β-Adrenoceptor activates endothelium-dependent release of nitric oxide in rat aorta

AIM:To examine the possible role of agents elevating cAMP to release NO from aortic en-dothelial cells. METHODS:NG-nitro-L-arg inine methylester (L-NAME) , an inhibitor of NO synthase, partially inhibited endothelium-dependent relaxation evoked in phenylephrine-precontracted rings by isoproterenol and abolished relaxation mediated by forskolin 0. 2 umol L-1.RESULTS: In rings without en-dothelium, isoproterenol and forskolin were less effective relaxants and L-NAME had no effect on the responses. In methylene blue-treated rings isoproterenol- and forskolin-induced relaxation were prevented in both en-dothelium-intact and -denuded rings, but the inhibitory effects of methylene blue were significantly more in rings with endothelium than in those without. On the other hand, relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside was not inhibited by L-NAME, but was inhibited by methylene blue in both the endothelium-intact and -denuded rings. The concentration relaxation curves to sodium nitroprusside after methylene bl     

蛋白激酶C不参与在无钙溶液内高钾引起的血管收缩

蛋白激酶Ｃ不参与在无钙溶液内高钾引起的血管收缩关超然２，ＧｅｎｎａｄｉＭＫＲＡＶＴＳＯＶ（ＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＰｈｙｓｉｏｌｏｇｙ，ＦａｃｕｌｔｙｏｆＭｅｄｉｃｉｎｅ，ＴｈｅＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙｏｆＨｏｎｇＫｏｎｇ，ＨｏｎｇＫｏｎｇ）关键词钙；蛋...     

Pseudomonas Septicaemia in Apparently Healthy Children

ABSTRACT. Among 27 cases of Pseudomonas septicaemia in the Department of Paediatrics of Queen Mary Hospital from 1981 to 1988, we have identified 10 children without known predisposing causes before presentation and report their clinical features. Six were infants, of whom 4 developed shock on admission and died. Ecthyma gangrenosum was present in 4 patients. Pesudomonas aeruginosa was isolated in 8 patients. All isolates, except Ps. cepacia , were sensitive to gentamicin. One patient had cyclical neutropenia. Another had an appendicular abscess. Salmonella was cultured from the stool in one patient. Although Pseudomonas septicaemia is normally considered to be associated with underlying immunodeficiency, in 22% it occurred in previously healthy children. Mortality is high especially in infants who develop septicaemic shock. It is advisable to cover for Pseudomonas septicaemia with aminoglycosides or ceftazidime in sick septic infants.     

Use of a Long-Pulse Alexandrite Laser in the Treatment of Superficial Pigmented Lesions

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Although the alexandrite 755-nm-wavelength laser is effective in the treatment of unwanted hair, there are no published studies gauging the efficacy of the variable long-pulse alexandrite laser in the treatment of superficial pigmented lesions.
STUDY DESIGN/METHODS Eighteen patients underwent a single treatment session using a variable pulse-width alexandrite laser. Test sites were performed using a 10-mm spot size and up to four pulse widths (3, 20, 40, 60 ms) with and without epidermal cooling. Full treatments were performed 3 weeks later using optimum test parameters. The patients were evaluated at 3 and 6 weeks.
RESULTS Patients with darker lentigines had greater lesion clearance than those patients with lighter colored lentigines. Shorter pulse widths and treatment without cryogen cooling both, independently, lowered the fluence threshold for lentigo clearance.
CONCLUSION A long-pulse alexandrite laser is effective in clearing solar lentigines in a single pass with minimal adverse effects.     

Prediction of Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Unprotected Left Main Trifurcation Lesions Treated by Drug‐Eluting Stents: Importance of 2‐Stent Technique and SYNTAX Score

Background: There were insufficient data on the prognosis of stenting for patients with trifurcated unprotected left main lesions (UPLMS). Methods: From the SPEED (stents for percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease) registry of all percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for all types of UPLMS, data of 44 patients with trifurcated UPLMS were selected and analyzed. Results: Patients were divided into one‐stent (N = 23) or 2‐stent (N = 21) groups. Clinical follow‐up was available for 100%, and angiographic follow‐up at 8 month was available for 91.3%. There were no differences in myocardial infarction, cardiac death, and stent thrombosis between groups. However, the target lesion revascularization (TLR) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) in the 1‐stent group was lower when compared to the 2‐stent group (13.0% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.004; 13.0% vs. 28.6%, P = 0.003, respectively). Cumulative survival free from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the 1‐stent group was higher than the 2‐stent group (65.2% vs. 57.1%, P = 0.033). Analysis of the receiver operator curve (ROC) of the Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score showed the area under the curve was 0.414 (standard error = 0.089, 95% CI 0.240–0.589, P = 0.348). Conclusions: In patients with trifurcated UPLMS, higher TLR/TVR and lower cumulative survival from MACE were seen in the 2‐stent group when compared to the 1‐stent group. The SYNTAX scoring system had no predictive value of outcomes for patients with stenting of trifurcated UPLMS. (J Interven Cardiol 2010;23:352–357)     

血管内皮细胞中细胞钙的动态数字荧光率影像(英文)

AIM: To study the spatial and temporal distribution of intracellular Ca2 concentration in cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial ( BPAE ) cells. METHODS: Cultured BPAE cells were loaded with Fura-2 and observed under an inverted microscope coupled to a microfluorimeter, which enables pixel-to-pixel ratio imaging of the BPAE cells in real time. RESULTS: Addition of Ca2 1-2 mmol·L-1 to BPAE cells, which were exposed to Ca2 -fiee medium containing egtazic acid, resulted in a transient elevation of cytosolic Ca2 concentration, which rapidly returned to the resting level. Biphasic elevation (a larger transient phase followed by a smaller sustained phase) of intracellular Ca2 concentration was observed upon the addition of ATP (via activation of surface membrane receptor). 4-Chloro-3-ethyl phenol (CEP; an activator of Ca2 -induced Ca2 channels) potently induced elevation of Ca2 level. Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA; an inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2 -ATPase pump) offered a more sustained eleva     

Penicillium marneffei infection in a non-HIV infected child

We report a case of Penicillium marneffei infection in a previously healthy 3.5 years-old Chinese boy and review the literature. The details of the case are described with emphasis on his immune function and treatment outcome. This boy had transient immunodeficiency involving phagocytic and NK cells due to P. marneffei infection which resolved after treatment with gamma interferon and amphotericin B. A prolonged course of fluconazole of 1 year was successful in preventing relapse. Gamma interferon, amphotericin B and a prolonged course of fluconazole may be useful in the treatment of life-threatening infection by P. marneffei.