Experimental laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass

The goal of the present study is to develop a technique for laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass.Piglets weighing between 60 and 78 kg were anesthetized with halothane. The lateral retroperitoneal approach was preferred to the more familiar anterior transperitoneal approach and was successfully completed in 19 piglets. The piglets were placed in the right lateral decubitus position. The first port (2 cm) was inserted halfway between the tip of the 12th rib and the iliac crest. Four other trocars were placed in the retroperitoneum after balloon inflation had allowed creation of a space which permitted visualization of the aorta from the left renal artery down to the aorto-iliac junction. After evacuation of the retropneumoperitoneum, the cavity was maintained using an abdominal lift device and a retractor.Using this approach, we performed four aortobifemoral bypasses (end-to-end aortic anastomosis) after conventional intravenous heparinization (100 IU/kg) in less than 4 h. Blood loss did not exceed 250 ml and the hematocrit remained stable. Postmortem evaluation of the grafts revealed they were positioned as in a conventional bypass, their limbs having followed in the created retroperitoneal tunnels along the path of the native arteries. No mortality occurred before sacrifice of the animals. We believe that this first performed series of totally retroperitoneal laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypasses in the porcine model is useful in preparation for human application due to the anatomical similarities in the periaortic region.     

Increased prevalence of undernutrition in Parkinson's disease and its relationship to clinical disease parameters

Summary An anthropometric study was performed in 95 subjects (53 male, 42 female) with Parkinson's disease. Weight, height, triceps and biceps skin-fold thicknesses, and mid-arm circumference were recorded. A high incidence of undernutrition was found (23.6% of males and 22.5% of females, as defined by recent British guidelines). A subgroup of severely disabled patients with Parkinson's disease had a significantly lower mean body mass index than a similarly disabled control group with chronic pyramidal upper motor neuron lesions (males 20.6v 23.2 kg/m² p<0.05; females 20.6v 26.6 kg/m² p<0.01), suggesting that the undernutrition is not due to chronic illness or immobility alone. Correlation between anthropometric indices and clinical features of disease demonstrated that the presence of moderate or severe dyskinetic movements was the clinical parameter most strongly related to undernutrition. The reduction in anthropometric indices was most marked for skin fold thickness (related to percentage body fat) and least for arm muscle circumference (related to lean body mass); therefore the weight loss seen in Parkinson's disease is primarily due to fat loss rather than muscle loss.     

Rh血型不合新生儿溶血病检测方法及应用

产前检测Ｒｈ，Ｄ因子及抗人球蛋白（ｃｏｏｍｂｓ）试验是必要的。测定Ｒｈ，Ｄ因子及抗Ｄ滴度使用木瓜酶方法。通过对１１２６１例孕妇常规检查Ｒｈ，Ｄ因子，发现Ｄ阴性７４例。Ｒｈ，Ｄ阴性妇女占６．５‰。２２例Ｒｈ，Ｄ阴性的孕妇所分娩的新生儿均为Ｒｈ，Ｄ阳性。其中２例孕妇血清抗Ｄ滴度为１∶３２，病情严重，宫内输血无效，胎死宫内。初产妇１３例，占５９％。活产２０例，存活率９０％。Ｒｈ因子及抗人球蛋白试验方法简便、易行，一般医院均可进行。对有流产史、输血史的孕妇检查Ｒｈ因子是十分必要的。在有条件的医院，对Ｒｈ，Ｄ阴性的产妇分娩Ｒｈ，Ｄ阳性的新生儿之后，产妇应预防性注射抗Ｄ免疫球蛋白     

Early onset Alzheimer's disease in a South American pedigree from Argentina

We report the clinical, SPET, immunohistochemical and DNA features of an early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) in an Argentine pedigree of South American indian ethnic background. Pedigree spans 5 generations comprising more than 110 biological relatives. Clinical data supported the diagnosis of early onset FAD (mean age at onset 38.9 years) in 10 family members, including 3 with pathological confirmation (mean age at death 48.5). The pattern of transmission suggested autosomal dominant inheritance. Prominent features were mood changes, early language impairment, myoclonus, seizures and cerebellar signs. SPET displayed bilateral frontal, temporo-parietal and cerebellar hypoperfusion in early stages and in an asymptomatic member at risk, suggesting that SPET may have predictive value in this family. Immunohistochemistry showed β amyloid deposits within neuritic plaques and vessel walls and no anti-PrP immunoreactivity. DNA analysis showed no abnormalities in the β amyloid precursor protein gene. The identification of additional genetic defects in well characterized independent FAD pedigrees will contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.     

Association between cord blood IgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-4, the β-subunit of the high-affinity receptor for IgE, lymphotoxin-α, and tumor Necrosis factor-α

High cord blood immunoglobulin E (cbIgE) is known to be associated with increased risks of atopic diseases in childhood. The relationship between genetic polymorphisms and high cbIgE has not been well documented. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the association between cbIgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)-4 -590C/T, the beta-subunit of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcepsilonRI-beta) E237G, lymphotoxin (LT)-alphaNcoI alleles, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha -308G/A. A total of 320 mother-neonate pairs were recruited from four maternity hospitals from different locations of Taiwan. Cord blood was obtained and assayed for cbIgE. Polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to assess the genotypes. Three hundred pairs of mothers and neonates were included in the final analysis. Infants with IL-4 -590 C allele were found to have higher risk of elevated cbIgE (> or =0.35 IU/ml, 24.3%) (p = 0.004). After adjusting for gender, birth order, maternal age, and history of allergic disease in maternal and paternal families, odds ratios for CC and CT genotypes were 4.41 and 3.16 (95% confidence interval 0.78-22.67, and 1.66-6.13), respectively, using TT genotype as reference. The genotypes of FcepsilonRI-beta, LT-alpha, and TNF-alpha were not associated with cbIgE before or after the adjustment. Our finding suggested a significant association of cbIgE with genetic polymorphism of IL-4 -590C/T, but not with the genotypes of FcepsilonRI-beta, LT-alpha, and TNF-alpha.     

Long-term effectiveness and quality of life improvement in entacapone-treated Parkinson's disease patients: the effects of an early therapeutic intervention

To evaluate the long-term effects of entacapone on both mean daily 'on' time and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experiencing 'end-of-dose' motor fluctuations and the benefits of an early therapeutic intervention. A prospective, multicenter, observational, 12-month study was performed with an initial 3-month intervention phase, consisting of a phone call to half of the patients from randomly selected investigators to assess if dose adjustment was necessary. Effectiveness was determined by home diaries ('on' time), subscales II and III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). After 3 months of treatment, 4.0% of the intervention group patients discontinued the study, versus 18.4% in the control group ( P  < 0.01). The improvement in 'on' time was significantly increased since the 3-month visit (21%, P  < 0.0001) until the end of the study (23% at 12 months, P  < 0.0001). Entacapone also induced significant reductions in the UPDRS scores for subscales II and III and in the PDQ-8 score. 11.2% of patients experienced at least one adverse reaction. This study confirms the effectiveness of entacapone in reducing motor fluctuations by increasing 'on' time, and in improving QoL of PD patients. An early adjustment of entacapone and levodopa doses reduces the number of treatment discontinuations during the first months of treatment.     

Further evidence of preserved memory function in Alzheimer's disease

Memory performance of elderly patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (DAT) was compared with that of elderly control subjects. In explicit tests of recognition memory, which involve conscious recollection, the DAT patients were grossly impaired. In implicit tests of anagram solution and wordstem completion, which do not require conscious recollection, the DAT patients were not impaired. These findings further support the idea that a separate memory system, episodic memory, underlies conscious recollection, that it is this system which is most commonly damaged in amnesia, and that memory systems not involving conscious recollection may be spared in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.