Climatic factors and Pneumocystis jiroveci infection in southern Spain

The modes of infection and transmission of Pneumocystis jiroveci remain unclear. This study explored the relationship between the incidence of infection and climatic factors. In total, 536 cases of P. jiroveci infection were identified in the period 1994-1998, with an inverse correlation between the incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia and the minimum mean ambient temperature (Spearman correlation coefficient: r - 0.30; p 0.02; ARIMA model: r - 0.250, p 0.07). The highest number of cases occurred in winter (anova test, p < 0.05), and there was a clear season-related incidence of P. jiroveci infection.     

中西医结合早期干预对SARS肺部炎症的影响

[目的]以X线胸片为主要观察指标,对中西医结合治疗SARS的临床疗效进行客观评价,为SARS临床筛选有效的干预方案提出科学依据。[方法]采用多中心前瞻性队列研究的方法,通过对参加国家863重大项目“中医结合治疗SARS临床研究”的北京地区11家医院361例确诊SARS患者的1561张X线胸片的研究,阐明中西医结合治疗对SARS肺部炎症的影响。[结果]从总体疗效来看,X线胸片总积分西医组平均为5.85±6.5。中西医结合组为6.67±7.61;普通型西医组为4.79±5.6。中西医结合组为5.40±6.86;重型西医组为7.67±6.34,中西医结合组为8.16±7.60,以上两组间比较均未见显著性差异 (P>0.05)。但发病7d内开始干预的胸片总积分西医组平均为6.39±6.48、中西医结合组为4.40±4.97,中西医结合组X线胸片总积分明显低于西医组 (P=0.0004);普通型西医组为4.59±5.22、中西医结合组为3.99±4.67,两组间比较未见显著性差异 (P=0.12);重型西医组为9.14±7.24、中西医结合组为5.30±5.48,组胸片总积分明显低于西医组(P=0.034);说 明发病7 d内对SARS患者进行中西医结合治疗,肺部炎症的吸收明显优于西医组,总体疗效与重型患者的疗效均具有统计学意义。[结论]中西医结合早期干预对SARS肺部炎症吸收的临床疗效具有明显的优势。     

呼吸机相关肺炎的发生原因及护理对策探讨

目的　为进一步探讨发生呼吸机相关肺炎的因素和护理措施。方法　对 70例使用机械通气辅助治疗的重症监护病房 (ICU)病人 ,取深部痰液进行细菌培养与分离及药敏试验 ,并采用综合护理措施。结果　 70例患者除 4例因原发病病情恶化死亡外 ,无一例因呼吸机相关肺炎而导致病情恶化 ,延误治疗 ,且缩短了住院时间。结论　正确的气道管理 ,合理应用抗生素 ,良好的饮食护理等辅助治疗 ,能够降低呼吸机相关因素肺炎的发病率     

短波紫外线照射对小儿肺炎及中性粒细胞吞噬功能和IL－2的影响

用短波紫外线照射患儿腰背部皮肤辅助治疗小儿肺炎，提示紫外线治疗组与对照组相比，显著缩短患儿发热。咳嗽及肺部湿罗音消失时间（Ｐ＜０．０１）。用化学发光法测定中性粒细胞吞噬功能，治疗组患儿血液内中性粗细胞吞噬功能显著提高（Ｐ＜０．０５）。同时测定治疗组患儿血中ＩＬ－２低于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０５），并对上述结果机理进行了探讨。     

Residual Flow Signals Predict Complete Recanalization in Stroke Patients Treated With TPA

BACKGROUND: Residual blood flow around thrombus prior to treatment predicts success of coronary thrombolysis. The authors aimed to correlate the presence of residual flow signals in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with completeness of recanalization after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). METHODS: The authors studied consecutive patients treated with intravenous TPA therapy who had a proximal MCA occlusion on pretreatment transcranial Doppler (TCD). Patients were continuously monitored for 2 hours after TPA bolus. Absent residual flow signals correspond to the thrombolysis in brain ischemia (TIBI) 0 grade, and the presence of residual flow signals was determined as TIBI 1-3 flow grades. Complete recanalization was defined as flow improvement to TIBI grades 4-5. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients with a proximal MCA occlusion had median pre-bolus NIHSS 16 (85% with > or = 10 points). TPA bolus was given at 141 +/- 56 minutes (median 120 minutes). Complete recanalization was observed in 25 (33%), partial in 23 (31%), and no early recanalization was seen in 27 (36%) patients within 2 hours after TPA bolus. Only 19% with absent residual flow signals (TIBI grade 0, n = 26) on pretreatment TCD had complete early recanalization. If pretreatment TCD showed the presence of any residual flow (TIBI 1-3, n = 49), 41% had complete recanalization within 2 hours of TPA bolus (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with detectable residual flow signals before IV TPA bolus are twice as likely to have early complete recanalization. Those with no detectable residual flow signals have less than 20% chance for complete early recanalization with intravenous TPA and may be candidates for intra-arterial therapies.     

酚妥拉明与多巴胺治疗难治性肺炎20例

目的 :观察酚妥拉明与多巴胺治疗难治性肺炎的疗效。方法 :对 2 0例难治性肺炎的患儿 ,在常规治疗的基础上 (予抗生素、止咳化痰、超声雾化、拍背 ) ,用酚妥拉明和多巴胺静点 ,每日 1次。结果 :总有效率 90 %。结论 :酚妥拉明与多巴胺治疗难治性肺炎疗效好、价格低、副作用小 ,值得临床推广     

老年精神分裂症合并肺炎临床分析

目的：通过对精神分裂症合并肺炎患者和老年肺炎患者进行对照观察分析，探索老年精神分裂症合并肺炎的临床特点，为临床诊治提供资料。方法：对35例CCMD-2-R精神分裂症合并肺部感染的患者及35例同期老年肺炎患者对照分析。结果：发现老年精神分裂症合并肺炎患者与老年肺炎患者在神经精神症状和消化系统症状方面差异有显著性。结论：对老年精神分裂症合并肺炎患者更要细致观察，精心护理，早发现、早诊断、早治疗，以降低其死亡率。     

Allogeneic bone marrow stromal cells promote glial–axonal remodeling without immunologic sensitization after stroke in rats

We evaluated the effects of allogeneic bone marrow stromal cell treatment of stroke on functional outcome, glial–axonal architecture, and immune reaction. Female Wistar rats were subjected to 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Rats were injected intravenously with PBS, male allogeneic ACI – or syngeneic Wistar –bone marrow stromal cells at 24 h after ischemia and sacrificed at 28 days. Significant functional recovery was found in both cell-treated groups compared to stroke rats that did not receive BMSCs, but no difference was detected between allogeneic and syngeneic cell-treated rats. No evidence of T cell priming or humoral antibody production to marrow stromal cells was found in recipient rats after treatment with allogeneic cells. Similar numbers of Y-chromosome⁺ cells were detected in the female rat brains in both groups. Significantly increased thickness of individual axons and myelin, and areas of the corpus callosum and the numbers of white matter bundles in the striatum were detected in the ischemic boundary zone of cell-treated rats compared to stroked rats. The areas of the contralateral corpus callosum significantly increased after cell treatment compared to normal rats. Processes of astrocytes remodeled from hypertrophic star-like to tadpole-like shape and oriented parallel to the ischemic regions after cell treatment. Axonal projections emanating from individual parenchymal neurons exhibited an overall orientation parallel to elongated radial processes of reactive astrocytes of the cell-treated rats. Allogeneic and syngeneic bone marrow stromal cell treatment after stroke in rats improved neurological recovery and enhanced reactive oligodendrocyte and astrocyte related axonal remodeling with no indication of immunologic sensitization in adult rat brain.     

Neuropathology of familial tauopathy

Frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP‐17) is a hereditary progressive neurodegenerative disorder. FTDP‐17 was originally defined in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1996. Since then, more than 100 families with FTDP‐17 have been described throughout the world, including 18 families identified in Japan. Genetic studies have identified 40 different mutations in the microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. The clinical features of FTDP‐17 are characterized by behavioral, cognitive and motor disturbances that may occur in various combinations and degrees. Neuropathologic examination shows that various degrees of atrophy may be present in the frontal and temporal lobes, basal ganglia, amygdala and hippocampus. All the brains from patients with FTDP‐17 have also shown the presence of tau deposits in neurons and glial cells. Mutations in MAPT may result in the increased splicing of exon 10, leading to 4‐repeat tau depositions in both neurons and glial cells. MAPT mutations outside of exon 10 show 3‐ and 4‐repeat tau deposits, predominantly in neurons with less glial pathology. Neuronal pathology may resemble that of Alzheimer’s disease or Pick’s disease because of the presence of neurofibrillary tangles or Pick‐like bodies, whereas glial pathology may resemble that of progressive supranuclear palsy or corticobasal degeneration because of the presence of coiled bodies, tufted astrocytes or astrocytic plaques. Correlations between genetic mutations and the heterogeneity of clinical and neuropathologic features remain unclear.     

Ankle-brachial index and extent of atherothrombosis in 8891 patients with or at risk of vascular disease: results of the international AGATHA study.

AIMS: AGATHA (a Global Atherothrombosis Assessment) was designed to assess the extent of atherothrombosis and the use of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) in vascular patients. The principal hypotheses were that (1) in diseased patients, a low ABI was related to the number and site of vascular beds affected and (2) in at-risk patients without disease, a low ABI was related to the number of risk factors present. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients were recruited consecutively by 482 clinicians in 24 countries and the ABI measurement was performed at a single visit. Of 8891 patients recruited, 1792 were defined as at risk and 7099 as with disease. Of the with-disease patients, 65.2% had one arterial bed affected, 27.6% two and 7.1% all three. Abnormal ABI (< or =0.9) was present in 30.9% of at-risk and 40.5% of with-disease patients. A lower ABI was weakly associated with an increasing number of risk factors in at-risk patients (r=-0.056, P=0.02) and with the site and number of arterial beds affected in with-disease patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This large international study confirms that atherothrombotic disease often occurs at more than one site. The ABI is related to the risk factor profile and to the site and extent of atherothrombosis.