Five different tests of reaction time evaluated in HIV seropositive men

In an attempt to develop a short neuropsychological test battery five different tests of reaction time were assessed according to their ability to discriminate between HIV seropositive men and healthy controls. In all tests a patient group with clinical symptoms was slower than the control group. In the complex reaction time test, which has a large cognitive aspect, even a clinically "asymptomatic" group was slower than the control group. The movement test, a new test with a large motor component, identified most slow responders, defining approximately half of the patients with clinical symptoms and one third of the "asymptomatic" patients as such. A test battery consisting of three tests is suggested for serial assessment and screening.     

Ultrastructure of early phase hepatic metastasis of human colon carcinoma cells with special reference to desmosomal junctions with hepatocytes

To demonstrate ultrastructural events in the early phase of hepatic metastasis of human colon carcinoma, we intrasplenically injected a highly metastasizable, human colon carcinoma cell line LM-H3 (1 x 10(6) cells) into nude mice, and electron microscopically investigated the hepatic metastasis. At 24 h, tumor cells adhered to the endothelial wall of terminal portal venules and periportal sinusoids. At 48-72 h, after extravasation, they deeply invaded the hepatic cell plate and the interstitial tissue of the portal tract, in which they underwent proliferation and made the metastatic foci. Tumor cells were linked with each other or with surrounding hepatocytes by desmosomes. Desmosomes were maintained during the mitosis. When invading tumor cells were exposed to the bile canaliculi, they generated microvilli on the surface. Microvilli were also formed at the luminal surface of intracytoplasmic inclusions. In the interstitial tissue of the portal tract, tumor cells were closely associated with fibroblasts. However, no junctional specializations were seen between them. The present study demonstrated that human colon carcinoma cell line LM-H3 formed desmosomes with hepatocytes soon after invasion of the hepatic cell plate, suggesting the regulatory role of an interaction with hepatocytes in the growth of metastatic foci within the liver parenchyma.     

Clinical application of rapid assay of interleukin-6 in influenza-associated encephalopathy

The characteristics of influenza-associated encephalopathy is the high mortality and nimble progress with coma which appears in general cases within 48 hours. Most of patients show no abnormalities in the standard blood checks on admission or in early stage. In this study we investigated if a rapid assay of interleukin (IL)-6 is useful in influenza-associated encephalopathy in early stages. The levels of IL-6 in patients with influenza-associated encephalopathy did not show any significant difference compared with those in patients with febrile convulsion and rotavirus-associated convulsion. However the levels of IL-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those of mild cases with influenza-associated encephalopathy. Consequently the rapid assay of serum IL-6 is useful to evaluate and decide the therapies.     

215例急性和亚急性重型肝炎临床特征对比性分析

目的进一步了解急性重型和亚急性重型肝炎（简称急重和亚急重）患者的临床特征，以及它们之间的异同。方法收集和整理215例急重和亚急重住院患者的临床资料，使用X^2检验、t检验、回归分析等方法进行相关的统计学分析。结果①乙型肝炎病毒感染仍是急重和亚急重型肝炎的主要病因，均占30％以上。抗结核药物是药物性急重和亚急重肝炎的首要原因；②急重和亚急重患者肝性脑病发生率分别为78．13％和43．05％，差异有统计学意义（P〈0．001）；③急重患者的平均凝血酶原活动度低于20％，而亚急重患者平均凝血酶原活动度低于30％；④急重患者发生率前三位的并发症分别为肝性脑病、电解质紊乱及脑水肿；而亚急重则分别为腹水、电解质紊乱及肝性脑病；⑤急重和亚急重患者的病死率与病情最重时PT、WBC及中性粒细胞比例均呈正相关，而与PTA、TC均呈负相关；亚急重还与病情最重时TB、BLA及CRE呈正相关，与CHE、TG、PLT、ALB呈负相关。结论①急重和亚急重患者无论在好发年龄、肝性脑病发生率、肝性脑病出现时间，还是在凝血功能异常、预后与实验室指标等方面差异较大，属两个独立的疾病；②对于无肝性脑病的急重和亚急重患者，严重的凝血功能异常是一个重要的灵敏和特异性指标。     

Current perspectives on bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) clearly originated in the UK, where there have now been more than 180 000 cases. However, through the exportation of cattle and cattle-feed additives from the UK, BSE also became established to a lesser extent in other European countries. There is current concern that BSE might have been distributed more widely as a result of the exportation of cattle or BSE-infected feed or foodstuff not only from the UK but also from other European countries that later became affected. It is now recognized that the transmissible agent that causes BSE also causes a new variant form of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, and the evidence for this is presented. This probably resulted from dietary exposure to the bovine agent, and the potential role of mechanically recovered meat is discussed. There is a brief discussion on the controversial issue of the nature of the causal agents of diseases like BSE and vCJD. Whether or not sheep or goats could have become infected with BSE, and whether they represent a human health hazard, is also debated. Finally, the question of the control of BSE, and consequently vCJD, is discussed with regard to the rigorous application of the relevant regulations.     

Social isolation stress augments angiogenesis induced by colon 26-L5 carcinoma cells in mice

We have previously shown that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which is an important angiogenesis-related factor, was over-secreted in male BALB/c mice under social isolation stress as compared with the control, and closely associated with a remarkable elevation of tumor invasion and metastasis of colon 26-L5 carcinoma cells. In the present study, we explored the effect of isolation stress on the angiogenesis caused by colon 26-L5 carcinoma cells in vivo and in vitro. Social isolation lead to the enhancement of tumor growth after intrahepatic implantation with a fragment of colon 26-L5 tumor. Angiogenic response (number of vessels oriented towards tumor mass) and tumor growth (size) were significantly increased in the socially isolated mouse relative to that in the group-housed mice. Furthermore, higher protein level of hepatic TNF-α was found in the stressed mice than that in the control. Expression of mRNA for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) were also elevated in the tumor regions and liver tissues of the stressed mice in comparison with that in group-housed mice. On the other hand, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial (HSE) cells treated with TNF-α exhibited a marked promotion of the migration, invasion, expression of mRNA for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and tube-like formation, but no cytotoxicity against the cells in vitro. The above data suggest that the social isolation stress augmented the tumor-induced angiogenesis probably by up-regulating the angiogenesis-related factors, including TNF-α, VEGF and HGF, and consequently mediating the functions of endothelial cells such as migration, invasion, and tube-like formation.     

肝尾状叶的外科解剖及其临床应用

在42例成人肝脏标本上，研究了肝尾状叶的形态，动脉、静脉和肝管的分布特征；尾状叶常有3个突起，即尾状突、乳头突和下腔静脉后突，且变异较大；尾状叶有两个恒定的蒂，其结构排列由浅入深分别是门静脉支、肝动脉支和肝管。尾状叶静脉有2～5支，其中以3支居多，主要汇入下腔静脉肝后段的中、下1／3部的左前壁。中结合解剖学研究总结了施行肝尾状叶肿瘤切除术的方法和经验。     

肝脏血管瘤的手术指征和手术方法选择（附46例报告）

目的 探讨肝脏血管瘤的手术指征和手术方法。方法 回顾性分析采用手术治疗46例肝脏血管瘤病人资料，判断其手术指征，评价不同手术方法的治疗效果厦其手术并发症发生情况。结果 46例病人中，19例采用肝叶或肝段切除术，17例出现并发症，以胸腔积液和膈下积液多见，采用血管瘤摘除术的27例病人无并发症。结论 对肝脏血管瘤直径大于5cm并有明显临床症状，或不能除外恶性肿瘤的病人可以采用手术治疗。血管瘤摘除术是安全有效、并发症少的手术方法。