Abnormalities in visceral evoked potentials from the anal canal in children with chronic constipation

The integrity of the sensory nervous system in the anal canals of chronically constipated children was investigated using evoked potential techniques examining cerebral and spinal evoked potentials from the lower extremities and anal canal. Stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve produced no significant difference in the parameters of spinal and cerebral evoked potentials between 18 controls and 12 chronically constipated chidren. However, stimulation of the anal canal resulted in evoked potentials related to the age and/or consciousness level of the control children. Reproducible cerebral responses were obtained only from nine of these control children, all aged over 4 years, who were examined while awake without sedatives. A typical response was characterized by a polyphasic wave occurring with an onset latency of 79.4± 27.7ms (mean ±SD). In the 12 chronically constipated children, the 5 sedated patients examined while asleep did not show any reproducible potential, as in the controls. However, in the remaining 7 children examined while awake, the occurrence of the anal canal evoked potential was significantly reduced, and only two exhibited a cerebral response. These findings suggest that rectal mucosal perception of the intraluminal stimuli might be disturbed in some children with chronic constipation.     

Measurement of Perceived Disruption During Rebuilding Following Hurricane Andrew

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a measure of perceived disruption during rebuilding following a disaster. Two eight-item scales, which measured intensity of disruption during the entire repair phase (Intensity-RP) and intensity of disruption during the past month (Intensity-PM) were developed and administered to 135 survivors of Hurricane Andrew. At 9 to 12 months postdisaster, Intensity-RP and Intensity-PM were both significantly associated with scores on the Global Severity Index of the SCL-90-R, and with scores on the Impact of Event-Intrusion Scale; Intensity-PM alone was significantly associated with PTSD scores. Regression analyses indicated that each scale contributed significant unique variance in predicting mental health symptoms, even after controlling for relevant demographic and initial disaster exposure variables.     

Architectural alterations in rat cerebral microvessels after hypobaric hypoxia

We performed 3-dimensional studies of vascular casts of the microvasculature of the cerebral cortex of rats that were exposed to three weeks of hypobaric hypoxia and of control rats. Scanning electron microscopy of the casts gave the qualitative impression of increased vascularity of the cerebral cortex, particularly the deeper layers, in hypoxic rats. Quantitative analysis of capillary segment lengths revealed a significant shift in the frequency distribution to longer lengths (from 77 ± 8 to 90 ± 14 μm) in the deep, but not in the superficial, layers of the cerebral cortex of hypoxic rats. These findings agree with previous results reporting increased capillary density in the brain after exposure to prolonged hypobaric hypoxia and suggest that capillary segment elongation plays a role in the increased capillary density in the deeper layers of the cerebral cortex.     

In vitro radiation sensitivity of the lncap prostatic tumor cell line

Because there is extremely limited information on the intrinsic radiosensitivity of human prostatic cancer cells, we have investigated the in vitro radiation response of exponentially growing LNCaP cells. Due to the very poor colony-forming potential of the LNCaP cells, radiation survival was investigated using the dose-dependent (0-6 Gy) changes seen after X-irradiation in the shapes of regrowth curves. Survival was described using both the single-hit, multitarget (SHMT) equation and the linear-quadratic (LQ) equation. The values and 95% confidence limits of the extrapolation number (n), quasi-threshold dose (D_q), and mean lethal dose (D_o) in SHMT terminology were respectively: 0.9 (0.7-1.0), 0.0 Gy, and 1.39 (0.11) Gy. The LQ alpha and beta parameters were respectively 6.80 (1.13) and -0.53 (2.89). The X-ray dose response of the LNCaP line is, therefore, purely exponential. The mean survival at the clinically relevant dose of 2 Gy (S₂) was 51.2% for the LNCaP line. Comparison of the S₂ value for the LNCaP line with previous investigations with other human prostatic cancer cell lines (DU145 and PC-3) indicates a mean S₂ value of 47.6%, which suggests that human prostate cancer cells might lie toward the resistant side of the spectrum for various classes of human neoplasms. © 1994 Wiey-Liss, Inc.     

Oral manifestation of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis: seven case reports

BACKGROUND: Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) is a rare disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent candidal infections of the skin, nails and mucous membranes or by a variable combination of endocrine failure as well as immunodeficiency. Oral clinicopathological features of CMC have seldom been described in detail. METHODS: Seven patients with CMC were reported in the study. The clinical and histological findings, etiological Candida species, immunological evaluation, and therapeutic pattern of oral lesions, were analyzed. RESULTS: Long-standing whitish hyperplastic and nodule-like lesions with exaggerated deep fissure were the typical and characteristic oral manifestations presented by all patients. The tongue was the most common site affected. Histologically, no obvious distinction was found between CMC and other forms of candidal infection. Abnormal proportions of T-lymphocyte subsets and positive titers of autoantibody were observed in three subjects (42.9%) and one patient (14.3%) respectively. Meanwhile, four subjects (57.1%) showed decreased albumin and increased globulin, three cases (42.9%) had high levels of ESR. But no iron deficiency was found. Candida albicans was the microorganism isolated from these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple and widespread candidal infectious lesions can be observed on the oral cavity of CMC patients. Hyperplastic and nodule-like lesion with irremovable whitish patches and deep fissure are the most common oral manifestations of these patients. Dentists, otolaryngologists and pediatricians should be familiar with the clinical appearances of CMC to make an accurate diagnosis. Potential systemic disorders should be concerned to avoid the reoccurrence of oral candidiasis.     

Relationship between cellular ATP content and cellular functions of primary cultured rat hepatocytes in hypoxia

The importance of oxygen in maintaining the functional integrity of hepatocytes has been well established in a variety of experimental models, such as in vivo , perfused liver and isolated hepatocytes. However, one of the shortcomings of these systems is their short life span. Therefore, we have examined the effects of long-term hypoxia on cellular adenine nucleotide content and cellular functions, such as albumin production, urea production and DNA synthesis, in adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture. Hepatocytes were cultured at a density of 11 × 10⁴ and 5 × 10⁴ cells/0.18 mL per cm² for the study of albumin and urea production and DNA synthesis, respectively, at various oxygen tensions (20, 12, 8 and 5%) for 24 h. Cellular ATP content in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia gradually declined, corresponding to the decrease in oxygen tension, and the cellular ATP level at 5% oxygen was approximately 20% of that at 20% oxygen. Albumin production also decreased in parallel with the decrease in cellular ATP content in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia. However, even when cellular ATP content gradually declined corresponding with the decrease in oxygen tension in cultured hepatocytes in hypoxia, such as at 8 or 5% oxygen, urea production remained at a high level; in contrast, DNA synthesis was completely suppressed. These results suggest that the cellular ATP content decreases in cultured hepatocytes during long-term hypoxia in relation to oxygen tension and that the relationship between decreased ATP levels and liver function in cultured hepatocytes during hypoxia differs for albumin production, urea production and DNA synthesis.     

Could Chronic Mesenteric Originated Hypoxia Insult Produce Opposite Pathologic Features： Hypoplasia and Hyperplasia of the Intestine

Chronic ischemia produces corresponding tissue hypoplasia. However, here we report a distinctive hypertrophy of the intestine due to chronic mesenteric insufficiency, which was confirmed by angiography in two patients with opposite characteristic pathologic presentation of intestine. During surgery of the first patient, an approximately 60cm long ileum with sausage consistency and cyanosis color was identified proximal to the caecum; wall-attached thromboembolism material and the hypertrophied segment of ileum were removed. In the other patient, the intestine wall was paper thin; after aorto-mesenteric bypass the intestine wall grew thicker. Post operative recovery of both patients was uneventful. The commonly observed situation after a long-standing hypoxic insult in a setting of chronic mesenteric ischemia is that the target tissue will at least develop a slight hypoplasia. However, the cases we present here had either pronounced hyperplasia or severe hypoplasia. We thus report it, expecting to identify a special mechanism to explain this paradox.