A hyperthermic syndrome in two subjects with acute hydrocephalus

Although intracranial hypertension may cause autonomic disturbances, as well as alterations in the regulation of body temperature, an acute hyperthermic syndrome with autonomic disturbance as a consequence of hydrocephalus has not been described previously. Two subjects presented with such a syndrome, with each of several episodes of acute shunt failure and hydrocephalus. With correction of the hydrocephalus, the autonomic disturbances and fever immediately cleared. Observations from human and experimental studies suggest some potential mechanisms for the development of the syndrome. One of the subjects of this report was being treated with neuroleptics at the time of hospitalization; in him, and potentially in other similar patients, the syndrome could easily be confused with the neuroleptic malignant syndrome. The need for prompt appreciation of the correct diagnosis was emphasized by the rapid clearing of all neurological signs after correction of the shunt malfunction in both of these patients.     

血脂监测在防治Ⅱ型糖尿病患者继发动脉粥样硬化中的意义

目的探讨血脂代谢紊乱跟Ⅱ型糖尿病(ⅡDM)患者继发动脉粥样硬化并症的关系。方法采用奥林巴斯Au-640全自动生化分析仪,测定Ⅱ型糖尿病患者和健康对照组的空腹血糖(GLU)、胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TG)、高密度脂蛋白(HDL-C)、载脂蛋白Al(ApoAl)和载脂蛋白B100(ApoBloo),并进行统计、比较并与患者的病情进行对比分祈,并对高血糖、血脂组患者跟踪观察、治疗。结果Ⅱ型糖尿病组同健康对照组比较、Ⅱ型糖尿病患者中有合并症组跟无合并症组、高血糖组跟血糖正常组比较,CHO、TG和ApoBloo的含量均升高(P<0.05),而HDL-C和ApoAI含量降低(P<0.05)。而高血糖、血脂组患者,已经初步出现或在随后的观察中出现了动脉粥样硬化等相关的临床表征,且治疗效果不佳。结论Ⅱ型糖尿病患者血脂的异常,特别是CHO、TG的大幅升高,提示患者在出现动脉硬化性心血管合并症之前,体内已经具备了诱发合并症的生化基础,应早期采取针性治疗和预防措施。     

Localization of a gene for otosclerosis to chromosome 15q25-q26

Among white adults otosclerosis is the single most common cause of hearing impairment. Although the genetics of this disease are controversial, the majority of studies indicate autosomal dominant inheritance with reduced penetrance. We studied a large multi- generational family in which otosclerosis has been inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Five of16 affected persons have surgically confirmed otosclerosis; the remaining nine have a conductive hearing loss but have not undergone corrective surgery. To locate the disease- causing gene we completed genetic linkage analysis using short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs) distributed over the entire genome. Multipoint linkage analysis showed that only one genomic region, on chromosome 15q, generated a lod score >2.0. Additional STRPs were typed in this area, resulting in a lod score of 3.4. STRPs FES (centromeric) and D15S657 (telomeric) flank the 14. 5 cM region that contains an otosclerosis gene.      

Crosslink formation in porcine valves stabilized by dye-mediated photooxidation

Bovine pericardial and porcine valve materials stabilized by dye-mediated photooxidation have shown potential for bioprosthetic valve use. Previously, in vitro and in vivo stability of these materials was demonstrated through enzymatic, chemical, extraction, rat subcutaneous, and functional challenges. Here, we examine the stability of photooxidized porcine aortic valves through amino acid, crosslink, and hydrothermal isometric tension analysis. Photooxidation reduced intact histidine residues from 17.0 to 0 residues per 1000, indicating the photooxidative alteration of this amino acid. Diphenyl borinic acid-derivitized hydrolyzates of proteins were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography, which identified several amino acid crosslinks that appeared with photooxidation that were absent in untreated controls. Thermal relaxation analysis indicated a significantly higher (p < 0.0002) thermal stability for photooxidized porcine cusps than that of untreated controls, with mean relaxation times for untreated cusps of 14,000 +/- 4650 versus 22,900 +/- 2480 s for photooxidized cusps. In summary, porcine aortic valve tissue treated by dye-mediated photooxidation contains new chemical species and exhibits properties consistent with intermolecular crosslink formation, which explain the increased biostability of this material and its potential for use in bioprosthetic devices.     

Coexistence of NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits with nNOS in the nucleus tractus solitarii of rat

We previously showed that most neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-containing neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) contain NMDAR1, the fundamental subunit for functional N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Likewise, we found that almost all nNOS-containing neurons in the NTS contain GluR1, the calcium permeable AMPA receptor subunit. These data suggest that AMPA and NMDA receptors may colocalize in NTS neurons that contain nNOS. However, other investigators have suggested that non-NMDA receptors are located primarily on second-order neurons and NMDA receptors are located predominantly on higher-order neurons in NTS. We now seek to test the hypothesis that NMDA receptors, AMPA receptors and nNOS are colocalized in NTS cells. We performed triple fluorescent immunohistochemical staining of nNOS, NMDAR1 and GluR1, and performed confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis of the NTS. The distributions of nNOS immunoreactivity (IR), NMDAR1-IR and GluR1-IR in the NTS were similar to those we reported earlier. Superimposed images revealed that almost all NMDAR1-IR cells contained GluR1-IR and almost all GluR1-IR cells contained NMDAR1-IR. Some double-labeled cells were additionally labeled for nNOS-IR. All nNOS-IR neurons contained both GluR1-IR and NMDAR1-IR. These studies support our hypothesis that NMDA and AMPA receptors are colocalized in NTS neurons and are consistent with a role of both types of ionotropic receptors in transmission of afferent signals in NTS. In addition, these data provide support for an anatomical link between ionotropic glutamate receptors and nitric oxide in the NTS.