脑动静脉畸形血管重构的分子生物学机制

脑动静脉畸形存在活跃的血管重构,本文就其重构的分子生物学机制作一综述。     

Ectopic cervico-mediastinal thymoma confirmed by flow cytometric analysis of tumor-derived lymphocytes

Ectopic cervical or cervico-mediastinal thymomas are very rare and most of them are asymptomatic, except for the presence of a cervical mass. We present the case of a 71-year-old man with an ectopic cervico-mediastinal thymoma threatening superior vena cava syndrome. He had a slight headache and presented with venous dilatation on the chest wall. A computed tomographic scan and magnetic resonance, imaging of the chest demonstrated a mass extending from the right neck to the hilum, that indented the trachea and compressed and displaced the brachiocephalic veins anteriorly. Under a right hemicollar incision and median sternotomy, the mass was resected en bloc together with the thymus. The resected specimen was an encapsulated mass measuring 11×7×4 cm. The pathological diagnosis was type AB, non-invasive thymoma, confirmed by 3-color flow, cytometry of tumor-derived lymphocytes. Flow cytometry using biopsy material may contribute to the preoperative diagnosis of ectopic thymoma.     

Cerebellopontine angle ganglioneuroblastoma

Summary The CT, MR and histological features of a rare ganglioneuroblastoma of the cerebellopontine angle and cavernous sinus are reported.     

A Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project in nuclear medicine: total performance in bone scintigraphy measured with a new transmission phantom

A prototype version of a recently developed transmission phantom for simulation of radionuclide bone studies was used in a Norwegian nationwide quality assurance project. The design of the phantom made it possible to perform a receiver operation characteristic (ROC) examination with respect to the detection of radionuclide accumulation in the ribs. The participants were also asked to report accumulation in the spinal column. Images obtained by means of a uniform source and a four-quadrant bar pattern were used to judge resolution and homogeneity with the collimator used in the bone studies. The overall performance of the laboratories was satisfactory, but considerable variations were found. There was a marked correlation between the physician's performance and the resolution and homogeneity of the camera. Reports from stationary imaging were generally better than those that were based on whole-body scans.     

The value of CT and very low field MRI in the etiological diagnosis of dizziness

A total of 79 dizziness patients were examined by either computed tomography (CT), or very low field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or both. In most cases, the patients were selected for the neuroimaging because preliminary clinical examination had suggested central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Abnormal CT or MRI findings with probable clinical relevance to the etiology of dizziness were obtained in 34%. The most common abnormalities were atrophy, infarction, and demyelination.; 29% of the CT scans and 40% of the MRI showed relevant abnormalities. The present results emphasize the diagnostic usefulness of head CT and MRI when dizziness of CNS etiology is suspected.     

Loss of constitutional heterozygosity in human astrocytomas

Summary Inactivation of tumour suppressor genes or anti-oncogenes as well as activation of dominant acting oncogenes seem to be important mechanisms in the pathogenesis of gliomas. We compared constitutional and tumoural genotypes at different restriction fragment length polymorphism loci (RFLP) on chromosomes 10 and 17 in 15 unrelated individualsLoss of heterozygosity (LOH) pointing to chromosomal loss or deletions was detected for at least one chromosme 17 marker in 11 gliomas (astrocytomas grades I–III and glioblastoma multiforme), whereas LOH for chromosome 10 loci was only detected in 3 out of 9 cases of glioblastoma multiforme and was not detected in low grade gliomas. Since LOH for chromosome 10 loci seems to be restricted only to glioblastoma multiforme, it is possible that recessive mutations on chromosome 10 are engaged in tumour progression from astrocytomas to glioblastoma multiforme. As LOH of chromosome 17 markers occurs in astrocytomas as in glioblastoma multiforme, chromosome 17 loci probably are involved in early tumour development.     

Long-term changes in the magnetic resonance image after chemonucleolysis

Summary After treatment of a symptomatic herniated disc with chymopapain, 14 patients were re-examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a mean follow-up of 72 months. Well-defined MRI findings before chemonucleolysis were compared with those after the procedure by an independent observer. Five MRI parameters were assessed. No significant change was noted in the signal intensity of the affected disc, the extent of osteochondrosis and endplate reaction of the affected segment. The height of the affected disc as well as the size of the disc herniation were reduced significantly. The loss of the height is seen as a direct result of chymopapain activity, whereas the alteration of the size of the herniation seems to depend on the natural history of a disc herniation and is probably not a simple result of the treatment.     

MRI and SPECT findings in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Summary MRI was performed in 21 patients and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) withN-isopropyl-p-¹²³I iodoamphetamine in 16 patients, to visualize upper motor neurone lesions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. T2-weighted MRI revealed high signal along the course of the pyramidal tract in the internal capsule and cerebral peduncle in 4 of 21 patients. SPECT images were normal in 4 patients, but uptake was reduced in the cerebral cortex that includes the motor area in 11.     

Human brain atlas: For high-resolution functional and anatomical mapping

We present the new computerized Human Brain Atlas (HBA) for anatomical and functional mapping studies of the human brain. The HBA is based on many high-resolution magnetic resonance images of normal subjects and provides continuous updating of the mean shape and position of anatomical structures of the human brain. The structures are transformable by linear and nonlinear global and local transformations applied anywhere in 3-D pictures to fit the anatomical structures of individual brains, which, by reformatting, are transformed into a high-resolution standard anatomical format. The power of the HBA to reduce anatomical variations was evaluated on a randomized selection of anatomical landmarks in brains of 27 young normal male volunteers who were different from those on whom the standard brain was selected. The HBA, even when based only on standard brain surface and central structures, reduced interindividual anatomical variance to the level of the variance in structure position between the right and left hemisphere in individual brains. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.