Osteoporosis in phlebology

Patient often think that the pains of their extremities (especially during the night) are caused by a plebo or an angiopathy whereas they are in fact due to a vertebral or lumbar discal affection. 84 patients with osteoporosis were treated by an intramuscular injection of deca-durabolin (25 mg/month) and calcium phosphate (tertiare). Results were satisfactory: six months later, 62 patients no longer suffered, 13 had felt improvement and 2 remained unchanged.     

Chemical modification of rat liver cytosolic NADP(+)-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase by N-ethylmaleimide. Evidence for essential sulphydryl groups

It is well known that diabetic patients are at an increased risk of the earlier development of significant atherosclerotic disease. We wish to report the case of a young insulin-dependent diabetic with an 18 months history of rapidly progressing 'diabetic' retinopathy who presented with right-sided weakness and was found to have severe carotid artery disease. We suggest that the sudden proliferation in his retinopathy was due to retinal ischaemia secondary to the carotid artery stenosis and we wish to present this as a case of ocular ischaemic syndrome in a young diabetic patient.     

Rat bone marrow-derived mast cells co-cultured with 3T3 fibroblasts in the absence of T-cell derived cytokines require stem cell factor for their survival and maintain their mucosal mast cell-like phenotype

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) and single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in the diagnosis of dementia. Fifty-two patients with clinical diagnosis of dementia and 11 controls were studied. The scans were interpreted by one experienced neuroradiologist and one nuclear radiologist, both blinded to the clinical data. In the diagnosis of dementia, CT and SPECT showed equal sensitivity (82.7%) and statistically similar specificity (63.8 and 81.8%, respectively). The specificity of SPECT in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease (100%) was statistically superior to CT (69%). However, both methods showed similar sensitivity in detecting Alzheimer's disease. In conclusion, SPECT and CT showed similar accuracy in the diagnosis of dementia. The quite high specificity of SPECT in Alzheimer's disease may be useful for confirming that diagnosis, particularly for patients with presenile onset of the disease.     

Subcutaneous phlebopathic calcifications

A detailed history of 3 cases of subcutaneous calcifications. A review of the present therapeutic alternatives (other than surgery). A discussion of Selye's theory of calciphylaxis. Its application to one clinical case.     

Atypical multicentric reticulohistiocytosis with paraproteinemia

Two women had multiple subcutaneous nodules that showed features of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MR). Neither had joint symptoms. Both had a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an immunoglobulin G paraproteinemia, and raised levels of nonhepatic serum alkaline phosphatase. The skin lesions have been followed up, using light and electron microscopy, immunoperoxidase, and histochemical methods. The material in the giant cells stained positively for gamma heavy chain determinants: the light chain type in each case was that of the paraprotein. An attempt to reproduce the skin lesions in one patient by intradermal injection of her paraprotein failed.     

Platelet adhesion, release and aggregation in flowing blood: effects of surface properties and platelet function

Platelet adhesion to natural and artificial surfaces and adhesion-induced aggregation were investigated in vitro using an annular perfusion chamber. The surfaces were exposed to anticoagulated blood under identical flow conditions (approximately arterial shear rates). The initial attachment of platelets (contact) appeared less surface specific than spreading and release. Fibrillar collagen was the most powerful inducer of platelet degranulation whereas elastin, microfibrils and epon were virtually inactive. Fibrillar collagen caused release also in the absence of spreading. Surface coverage with platelets did not exceed 25% unless spreading occurred. Perfusion with platelet-free plasma or platelet-poor blood did not remove adhering platelets. However, platelets were translocated from mural thrombi to the surface by such perfusion. In addition, platelets which detached from mural thrombi adhered more readily to elastin or microfibrils than platelets from the circulating blood. The initial attachment of platelets to subendothelium was inhibited in von Willebrand's disease, the Bernard-Soulier syndrome and at high concentrations of dipyridamole; spreading was inhibited in storage pool disease of rats, at low temperature (20 degrees C), with EDTA (3 MM) and Prostaglandin E1 (1 muM); and adhesion-induced aggregation was inhibited in thrombasthenia, storage pool disease and after ingestion of sulfinpyrazone or Aspirin. It is concluded that the initial attachment (contact) of platelets, spreading and surface-induced release of platelet constituents are at least partially indendent phenomena, the latter two being highly surface specific. At flow conditions which cause the disappearance of platelet adhesion appears as an irreversible process.     

Genetics in hypertension research. What can we learn from it regarding common essential hypertension?

Essential hypertension is a polygenic disease. Various genes responsible for rare monogenic forms of hypertension have been identified in the recent years. These are glucocorticoid remediable aldosteronism (GRA), Liddle's syndrome and apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME). A fourth form, the Bilginturan syndrome is associated with brachydactyly and resembles essential hypertension. The investigations of the pathomechanisms in these rare diseases can help us to understand common hypertension.     

Sensitivity of artificial digestion and enzyme immunoassay methods of inspection for trichinae in pigs

We examined the brain activation induced by a complex finger movement task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with echo planar imaging (EPI). Imaging planes were set up for the observation of non-primary motor areas. Among five normal males examined, four subjects naive to the task showed activations in contralateral primary and supplementary motor areas and the ipsilateral superior anterior part of the cerebellar hemisphere. Also, the bilateral premotor areas and the contralateral ventrolateral nucleus of thalamus were occasionally activated. No changes were observed in the putamen and globus pallidus. The subject accustomed to the task showed activation in the narrow areas of the contralateral primary motor and supplementary motor and premotor areas but not in the cerebellum. These results suggest that fMRI has nearly the same degree of detectability to that of positron emission tomography (PET) in regard to motor functions.