A specific alteration of protein enzymatic glycosylation induced by cyclosporine.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Martin.
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This article reports the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical findings of two cases of adenoma of the the rete ovarii (RO), one unilateral and the other bilateral, presenting with atypical histological features in the right ovary. Both tumors were incidental findings in 62- and 64-year-old patients presenting with metrorrhagia. The predominantly cystic lesions measured 2 cm and 3 cm in diameter and microscopically, they were tubulopapillary proliferations of regular columnar cells with clear cytoplasm. The stroma showed extensive differentiation of polygonal, Leydig-like cells which was associated in both cases with simple endometrial hyperplasia. In both cases rete and hilar mesonephric remnants were found in the vicinity of the lesion. The atypical lesion in one case had a complex papillary proliferation different in pattern and cellularity from a retiform Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor. It showed extensive areas of eosinophilic change, pleomorphism, and a few mitoses but did not invade the adjacent ovarian stroma. Its stroma also had steroidally active cells. The patient was alive and well after a follow-up interval of 3 years. Immunohistochemically, the lesions were diffusely positive for CAM 5.2, vimentin, epithelial membrane antigen, OC 125, OC 125, and progesterone receptors.
PLD is regulated by the small GTP binding proteins Rho and Arf, though predominantly by the latter. The PA product of PLD activation is an activator of Rho-regulated actin stress fibre formation and in invasive cells of MMP-9 synthesis and activation. Together this may explain the increased invasion of cells in response to PA.
A genital HSV-2 infection of guinea pigs and a cutaneous HSV-1 infection in mice were used to examine the ability of antioxidant components CRT1 to reduce lesion development, duration, and severity. CRT is a patented antioxidant formulation developed by Warner-Lambert Worldwide Consumer Healthcare R. and D. CRT contains three components that work synergistically: vitamin E, sodium pyruvate and membrane stabilizing fatty acids. The MS strain of HSV-2 was utilized for intravaginal inoculation of guinea pigs with approximately 1.2 x 10(5) plaque forming units. The guinea pigs were treated on the external genital skin four times daily for 10 days beginning 48 h post viral inoculation. This study was designed to optimize the CRT formulations that would be used to quantify the synergistic effect of the CRT components. SKH-1 male hairless mice were inoculated with 1 x 10(7) HSV-1 (McIntyre strain) on the dorsal surface of the mouse and treated with CRT formulations starting on the afternoon of the day of infection, and treated for the following 14 days. In the guinea pig model, the CRT formula that contained all three CRT components, worked synergistically to reduce lesion development, duration and severity scores significantly compared to vehicle control or acyclovir. Acyclovir was the only compound that reduced viral titers, but in contrast to CRT, acyclovir did not reduce lesion development, duration or severity. The quantitative effect of the three CRT components was demonstrated in the mouse model.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive and behavioral effects of anticholinergic, antidopaminergic, and antiserotonergic agents given alone and in combination to normal volunteers. Twelve young male volunteers took part in this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study of six drug conditions, each administered on separate days [haloperidol (2 mg p.o.) +/-scopolamine (0.5 mg i.v.), metergoline (4 mg p.o.) +/-scopolamine (0.5 mg i.v.), placebo, and scopolamine alone (0.5 mg i.v.)]. Scopolamine-induced sedation (p < .01), slowed information processing (p < .01) and impaired new learning and memory (p < .01), but did not affect attention or retrieval from semantic memory. Given alone, haloperidol selectively impaired the ability to rapidly switch cognitive sets (p < .05), and metergoline decreased pupil size (p < .01) but did not induce cognitive deficits. In combination with scopolamine, neither haloperidol nor metergoline produced a worsening of the subjects' cognitive performance above and beyond that seen with scopolamine alone. On the contrary, a trend (p < .10) for haloperidol to reverse some of the scopolamine-induced exacerbation of verbal short-term forgetting was observed. The data indicate that scopolamine and haloperidol can independently and selectively affect cognition and that at the doses tested in this study no synergistic exacerbation of cognitive functioning was found when cholinergic blockage was coupled with dopaminergic or serotonergic blockade.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and global diagnostic precision of hysteroscopic exploration in the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: University-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: One thousand three hundred ninety-eight patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, 57.3% premenopausal and 42.6% postmenopausal. INTERVENTIONS: Diagnostic hysteroscopy and subsequent dilatation and curettage. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Endometrium was classified hysteroscopically as normal, atrophic, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial carcinoma. Histopathologic diagnosis was performed to determine the efficacy of hysteroscopy in diagnosing endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. For endometrial hyperplasia in premenopausal women, sensitivity was 71.8%, specificity 96.4%, and global diagnostic precision 92.5%; in postmenopausal women, respective figures were 85. 1%, 100%, and 97.3%. For diagnosing adenocarcinoma in premenopausal patients, hysteroscopy was 100% sensitive, with specificity 99.4% and global diagnostic precision 99.5%; in postmenopausal women, respective figures were 100%, 99.4%, and 99.5%. CONCLUSIONS: In women with abnormal uterine bleeding, diagnostic hysteroscopy is a basic tool that allows precise diagnosis of endouterine lesions such as polyps and submucous myomas. It also is highly accurate for evaluating endometrial adenocarcinoma and hyperplasia.
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BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatobiliary complications occur in inflammatory bowel disease and may be caused by the translocation of intestinal toxins from portal blood into bile through leaky hepatocyte tight junctions. The role of tight junctions in the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary complications in experimental inflammatory bowel disease was investigated. METHODS: Colitis was induced in rats by intracolonic instillation of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid. The function of hepatocellular tight junctions was evaluated in perfused livers by measuring early (paracellular) horseradish peroxidase excretion into the bile and by electron microscopy and semiquantitative analysis of lanthanum penetration through the tight junction and into bile canaliculi. Immunofluorescent localization of cingulin and ZO-1 was used to study the structure of hepatocyte junctions. RESULTS: Colitis was associated with increased serum bilirubin and bile acid concentrations, a 2.5-fold increase in paracellular biliary excretion of horseradish peroxidase, and a ninefold increase in lanthanum permeability. Liver histology and cingulin and ZO-1 localizations were similar to normal liver. CONCLUSIONS: Experimental colitis is associated with hepatobiliary complications and an increased hepatocyte tight junctional permeability to horseradish peroxidase and lanthanum. Subtle alterations in tight junction function may be involved in the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary injuries in inflammatory bowel disease.
People are surprisingly accurate at judging how often an event occurs. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, perform poorly on such tasks, suggesting that this ability is compromised when episodic memory is impaired. The tasks used to assess this ability in previous studies, however, placed demands on retrieval that could obscure whether frequency of occurrence was adequately encoded. We developed an indirect test of frequency monitoring based on changes in reading time as a function of item repetition. Using this procedure, patients with AD showed normal frequency monitoring for novel information (Turkish words) even though they were unable to remember the words or judge how often individual words had been presented. These findings suggest the existence of a mechanism that automatically monitors frequency of occurrence and operates outside of conscious awareness.
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of specific concentric and eccentric training on concentric muscular strength following an initial standardized period of excessive training that combined concentric and eccentric actions. For a period of 12 weeks, 37 young elite female basketball players performed standardized training, which included concentric and eccentric actions at 70% and 110% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM), respectively. They were then divided into three groups that followed 12 week programmes which included concentric (C-E/C, n = 13), eccentric (C-E/E, n = 13) or a combination of both concentric and eccentric (C-E/-E, n = 11) exercises. The standardized and specific training programmes consisted of 16 and 8 sets of eight repetitions respectively, performed four times a week. Eleven players who did not participate in either the standardized or specific training programmes served as controls (n = 11). Following the initial 12 weeks of standardized training, the concentric strength of the knee extensors was evaluated isokinetically and using leg-press and squat-jump tests. Significant (P < 0.05) reductions in isokinetic torque, and leg-press and squat-jump performance, were seen. The C-E/C group showed significant (P < 0.05) increases in isokinetic torque, and leg-press and squat-jump performance, after 24 weeks of training when compared with pre-training values. Conversely, no significant differences were noted for the C-E/E and C-E/C-E groups. These findings confirm the mode specificity principle, as only the concentric specific training programme improved the concentric strength of the knee extensors.
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, frequently cause gastric mucosal injury in the elderly. Impairment of prostaglandin synthesis is a crucial step by which aspirin attenuates mucosal defense capacity. Vitamin E has been shown to decrease prostanoid concentrations, which implies an ulceropermissive effect of vitamin E. To assess the effect of vitamin E on aspirin-induced gastric injury and mucosal prostanoid concentrations, 20 male rats aged 20 mo were divided into two groups and fed diets containing either 30 (physiologic requirement) or 500 mg all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg. After 6 wk, all rats received two intragastric doses of aspirin (1.4 mumol/kg body wt). A third group of six animals fed the high-vitamin E diet received a vehicle solution without aspirin. Mucosal samples for vitamin E and prostaglandin E2, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, and thromboxane A2 measurements were collected. The prevalence and degree of mucosal lesions were not significantly different among all groups. Rats fed the high-vitamin E diet had significantly higher mucosal vitamin E concentrations than rats fed the low-vitamin E diet. Mucosal concentrations of all three prostanoids were 95% lower in aspirin-treated rats than in controls (P = 0.0001 in all instances). The high-vitamin E diet group had significantly lower mucosal 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha concentrations (P = 0.02) than the low-vitamin E diet group, indicating decreased prostacyclin formation, whereas concentrations of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane A2 were similar in the aspirin-treated groups. Aspirin markedly reduced mucosal prostanoid concentrations in rats, without apparent effects on gastric injury, whereas vitamin E supplementation significantly reduced mucosal 6-keto-prostaglandin F(1 alpha) concentrations. Nevertheless, vitamin E supplementation did not result in more gastric injury in aspirin-treated rats than in controls.
Ceftriaxone concentrations in abdominal tissues were evaluated after administration as antibiotic prophylaxis for pancreatic surgery. Ten patients were given ceftriaxone (1 g i.v.) 30 min before surgery. Ceftriaxone concentrations in fatty tissues ranged from 2.5 to 6.2 microg/g. Ceftriaxone concentrations were 6.0 +/- 8.6 microg/g in pancreatic tissues, 2.1 +/- 2.5 mg/L in pancreatic fluid, 1179 +/- 1271 mg/L in pancreatic bile, and 18 +/- 16 microg/g in the liver. In fatty tissues, 8-10 patients had tissue levels greater than the MIC90 for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and the 10 patients had tissue levels greater than the MIC90 for Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. In other tissues, penetration was greater than the MIC90 for potential pathogens in 50-100% of the patients.
OBJECTIVES: To compare 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and trough office blood pressure lowerings after 8 weeks of therapy with 75 mg irbesartan once a day, 150 mg irbesartan once a day , and 75 mg irbesartan twice a day versus placebo; and to assess safety and tolerability of irbesartan therapy. DESIGN: Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Sixteen centers in Italy. PATIENTS: Caucasian patients (n = 215) aged > or = 18 years with seated diastolic blood pressure 95-110 mmHg and ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (ADBP) > or = 85 mmHg. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Mean 24 h ADBP after 8 weeks of irbesartan therapy. RESULTS: Mean changes (value before treatment minus value after treatment) in ADBP for placebo, 75 mg irbesartan once a day, 150 mg irbesartan once a day, and 75 mg irbesartan twice a day were -0.2, -5.4, -7.2, and -7.2 mmHg, respectively; respective changes in ambulatory systolic blood pressure were +1.6, -8.3, -10.5, and -9.7 mmHg. All irbesartan regimens reduced trough office seated diastolic blood pressure and seated systolic blood pressure after 2 and 8 weeks of treatment (all P < 0.01, versus placebo except for seated systolic blood pressure in patients in the 75 mg irbesartan once a day group). Trough: peak ratios were > or = 55% with 150 mg irbesartan once a day. Percentages of patients whose blood pressures were normalized with 150 mg irbesartan once a day (45%) and 75 mg irbesartan twice a day (47%) were greater than those with placebo (14%, P < 0.01) and with 75 mg irbesartan once a day (19%, NS, versus placebo). Adverse events with irbesartan were similar to those with placebo. CONCLUSIONS: All irbesartan regimens significantly reduced mean 24 h ADBP and ambulatory systolic blood pressure, and were well tolerated. Administration of 150 mg irbesartan once a day provided significant reduction of blood pressure for 24 h, equivalent to that obtained with the same daily dose divided into two separate administrations.
Frameless stereotactic procedures crucially depend on the firmness of immobilization. Once registered, shifting of the patient leads to inaccuracy, and the patient registration has to be realigned. To overcome the drawbacks of conventional invasive fixation for neurosurgery and the widely accepted fixation with surgical tape in ENT, the Vogele-Bale-Hohner (VBH) head holder has been developed. It permits rigid, noninvasive fixation of the head by using an individualized dental cast attached to the upper jaw by vacuum. Oral intubation is uncomplicated. In addition, a special registration device providing well defined reference points can be mounted to the mouthpiece. We report the first promising clinical applications of this device.
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We report the first intraoperative use of a microdebrider as a stereotactic three-dimensional (3D) navigation instrument in paranasal and frontobasal surgery. The microdebrider uses rotating blades and an integrated suction device for controlled removal of tissue under video-endoscopic view. The ISG Viewing Wand uses the patient's computed tomography/magnetic resonance (CT/MR) data and a 3D reconstruction thereof and a high-precision position-sensitive mechanical arm for intraoperative three-dimensional navigation. We have linked the microdebrider to the Viewing Wand to transform it into a continuously available intraoperative stereotactic localizing device. We discuss the problems related to this extension of the Viewing Wand and demonstrate the practical use in an exemplary polypectomy.