Panniculitis–an unusual cutaneous manifestation of systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune systemic disease characterized by small vessel involvement that leads to tissue ischemia and fibroblast stimulation resulting in accumulation of collagen (fibrosis) in the skin and internal organs. Lipomembranous panniculitis is a peculiar type of fat necrosis and has been reported with clinical conditions, commonly with peripheral vascular diseases. We describe a case of a 43‐year‐old woman with SSc manifestations, who presented with black scaly skin plaques, associated with thickening of the subcutaneous fat tissue, on the lateral surface of her thighs, her calves, gluteal area and lower abdomen. Biopsy revealed lipomembranous panniculitis. Lipomembranous changes have been seen in connective tissue disorders such as lupus profundus, morphea, systemic sclerosis and panniculitis associated with dermatomyositis, but rarely in thighs, calves, gluteal area and lower abdomen. Almeida MSTM, Lima SCB, Carvalho LL, Almeida JVM, Santos LG, Rolim JRA, Rocha TE. Panniculitis–An unusual cutaneous manifestation of systemic sclerosis.     

加替沙星无菌检查方法的建立与标准操作探讨

目的:建立加替沙星原料及制剂无菌检查法及标准操作方法。方法:按2005年版中国药典无菌检查法验证实验的有关要求,通过接种阳性代表菌株,对薄膜过滤、添加中和剂等去除加替沙星抗菌活性的实验方法和条件进行验证,逐步建立加替沙星原料及制剂无菌检查的标准操作方法。结果:在对加替沙星不同原料及制剂样品适当的处理基础上,采用薄膜过滤法,以0.1%蛋白胨水溶液作为冲洗液,约每滤筒300 mL 的冲洗量,每筒培养基中加入0.1 mol·L~(-1)硫酸锰溶液3 mL 可去除加替沙星对细菌的抑菌作用。结论:加替沙星具有较强的抑菌活性,通过适当的样品处理、薄膜过滤法和添加硫酸锰溶液作为重金属络合剂,去除加替沙星抑菌活性,可对解决喹诺酮类抗生素无菌检查问题起到较好的参考作用。     

保健食品微生物限度检查的方法学验证

目的:确认对保健食品进行微生物限度检查时,昕采用的细菌、霉菌及酵母菌计数和控制菌检查方法是否适合于该保健食品的微生物限度检查。方法:按2005年版中国药典微生物限度检查法及方法学验证实验要求,对21种保健食品进行了方法学验证。结果:10个品种(血尔口服液、金舒通胶囊、事轻松胶囊、梦玉胶囊等)分别对金黄色葡萄球菌和枯草芽孢杆菌有明显的抑菌作用,阳性对照菌回收率均低于70%。结论:保健食品采用 GB/T4789-2003食品卫生微生物学检查法进行检查时,其检验结果可能不够科学,建议参照2005年版中国药典要求,通过方法验证实验建立合理的检验方法。     

Liver transplantation in tyrosinaemia type 1: the dilemma of timing the operation

Four children with tyrosinaemia type 1 received liver transplants. The metabolic disorder was corrected and all four had normal liver function on an unrestricted diet. Two children, transplanted at age five and seven years, proved to have occult hepatocellular carcinoma and both subsequently developed pulmonary metastases. One child was well 32 months after removal of a single pulmonary metastasis but the other child died with multiple metastases. The two younger children, transplanted at age 19 and 21 months, were well 28 and 44 months after operation, one after a second liver transplant. Our experience confirms the high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in this disease and the potential value of early liver transplantation.     

Solute movement across the round window membrane in comparison with that across the blood-labyrinth barrier]

The permeability of the normal round window membrane of the guinea pig to trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA) was assessed using ion-selective electrodes and compared with the rate of TMPA entry from the systemic blood circulation into the scala tympani (ST) of the cochlea across the so-called blood-labyrinth barrier. While the round window niche was irrigated with artificial perilymph containing 1 mM TMPA, the TMPA concentration in ST of the basal turn rose rapidly so as to reach 20-50% of the irrigating medium concentration in one hour. Following this procedure, the concentration declined significantly faster when the niche was subsequently irrigated with TMPA-free artificial perilymph than when the niche was left free of any fluid. This result shows that the membrane is fairly permeable to TMPA in both directions. Furthermore, TMPA entry from blood to STs of the basal and third turns was observed while the plasma TMPA concentration was maintained at about 0.5 mM by continuous intravenous infusion of isotonic 50 mM TMPA medium (1 part 150 mM TMPA + 2 parts lactated Ringer solution). TMPA appeared to distribute evenly from the blood to both turns at a much slower rate than across the round window membrane. In another experiment, the round window niche was irrigated with TMPA-free artificial perilymph during the intravenous infusion of 50 mM TMPA medium. The TMPA concentration increase in ST of the basal turn was greatly suppressed, whereas that of the third turn was not affected for at least an hour.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Selenium status of New Zealand infants fed either a selenium supplemented or a standard formula

Objective: New Zealand soils are deficient in the essential micronutrient, selenium. New Zealand infants have low selenium levels at birth and experience a further decline if fed cows milk based formula. This study examined the selenium status of infants fed with a new commercially available selenium supplemented formula.
Methodology Forty-four newborn infants, whose mothers wished to formula feed, were randomized in an open controlled trial to be fed a commercially available selenium supplemented cows milk formula (containing 17 μg Se/L) or an unsupplemented formula (containing 4.6 μg Se/L). Cord, 1 and 3 month blood samples were obtained for selenium status (plasma and red cell selenium and glutathione peroxidase) and thyroid function.
Results Mean plasma selenium and glutathione peroxidase values were significantly higher in supplemented than unsupplemented infants at 1 month (unpaired t -tests; P <0.0001 and P = 0.001 respectively) and 3 months ( P <0.0001 and P = 0.0005). Analysis within treatment groups between time points (paired t -tests) showed that selenium supplementation prevented the fall in plasma selenium from birth to 1 month seen in unsupplemented infants and was associated with a rise in levels between 1 and 3 months ( P = 0.002).
Conclusions Supplementing cows milk formula with selenium to replicate the levels found in breast milk is nutritionally sound. Feeding from a few days of age with a formula containing 17 μg Se/L in infants with low selenium status at birth is sufficient to cause a rise to 80% of adult levels at 3 months of age.     

Long-term effects of early kwashiorkor compared with marasmus. II. Intellectual performance

Intellectual performance including IQ (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and conservation was measured at ages 11-18 years in a follow-up study of Barbadian girls and boys who had histories of kwashiorkor (n = 53) or marasmus (n = 55) in their first year of life. They were compared with healthy neighborhood children matched by sex and age who had normal patterns of growth in early childhood (n = 58). On both IQ and conservation tests, children with previous kwashiorkor or marasmus had similar scores, which were significantly lower than scores of healthy comparison children. These findings were examined in relationship to current environmental conditions, which were similar in children with histories of kwashiorkor or marasmus and somewhat less advantaged than those of the comparison children. The effect of early malnutrition and related conditions at the time of episode still emerged as significant even when the current environmental factors were controlled for.     

Absolute configuration of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol formed metabolically from 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1- butanone

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) is an important metabolite of the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1- (3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Using the chiral derivatizing agent, (R)- (+)-alpha-methylbenzyl isocyanate [(R)-(+)-MBIC], previous work has shown that the enantiomeric ratio of metabolically formed NNAL and its glucuronide derivative may be species dependent. However, the absolute configuration of such NNAL has not been previously reported. Synthetically prepared racemic NNAL was converted to diastereomeric esters by reaction with (R)-(+)- and (S)-(-)-alpha-methoxy-alpha- (trifluoromethyl)phenylacetic acid (MTPA) chloride (Mosher's reagent) and the products were characterized by 1H-NMR. Based on chemical shift data, the absolute configuration of NNAL in each diastereomeric ester was assigned. Hydrolysis of (R)-NNAL-(R)-MTPA gave (R)-NNAL. This was converted to the corresponding carbamate by reaction with (R)-(+)-alpha- MBIC and the absolute configurations of the diastereomeric carbamates formed by reaction of (R)- and (S)-NNAL with (R)-(+)-MBIC were thereby assigned. Conversion of metabolically produced NNAL to the same carbamates allowed us to assign the NNAL formed from NNK by rat liver microsomes as (R)-NNAL. The major and minor NNAL-glucuronide diastereomers found in the urine of patas monkeys and humans exposed to NNK were similarly assigned; they were formed from (R)-NNAL and (S)- NNAL, respectively.