venules by the thin-walled vessels, and the reactive intimal fibrosis they provoke, leads to pulmonary capillary dilatation, collections of intra-alveolar siderophages, fibrosis of alveolar walls and osseous nodules. This secondary pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in turn leads to hypertensive pulmonary vascular disease. Hence invasive pulmonary haemangiomatosis represents a fourth cause of 'unexplained pulmonary hypertension', the other three being unexplained plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy, recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism, and pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. Two previously reported cases of invasive pulmonary haemangiomatosis presented with recurrent haemoptysis and the gradual development of chronic respiratory insufficiency associated with diffuse infiltrates in the chest radiograph. In one of these cases a haemothorax had developed. Such clinical features may be of importance in coming to the correct diagnosis.     

Current thinking on chronic renal allograft rejection: issues, concerns, and recommendations from a 1997 roundtable discussion

Chronic rejection accounts for most renal allograft losses after the first year posttransplantation. On March 24 and 25, 1997, a roundtable of five transplant surgeons, two nephrologists, and one pathologist assembled in Dallas, Texas, to review critical issues surrounding chronic renal allograft rejection. This article summarizes the presentations and relevant discussions of this meeting regarding the cause of chronic rejection, clinical diagnoses, risk factors, future prospects for intervention strategies, and general recommendations for the transplant community. Growing evidence indicates that chronic rejection is the aggregate sum of irreversible immunologic and nonimmunologic injuries to the renal graft over time. A history of acute rejection episodes and inadequate immunosuppression, likely attributable to inconsistent cyclosporine exposure or poor patient compliance, are among the most recognizable immunologic risk factors for chronic rejection. Donor organ quality, delayed graft function, and other donor and recipient variables leading to reduced nephron mass are nonimmunologic factors that contribute to the progressive deterioration of renal graft function. Clinical management of renal transplant recipients should incorporate both immunologic- and nonimmunologic-based intervention strategies aimed at minimizing risk factors to thwart the progression of chronic rejection and improve long-term allograft and patient survival.     

颈中交感神经节阻滞治疗急性脑梗塞的临床疗效观察

目的　观察颈中交感神经节阻滞治疗脑梗塞的临床效果。方法　将 6 4例脑梗塞患者按就诊次序随机分为两组 :(1)颈中交感神经阻滞组 (下简称阻滞组 ) :34例。 (2 )对照组 :30例。两组在脑梗塞常规用药上相同 ,阻滞组采用气管旁颈 6横突法 ,隔日阻滞 1次 ,共 6次。 2周后进行疗效评定。结果　阻滞组总有效率 (88 2 3 % )明显高于对照组 (6 0 % )。结论　颈中交感神经节阻滞是一种创伤较小的侵入性交感神经阻断技术 ,对缺血性脑血管病疗效确切     

Influence of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms

BACKGROUND: Our aims in the present study were to estimate the influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life, and to determine which of these two variables has the most predictive power with respect to quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. METHODS: Chronic prostatitis-like symptoms were measured by the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index. Of the 28,841 men aged 20 years who lived in the study community, 18,495 men (a response rate 64.1%) agreed to participate in the study. A total of 1057 men who complained of symptoms indicative of chronic prostatitis were included in the study. The influences of pain and urinary symptoms on quality of life were determined using logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to estimate the predictive ability of each of these variables with respect to quality of life. RESULTS: Results from multivariate analysis showed that both pain and urinary symptoms were associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life, although pain contributed more to a reduced quality of life than urinary symptoms. Relative to men who experienced mild pain, men who experienced moderate pain had a 3.9-fold risk of poor quality of life (odds ratio [OR], 3.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.86-5.23; P < 0.001) and those who experienced severe pain had a 15.7-fold risk of reduced quality of life (OR, 15.68; 95% CI, 6.59-37.35; P < 0.001). Moderate urinary symptoms were associated with a 1.4-fold risk of bother (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01-1.99; P < 0.001) and severe urinary symptoms were associated with 2.4-fold risk (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.37-4.12; P < 0.001), relative to mild urinary symptoms. Comparison of the effects of pain and urinary symptoms showed that pain severity had the most predictive power for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact. The areas under the ROC curves for bother, quality of life, and quality-of-life impact were 71.3%, 69.3% and 72.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Urinary symptoms and pain might be associated with an increased likelihood of impaired quality of life in young men with chronic prostatitis-like symptoms. In addition, our findings suggest that pain severity is the most influential variable for determining quality of life in this population.     

Computer graphics for digitally formatted images

The increasing use of digitally formatted imaging systems requires high-quality interactive gray-scale computer raster graphics systems for the management, display, and analog film recording of digital image and alphanumeric information. These systems are a combination of computer hardware and software and implement a set of graphics protocols. This paper describes a set of interactive graphics protocols that has been developed for clinical use.