Unexpected Return for Follow-up During the First Year of Multidisciplinary Care May Be Predictive of Rapid Deterioration of Renal Function

Multidisciplinary predialysis education and team care (MDC) may slow the decline in renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, associations between unexpected return during MDC and progression of renal dysfunction have not been characterized in patients with CKD. Our study aimed to determine the association between exacerbation of renal dysfunction and the frequency of unexpected return during follow-up.A total of 437 patients with CKD receiving multidisciplinary care between January 2009 and June 2013 at the Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital were included in this retrospective observational cohort study, and multiple imputations were performed for missing data. The predictor was the frequency of unexpected return for follow-up during the first year after entering MDC. Main outcome was monthly declines in estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR). Moreover, the demographic data, comorbidities, history of medication, and routine laboratory data for patients with CKD were collected.Among all patients, 59.7% were male, the mean age at initiation of MDC was 69.4 ± 13.2 years, and the duration of follow-up was 21.4 ± 3.3 months. The subjects were divided into 2 groups according to frequencies of follow-up (≤4 and > 4 visits) during the 1st year of MDC. The patients with CKD were regularly followed up every 3 months as a part of MDC in our hospital, and patients who returned for more than 4 follow-up visits were included in the unexpected return group. In crude regression analyses, unexpected return was significantly associated with higher monthly declines of eGFR (β = 0.092, 95% confidence interval, 0.014–0.170). This association remained after adjustments for multiple variables, and subgroup analyses of unexpected return showed that male gender, older age, CKD stage 1 to 3, hypertension, history of coronary artery disease, and use of renin–angiotensin system blockade were significantly associated with declines in renal function.In conclusion, unexpected return for follow-up during the 1st year of MDC was significantly associated with the deterioration of renal function.     

Calcification and ossification of chronic encapsulated intracerebral haematoma: case report.

We report a case of calcified chronic encapsulated intracerebral haematoma (ICH) in a 29-year-old female who presented with progressive left sided weakness and intermittent seizures since childhood. The preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the head initially suggested that a partially thrombosed aneurysm or vascular malformation was present. However, no vascular stain was found on the digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of both the carotid and vertebral arteries. The excised mass was histologically diagnosed as a chronic ICH. We traced the patient's medical history and found that at the age of one she sustained a head injury after a fall. So far, to our knowledge, no case of epilepsy secondary to a calcified chronic encapsulated ICH occurring 28 years after head injury has been reported. Calcified chronic encapsulated ICH concomitant with new bone formation within is even rarer. The possible pathogenesis of this case is discussed.     

皮肤光老化皱纹形成机制及维A酸类药物的拮抗作用

日光中长波紫外线 (UVA)长期反复照射是户外工作者暴露部位皮肤光老化及相关皮肤肿瘤多发的重要因素 ,皱纹形成是皮肤光老化的最重要特征 ,研究其作用机制对紫外线辐射损伤的防护有重要意义。基质金属蛋白酶 (matrixmetal loproteinases,MMPs)家族在各种生理、病理条件下细胞外基质降解和重塑中起着关键作用。我们研究了皮肤光老化皱纹形成与真皮成纤维细胞MMPs及MMPs组织抑制剂 (tissueinhibitorofmatrixmetallo proteinases,TIMPs)表达的关系 ,并同时观察了维A酸类药物的拮抗作用。一、材料与方法1 真皮成纤维细胞培养 :标本为健康…     

Atropine effects on delayed discrimination performance of rats

The effects of atropine sulfate (ATS) and atropine methyl nitrate (ATM) on the conditional discrimination behavior of rats were investigated in eight-hour experimental sessions. Responding of rats was reinforced on either a lighted or a darkened lever depending on whether lights over both levers had been on during the preceding sample portion of the trial. Zero-delay and four-second-delay trials were randomly interspersed. Quality of performance was analyzed using the A' sensitivity measure of signal detection theory. Both drugs reduced both sensitivity and the percentage of trials on which responding occurred (percent response) below saline treatment levels. The two drugs did not reliably differ from each other in their effects on sensitivity during the zero-delay condition, but reliable differences between the two drugs emerged during the four-second-delay condition at doses above 0.8 mg/kg. Percent response recovered more rapidly for animals treated with ATS than responding occurred (percent response) below saline treatment levels. The two drugs did not reliably differ from each other in their effects on sensitivity during the zero-delay condition, but reliable differences between the two drugs emerged during the four-second-delay condition at doses above 0.8 mg/kg.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of chronic stress on plasma corticosterone, ACTH and prolactin

Rats were placed in a stressful environment for 24 hr per day and levels of plasma hormones were measured after varying numbers of days in the environment. Rats were habituated to operant chambers placed in sound-attenuated enclosures. Food pellets were available by lever press on a FR1 schedule. After 3 days of habituation, rats in the “stressed” group were trained to pull a ceiling chain to avoid or escape shock. Following training, stress trials, consisting of a consecutive sequence of 5 sec each of a warning light, warning tone and 0.16, 0.32, 0.65, 1.3 and 2.6 mA of footshock, occurred approximately once per 5 min around-the-clock. For the first day, the sequence was terminated when the ceiling chain was pulled. On subsequent days, 90% of all shock presentations could be avoided or escaped by chain pull; the remaining 10% of trials were inescapable and the entire sequence was presented. Control rats lived in identical chambers without presentation of shock. Rats were sacrificed after 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 or 14 days in this environment and levels of plasma corticosterone, ACTH and prolactin were determined. Levels of plasma corticosterone were elevated during the first 7 days in the stressful environment, but returned to control values by day 14. Levels of plasma ACTH and prolactin were similar in stressed and control rats at all time points measured. These data suggest that stress-induced changes in glucocorticoids but not in ACTH or prolactin might mediate some of the physiological changes that occur as the result of chronic stress.     

Evidence for microvascular thrombosis obtained by intravital fluorescence videomicroscopy

A pattern of enlarged capillaries densely packed with red cells and not filled by the intravital dye Na-fluorescein for 10-20 min is described. Probably it corresponds to microvascular thrombosis. Alternative explanations like prolonged stasis appear unlikely. Up to now the pattern has been detected in severe chronic venous incompetence, collagen vascular disease and essential thrombocytosis.     

Ultrastructural morphology of early cellular changes in the synovium of primary synovial chondromatosis.

Synovial tissues taken from 13 cases of synovial chondromatosis (SC) were examined by light and electron microscopy. In three of the 13 cases, early cellular changes were observed by electron microscopy. Most of the foci were independently situated within an accumulation of fine, homogenous chondroid matrix in the sublining area of the synovium. Basal laminalike material was observed in these cells. Because this material was not apparent in the mature cartilage cells, the authors postulate that the basilaminar material affects cellular cytodifferentiation in SC during the initial phase of the disease. Ultrastructurally, these cells are morphologically similar to myofibroblasts. However, proliferation of paravascular cells with distinct basal laminae and activated secretory abilities was observed around some of the vessels. These paravascular cells may be the precursor cells of the prechondroblastic cells with basal laminalike material seen in SC.     

Formation of a tablet: a site and bond percolation phenomenon.

The concepts of percolation theory are used to elucidate the formation of a tablet by compression of particulate matter. The process of compaction can be considered as a combination of site and bond percolation phenomena. Because of effects of different particle size and shape of the particles in a powder bed and effects of brittle fracture and plastic flow, moisture content of the powder, and finite size of the tablet, no sharp percolation thresholds are expected. Thus, it is interesting to test the validity of the fundamental equation of percolation theory: the power law X = S(p - pc)q, where X is the system property, S is the scaling factor, p is the site occupation or bond formation probability, and q is the critical exponent. This model is, in certain cases, only rigorously valid close to the percolation threshold (range, [+/- 0.1 pc]). Combination of the Heckel equation with an equation derived earlier for the properties (X) of tensile strength (sigma t) and deformation hardness (P) yields a power law with q = 1, S'(sigma t) = sigma tmax/(1 - pc), and S(P) = Pmax/(1 - pc). With respect to the simplifying assumptions made, the power law agrees well with the experimental results obtained. Substantial improvements in the interpretation of the compression-compaction process are possible with these findings, and some interpretations differ from previous ones in earlier publications.     

Microencapsulated pancreatic islets: a pathologic study.

Dog pancreatic islets isolated by an enzymatic digestion method were encapsulated in an alginate-poly L-lysine-alginate membrane. These microencapsulated pancreatic islets were cultured in vitro to study their ability of insulin secretion. Portions of these in vitro-cultured microencapsulated pancreatic islets were taken out for a viability dye exclusion study as well as for pathologic studies to correlate them with insulin secretion ability. We found that there was a strong correlation between them. Good insulin-secreting microcapsules showed well-preserved cell membranes and beta-cell granules. An in vitro culture for one to two days in RPMI-1640 made the islets more stable, the cellular surface became smoother and the beta-granules were in better shape. The microencapsulated pancreatic islets were also injected into the peritoneum of streptozotocin-induced diabetic CDF1 mice. Blood glucose levels dropped and stayed low for up to 60 days. But, when non-encapsulated dog pancreatic islets were used, the blood glucose levels remained low for only about 14 days. A small portion of the injected microcapsules were washed out at specific times for pathologic study. Up to 28 days after injection, only a few of the injected microcapsules showed pericapsular cellular infiltrate. However, after 56 days, most of the microcapsules showed dense pericapsular cellular infiltrate. Immunohistochemical analysis of these infiltrates showed that the majority of cells were fibroblasts and macrophages. Most of the cells located in the inner portion of the infiltrate were fibroblasts, while the macrophages were located mainly on the outer portion. Both scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that the surface of the microcapsule outer wall was much smoother than the inner wall. The size of the microcapsules was approximately 0.6-0.8 mm and the thickness of the wall measured around 10 nm. The smaller the microcapsule is, the less chance there is of rupture with release of the xenographic islets. Once the wall of the transplanted microcapsules was ruptured, the inner surface showed more increased inflammatory cell and fibroblast infiltration than the outer surface.