A comparison of autonomic function in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and in healthy controls.

We evaluated autonomic function, symptoms and psychological parameters in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) and matched controls to assess whether UC patients have greater basal sympathetic autonomic activity. Outpatients with UC (n = 15), CD (n = 13) and healthy controls (n = 28) underwent spectral analysis of heart rate variability to assess cardiac autonomic function, a methacholine challenge to assess cholinergic pulmonary responsiveness, and questionnaires assessing disease severity, anxiety and depression. UC but not CD patients had greater sympathetic activity than controls with increased absolute (6600 vs 5884; P = 0.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of lung: a case report.

Mucoepidermoid lung tumours are uncommon neoplasms comprising of 0.2% of all the lung tumours and historically included under the term bronchial adenomas. This is a case report of a bronchial tumour in the hilar region present since 3 years.

Endobronchial metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: a case report.

A 46-year-old man had primary pulmonary symptoms of intermittent fever, cough and dyspnoea. Radiological investigations revealed a mass at right hilum with right upper lobe collapse. Bronchoscopy showed a luminal mass of which the biopsy showed a tumour with predominantly clear cell change.

The effect of depression, anxiety and early life trauma on the cortisol awakening response during pregnancy: preliminary results.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of maternal depression and anxiety on the cortisol awakening response (CAR), a marker of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, during pregnancy. Sixty-six pregnant women were studied between 25 and 33 weeks of gestation and were identified as either Depressed (n=33) or healthy, Control (n=33), based on depression scores and lifetime psychiatric history. Saliva samples were collected (passive drool) upon awakening and at +30 and +60 min thereafter.

Analysis of concentration-dependent functions of PU.1 in hematopoiesis using mouse models.

The Ets family transcription factor PU.1, encoded by the gene Sfpi1, is essential for normal hematopoiesis. A number of studies have suggested that changes in PU.

Reduction in PU.1 activity results in a block to B-cell development, abnormal myeloid proliferation, and neonatal lethality.

Objective: It has been demonstrated that high concentration of the transcription factor PU.1 (encoded by Sfpi1) promotes macrophage development, whereas low concentration induces B-cell development in vitro. This has led to the hypothesis that lower levels of PU.

Multifocal tuberculosis of the nose and lymph nodes without pulmonary involvement: a case report.

Tuberculosis of the nose is very rare. When it does occur, it almost always arises secondary to primary pulmonary tuberculosis. Nasal tuberculosis is most common in women older than 20 years.

Tuberculous retropharyngeal abscess.

Chronic retropharyngeal abscess caused by tuberculosis is rare. It should be suspected in a person who presents with a destructive lesion of the vertebra and a retropharyngeal mass. Early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to prevent the serious complications of the disease.

Regulation of the interleukin-7 receptor alpha promoter by the Ets transcription factors PU.1 and GA-binding protein in developing B cells.

Signaling through the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) is required for development and maintenance of the immune system. The receptor for IL-7 is heterodimeric, consisting of a common gamma chain (gammac, encoded by Il2rg) and an alpha subunit (IL-7Ralpha, encoded by Il7r). The Il7r gene is expressed specifically in the immune system in a developmental stage-specific manner.

13C urea breath test for (Helicobacter pylori): evaluation of 10-minute breath collection.

Aim: To determine whether a shortened (13)C urea breath test ((13)C UBT) (breath collection time of 10 min) is as reliable as the standard assay (30 min).

Methods: Two hundred ninety-seven patients (mean +/- SD: 53+/-16 years, 57% female) completed a (13)C UBT. Breath samples were obtained at baseline and at 5 min intervals up to 30 min.

13C urea breath test for (Helicobacter pylori): determination of the optimal cut-off point in a Canadian community population.

Aim: To determine the test characteristics and the optimal cut-off point for the (13)C urea breath test ((13)C UBT) in a Canadian community laboratory setting.

Methods: Of 2232 patients (mean age +/- SD: 51+/-21 years, 56% female) who completed a (13)C UBT, 1209 were tested to evaluate the primary diagnosis of (Helicobacter pylori) infection and 1023 were tested for confirmation of eradication following treatment. Cluster analysis was performed on the (13)C UBT data to determine the optimal cut-off point and the risk of false-positive and false-negative results.

Intervention for infants with brain injury: results of a randomized controlled study.

A randomized clinical trail (RCT) employed a 12-month individualized cognitive/sensorimotor stimulation program to look at the efficacy of the intervention on 62 infants with suspected brain injury. The control group infants received the State-funded follow-up program provided by the Los Angeles (LA) Regional Centers while the intervention group received intensive stimulation using the Curriculum and Monitoring System (CAMS) taught by public health nurses (PHNs). The developmental assessments and outcome measures were performed at 6, 12 and 18 months corrected age and included the Bayley motor and mental development, the Home, mother-infant interaction (Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) and Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS)), parental stress and social support.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation for migraine: clinical effects.

The objective was to assess the impact of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on pain and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in migraine. Forty-two people [mean age 41.43+/-11.

Spi-C has opposing effects to PU.1 on gene expression in progenitor B cells.

The Ets transcription factor Spi-C, expressed in B cells and macrophages, is closely related to PU.1 and has the ability to recognize the same DNA consensus sequence. However, the function of Spi-C has yet to be determined.

Sinonasal lymphoma: a case report.

Sinonasal lymphomas are uncommon malignancies. They are difficult to differentiate from carcinomas, and immunohistochemistry is needed to make the diagnosis. We describe an unusual case of a T cell lymphoma that involved only the paranasal sinuses in a middle-aged man.

How we do it: surgery should be considered equally with I131 and thionamide treatment as first-line therapy for thyrotoxicosis.

Radioiodine and thionamide treatment are the most frequently used treatment modalities for thyrotoxicosis in Europe and North America with surgery being reserved for selected cases. * In our clinic patients were offered all three modalities via simultaneous interview with an endocrinologist and a surgeon, with international risk benefit data for radioiodine and thionamide therapy, and local risk benefit data for total thyroidectomy provided. * When given the choice, at least 15% of patients opted for total thyroidectomy over the other modalities.

Tuberculosis mimicking Kikuchi's disease.

Kikuchi's disease is an idiopathic self-limiting necrotizing lymphadenitis. Clinically, it mimics tuberculous cervical lymphadenopathy. The disease is diagnosed by histopathologic study.

Chondroma of the nasal bone: a case report.

Cartilaginous tumors are common in the long bones of the body and relatively rare in the head and neck. When they do occur in the head and neck, the most common site is the midface. Since the first case report by Morgan in 1842, approximately 150 cases of head and neck chondroma have been recorded in the English-language literature.

Noradrenergic and cholinergic neural pathways mediate stress-induced reactivation of colitis in the rat.

Evidence to date suggests that stress-induced exacerbation or relapse of intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease requires both activation of the autonomic nervous system and the activation of the immune system by the presence of previously encountered luminal antigens. The aim of the present study was to further explore these associations and to determine the role of the autonomic nervous in modulating the intestinal inflammatory response to stress. Rats healed from an initial dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis were given a non-colitic dose of dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (dissolved in saline) or 0.

Anatomical variation of maxillary sinus mimicking a periapical cyst: a case report.

Maxillary sinus can pose diagnostic dilemma radiographically because of its anatomical variation which can mimic a periapical pathosis. This case report deals with one such diagnostic problem, where a maxillary sinus was interpreted in an intraoral periapical radiograph as a periapical cyst. With the advances in imaging techniques, the use of an Ultrasound imaging together with application of Colour Power Doppler helped in revealing the contents of the radiolucent area and come up with an accurate diagnosis.

Reproducibility of heart rate variability and blood pressure variability in individuals with spinal cord injury.

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are prone to orthostatic intolerance and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The use of heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) as indices of cardiovascular regulation would be valuable in this population; however, their reproducibility has yet to be tested in those with SCI. The purpose of this study was to examine the day-to-day reproducibility of resting HRV and BPV in individuals with SCI.

Induction of compulsive-like washing by blocking the feeling of knowing: an experimental test of the security-motivation hypothesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: H. Szechtman and E. Woody (2004) hypothesized that obsessive-compulsive disorder results from a deficit in the feeling of knowing that normally terminates thoughts or actions elicited by security motivation.

Heart rate variability biofeedback as a behavioral neurocardiac intervention to enhance vagal heart rate control.

Background: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who experience depressed mood or psychological stress exhibit decreased vagal control of heart rate (HR), as assessed by spectral analysis of HR variability (HRV). Myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death are independently associated with depression and stress, as well as impaired vagal HR control. This study examined whether a behavioral neurocardiac intervention to reduce stress or depression can augment cardiovagal modulation in CHD patients.

The effects of body-weight supported treadmill training on cardiovascular regulation in individuals with motor-complete SCI.

Study Design: Four-month longitudinal within-subject exercise training study.

Objective: Although body-weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has not shown promise as a means of improving ambulation in individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury (SCI), it may still improve cardiovascular health and function in this population. The purpose of this study was to (i) investigate the effects of BWSTT on peripheral muscular and elastic artery dimension and function and measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) in individuals with motor-complete SCI, and (ii) to make a preliminary examination of what factors may predict favourable cardiovascular outcomes following BWSTT in this population.