Comparison between ankle and toe index in patients with peripheral arterial disease

In contrast to the systolic blood pressure at the posterior tibial artery, the evaluation of pressure at the digital artery of the foot before and after exercise in patients with peripheral arterial disease is not well known. Twenty three patients with peripheral vascular disease were examined. The systolic pressure was measured by means of an ultrasound velocity detector at the brachial and posterior tibial artery. Digital artery pressure was determined with photoplethysmography. Pressures were measured before and within 5 and 10 minutes after a treadmill test. Ankle and toe index was calculated. At rest the toe index is lower than the ankle index and after a treadmill test the decrease in toe index occurs in parallel to the ankle index.     

Cell proliferation in human cerebral tumors. In vivo study of 45 cases by incorporation of 5-iododesoxyuridine

A method to study the proliferation of human brain tumors, is presented. Non radioactive 5-Iododeoxyuridine (2.4 gr) infused over a 24 hours period is detected in situ on histologic section by an immunological technique (peroxidase-anti-peroxidase) using a specific anti-Iododeoxyuridine antibody. This exploration utilised in 45 patients is easy, reliable and harmless. All cells which enter in S phase of cellular cycle during the infusion are labelled. So the cellular kinetics of all the brain tumor cells (malignant cells, inflammatory stroma reaction cells, reactive astrocytes, endothelial and muscular cells of the vessels) are detected on the same histological section, as well as all the others proliferative cells of the body (leukocytes, primitive tumor of the metastatic brain localisation...) if multiples biopsies are done. 8 of 9 gliomas of low histological malignancy (grade I and II) have a slow cellular kinetic. The 23 astrocytomas of different histological malignancy (grade III and IV) have variable proliferative speed (7 very fast, 8 fast and 8 slow). Only the large cells of the pinealoma are very proliferative, the lymphoid stroma is quiescent. The 5 metastasis have a slow to very fast kinetic without correlation with the cellular differentiation except in one case (important differentiation and slow cellular proliferation). The 5 lymphoma cells kinetics are well correlated with the histologic differentiation (3 large cells poor differentiated lymphomas and very fast kinetic, 2 better differentiated and slower proliferation). The 2 meningiomas proliferate slowly. The biochemical and histopathological grounds of the presented method and the limits of quantification are discussed. This method is compared with this using Bromodeoxyuridine. The correlation between proliferation and histologic malignancy is analysed. The use of cytokinetic results for therapeutic and prognosis need further statistical anatomoclinical studies.     

S-nitrosoglutathione-containing hydrogel accelerates rat cutaneous wound repair

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role in wound repair and S-nitrosothiols like S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) are well known NO donors. METHODS: Animals were separated in two groups and submitted to excisional wounds on the dorsal surface at the first day. GSNO (100 microm)-containing hydrogels were topically applied on the wound bed in the GSNO group, daily, during the first 4 days. Control group was topically treated with hydrogel without GSNO for the same period. Wound contraction and re-epithelialization were measured. Animals were sacrificed 21 days after wounding. Samples of lesion and normal tissue were formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded for histological analysis. RESULTS: Wound contraction, measured 14 and 21 days after wounding, was greater in the GSNO group than in the control group (P<0.05 for both). The re-epithelialized wound area, measured 14 days after wounding, was higher in the GSNO group than in the control group (P<0.05). A higher amount of inflammatory cells was observed in superficial and deep areas of the granulation tissue of the control group compared to the GSNO group. Twenty-one days after wounding, thin red-yellow collagen fibers arranged perpendicularly to the surface were found in the granulation tissue of the control group, whereas in the GSNO-treated group collagen fibers were thicker and arranged parallel to the surface. Increased number of mast cells was observed in the GSNO group compared with that in the control group. Vascularization and myofibroblast distribution were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Topical application of GSNO-containing hydrogel during the early phases of rat cutaneous wound repair accelerates wound closure and re-epithelialization and affects granulation tissue organization.     

Cell-mediated anti-tumor response in the RLmale 1 system. I. T nature, H-2Dd involvement and antigenic specificity of the effector cells.

After in vivo priming and in vitro secondary stimulation by the radio-induced RL♂ 1 lymphoma cells, syngeneic BALB/c splenic lymphocytes evidenced a specific but very weak cytolytic activity against RL♂ 1 target cells. Under the same experimental conditions, spleen cells from (B6 x BALB/c)F₁ were at least 100 times more efficient. In both cases, the effector cells were cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). Normal H-2D^d antigens of the tumor cell surface were involved in the effector-to-target cell interaction since anti-H-2 or anti-H-2D^d antisera abolished the RL♂ 1 cytolysis by immune syngeneic CTL, whereas anti-H-2K^d were devoid of blocking activity. The testing of a series of lymphoma cells, either virus-induced or not, belonging to different H-2 haplotypes, show that the immune CTL were highly specific for RL♂ 1 target cells. Only with the P815 mastocytoma cells was a weak cross-reactivity detected by both direct tests and competition experiments. Allogeneic (H-2^k) AKR lymphoma cells which share the X1 antigen with RL♂ 1 do not react, possibly due to an H-2 restriction of the CTL activity. The CTL-reacting antigen cannot be definitely identified, since several specificities, including the serologically defined X1 antigen, are possibly involved simultaneously. The Hh antigens which could have accounted for the F₁ anti-parent reaction, appear irrelevant.     

双能量X线骨质密度测量仪监测小儿下肢骨延长骨矿物质的变化

目的　在儿童骨延长的患儿中 ,为了能够有效地控制骨延长的速率 ,达到骨延长的目的 ,采用双能量X线骨质密度测量仪 (dualenergyX Rayabsorptiometry ,DEXA)监测延长断端骨矿含量 (bonemineralcontent,BMC)的变化。方法　 30例患儿中有 5 0处下肢作了骨延长术 ,平均年龄10 .9岁 (5～ 17岁 ) ,引起短肢的病因不同。术后 7～ 10d开始行骨延长 ,每次延长 0 .2 5mm ,每天 4次。牵引延长期间每周扫描一次 ,拆除外固定器后每 2周扫描一次到术后 2年。DEXA扫描的分辨率是 1mm× 1mm ,扫描速度 30mm/s。比较不同延长时期中骨矿含量的变化。分析不同病因和不同外固定器之间骨矿含量变化的差别。结果　不同固定器之间骨矿含量的差别无著性意义。根据骨延长区BMC增加速率 ,将患儿分为快速组、一般组和慢速组。快速组每日BMC增加速率为 0 .3%～ 0 .6 % ,新骨生长快速 ;一般组每日BMC增加 0 .1%～ 0 .3% ,新骨中速生长 ;慢速组每日增加 <0 .1% ,新骨生成缓慢。骨矿化速率与原发病因相关。结论　DEXA能动态监测骨延长中新生骨的骨矿含量的变化 ,根据骨矿含量变化的程度 ,能够调整骨延长的速率 ,从而达到预期骨延长的目的。     

Longitudinal neurological follow-up of a group of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative hemophiliacs: results from the hemophilia growth and development study

BACKGROUND: Boys and young men with hemophilia treated with factor infusions before 1985 had a substantial risk of acquiring the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study was designed to assess the effects of HIV and hemophilia per se on neurological function in a large cohort of subjects with hemophilia, and to investigate the relationships between neurological disease and death during follow-up. METHODS: Three hundred thirty-three boys and young men (207 HIV seropositive and 126 HIV seronegative) were evaluated longitudinally in a multicenter, multidisciplinary study. Neurological history and examination were conducted at baseline and annually for 4 years. The relationship between neurological variables, HIV serostatus, CD4+ cell counts, and vital status at the conclusion of the study was examined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The risks of nonhemophilia-associated muscle atrophy, behavior change, and gait disturbance increased with time in immune compromised HIV-seropositive subjects compared with HIV seronegative or immunologically stable HIV-seropositive subjects. The risk of behavior change in immune compromised HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs, for example, rose to 60% by year 4 versus 10% to 17% for the other study groups. Forty-five subjects (13.5%), all of whom were HIV seropositive, died by year 4. Subjects who died had had increased risks of hyperreflexia, nonhemophilia-associated muscle atrophy, and behavior change. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that immune compromised, HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs have high rates of neurological abnormalities over time and that neurological abnormalities were common among subjects who later died. By contrast, immunologically stable HIV-seropositive subjects did not differ from the HIV-seronegative participants. Hemophilia per se was associated with progressive abnormalities of gait, coordination, and motor function.     

Time dependence of serial diffusion-weighted imaging features in a case of pyogenic brain abscess

Both signal intensity on trace images and apparent diffusion coefficient measurements on mapped images evolved rapidly on serial diffusion-weighted sequences in a case of pyogenic brain abscess that was monitored primarily by MRI before a biopsy was performed. Considering only the signal intensities on the trace images would have led to an underestimation of the intrinsic tissue changes.