Localization of neurons projecting into the extrinsic penile smooth musculature of the pig: an experimental study on the retractor penis muscle

The aim of this study was to locate in male pigs the sensory and autonomic ganglia innervating the retractor penis muscle (RPM), which was taken as an experimental model of the genital smooth musculature. The retrograde neuronal tracers horseradish peroxidase (HRP), Fast Blue (FB), and diamidino yellow (DY) were injected into the bulbopenile portion of the left RPM. The tracers highlighted a different affinity for the neuronal structures, although labelled cells supplying the RPM were generally found in bilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRGs, S1-S3), in bilateral paravertebral ganglia (PaGs, L2-S3), and in the left and right caudal mesenteric ganglia (CMGs). The mean number of labelled FB cells was 795 (range, 645-952) in DRGs, 16046.25 (range, 10226-18742) in PaGs, and 635.25 (range, 333-786) in CMGs. The mean diameter of pseudounipolar DRG cells was 60-75 microm, while the multipolar neurons of PaGs and CMGs had dimensions varying between 20-50 microm and 20-30 microm, respectively.     

Growth hormone and cortisol in serum and saliva

Salivary diagnosis is a developing area in clinical chemistry and dentistry. Cortisol analyses from saliva have been used in pediatric practice and as doping tests. Growth hormone (hGH), also a stress hormone, has not been analyzed from saliva. We studied the serum and saliva of 51 healthy subjects. The samples were taken at 8:00 in the morning after 12 h fasting. Cortisol concentrations were analyzed using RIA. An immunoradiometric assay was applied for analyzing serum and salivary hGH. The validity of this method developed in our laboratory was found to be good. The results showed correlation of salivary cortisol with that of serum (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Salivary hGH concentrations were 1000-fold lower than the respective values in serum, but a clear correlation was found between salivary and serum hGH levels (r = 0.59, P < 0.001).     

Viscosity of whole saliva

This study investigates within-subject variations and associations of salivary viscosities and flow rates in a test panel of healthy adults. After several practice sessions, unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva samples were collected 5 times daily (at 0800, 1100, 1400, 1700, and 2000 h) from 30 university students. There was a significant within-subject variation in viscosity and flow rate of unstimulated saliva (P < 0.001). Intra-item correlations were significantly different for salivary flow rates (r = 0.82 for unstimulated, r = 0.88 for stimulated, P < 0.001) and viscosity of unstimulated saliva (r = 0.54, P < 0.05), but viscosity of stimulated saliva was different in this respect. Our results indicate that there is a significant within-subject variation in viscosity of unstimulated saliva.     

Magnetocardiographic indices of left ventricular hypertrophy

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that multichannel magnetocardiographic (MCG) mapping can detect and quantify the degree of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Helsinki University Central Hospital, a tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-two patients with pressure overload induced LVH by gender-specific echocardiographic criteria (LVH group), and 12 healthy middle-aged controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MCG QRS-T area integrals and QRS-T angle in magnetic field maps in relation to echocardiographic LVH as well as left ventricular (LV) mass and structure. Conventional 12-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) LVH indices (Sokolow-Lyon voltage, Cornell voltage, Cornell voltage duration product) were assessed for comparison. RESULTS: MCG QRS- and T-wave integrals provided complementary information of echocardiographic LV mass. Their combination, the QRS-T integral, and the QRS-T angle were increased in patients with LVH and, in those patients, correlated significantly with LV mass indexed to body surface area (r = 0.455;P = 0.002 and r= 0.379; P= 0.013, respectively). A QRS-T integral 16000 fT.s had identical sensitivity of 62% at 92% specificity as the gender-adjusted Cornell voltage duration product of 240 micro V.s for the detection of LVH. CONCLUSIONS: The MCG method can detect patients with LVH and also quantify the degree of LVH in patients with increased LV mass.     

Heart rate adjustment of magnetic field map rotation in detection of myocardial ischemia in exercise magnetocardiography

Aims We studied the capability of heart rate (HR) adjusted change in multichannel magnetocardiogram (MCG) to detect exercise-induced ischemia. Methods and results The MCG and 12-lead ECG were recorded simultaneously during supine exercise testing in 17 healthy controls and 24 patients with single vessel coronary artery disease (CAD). In the MCG analysis, we plotted the orientation of the magnetic field map (MFM) against the HR in each cardiac cycle during recovery. A regression line was fitted to the data and the line slope (degrees/bpm) was determined. In the ECG, the ST-segment depression vs HR (ST/HR) slope was evaluated. The HR adjusted MFM rotation was more extensive in the pooled CAD group, and in all subgroups with different stenosed vessel, than in the control group at the ST-segment (1.5 ± 2.1°/bpm vs 0.29 ± 0.25°/bpm, p < 0.0005) and at the T-wave apex (0.95 ± 0.81°/bpm vs 0.24 ± 0.25°/bpm, p < 0.0005). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the HR adjusted MFM rotation at the ST-segment (88.5 %) and the T-wave (86.0 %) were higher than the ones without HR adjustment (75.5 % and 68.1 %, respectively), and higher than the area of ST/HR slope in the ECG (80.2 %). Conclusion HR adjusted MFM rotation detects transient ischemia independent of the stenosed vessel. HR adjustment improves the performance of the MCG in ischemia detection by the analysis of the ST-segment and the T-wave. The MCG was superior to the 12-lead ECG. Received: 5 April 2001, Returned for 1. revision: 7 May 2001, 1. Revision received: 25 May 2001, Returned for 2. revision: 12 June 2001, 2. Revision received: 18 June 2001, Accepted: 20 June 2001     

Paget's disease and cochlear implantation

Paget's disease of bone is a common disorder of unresolved etiology characterized by excessive bone resorption followed by excessive bone formation. If the skull is affected this may result in hearing loss and eventually develop into profound deafness. To date, no cases of cochlear implantation in patients with Paget's disease have been reported. The authors present a case of radiographically confirmed Paget's disease of the skull in a 77-year-old man with a 20-year history of progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation. A successful insertion of the Nucleus 24 Contour electrode array was achieved without surgical and postoperative complications. At the 10 months' postoperative evaluation, the patient had gained useful open-set speech perception. In quiet conditions, his performance scores on the word and sentence recognition tests were 100 and 98 per cent, respectively. In the presence of noise (at +10 dB. signal-to-noise ratio), his performance scores on the word and sentence recognition tests were 96 and 94 per cent, respectively.     

Decreased HLA (human leucocyte antigen)-DR expression on peripheral blood monocytes predicts the development of organ failure in patients with acute pancreatitis

Immune suppression plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis. Monocyte expression of HLA (human leucocyte antigen)-DR, a cellular marker of immune suppression, was determined in relation to the development of organ dysfunction in patients with acute pancreatitis. A total of 310 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis, admitted to a university hospital within 72 h of pain onset, were studied; 194 (63%) had mild disease (group I), 87 (28%) had severe disease without organ dysfunction (group II), and 29 (9%) had severe disease with organ dysfunction (group III). HLA-DR expression, defined both as the proportion of monocytes that were HLA-DR-positive and as monocyte HLA-DR fluorescence intensity, was determined at admission, using whole-blood flow cytometry. Of the patients in group III, 13 (45%) developed organ dysfunction within 24 h of admission. The proportion of HLA-DR-positive monocytes and monocyte HLA-DR density were both related to the severity of pancreatitis (P<0.001 for linear trend). In predicting organ dysfunction, the sensitivity, specificity and positive-likelihood ratio for the proportion of HLA-DR-positive monocytes were 83% [95% CI (confidence interval) 64-94%], 72% (67-77%) and 3.0 respectively, and for monocyte HLA-DR density the respective values were 69% (49-85%), 84% (79-88%) and 4.3. In conclusion, monocyte HLA-DR expression predicts the development of organ dysfunction that occurs early in patients with acute pancreatitis.     

Human auricolar myiasis caused by Wohlfartia magnifica (Schiner) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): first case found in Sardinia

The authors report a case of myiasis of the middle ear caused by Wohlfartia magnifica Schiner (Diptera: Sarcophagidae). The entomological aspects, the clinical epidemiological characteristics and the therapeutic solutions of this disease are evaluated. In particular, they underline the rarity of myiasis both because of the aetiologic agent and the anatomical site. The therapeutic aspects are also reported and discussed.