Treatment of radiation-induced nervous system injury with heparin and warfarin

When radiation is used to treat nervous system cancer, exposure of adjacent normal nervous system tissue is unavoidable, and radiation-induced injury may occur. Acute injury is usually mild and transient, but late forms of radiation-induced nervous system injury are usually progressive and debilitating. Treatment with corticosteroids, surgery, and antioxidants is often ineffective. We treated 11 patients with late radiation-induced nervous system injuries (eight with cerebral radionecrosis, one with a myelopathy, and two with plexopathies, all unresponsive to dexamethasone and prednisone) with full anticoagulation. Some recovery of function occurred in five of the eight patients with cerebral radionecrosis, and all the patients with myelopathy or plexopathy. Anticoagulation was continued for 3 to 6 months. In one patient with cerebral radionecrosis, symptoms recurred after discontinuation of anticoagulation and disappeared again after reinstitution of treatment. We hypothesize that anticoagulation may arrest and reverse small-vessel endothelial injury--the fundamental lesion of radiation necrosis--and produce clinical improvement in some patients.     

Effects of single doses of irradiation on the expression of resistance-related proteins in murine NIH 3T3 and human lung carcinoma cells

In this report the effects of single doses of ionizing radiation on the mRNA expression of several proteins involved in multiple drug resistance were analyzed. Murine NIH 3T3 cells treated with single doses of 5, 10 and 20 Gy during the time interval from 1.5 to 72 h after irradiation were compared with their corresponding controls at the same points of time. The glutathione S-transferase-pi (GST pi) level was elevated in cells treated with 10 or 20 Gy from 24 to 72 h after irradiation compared with the control. Topoisomerase II alpha and thymidylate synthase were decreased in irradiated cells 24-72 h after exposure. These down-regulations were associated with cellular proliferation, determined by mRNA expression of the proliferation marker histone 3. Irradiated cells exhibited no alteration in the P-glycoprotein or glutathione peroxidase mRNA content. The finding that GST pi mRNA was overexpressed after irradiation was validated by investigations on a human lung carcinoma cell line (LXF 289) on the mRNA and protein level. Thus, our results indicate that irradiation alters the expression of proteins involved in multidrug resistance and may, therefore, play a role in clinical drug response.     

Animal model for the study of methanol toxicity: comparison of folate-reduced rat responses with published monkey data

The postpartum period is an ideal time to begin contraception, as women are more highly motivated to adopt contraception at this time and it is convenient for both patients and service providers. For intrauterine device (IUD) contraception, this period offers other advantages, such as ease of insertion and minimal adverse impacts on breastfeeding. Among early studies, most postpartum insertions were performed anywhere from a few hours to seven days or more after delivery, and retention of the IUD in the uterus was poor. Since the 1970s, immediate postplacental insertion (IPPI), i.e., IUD insertion performed within 10 minutes after placental delivery, has been advocated, and fairly, low expulsion rates have been reported. Up to now, IPPI has not been widely accepted in clinics because its expulsion rate still appears to be higher than that of interval insertion. In order to further study IPPI and perfect this contraceptive technique, it is essential to comprehensively review IPPI results and compare the Chinese experience with that of the rest of the world.     

Inclusion body fibromatosis of the breast. Two cases with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings

Two cases of fibromatosis of the breast, characterized by a proliferation of spindle cells containing intracytoplasmic, spherical, eosinophilic inclusion bodies, are reported. The light and electron microscopic features, as well as the immunohistochemical features, are indistinguishable from those found in infantile digital fibromatosis. The proliferating spindle cells are characterized as myofibroblasts, whereas the inclusion bodies show an immunohistochemically nonreactive, hollow-like pattern with peripheral reactivity for actin filaments. This lesion, observed for the first time in the breast, expands the number of extradigital inclusion body fibromatoses.     

C1 inhibitor and diagnosis of hereditary angioedema in newborns

Symptoms of hereditary angioedema may present during the child's first years. Attacks may be a particular threat to the narrower airway of the child. An early diagnosis is most valuable because effective C1 inhibitor (C1 INH) concentrate is available. We present a reference area for the antigenic and functional determination of C1 INH by using uncontaminated umbilical cord blood from 80 normal newborns collected by puncturing vessels in the newly delivered placenta. We examined two full-term babies (1 and 2) from mothers with hereditary angioedema type I the same way. The concentration of C1 INH antigen was determined by radial immunodiffusion. The C1 INH functional assay was based on the addition of a known quantity of C1s, which enzymatically splits a chromogenic substrate. The test was performed in the presence of methylamine and heparin in a kinetic microtiter plate assay. Citrated plasma was used in both assays. The data obtained in the 80 cord blood samples (2.5-97.5 percentile) were 0.11-0.22 g/L for C1 INH antigen (adults, 0.15-0.33 g/L) and 47.2-85.9% for C1 INH function (percentage of adults). In cord blood, baby 1 had an antigenic value of 0.12 g/L (7.5 percentile) and C1 INH function of 61.8% (42 percentile). The corresponding values for baby 2 in cord blood were less than 0.05 g/L (0.106 g/L < 2.5 percentile) and 34.3% (12.9% < 2.5 percentile). Baby 2 had markedly lower C4 values yet much higher C4 activation products than baby 1. At 4 mo, baby 1 had an antigenic C1 INH value of 0.24 g/L.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Aligned carbon nanotubes sandwiched in epitaxial NbC film for enhanced superconductivity

Highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) ribbons were sandwiched in epitaxial superconducting NbC films by a chemical solution deposition method. The incorporation of aligned long CNTs into NbC film enhances the normal-state conductivity and improves the superconducting properties of the assembly.