Plasma lyso-phosphatidylcholine concentration is decreased in cancer patients with weight loss and activated inflammatory status

Background  

It has been observed that ras-transformed cell lines in culture have a higher phosphatidylcholine (PC) biosynthesis rate as well as higher PC-degradation rate (increased PC-turnover) than normal cells. In correspondence to these findings, the concentrations of the PC-degradation product lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC) in cancer patients were found to be decreased. Our objective was the systematic investigation of the relationship between LPC and inflammatory and nutritional parameters in cancer patients. Therefore, plasma LPC concentrations were assessed in 59 cancer patients and related to nutritional and inflammatory parameters. To determine LPC in blood plasma we developed and validated a HPTLC method.     

云南白药与维生素K4治疗肺结核少量咯血80例

咯血是肺结核最常见的并发症之一，多见于初、复治的Ⅲ型肺结核病人，尤其是有空洞形成者。笔者近10年来采用云南白药(或云南白药胶囊)与维生素K4联合治疗初、复治肺结核引起少量咯血的病人，收到了较理想的效果，报告如下。     

Sympathoadrenal excitation and inhibition by lower brainstem stimulation in cats

Effects of stimulation of brainstem sites on hemodynamics and plasma catecholamine levels were assessed in cats under chloralose-urethane anesthesia. Pressor areas of the dorsal medulla (DM) and ventrolateral medulla (VLM) and the depressor area of the paramedian reticular nucleus (PRN) were stimulated electrically using a monopolar electrode, or chemically using sodium glutamate microinjection. Plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) were measured in caval blood above the adrenal veins. Electrical stimulation of the DM and VLM produced increases in blood pressure and in plasma NE and EPI levels that were enhanced after acute vagotomies. The NE and EPI responses were attenuated after acute, bilateral adrenalectomies, confirming augmented adrenomedullary secretion, whereas the pressor responses were intact. Injection of sodium glutamate into the same pressor regions of the DM or VLM also produced pressor responses and elevated plasma catecholamine levels, indicating that the responses resulted from activation of neuronal perikarya. Stimulation of the PRN attenuated pressor and catecholamine responses during stimulation of the DM and VLM. The results indicate that pressor responses during stimulation of the DM and VLM are due at least partly to activation of perikarya in these regions, are associated with but not dependent on adrenomedullary activation, and are enhanced after vagotomy; and that neurons of the PRN exert inhibitory modulation of the pressor and adrenomedullary responses during stimulation of VLM and DM.     

Invasion of the skull base by carcinomas: histopathologically evidenced findings with CT and MRI

The depth and extent of the invasion of the skull base by a tumor are the most critical information for successful en bloc resection of the tumor. The only means available for the evaluation of these factors are CT or MRI images. In order to clarify the ability of these imaging modes to delineate the invasion of the skull base, preoperative images of ten patients who underwent en bloc resection of skull base tumors at Kobe University Hospital were compared with the histopathological findings of the resected specimens. CT proved to be superior to MRI for evaluating bone destruction of the skull base. On the other hand, MRI provided more useful information about intracranial invasion than CT. As a hypertrophic linear shadow on Gd-enhanced MRI represented dural invasion or thickened dura mater adjacent to the tumor, this technique should be taken into consideration to determine the dural resection. We concluded that preoperative evaluation of the depth of skull base invasion by both CT and Gd-enhanced MRI is essential for planning complete tumor resection.     

Point mutation in the parkin gene on patients with Parkinson’s disease

Summary To investigate the distribution of possible novel mutations from parkin gene in variant subset of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in China and explore whether parkin gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PD, 70 patients were divided into early-onset group and late-onset group; 70 healthy subjects were included as controls. Genomic DNA from 70 normal controls and from those of PD patients were extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes by using standard procedures. Mutations of parkin gene (exon 1–12) in all the subjects were screened by PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and further sequencing was performed in the samples with abnormal SSCP results, in order to confirm the mutation and its location. A new missense mutation Gly284Arg in a patient and 3 abnormal bands in SSCP electrophoresis from samples of another 3 patients were found. All the DNA variants were sourced from the samples of the patients with early-onset PD. It was concluded that Parkin point mutation also partially contributes to the development of early-onset Parkinson’s disease in Chinese. WANG Tao, male, born in 1961, Associate Professor This work was supported by grants from the key program of the special scientific project of Scientific & Technologic Agency of Hubei Province (Serial No. 2001AA308B01) and the Hygienic Research Project of Hygienic Agency of Hubei province (Serial No. WJ 01529).     

Acute pericarditis as initial clinical manifestation of hypereosinophilia syndrome]

The case of a patient in whom acute pericarditis was the initial manifestation of an idiopathic hypereosinophilia is reported. Endomyocardial abnormalities were not found by echocardiography. Response to prednisone therapy was good; symptoms, pericardial effusion and eosinophilia early disappeared after therapy. Some clinical aspects of this uncommon disease are discussed.