Alveolar hydatid disease of the liver: Brief review and spectrum of adjacent organ invasion

The purpose of this study is to show the spectrum of adjacent organ invasion and to make a brief review of hepatic alveolar hydatid disease (AHD), using CT and MR imaging. We retrospectively reviewed CT and MR images of three patients with various adjacent organ invasions surgically and histologically proven to be AHD. Local invasion to right kidney and adrenal, right hemidiaphragm and lung were detected in one patient, right adrenal in another patient and gall bladder, duodenum, gastric wall and pancreas invasion in the other. AHD may rarely extend to the gall bladder, stomach, duodenum, pancreas, right adrenal and kidney, diaphragm, pleura and lung. The extension of the disease outside the liver is usually encountered in patients with large, peripherally located masses in the advanced stage of the disease.     

Deprivation of form vision suppresses diurnal cycling of retinal levels of leu-enkephalin

Deprivation of form vision by the fitting of translucent occluders suppressed the diurnal cycling of enkephalinergic amacrine cells (the ENSLI amacrine cells), in the chicken. Daily periods of normal vision or enforcing temporal contrast using strobe lighting appeared to restore normal functioning of the ENSLI cells. These results suggest that the ENSLI cells are involved in retinal circuits that assess the quality of the visual image and control eye growth.     

Long-term treatment of central Cushing's syndrome with rosiglitazone.

CONTEXT: Central Cushing's syndrome is not always curable by surgery or radiation of the pituitary. Medical treatment is often not possible or effective. Some studies revealed beneficial effects of the PPARgamma (Peroxisome-Proliferator-Activator- Receptor-gamma)-agonist rosiglitazone (RG) in in vitro studies, animal models and short term clinical studies. OBJECTIVE: of this study was to observe the long-term effects of RG-treatment on cortisol- and ACTH -secretion, clinical outcomes and morphological changes of the pituitary in patients with persistent ACTH-overproduction despite previous operation and radiation. DESIGN, SETTING AND PATIENTS: 14 patients with persistent central ACTH -production were included and monitored over a period up to 12 months. RG was administered daily and increased to a maximum dosage of 24 mg daily, according to the response of ACTH and cortisol secretion. ACTH and cortisol were measured at least every 4 weeks during RG treatment. RESULTS: Patients were treated between 4 and 12 months with RG (mean 6.8 months). Compared to baseline, ACTH- and cortisol levels dropped significantly (p<0.01) after 12, 16, 20, 24 and 28 weeks but thereafter rose again during the study period, despite continuous RG- treatment and dose increase up to the maximum dosage. This was paralleled by reocurrence of clinical symptoms. MRI-scans were performed in 6 patients because of persisting visible adenoma, but showed no morphological changes. CONCLUSION: RG seems not to be a long-term treatment option for patients with persistent central ACTH-evcess. Though, in order to reduce perioperative complications, short term treatment of patients could be an alternative.     

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in children: comparison of a salivary immunoglobulin G antibody test with the [(13)C]urea breath test

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in a population-based sample of 477 children (mean age plus minus standard deviation, 5.8 plus minus 0.5 years) determined by the [(13)C]urea breath test ([(13)C]UBT) was 10.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.1 to 13.8%), and that determined by salivary enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was 11.9% (95% CI, 9.2 to 15.2%). Compared to the [(13)C]UBT, the sensitivity and specificity of the salivary ELISA were 80.9% (95% CI, 66.3 to 90.4%) and 95.3% (95% CI, 92.7 to 97.1%), respectively.