Solitary fibrous tumor of the adrenal gland

Solitary fibrous tumors are rare neoplasms, most commonly involving the pleura, recently described in various other locations. We report a solitary fibrous tumor of the right adrenal gland in a 42-year-old woman, discovered incidentally during abdominopelvic ultrasonographic examination. Pathologic and immunohistologic features of the tumor were identical to those of other solitary fibrous tumors. Three-quarters of this unencapsulated infiltrating tumoral mass presented foci of hemorrhage and were made of small, round, epithelioid-like cells that expressed the CD34 antigen more weakly than do the typical spindle cells usually observed in solitary fibrous tumors. Despite hemorrhage and poor limitation, the tumor behaved in a innocuous manner; the mass remaining unchanged for more than 5 years before the patient agreed to surgical intervention, which was recommended because of a sudden enlargement of the mass.     

The effect of nerve injury on the incidence and distribution of branched pulpal axons in the ferret

In a previous electrophysiological study in ferrets, we demonstrated that some axons in the inferior alveolar nerve branch to supply the pulps of two teeth. We have now investigated the incidence and distribution of branched pulpal axons at various intervals after nerve injury and subsequent regeneration, to study the extent to which the innervation of the teeth returns to normal. In adult male ferrets under anesthesia, the left inferior alveolar nerve was either sectioned (31 animals) or crushed (10 animals). Following recovery periods of six weeks, three months, or one year after nerve section and three months after nerve crush, electrophysiological recordings were made by insertion of pairs of Ag/AgCl electrodes into cavities cut into left mandibular teeth. Electrical stimuli were applied to each tooth in turn, and averaged responses were recorded individually from the other teeth. Latency and amplitude of the action potentials were used to characterize responses from branched pulpal axons. For some branched units, the point of branching was established by determination of the site of the inferior alveolar nerve section which abolished the response. When compared with controls, the results indicated that, following short recovery periods after nerve section, there was an increase in the number of branched pulpal axons supplying non adjacent teeth, and this branching had occurred at the initial site of nerve injury. Following long recovery periods, there were fewer branched axons than at earlier stages of recovery, but this apparent remodeling had not selectively eliminated axons which branched at the injury site to supply widely separated targets. Nerve crush injury resulted in no increase in the incidence of branched pulpal axons, and branching at the injury site was rare.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Disturbed metabolism of guanidino compounds characterized by elevated excretion of beta-guanidinopropionic acid and gamma-guanidinobutyric acid--an effect of vigabatrin treatment?

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare the effects of nitrous oxide (N2O), isoflurane (ISO), fentanyl (FENT), and propofol (PROP) on the tongue mucosal blood flow (TMBF) in rabbits. STUDY DESIGN: TMBF was measured with a laser Doppler flow meter before and after the administration of 50% N2O (n = 7), 1.0 and 1.5 minimum alveolar concentration ISO (n = 6), 10, 20, and 40 micrograms/kg FENT (n = 8) or 100, 200 and 400 micrograms/kg/min PROP (n = 7). Hemodynamic variables including heart rate, systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and aortic blood flow (AoF) were continuously monitored. Total peripheral resistance (TPR) was calculated as MAP divided by AoF. RESULTS: An increase in TMBF along with reductions in SBP, MAP and TPR were observed in ISO group. In FENT group, TMBF was decreased, whereas other hemodynamic variables showed no change. TMBF in groups N2O and PROP did not change. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that TMBF depends on the anesthetic used.     

Maturation of peroxisomes in differentiating human hepatoblastoma cells (HepG2): possible involvement of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha)

Although several variant alleles at the human NAT1 gene locus have been reported, their relationship to phenotypic variations in NAT1 function remains unclear. We have used in-vivo and invitro phenotyping tests, along with PCR-based cloning and heterologous expression, to investigate the extent of variation in NAT1 function and to characterize novel allelic variants at the NAT1 gene locus. The NAT1-selective substrate p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) was used as a probe for NAT1 function. In-vivo PAS acetylation rates were estimated by determining the ratio of PAS to N-acetylated PAS (AcPAS) in urine and plasma following the oral ingestion of Nemasol Sodium. Excluding outliers, a 65-fold variation in the urinary AcPAS:PAS ratio was observed (n = 144), while a 5.6-fold variation in the plasma AcPAS:PAS ratio was seen in a subset (n = 19) of this sample. Urinary and plasma ratios correlated moderately (r = 0.74, p < 0.0005). One individual (case 244) had a marked impairment of PAS N-acetylation, with 10-fold lower urinary and plasma AcPAS:PAS ratios compared with other subjects. Biochemical investigations in whole blood lysates from case 244 suggested a NAT1 kinetic defect, with a 20-fold increased apparent K(m) for PAS and a 90-fold decreased Vmax for AcPAS formation. We subcloned, sequenced and expressed the protein-coding regions of the NAT1 alleles from case 244 and from seven other selected probands. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of two new variant alleles, designated as NAT1 x 14 and NAT1 x 15, in case 244, as well as one variant, NAT1 x 11, which has been observed in previous investigations. NAT1 x 14 contained a missense mutation (G560-->A) that is predicted to change a single amino acid (Arg187-->Gln), as well as two 3' non-coding region mutations (T1088-->A and C1095-->A) that have previously been observed in the NAT1 x 10 allelic variant. NAT1 x 15 had a single nonsense mutation (C559-->T; Arg187-->stop) and, thus, encodes a truncated protein. The activity of recombinant NAT1 14 mirrored the defective enzyme function in whole blood lysates from case 244, while NAT1 15 was completely inactive. Expressed NAT1 11, on the other hand, had identical activity to the wild type NAT1 4 allele, suggesting that the coding region mutations in this variant are functionally silent. The frequencies of NAT1 x 11, NAT1 x 14 and NAT1 x 15 were 0.021, 0.028 and 0.014 (n = 288 alleles), respectively, suggesting that they are relatively rare in our predominantly Caucasian sample.     

Thrombomodulin modulates growth of tumor cells independent of its anticoagulant activity

Thrombomodulin (TM), recognized as an essential vessel wall cofactor of the antithrombotic mechanism, is also expressed by a wide range of tumor cells. Tumor cell lines subcloned from four patients with malignant melanoma displayed a negative correlation between TM expression and cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of wild-type TM decreased cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. TM mutants with altered protein C activation capacity lead to a similar effect. In contrast, transfection of melanoma cells with mutant TM constructs, in which a portion of the cytoplasmic or lectin domain was deleted, abrogated the antiproliferative effect associated with overexpression of wild-type TM. Experiments performed with either peptide agonists/antagonists of the thrombin receptor, with hirudin, or with inhibitors of thrombin-TM interaction did not alter the growth inhibitory effect of TM overexpression. These data suggest that TM exerts an effect on cell proliferation independent of thrombin and the thrombin receptor, possibly related to the binding of novel ligands to determinants in the lectin domain which might trigger signal transduction pathways dependent on the cytoplasmic domain.     

Nutrient utilization by sheep and performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed crab waste-straw silage

Exacerbations of asthma have been associated with exposure to ozone or particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 microm (PM10). We postulated in this study that the association of summertime air pollution (i.e. ozone and PM10) with acute respiratory symptoms, medication use and peak expiratory flow differs among patients grouped according to asthma severity. During the summer of 1995, effects of ambient air pollution on these parameters were studied in a panel of 60 nonsmoking patients with intermittent to severe persistent asthma. These patients were recruited from our Pulmonary Out-patient Clinic. Subgroup analysis was performed on the degree of hyperresponsiveness and lung steroid use before the start of the study, as indictors for the severity of asthma. Associations of the parameters studied with ozone, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and black smoke were evaluated using time series analysis. Several episodes with increased summertime air pollution occurred during the 96 day study period. Eight hour average ozone concentrations exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines (120 microg x m(-3)) on 16 occasions. Daily mean levels of PM10 were moderately elevated (range 16-98 microg x m(-3)). Levels of the other measured pollutants were low. There was a consistent, positive association of the prevalence of shortness of breath (maximal relative risk (RRmax) 1.18) with ozone, PM10, black smoke and NO2. In addition, bronchodilator use was associated with both ozone and PM10 levels (RRmax 1.16). Stratification by airway hyperresponsiveness and steroid use did not affect the magnitude of the observed associations. No associations with peak expiratory flow measurements were found. We conclude that the severity of asthma is not an indicator for the sensitivity to air pollution.     

Rigid fixation with teeth in the line of mandibular fractures

The condition of acute cholangitis of severe type (ACST) develops very rapidly and the prognosis is poor. The main clinical feature is that there is an obvious dynamic variation, which is the principal factor for the early occurrence of shock and death. In this study the Japanese long ear rabbits were used and biliary tract pressure increasing and splanchnic nervous plexus blocking experiments were conducted. Our results indicate that 0.6% of lidocaine can be used to block the right celiac plexus. It can avoid the decrease of blood pressure due to the pressure increase of the biliary tract, and the decrease of blood pressure due to the pressure increase of the biliary tract can be corrected by local anesthesia. 8 cases in conformity with the ACST diagnostic standards received the right renal capsule block injection for the purpose of stopping the celiac plexus, 6 cases of whom had a return of blood pressure to various extent, suggesting that the splanchnic nervous activity in the occurrence of ACST is of great significance. The technique may provide a new approach for the clinical treatment of ACST.     

Analysis of dynamic brain imaging data

Modern imaging techniques for probing brain function, including functional magnetic resonance imaging, intrinsic and extrinsic contrast optical imaging, and magnetoencephalography, generate large data sets with complex content. In this paper we develop appropriate techniques for analysis and visualization of such imaging data to separate the signal from the noise and characterize the signal. The techniques developed fall into the general category of multivariate time series analysis, and in particular we extensively use the multitaper framework of spectral analysis. We develop specific protocols for the analysis of fMRI, optical imaging, and MEG data, and illustrate the techniques by applications to real data sets generated by these imaging modalities. In general, the analysis protocols involve two distinct stages: "noise" characterization and suppression, and "signal" characterization and visualization. An important general conclusion of our study is the utility of a frequency-based representation, with short, moving analysis windows to account for nonstationarity in the data. Of particular note are 1) the development of a decomposition technique (space-frequency singular value decomposition) that is shown to be a useful means of characterizing the image data, and 2) the development of an algorithm, based on multitaper methods, for the removal of approximately periodic physiological artifacts arising from cardiac and respiratory sources.     

Periodic limb movement in sleep in children with Williams syndrome

Difficulty differentiating physiologic genu varum from early Blount's disease persists. Drennan's metaphyseal-diaphyseal (MD) angle remains the most consistently valuable radiographic parameter despite measurement error. Clinical risk factors also should be considered. All patients receiving orthoses for genu varum since 1985 were reviewed. The focus of the study was those patients with an MD angle of >16 degrees or between 9 and 16 degrees with a clinical risk factor for progression. Risk factors considered were ligamentous instability, obesity, asymmetry, and being female, black, or Hispanic. Thirty-eight patients with 60 tibiae were included. The success rate was 90%. Risk factors for failure (six cases) were instability, obesity, and delayed bracing. In cases with MD angles >16 degrees, the success rate was 86%. The results of orthotic treatment, restricted to patients meeting the stated parameters, represent improvement on the reported natural history.