LOW SERUM CARNITINE CONCENTRATIONS IN HEALTHY CHILDREN WITH IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

Carnitine is not only obtained from animal-derived foods but also synthesized in the body. It plays an important role in the energy metabolism of many tissues, including heart and skeletal muscles. Iron is known to be essential for the biosynthesis of carnitine. Although many conditions are well known to cause secondary carnitine deficiency, iron deficiency, which is a very common condition in children, is not well studied as a cause of secondary carnitine deficiency in humans. This study demonstrates the coexistence of iron deficiency and low carnitine levels in otherwise healthy children. The mean carnitine concentration of 18 otherwise healthy children with iron deficiency anemia was significantly lower compared to the mean carnitine concentration of healthy children without iron deficiency anemia. Based on the evidence about the effect of low iron on carnitine stores in experimental animals, we proposed that low serum carnitine levels in these children may be secondary to iron deficiency. However, further studies need to be done to further clarify this relationship.     

Syndrome de Barraquer-Simons au cours d’un lupus érythémateux systémique

Barraquer–Simons syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by a partial lipodystrophy. It is often associated with positive C3 nephritic factor and various glomerular nephropathy. Its association with some autoimmune diseases has also been reported. We report a 30-year-old woman with partial lipodystrophy, lupus erythematosus, hypothyroidism and vitiligo.     

肠系膜上动脉综合征21例术式的选择

目的　探讨肠系膜上动脉综合征的术式选择。方法　对 1 992年 1月至 2 0 0 2年 1月诊治的 2 1例肠系膜上动脉综合征患者的资料进行回顾性分析。结果　非手术治疗 3例 ,手术治疗 1 8例 ,均治愈出院。其中Treitz韧带切断松解、下移术 (Ⅰ型术式 ) 4例 ;Treitz韧带松解、下移术加十二指肠空肠侧侧吻合、空肠空肠端侧Roux en Y吻合术 (Ⅱ型术式 ) 9例 ;十二指肠横行部、空肠侧侧吻合术(Ⅲ型术式 ) 1例 ;胃大部分切除 胃空肠吻合术 (BillrothⅡ式 ,Ⅳ型术式 ) 2例 ;十二指肠空肠血管前移位吻合术 (Ⅴ型手术 ) 2例。其中 1例Ⅰ型术式、1例Ⅲ型术式经第 2次改行Ⅱ型术式后痊愈。结论　正确判断致病因素及选择合适的治疗方法和手术方式 ,才能获得满意效果。     

Perspectives on phantom boarder symptom

Phantom boarder symptom (PBS) is a hallucinatory and delusional syndrome that tends to occur in the elderly, in which the patient imagines that someone uninvited is living in their home. This article provides an overview of the historical background that has led to the current focus on PBS as a single symptom, from its classification as late paraphrenia to its being recognized as a type of misidentification, and discusses classification problems and PBS subclassifications. In addition, the results of our own investigation of PBS, which focused on PBS in senile dementia, support the findings of previous studies, such as the absence of a relationship between dementia severity and the occurrence of delusion. The discussion therefore focuses on the psychosocial factors that serve as the mechanism of PBS onset, and directions and possibilities for therapy are suggested.     

局部注射与手法按摩治疗梨状肌综合征30例

目的探索梨状肌综合征采用局部注射及手法按摩的治疗效果。方法在髂后上嵴与大转子连线中点下2～3 cm处,用注射针垂直刺入,深达髂骨。注射曲安奈德、罗哌卡因、山莨菪碱、三磷酸腺苷合剂。然后,舒筋整复手法按摩。结果17例经1个疗程治愈,另7例经2个疗程治愈,其余6例经2个疗程好转。结论局部注射及手法按摩综合治疗梨状肌综合征,效果良好,操作简便,副作用小。     

KLEINE-LEVIN SYNDROME: A CASE REPORT

The case of a 10 yr old boy suffering from Kleine-Levin syndrome is described. The diagnosis was originally obscured by symptoms which suggested a primary depressive disorder. Unusual features included bizarre crying behaviour and unfounded allegations of sexual assault. Although the syndrome is rare, the need to be aware of the diagnosis is stressed, particularly in pre-pubertal children suffering from significant episodic depressive symptoms.     

Diuretic resistant oedema: nailing the diagnosis.

Introduction Peripheral oedema is a commonly encountered clinical problem.Although it has many causes, its pathophysiology ultimatelyinvolves two processes: altered capillary haemodynamics andrenal salt and water retention. A minority of cases are resistantto diuretic treatment; causes of such resistance include excessivesodium intake, poor diuretic drug absorption, reduced secretionof free diuretic into urine (for example, in nephrotic syndrome,renal failure, and heart failure), and lymphatic obstruction.We present a case of diuretic-resistant oedema associated withpleural and pericardial effusions. Only after extensive ‘negative’     

Persistent unilateral orbital and eyelid oedema as a manifestation of Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) is a complex neuromucocutaneous disorder characterized by localized orofacial oedema and cranial nerve dysfunction, frequently associated with minor signs, including furrowed tongue. Complete forms are rare whereas mono- and oligosymptomatic variants are more common. A 71-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of relapsing and progressively persistent oedema of the right eyelids and periorbital region. A fissured tongue and telangiectatic rosacea had been present since the age of 50 and 60 years, respectively. The patient was also affected by essential hypertension and diabetes mellitus. A skin biopsy showed a marked upper dermal oedema, and small epithelioid cell granulomas arranged in perivascular and perilymphatic location. Collections of small epithelioid cells were occasionally observed within lymphatic spaces. No acid-fast bacteria, fungi or foreign bodies were detected. Intralesional corticosteroids induced transient improvement, whereas minocycline, clofazimine and dapsone have been ineffective. MRS may present with unilateral eyelid and periorbital swelling. Differential diagnoses of such cases may include a variety of cutaneous, ophthalmic and systemic diseases.     

Change in the post-discharge destinations from a senile dementia therapy ward in Japan: the second report

Background: The new long‐term care insurance (LTCI) system, known as Kaigo‐Hoken, was implemented in April 2000. We previously reported a change in the type of destination after discharge from a senile dementia therapy ward (named the Midori ward) following implementation of the LTCI system at Fukuoka Prefectural Onga Hospital during the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2001 in Psychogeriatrics (2003; 3 : 104–108). We subsequently investigated the type of destination after discharge from the Midori ward at Fukuoka Prefectural Onga Hospital during the period from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002. Methods: We used data from a total of 320 discharged inpatients with dementia who fulfilled the criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM‐IV) for dementia of the Alzheimer's type, vascular dementia and other types of dementia. We compared the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 before the LTCI implementation and the periods from 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 and 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 after the LTCI implementation. The type of destination after discharge and the place of origin of the inpatients before admission were classified into one of the following groups: (i) nursing home or geriatric care facility group; (ii) hospitalization group; (iii) home group; and (iv) death group. Results: No significant change was evident when the subjects’ post‐discharge destinations were compared or when the subjects’ pre‐admission residences and post‐discharge destinations were compared. These results were similar to our previous report which appeared in Psychogeriatrics (2003; 3 : 104–108). Conclusion: While the LTCI system has become more widely used, it is still necessary to analyze each case and provide the care that encourages people with dementia in senile dementia therapy wards to return to their homes under the LTCI system.     

Mortality in dioxin-exposed mice infected with influenza: mitochondrial toxicity (reye's-like syndrome) versus enhanced inflammation as the mode of action.

Increased mortality following influenza A infection was reported in B6C3F1 mice exposed to a low (0.01 micro g/kg) dose of dioxin. However, mortality was not associated with increased viral load and antibody titers to the virus were not decreased at doses of TCDD < or = 10 micro g/kg, suggesting that viral overgrowth, secondary to immunosuppression, was not the proximate cause of death. We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial toxicity and dysfunction, similar to Reye's syndrome (RS) in humans, is responsible for increased mortality in dioxin-exposed, infected B6C3F1 female mice, based on similarities in the biochemical and immunological events that occur in RS and in TCDD-exposed animals. Endpoints were also included to test the hypothesis that increased pulmonary inflammation following dioxin exposure, in the absence of mitochondrial toxicity, was associated with increased mortality. Dose-related effects of TCDD alone, infection with influenza A alone, and combined TCDD exposure/influenza infection were evaluated. Mice were given a single ip injection of 0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, or 1.0 micro g TCDD/kg, 7 days before infection by intranasal instillation of an estimated LD(10-20) of influenza A Hong Kong/8/68 (H3N2) and were terminated 1, 7, and 10 days after infection. Serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue were collected for various measurements, including clinical chemistries, cell counts, cytokine analysis, and viral titers. Exposure to < or = 1.0 micro g TCDD/kg did not increase mortality; virus titers were similar at all doses of TCDD and there was no dioxin-related effect on serum NH(3) or glucose concentrations, two prominent indicators of the altered mitochondrial oxidative metabolism typically observed in RS. A study was therefore conducted over a wider range of TCDD doses. A single injection of 0, 0.025, 0.5, or 10 micro g TCDD/kg preceded infection by 7 days; subgroups of noninfected control and highest dose group (10 micro g TCDD/kg) mice were also evaluated for biochemical and immunological endpoints on the equivalent of infection day 4 to provide baseline data. Five days after infection the same endpoints described above were evaluated. The 10 micro g TCDD/kg dose increased mortality, but once again did not increase virus titer; as in previous experiments, serum biochemistry endpoints did not support mitochondrial dysfunction. These results suggest that RS is an unlikely explanation for increased influenza mortality in TCDD-exposed mice. Rather, constituents in BALF implicate increased pulmonary inflammation as the mode of TCDD action.