Recovery profile of single motoneurons after electrical stimuli in man

The H-reflex of 120 soleus motoneurons was recorded using fibre EMG. The recovery profile of these motoneurons was studied during monitoring surface H-reflex records in 28 adult subjects. The spectrum of motoneurons tested was homogeneous with two extremes of neurons having different characteristics. A motoneuron population (forming about 69% of our sample) had a high threshold level for electrical stimuli, short recovery time, and short recovery fringe time (called type A). A second population of motoneurons (forming about 20-30% of our sample) had a low threshold level for electrical stimuli, long recovery fringe time (called type B). During an isometric muscle contraction every motoneuron showed an early shift in recovery time (i.e. each had a shorter recovery time) with shortened recovery fringe time. These changes were larger for motoneurons type B than motoneurons type A. With paired identical electrical stimuli of varying interstimulus intervals a motoneuron may fire in response to the conditioning and test stimuli giving an H2, but not in response to both stimuli. This occurred for interstimulus intervals of 4-11 ms. A strong inhibition period was recorded with interstimulus intervals of 12-80 ms in which all motoneurons did not show any recovery. Most motoneurons recovered in orderly fashion between 80 and 300 ms of interstimulus interval, and this recovery coincided with the fast recovery recorded in surface H-reflex. All motoneurons were recovered by 3000 ms of interstimulus intervals. These findings emphasize the importance of eliciting the H-reflex every 3-5 s in H-reflex methodology in order to be assured that all excited motoneurons have been recovered.     

Mechanisms mediating the brain stem control of somatosensory transmission in the dorsal horn of the cat's spinal cord: an intracellular analysis

Summary The effect of brainstem stimulation was studied on neurones recorded intracellularly in the superficial and deeper laminae of the lumbosacral dorsal horn of the spinal cord in anaesthetised cats. Stimulation in the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) produced a hyperpolarisation in 4/13 multireceptive neurones and produced a biphasic action consisting of a hyperpolarisation which was followed by a depolarisation in 3/13 neurones. These actions were produced irrespective of whether the multireceptive neurone was located in the superficial or deeper laminae of the dorsal horn. Stimulation failed to produce postsynaptic potentials in the remaining 6/13 multireceptive neurones. The amplitude of hyperpolarisation was increased by the passage of depolarising pulses through the recording microelectrode and decreased by hyperpolarising pulses. Stimulation in other brainstem areas such as, the lateral (FTL), paralemniscal (FTP) and central (FTC) divisions of the tegmental field and the nuclei raphe magnus (NRM) and reticularis magnocellularis (RMc) also hyperpolarised neurones in the dorsal horn. The polarity of hyperpolarisation evoked from some brainstem areas (FTP, FTC, RMc) could be reversed to depolarisation by the passive diffusion of ions from the recording microelectrode containing 3M-KCl. Brainstem (LC, NRM, FTP, FTL) stimulation generated long lasting (700 ms) hyperpolarisation on 4/4 selectively nocireceptive neurones of lamina I. There was, however, no effect on the activity of 5/5 neurones recorded in laminae I/II which in addition to receiving excitatory cutaneous inputs were inhibited by heat stimuli. Stimulation in LC also produced dorsal root potentials (DRPs) and reduced the amplitude of simultaneously recorded excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) generated by the activation of primary afferent fibres in 3 multireceptive neurones. It is concluded that inhibition of nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord from LC and other brainstem areas may involve both pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms.     

密盖息治疗49例恶性骨转移瘤疗效观察

目的:观察密盖息(鲑鱼降钙素)的治疗骨转移瘤疼痛和血清钙的临床疗效。方法:单用组用密盖息100IU,肌肉注射,每日2次,共7d。联合化疗组化疗后加密盖息100IU肌肉注射,每日2次,每次7d。治疗结束进行疗效评价。结果:单用组骨痛完全缓解66.7%(12/18)。联合化疗组骨痛完全缓解率87.1%(27/31)。单用组血钙降至正常,占77.8%(14/18),联合化疗组血钙完全降至正常占100%(31/31)。副作用是暂时性的心动过速、皮肤潮红、头晕、恶心呕吐,无需特殊处理,自行缓解。结论:密盖息治疗骨转移瘤有止痛、降低血钙作用良好,副作用小,可以在临床上安全使用。     

腰椎后路非融合固定系统的临床应用

复习腰椎后路非融合固定系统的设计原理、临床应用及治疗效果等相关文献,与传统的脊柱融合术相比,应用非融合系统可获得很好的疗效,并可以减少邻近节段退变的发生率。     

Spinal Drop Metastasis from a Posterior Fossa Choroid Plexus Papilloma

Choroid plexus papillomas (CPPs) are typically considered as benign tumors, with a favorable long-term prognosis. Drop metastasis of CPP into the spinal subarachnoid space is rare. We report a 42-year-old woman who presented with headache and back pain 6 years after removal of a posterior fossa CPP. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed mass lesions in the lumbosacral subarachnoid space and recurrent intracranial tumor. The lesions were resected and histologically diagnosed was CPP. We consider that CPP can spread via cerebrospinal fluid pathways and cause spinal drop metastasis. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the whole spinal axis and to perform periodic follow-up examinations in patients with CPP.     

Mathematical modelling of the spatio-temporal response of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes to a solid tumour.

In this paper a mathematical model describing the growth of a solid tumour in the presence of an immune system response is presented. In particular, attention is focused upon the attack of tumour cells by so-called tumour-infiltrating cytotoxic lymphocytes (TICLs), in a small, multicellular tumour, without necrosis and at some stage prior to (tumour-induced) angiogenesis. At this stage the immune cells and the tumour cells are considered to be in a state of dynamic equilibrium--cancer dormancy--a phenomenon which has been observed in primary tumours, micrometastases and residual disease after ablation of the primary tumour. Nonetheless, the precise biochemical and cellular mechanisms by which TICLs control cancer dormancy are still poorly understood from a biological and immunological point of view. Therefore we focus on the analysis of the spatio-temporal dynamics of tumour cells, immune cells and chemokines in an immunogenic tumour. The lymphocytes are assumed to migrate into the growing solid tumour and interact with the tumour cells in such a way that lymphocyte-tumour cell complexes are formed. These complexes result in either the death of the tumour cells (the normal situation) or the inactivation (sometimes even the death) of the lymphocytes. The migration of the TICLs is determined by a combination of random motility and chemotaxis in response to the presence of chemokines. The resulting system of four nonlinear partial differential equations (TICLs, tumour cells, complexes and chemokines) is analysed and numerical simulations are presented. We consider two different tumour geometries--multi-layered cell growth and multi-cellular spheroid growth. The numerical simulations demonstrate the existence of cell distributions that are quasi-stationary in time and heterogeneous in space. A linear stability analysis of the underlying (spatially homogeneous) ordinary differential equation (ODE) kinetics coupled with a numerical investigation of the ODE system reveals the existence of a stable limit cycle. This is verified further when a subsequent bifurcation analysis is undertaken using a numerical continuation package. These results then explain the complex heterogeneous spatio-temporal dynamics observed in the partial differential equation (PDE) system. Our approach may lead to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of cancer dormancy and may be helpful in the future development of more effective anti-cancer vaccines.     

350例脊髓血管畸形介入治疗的护理分析

目的探讨护理工作在脊髓血管畸形介入治疗中的价值。方法通过对我院介入中心350例脊髓血管畸形患者介入治疗,针对脊髓血管畸形患者的临床特点和介入治疗方法的适应证、操作过程和预后等特点,从护理学的角度对术前、术中、术后等阶段进行讨论分析。结果术前进行有效的心理护理和健康教育;术中与介入医生及技术操作人员进行有机的配合、熟练使用输液微量泵、准确使用相关药物及认真观察病情变化;术后对患者进行严密的护理观察,可减少并发症的发生,将有助于该手术的成功。结论介入护理工作对脊髓血管畸形介入治疗手术的成败起着至关重要的作用。     

单节段与双节段椎弓根螺钉固定胸腰椎单椎体骨折的生物力学比较

目的:比较单节段与双节段椎弓根螺钉固定术固定胸腰椎单椎体骨折的生物力学效果。方法:在16具新鲜小牛胸腰椎标本(T11-L3)的L1椎体上制作不完全爆裂骨折模型,分为两组,分别行单节段与双节段椎弓根螺钉固定,对固定后的标本施加扭矩为4Nm的疲劳载荷共2000次,加载频率为0.5Hz,经脊柱三维运动测量系统测量正常、损伤、固定和周期性加载后固定节段前屈/后伸、左/右侧弯和左/右旋转运动时固定节段的运动范围。结果:单节段固定组前屈、后伸、侧屈、旋转稳定指数(SPI)分别为0.78、0.80、0.92、0.83,双节段固定组SPI分别为0.88、0.89、0.95、0.85,在前屈方向单节段固定组明显小于双节段固定组(P<0.01);疲劳后,单节段固定组SPI在前屈、后伸、侧屈、旋转方向分别降低0.05、0.03、0.05、0.11,降低值均大于双节段固定组,且在旋转和侧屈方向有显著性差异(旋转:P<0.01;侧屈:P<0.05)。结论:两种术式均可重建脊柱骨折即刻稳定性,效果无明显差异。在旋转、侧屈方向,双节段椎弓根螺钉固定术抗疲劳载荷效果优于单节段固定术。