Prostaglandin E1-induced Catalepsy in the Rat: Role of Putative Neutrotransmitters

Prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁) produced dose-related catalepsy in rats when administered intracerebroventricularly. PGE₁ induced catalepsy was significantly inhibited after pretreatment with pharmacological agents known to attenuate central serotonergic and cholinergic activity. It was also inhibited by PGF₂ and naloxone. On the contrary, treatments enhancing central dopaminergic activity also reduced the cataleptic effect of PGE₁. The results suggest that PGE₁ induces catalepsy in rats by modulating activity of central neurotransmitters.     

Esthesioneuroblastoma as a collision tumor

Esthesioneuroblastoma is an uncommon malignant neoplasm of nose and paranasal sinuses. Esthesioneuroblaslvma presenting as a collision tumour is very rare. The case of such a rare presentation is being reported here in a patient with previous history of squamous cell carcinoma uvula, post irridiatted; who now developed a bleeding nasal mass which proved to be a collision timour c ontaining both squamous cell carcinoma and Esthesioneuroblastoma on biopsy.     

Cardiac catheterization through ipsilateral radial and ulnar artery access during the same procedure

We evaluated the safety and feasibility of ipsilateral radial and ulnar artery cannulation during the same catheterization procedure. Crossover from radial to femoral was done in 122 patients. Both ipsilateral radial and ulnar catheterization were performed in 16 patients without any complications, which was further supported by Doppler ultrasonography.     

Ectopic expression of rhombotin-2 causes selective expansion of CD4-CD8- lymphocytes in the thymus and T-cell tumors in transgenic mice

Although the proto-oncogene rhombotin-2 (RBTN-2) is widely expressed in most tissues, it is not expressed in T cells. We investigated the potential for overexpression of RBTN-2 to cause tumors in T cells and other tissues by constructing transgenic mice that expressed RBTN-2 under control of the metallothionein-1 promoter. Despite overexpression of RBTN-2 in all tissues, transgenic mice developed T-cell tumors only, thus indicating that tumorigenesis caused by RBTN-2 is T-cell-specific. Thymic tumors were found between 37 and 71 weeks and were invariably associated with metastasis to nonlymphoid organs. Thymuses from apparently healthy transgenic mice were also examined. In some mice there was an 10-fold increase in the CD4-CD8- thymocyte subset, yet the total number of thymocytes was the same as that in wild-type mice. Thymic homeostasis was maintained by a compensatory reduction in the CD4+CD8+ subset. The expansion of CD4-CD8- thymocytes was associated with increased expression of RBTN-2 and with increased cell proliferation. No differences were found in the proportion of thymocytes undergoing apoptosis in transgenic mice. Furthermore, RBTN-2- induced expansion of CD4-CD8- cells did not block differentiation of these cells. Thymuses with 30% CD4-CD8- cells were essentially monoclonal, indicating that all thymic immunophenotypes were derived from a single clone. Overall, our data are consistent with the following scenario: (1) RBTN-2 expression in T cells causes selective and polyclonal proliferation of CD4-CD8- thymocytes accompanied by a compensatory decrease in other thymocyte subsets; (2) a clone with growth advantage and differentiation potential is selected and populates the thymus; and (3) this clone eventually breaches homeostasis of the thymus, accompanied or followed by metastasis to other organs.     

State-of-the-art review on management of end-stage heart failure in amyloidosis: transplant and beyond

Heart Failure Reviews - Cardiac involvement occurs in light-chain (AL), transthyretin wild-type (wtATTR), and hereditary (hATTR) amyloidosis; other types of amyloidosis account...