Acoustic rhinometry in pre-school children

Acoustic rhinometry was performed in 35 normal nose-breathing children between 3 and 6 years. The average cross-sectional areas at the nasal valve, at the anterior end of the turbinates, and in the nasopharynx were 0.34±0.06 cm², 0.35±0.08 cm² and 1.37±0.48 cm² respectively. The average minimal cross-sectional area was 0.29±0.06 cm². The minimal cross-sectional area was located at the nasal valve in 14 and at the anterior end of nasal tubinates in 21 of the 35 children. As would be expected, the cross-sectional areas at different sites of the nasal cavity increased with increasing age of the children. But, whereas the minimal cross-sectional area increased by 0.024 cm² per year, the nasopharyngeal cross-sectional area increased by 0.20 cm² per year. No significant differences were found between boys and girls. Measurements of the posterior nasal and nasopharyngeal cross-sectional areas were unreliable, whenever the minimal cross-sectional area was less than 0.2 cm². Furthermore, assessment of the nasopharynx may be difficult because of involuntary movements of the soft palate.     

Nasal fractures in children

Summary A group of thirty children with nasal fractures was evaluated retrospectively by means of a questionnaire and hospital records. Age at the time of injury ranged from age 3 to 12 (mean = 8.6) years and mean follow-up period was 9 years. Eight patients reported some degree of nasal obstruction post reduction, but only one patient required submucous resection and two patients underwent septorhinoplasty for appearance. No patients reported class III malocclusion, or required orthodontic treatment or maxillofacial corrective surgery for maxillary hypoplasia. We concluded that a childhood nasal fracture treated by closed reduction does not have deleterious effects on facial or nasal growth.This work was supported in part by the Brigham Surgical Group Foundation, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA     

Multidrug transport in human glioblastoma cells is inhibited by transforming growth factors type beta 1, beta 2, and beta 1.2

The transforming growth factors type beta 1, beta 2, and beta 1.2 suppress multidrug transport in human pat-1 glioblastoma cells and even in cells that strongly over-express mdr genes and are resistant to inhibition of multidrug transport by chemosensitizers. Thus, inhibition of multidrug transport by cytokines might be a new approach to increase cellular accumulation of chemotherapeutic agents in multidrug resistant glial tumor cells. Interestingly, a member of the more distantly related decapentaplegic subgroup of transforming growth factors, the bone morphogenetic protein BMP 2, did not inhibit multidrug transport.     

bFGF对人毛囊黑素细胞增殖、活化和黑素合成作用的研究

目的　研究碱性成纤维细胞生长因子 (bFGF)对人毛囊黑素细胞 (Hairfolloclemelanocyte ,HFM )增殖活化和黑素合成的影响。方法　体外培养正常人HFM ,观察不同浓度bFGF(0 3～ 1 2ng ml)对HFM形态、增殖、酪氨酸酶活性和黑素含量的影响。结果　bFGF处理HFM 7d后 ,HFM树突增多延长 ,酪氨酸酶活性和黑素含量增加显著高于对照组 (P <0 0 1) ,以 0 6ng ml组为著。结论　bFGF能诱导HFM增殖、酪氨酸酶活性和黑素合成增加     

糖尿病大鼠视网膜血管内皮生长因子与一氧化氮的变化

目的：探讨糖尿病大鼠视网膜血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）与一氧化氮（NO）的变化及其在糖尿病视网膜病变（DR）发生发展过程中的作用。方法：选择健康成年SD大鼠，随机分成正常对照组，糖尿病1月（DM1），糖尿病3月（DM3）和糖尿病5月（DM5）组，一次性腹腔注射链佐菌素（STZ）诱发糖尿病模型，应用免疫组织化学方法观察各组视网膜组织VEGF的表达情况，并检测各组视网膜组织中一氧化氮合酶（NOS）活性和NO含量变化。结果：3个月时，糖尿病大鼠视网膜VEGF表达增强，NOS活性增强，NO含量增高，5个月时，糖尿病大鼠视网膜表达进一步增强，而NOS活性开始减弱，NO含量减少，结论：糖尿病大鼠视网膜VEGF的过度表达和NOS活性，NO含量的变化在DR的发生发展过程中起重要作用。     

肺心病患者血清碱性成纤维细胞生长因子水平的变化及其与肺动脉压的关系

目的　探讨碱性成纤维细胞生长因子 (b FGF)在低氧性肺动脉高压发病中的作用。方法　采用酶联免疫吸附法对具有低氧性肺动脉高压的肺心病患者 2 1例、无低氧性肺动脉高压的慢性阻塞性肺疾病 (COPD)患者 2 3例和 2 4例正常人血清 b FGF水平进行检测 ,以多普勒超声心动仪测定肺心病和 COPD患者的平均肺动脉压 (m PAP)。结果　肺心病组 m PAP水平 (33.33± 7.0 3m m Hg)明显高于 COPD组 (13.13± 2 .34mm Hg) ,P<0 .0 0 1;肺心病组血清 b FGF水平 (6 9.84± 16 .2 9pg/m l)明显高于 COPD组 (43.94± 7.5 7pg/ml)和正常对照组(44 .6 4± 6 .31pg/m l) ,P<0 .0 0 1;肺心病血清 b FGF水平与 m PAP之间呈明显正相关 ,r=0 .730 ,P<0 .0 0 1。结论慢性肺心病患者血清 b FGF水平明显升高 ,可能与其慢性低氧性肺动脉高压的形成有一定的关系。     

Ischemic rat brain extracts induce human marrow stromal cell growth factor production

Intravenous administration of human bone marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) in rats provides functional benefit. We tested the hypothesis that these functional benefits are derived in part from hMSC production of growth and trophic factors. Quantitative sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of hMSCs cultured with normal and MCAo brain extracts were performed. hMSCs cultured in supernatant derived from ischemic brain extracts increased production of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). These neurotrophins and angiogenic growth factors increased in a post‐ischemia time‐dependent manner. The hMSC capacity to increase expression of growth and trophic factors may be the key to the benefit provided by transplanted hMSCs in the ischemic brain.     

Leptin, lipid and lipid metabolism-related hormones in chronic renal failure in Arabia

SUMMARY: In patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), hyperleptinaemia has been widely reported, but the exact mechanisms leading to elevated leptin levels are unclear. Impaired renal clearance of leptin and the influence of other hormones may be important. In this study, we measured serum leptin levels in 150 patients on haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or in the predialysis phase of CRF. Furthermore, we measured plasma levels of insulin, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), as well as plasma levels of triacylglycerols and total low density lipoprotein (LDL)- and high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. We observed significantly elevated levels of leptin, particularly in female patients, and leptin was shown to correlate significantly with insulin, total and LDL-cholesterol and log triacylglycerols. Leptin was inversely correlated with GH concentrations, but was not correlated with IGF-1 levels. Despite the multiple correlations established between leptin levels and other variables, only hyperinsulinaemia in CRF seems to be important as a determinator of leptin levels.