Age determines memory for face identity and expression

Background: The recognition of facial expressions is an important component of emotion processing which contributes to interactional behavior. One of the factors highly associated with potential decline of ability in behavioral tasks is age. Methods: We have investigated age‐related changes in facial identity and expression memory of healthy subjects in three age groups: young adults (20–40 years), elderly adults (60–80 years) and, for the first time in the literature, very old adults (over 80 years of age). Using a picture test, photographs of faces with happy or angry expressions were presented to study participants during the encoding task, and the memory for identity and emotional facial expression was investigated in a subsequent recognition task showing emotionally neutral faces. Half of the faces presented in the recognition task were initially shown in the encoding task. Results: Age interacted with the memory process: the ability to recognize both facial identity and emotional expression declined with advanced age. Happy facial expressions were better recognized in all age groups. Although there was a continuous overall decrease in recognition of both happy and angry expressions with advanced age, the effect favoring happy facial expressions was stable also in very old adults. Other factors such as gender or educational level did not affect the memory process for facial expressions. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that age is a significant determinant of memory for facial identity and emotional expression, and that, similar to younger adults, the recognition process of the elderly favors happy emotional facial expressions.     

A case of multiple primary tumors of the anterior skull base.

We report a case of synchronous olfactory bulb meningioma and undifferentiated carcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses that involved and destroyed the anterior skull base and mimicked intracranial invasion by a carcinoma. The heterogeneity of tissue types in the skull base gives rise to a diverse variety of benign and malignant neoplasms which have totally different prognoses. Synchronous development of benign and malignant primary tumors both originating from and involving the skull base at the same location is very rare and may cause confusion for both the skull base surgeon and neuroradiologist.     

股骨干骨折--逆行穿钉与顺行穿钉的探讨

在对股骨骨折进行逆行和顺行置入髓内钉治疗时,两种治疗方法产生很高的愈合率和相近的畸形愈合率。虽然未经过一致的认定,但那些接受顺行穿钉治疗的患者愈合较快。患者在接受逆行穿钉治疗后膝关节疼痛频繁出现,然而髋关节疼痛和异位骨化现象却在接受顺行穿钉治疗的患者中存在。患其它并发症的几率也无显著增长。因此不能决定功能结果。     

Interdisziplin?re Leitlinien zur Diagnostik und Therapie der extrazerebralen Amyloidosen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Glucose content and efficiency of glycolysis in protected ischemic kidneys of different species

In ischemic canine kidneys protected by Bretschneider's HTK solution the glycolytic lactate production is limited by a low renal substrate content. However, for anaerobic energy supply ischemic organs depend on glycolysis. To evaluate the role of glycolysis in renal protection, the relationship between lactate production and anaerobic energy supply was examined in protected kidneys of dogs, sheep, and swine. Additionally, in canine kidneys an attempt was made to improve anaerobic energy provision by adding glucose to the protective solution. The results were as follows: (1) According to increasing lactate production from swine to dog to sheep, intraischemic ATP decay was delayed least in swine and most in sheep. (2) Glucose addition (10 mM) to the HTK solution roughly doubled the time for ATP to fall to 1 mumol/g dry wt (tATP) in dogs. (3) The greater the lactate production in all three species, the lower the decrease in SAN (ATP + ADP + AMP) from 5 to 120 min of ischemia. (4) A glucose additive in the protective solution led to a significant (p less than .005) increase of SAN in dogs at 120 min of ischemia. A sufficient substrate supply seems to be an essential component of a reliable renal protection.     

Role of angiotensin II in dynamic renal blood flow autoregulation of the conscious dog

The influence of angiotensin II (ANGII) on the dynamic characteristics of renal blood flow (RBF) was studied in conscious dogs by testing the response to a step increase in renal artery pressure (RAP) after a 60 s period of pressure reduction (to 50 mmHg) and by calculating the transfer function between physiological fluctuations in RAP and RBF. During the RAP reduction, renal vascular resistance (RVR) decreased and upon rapid restoration of RAP, RVR returned to baseline with a characteristic time course: within the first 10 s, RVR rose rapidly by 40 % of the initial change (first response, myogenic response). A second rise began after 20–30 s and reached baseline after an overshoot at 40 s (second response, tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF)). Between both responses, RVR rose very slowly (plateau). The transfer function had a low gain below 0.01 Hz (high autoregulatory efficiency) and two corner frequencies at 0.026 Hz (TGF) and at 0.12 Hz (myogenic response). Inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) lowered baseline RVR, but not the minimum RVR at the end of the RAP reduction (autoregulation-independent RVR). Both the first and second response were reduced, but the normalised level of the plateau (balance between myogenic response, TGF and possible slower mechanisms) and the transfer gain below 0.01 Hz were not affected. Infusion of ANGII after ramipril raised baseline RVR above the control condition. The first and second response and the transfer gain at both corner frequencies were slightly augmented, but the normalised level of the plateau was not affected. It is concluded that alterations of plasma ANGII within a physiological range do not modulate the relative contribution of the myogenic response to the overall short-term autoregulation of RBF. Consequently, it appears that ANGII augments not only TGF, but also the myogenic response.     

Die intestinale Schistosomiasis, eine fakultative Präcancerose? Eine Literaturübersicht anläßlich eines Schistosomia japonicum assoziierten Rectumcarcinoms

Zusammenfassung.   Bei einem 39 j?hrigen ?sterreichischen Staatsbürger chinesischer Herkunft wurden nach einer Latenzzeit von etwa 20 Jahren nicht nur in dem chirurgisch entfernten Rectumcarcinom, sondern auch in der das Carcinom umgebenden chronisch entzündlich ver?nderten Rectumschleimhaut mit verschiedenen Schweregraden der Dysplasie und in einem tumor?s befallenen benachbarten Lymphknoten, Wurmeier nachgewiesen und daher ein kausaler Zusammenhang angenommen. W?hrend aber der ?tiologische Zusammenhang einer chronischen Infektion mit Schistosoma haematobium und dem geh?uften endemischen Auftreten von Blasenkrebs als gesichert gilt, wird bei den intestinalen Formen der chronischen Schistosomiasis eine erh?hte Carcinomkoinzidenz kontrovers beurteilt. ?tiologisch und pathogenetisch ist die Kausalit?t zwischen Wurmeiablage und sp?terem Carcinom ?hnlich zu sehen wie bei anderen entzündlichen Dickdarmerkrankungen, wo es über die Sequenz chronische Entzündung/schwere Dysplasie zur sp?teren Carcinomentstehung kommen kann. Neben einer übersicht über die Parasitologie und Pathologie dieser Trematodenerkrankung wird der ?tiologische und pathogenetische Zusammenhang zwischen Rectumcarcinom und Schistosomiasis japonicum anhand entsprechender Literaturstellen hergestellt.      

No regression of renal AL amyloid in monoclonal gammopathy after successful autologous blood stem cell transplantation and significant clinical improvement.

BACKGROUND: High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous blood stem cell transplantation induces remission of plasma cell dyscrasia in patients with AL amyloidosis. The impact of this treatment on the glomerular amyloid mass is still unknown. METHODS: In the present study, the quantity of the renal amyloid mass before and more than 3 years after high-dose melphalan treatment and autologous blood stem cell transplantation was assessed in two patients. At the time of the second renal biopsy, both patients were in complete remission without detectable serum and urinary monoclonal IgA-lambda and a normal percentage of plasma cells in the bone marrow. RESULTS: In both patients with biopsy-proven AL amyloidosis, urinary protein excretion decreased from 7 g/24 h to <2 g/24 h more than 3 years after autologous blood stem cell transplantation. In contrast, glomerular amyloid deposits persisted, as shown in the second biopsy. CONCLUSION: Despite complete remission of the plasma cell dyscrasia and improvement of glomerular permeability, the amount of glomerular amyloid mass did not regress.