Intracranial circulation: pulse-sequence considerations in three- dimensional (volume) MR angiography

The technique and feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of intracranial vessels were studied in 35 healthy volunteers. Variations in image orientation, repetition time (TR), and flip angle were evaluated to determine their effects on flow-related enhancement. Gradient modifications--including echo time (TE), motion compensation, bandwidth, and field of view--were also studied in an effort to reduce motion-induced phase shifts. Results indicated that a FISP (fast imaging with steady precession) sequence with a TR of 50 msec, TE of 15 msec, velocity compensation in the read and section-select directions, acceleration compensation in the read direction, anisotropic volume, and a 1.25-mm partition thickness produced three-dimensional angiographic MR images that were accurate and reproducible in the depiction of the major intracranial vessels. Difficulties with field of view, persistent signal void secondary to higher-order motion, and spatial resolution remain major problems requiring additional study.     

Maxillary sinusitis in adults: an evaluation of placebo-controlled double-blind trials

BACKGROUND: In general practice, acute sinusitis is frequently diagnosed and treated with antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the evidence for the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment in acute maxillary sinusitis in adults by assessing the methodological quality of placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trials. METHOD: An evaluation by four raters through a 35-item scoring-scale for internal and external validity of all placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trials on acute sinusitis found between January 1966 and July 1996. RESULTS: Eighty-five trials were excluded because they were not placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, or were carried out in patients with chronic sinusitis or in children. The three remaining trials were performed in different populations (one in general practice) between 1973 and 1978. Only one study claimed superiority of antibiotic treatment. Different inclusion criteria and major outcome measures were used by the authors. The reliability of major outcome events was reported poorly or not at all and in two studies outcome measures were clinically inappropriate. The studies scored 30-62% of the maximum attainable score for internal validity and 10-20% for external validity. CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of antibiotic treatment in acute maxillary sinusitis in a general practice population is not based sufficiently on evidence.      

Poly-l-aspartic acid protects cultured human proximal tubule cells against aminoglycoside-induced electrophysiological alterations

Cultured human proximal tubule cell monolayers maintained on permeable supports were treated simultaneously with the aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin, and poly- -aspartic acid (PAA), an inhibitor of aminoglycoside nephrotoxicity. Following 4 days of exposure, cell monolayers were placed into Ussing chambers to allow monitoring of transepithelial electrical properties. For each of the three cell isolatation examined, aminoglycoside-induced alterations in electrogenic transport, reflected by changes in short-circuit current (Isc), as well as alterations in paracellular properties, indicated by changes in transepithelial electrical resistance (R_T), were diminished in the presence of PAA. Alterations resulting from selective basolateral exposure to gentamicin were unchanged in the case of apically applied PAA and attenuated only when PAA acid was added basolaterally. This is the first demonstration of PAA inhibition of aminoglycoside-induced cellular alterations involving human cells.     

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.     

The S segment of the Germiston virus RNA genome can code for three proteins

The complete sequence of the S segment of Germiston bunyavirus has been determined from plasmids containing S cDNA inserts. The S segment is 980 nucleotides long with the first 15 bases at the 3' end complementary to the first 15 bases at the 5' end. Three overlapping open reading frames (ORF) were identified in the viral complementary RNA strand. The first ORF codes for a polypeptide of 233 amino acids (Mr 26,600) which is the nucleoprotein N. The second ORF codes for a polypeptide of 109 amino acids (Mr 11,800) which corresponds to the NSS protein, also called p12. Following this ORF, in the same frame, a third ORF which could encode a polypeptide of 75 amino acids was identified. Such a polypeptide has not yet been detected in infected cells. The N and NSS proteins of Germiston virus were compared with the corresponding proteins of La Crosse, snowshoe hare, and Aino viruses, and show a high extent of homology.     

Tetrahydrothiadiazoloisoquinolines: synthesis and inhibition of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase

A series of 7,8-fused heterocyclic tetrahydroisoquinolines were synthesized and tested as inhibitors of rabbit adrenal phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT). 6,7,8,9-Tetrahydro[1,2,3]thiadiazolo[5,4-h]isoquinoline 5 (SK&F 86607) was found to be a potent inhibitor of PNMT with an IC50 similar to that of 7,8-dichloro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (1, SK&F 64139). The isomeric tetrahydro[1,2,3]thiadiazolo[4,5-h]- and tetrahydro[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-h]isoquinolines, 13 and 20, were also potent PNMT inhibitors. However, substitution of Cl at position 5 (17) resulted in loss of potency similar to the loss observed in the 5-chloro analogue of 1. The 1,2,5 isomer 20 showed only a small drop in activity at 10(-6) M. All of the thiadiazoles were more potent than the 7,8-benzo-fused analogue 36. Fusion of other five-membered heterocyclic ring systems at the 7,8-position, e.g. triazole 22 and imidazoles 24 and 26, resulted in a decrease of PNMT inhibition. The alpha-adrenoreceptor affinities of 1 and 5 were also compared.