The Effect of Helicobacter pylori on Gastric Cancer Treated with Adjuvant Chemotherapy After Curative Resection

Helicobacter pylori has been associated with diverse pathologies of varying severity. We investigated the H. pylori infection status and its association with the pathologic features and clinical outcomes in stage III gastric cancer patients treated with adjuvant therapy after curative resection. Between 2004 and 2009, the records of 76 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed. H. pylori infection was confirmed by examination of pathological specimen. The relationship between H. pylori and the clinicopathological features was analyzed by Fisher exact test, Student’s t test, and Kaplan-Meier method. Of the 76 patients, 16 patients (21.1 %) were confirmed for H. pylori infection. The median age was 59 years. Twenty-three patients received chemotherapy and remainder received chemoradiotherapy. H. pylori status did not correlate with the clinicopathologic features. It was greater in non-neoplastic tissue than the tumor tissue (21.1 vs 7.9 %). Median follow-up was 21 months. During this period, 88.2 % patients had experienced tumor recurrence, and 85.5 % patients had died. Recurrence was observed in 87.5 % patients and in 88.3 % patients in H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative patients, respectively (P = 0.92). Disease-free survival was 28.4 ± 7.9 months and overall survival was 31.5 ± 7.4 months in H. pylori-positive patients compared with 28.3 ± 3.7 and 33.2 ± 3.4 months, respectively, in H. pylori-negative patients. H. pylori infection status did not have effect on the overall or disease-free survival (p = 0.85 and P = 0.86), respectively. H. pylori status might not be useful as a prognostic and predictive factor for clinical outcomes.     

Optimizing the efficiency of high-field multivoxel spectroscopic imaging by multiplexing in space and time.

A new strategy to yield information from the maximum number of voxels, each at the optimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) per unit time, in MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is introduced. In the past, maximum acquisition duty-cycle was obtained by multiplexing in time several single slices each repetition time (TR), while optimal SNR was achieved by encoding the entire volume of interest (VOI) each TR. We show that optimal SNR and acquisition efficiency can both be achieved simultaneously by multiplexing in space and time several slabs of several slices, each. Since coverage of common VOIs in 3D proton MRSI in the human brain typically requires eight or more slices, at 3 T or higher magnetic fields, two or more slabs can fit into the optimum TR (approximately 1.6 s). Since typically four or less slices would then fit into each slab, Hadamard encoding is favored in that direction for slice profile reasons. It is demonstrated that per fixed examination length, the new method gives, at 3 T, twice as many voxels, each of the same SNR and size, compared with current 3D chemical shift imaging techniques. It is shown that this gain will increase for more extensive spatial coverage or higher fields.     

Diagnostic value of computer analysis of multipeaked EMG spikes.

Computer analysis of absolute number of peaks per second and the number of peaks in the multipeaked spikes/sec was carried out in the EMG interference recordings of 5 healthy, 6 myopathic and 8 neuropathic subjects. The purpose of the study was to detect diagnostically different patterns. A spike was considered multipeaked if it had 6 or more peaks. The amplitude of elimination (baseline) was examined at 1: 5, 1: 10 and 1: 15 of the average amplitude per second. Both the number of peaks and the number of peaks in multipeaked spikes in the neuropathic and myopathic muscles showed statistically significant differences when compared to healthy muscles. This technique could give an indication for the differential diagnosis of myopathic, neuropathic or healthy state of the muscle.     

Effect of Nitroglycerin Inhalation on Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Undergoing Mitral Valve Replacement Surgery

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the postoperative hemodynamic effects of nitroglycerin inhalation on patients with pulmonary hypertension undergoing mitral valve replacement surgery.

Methods: Twenty patients who underwent mitral valve replacement surgery were included in the study. In the surgical intensive care unit, at T0 (before the inhalation of nitroglycerin), basal systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics were recorded. Then, 2.5 [mu]g [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] min-1 nitroglycerin liquid nebulized by a 2-l gas flow of 40% oxygen and air mixture was administered to the patients who were diagnosed as having pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary arterial pressures > 25 mmHg). The same parameters were measured at the first (T1), third (T2), and fifth (T3) hours after the beginning of this treatment and 1 h after the end of nitroglycerin inhalation (T4).

Results: There were no statistically significant differences at T0, T1, T2, T3, or T4 with respect to heart rate, mean arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, cardiac index, mixed venous oxygen saturation, arteriovenous oxygen content difference, or arterial carbon dioxide tension. However, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, and intrapulmonary shunt fraction were significantly lower, and the arterial oxygen tension/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio was higher at T1, T2, and T3 when compared to that of T0 and T4.     

Various types of suprameatal spines and depressions in the human temporal bone

Since it covers the lateral wall of the mastoid air system, the suprameatal triangle is of importance to otologic surgeons during mastoidectomy. Because of this clinical importance, topographic anatomy of the suprameatal spine and depression was studied on Anatolian skulls. In all, 363 male and 231 female skulls were studied. The most prevalent type of suprameatal spine resembled a crest and was found in both sexes on the right (77.6%) and left (80%) sides. The absence of a suprameatal depression was significantly higher in females (right 9.1%; left 8.7%) than in males (right 1.7%; left 2.5%). Suprameatal depressions were mostly shallow in female subjects, but were mostly observed in males to be at a medium depth or deep. Received: 5 January 1998 / Accepted: 19 March 1998     

In vivo phosphorus polarization transfer and decoupling from protons in three-dimensional localized nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of human brain

Refocused insensitive nucleus enhancement by polarization transfer (RINEPT) from protons (¹H) to a J-coupled phosphorus (³¹P) has been incorporated into three-dimensional (3D) chemical-shift-imaging (CSI) sequence on a clinical imager. The technique is demonstrated on a phantom and in in vivo human brain. The polarization-transfer efficiency (～1.2) is lower than the theoretical maximum of γ¹H/γ³¹P≈ 2.4 resulting from ¹H-¹H homonuclear J couplings of similar magnitude competing with the ¹H →³¹P transfer. Nevertheless, compared with direct ³¹P Ernst-angle excitation, signal gains of up to × 1.8 were obtained mainly as a result of T¹ differences between ³¹P and the ¹H. Spectral interpretation is simplified by editing out all non-proton-coupled ³¹P signals. The duration, ～50 min, and power deposition, ～1 W · kg^?1, make the application suitable for human studies.     

Is there any relationship between human leucocyte antigen class II and chronic urticaria? (chronic urticaria and HLA class II)

The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing of large groups of patients with various autoimmune diseases has demonstrated that some HLA alleles occur at higher frequencies in specific diseases than in the general population. Chronic urticaria has been shown to have an autoimmune basis by a previous study which found an association between chronic urticaria and specific HLA groups. We investigated the HLA subtypes of Turkish chronic urticaria patients. For this purpose 42 Turkish patients with chronic urticaria and 115 healthy controls were typed for HLA-DR and DQ by PCR-SSP (Polymerase Chain Reaction Sequence Specific Primers) low resolution DNA technique. We found an increased frequency of DR4 (42.9%, p=0.01) in chronic urticaria patients in comparison with that in healthy controls. This study supports the hypothesis that HLA alleles may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic urticaria and that they appear to be directly involved in the initiation of the immune response.     

The antiatherogenic effect of allicin: possible mode of action.

OBJECTIVE: Garlic (Allium sativum) has been suggested to affect several cardiovascular risk factors. Its antiatherosclerotic properties are mainly attributed to allicin that is produced upon crushing of the garlic clove. Most previous studies used various garlic preparations in which allicin levels were not well defined. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of pure allicin on atherogenesis in experimental mouse models. METHODS AND RESULTS: Daily dietary supplement of allicin, 9 mg/kg body weight, reduced the atherosclerotic plaque area by 68.9 and 56.8% in apolipoprotein E-deficient and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor knockout mice, respectively, as compared with control mice. LDL isolated from allicin-treated groups was more resistant to CuSO(4)-induced oxidation ex vivo than LDL isolated from control mice. Incubation of mouse plasma with (3)H-labeled allicin showed binding of allicin to lipoproteins. By using electron spin resonance, we demonstrated reduced Cu(2+) binding to LDL following allicin treatment. LDL treatment with allicin significantly inhibited both native LDL and oxidized LDL degradation by isolated mouse macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: By using a pure allicin preparation, we were able to show that allicin may affect atherosclerosis not only by acting as an antioxidant, but also by other mechanisms, such as lipoprotein modification and inhibition of LDL uptake and degradation by macrophages.     

Growth hormone co-treatment for ovulation induction may enhance conception in the co-treatment and succeeding cycles, in clonidine negative but not clonidine positive patients

To investigate the effect of co-treatment with growth hormone(GH) for ovulation induction with human menopausal gonadotrophins(HMG) on conception, we compared the pregnancy rate and responseto co-treatment with GH versus HMG/human chorionic gonadotrophin(HCG) alone in a prospective, randomized, cross-over protocolof volation induction for either in-vivo or in-vitro fertilization(IVF). The main outcome measures were the amount of gonadotrophinused and conception. Co-treatment with GH was associated witha reduction of 30% in gonadotrophin requirement. In 24 clonidinenegative patients 14 pregnancies were achieved (58.3%) eitherin the GH/HMG/HCG cycle or in the succeeding one. GH co-treatmentdid not generate any pregnancy in eight clonidine positive patients.We conclude that growth hormone may increase the pregnancy ratewhen combined with HMG/HCG for ovulation induction, not onlyin the co-treatment cycle but also in the succeeding one. Thebeneficial, synergistic effect of GH co-treatment was detectedin clonidine negative but not in clonidine positive infertilepatients.