In vivo magnetic resonance detects rapid remodeling changes in the topology of the trabecular bone network after menopause and the protective effect of estradiol.

Introduction: Estrogen depletion after menopause is accompanied by bone loss and architectural deterioration of trabecular bone. The hypothesis underlying this work is that the microMRI-based virtual bone biopsy can capture the temporal changes of scale and topology of the trabecular network and that estrogen supplementation preserves the integrity of the trabecular network.

Materials And Methods: Subjects studied were early postmenopausal women, 45-55 yr of age (N = 65), of whom 32 were on estrogen (estradiol group), and the remainder were not (control group).

How to improve the performances in diagnostic colonoscopy?

Background: Endoscopic colonoscopy seems to be the most useful tool for screening for colorectal cancer, but experienced endoscopists are required.

The Aim: of this study was to establish an internal audit of the colonoscopies performed in our department and to evaluate if they influenced the quality of the procedure.

Method: We evaluated the number of coecal intubations performed by three experienced endoscopists between January 2004 and December 2006.

Venous circulation of the bronchial wall.

Bronchial supply plays an important role in both the protecting mechanisms and the pathogenic ones of many chronic inflammatory, infections or ischemic diseases of the lung. However, little is known regarding the bronchial supply development; the appearance of the connections to the functional pulmonary supply; the territory supplied by the bronchial veins. In this study, we follow the distribution of the pulmonary veins branches at the level of the subcarinal airways and their relationship to the bronchial veins in the human lungs.

Prognostic role of left atrial volume in elderly patients with symptomatic stable chronic heart failure: comparison with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and B-type natriuretic peptide.

Background: Left atrial (LA) volume and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) represent powerful outcome predictors in patients with heart failure (HF).

Aim: To assess the comparative prognostic role of LA volume (indexed to body surface area, LAVi), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) and BNP levels on long-term outcome in patients with symptomatic but stable chronic HF. methods: We studied consecutively 46 patients with symptomatic stable chronic HF (73 +/- 10 years, 30 men), in sinus rhythm, without significant valvular disease.

The quality of the fragment obtained by liver biopsy for staging chronic hepatitis.

Unlabelled: The aim of our paper was to assess the quality of the liver fragment obtained by liver biopsy for staging chronic hepatitis.

Material And Method: We analyzed retrospectively 250 echoassisted percutaneous liver biopsies (LB) concerning the length of the fragment and the mean number of portal spaces. We used Menghini modified needles 1.

Trabecular structure quantified with the MRI-based virtual bone biopsy in postmenopausal women contributes to vertebral deformity burden independent of areal vertebral BMD.

Unlabelled: In postmenopausal women with a wide range of vertebral deformities, MRI-based structural measures of topology and scale at the distal radius are shown to account for as much as 30% of vertebral deformity, independent of integral vertebral BMD.

Introduction: Trabecular bone architecture has been postulated to contribute to overall bone strength independent of vertebral BMD measured by DXA. However, there has thus far been only sparse in vivo evidence to support this hypothesis.

Left atrial remodelling early after mitral valve repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation.

Objective: Left atrial (LA) size is an important predictor of outcome after mitral valve replacement in patients with symptomatic chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). Data on LA remodelling after mitral valve repair (MVr) for chronic non-ischaemic MR are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess changes in LA size early after MVr for chronic severe degenerative MR and to identify clinical and echocardiographic correlates of those changes.

Biochemical characterization and phylogenetic analysis of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase from the gellan gum producer Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461.

Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461 synthesizes in high yield the exopolysaccharide gellan, which is a water-soluble gelling agent with many applications. In this study, we describe the cloning and sequence analysis of the ugdG gene, encoding a UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (47.2 kDa; UDPG-DH; EC 1.

Heart failure in patients with aortic stenosis: clinical and prognostic significance of carbohydrate antigen 125 and brain natriuretic peptide measurement.

Background: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is related to symptomatic status and outcome in aortic stenosis (AS) patients. Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) demonstrated recently a BNP-like behaviour in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) but has never been studied in AS patients. We aimed to assess the role of CA125 and BNP in AS patients.

Animal models in pressure ulcer research.

Background/objective: Research targeting the pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment of pressure ulcers (PrUs) continue to be a significant priority for clinical and basic science research. Spinal cord injury patients particularly benefit from PrU research, because the prevalence of chronic wounds in this category is increasing despite standardized medical care. Because of practical, ethical, and safety considerations, PrUs in the human environment are limited to studies involving patients with pre-existing ulcers.

Direct observation of protein motion during the photochemical reaction cycle of bacteriorhodopsin.

Platinum-coated, conductive atomic force microscope cantilevers were used to deposit electrophoretically purple membranes from Halobacterium salinarum on the bottom part of the cantilevers. By illuminating the bacteriorhodopsin-containing purple membranes, the protein goes through its photochemical reaction cycle, during which a conformational change happens in the protein, changing its shape and size. The size change of the protein acts upon the cantilever by causing its deflection, which can be monitored by the detection system of the atomic force microscope.

[Obesity--hypoventilation syndrome: sometimes a difficult diagnosis].

Described in the specialty literature for over one century under the name of Pickwick syndrome, the obesity--hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) includes the triad: obesity--hypoventilation--hypersomnia. In Romania, this entity is rarely recognized and, despite the developments in specific investigations, the disease is frequently difficult to differentiate from other respiratory disorders during sleep. The authors try to clarify some issues related to pathophysiologic mechanism and contribution of mechanical factors or of respiratory nervous center etc.

Laparoscopic hand-assisted adrenalectomy for a 20 cm benign tumor.

Since its introduction in 1992, laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) has become the technique of choice in the surgical treatment of both secreting or non-secreting benign adrenal pathology. Although traditionally, laparoscopic approach was recommended only for tumor sizes less than 6-8 cm--as larger tumors were known to have an increased risk of malignancy--the currently growing experience and improvement of surgical techniques has allowed for an extension of the therapeutic indication, as shown by the recent case report of LA use for a benign 22 cm tumor (1). We report the case of a young patient operated in our Department for a benign 20 cm adrenal tumor for which laparoscopic "hand-assisted" adrenalectomy yielded a good postoperative outcome and minimal complications.

Glycogen storage disease type I--between chronic ambulatory follow-up and pediatric emergency.

Background And Aims: To describe the characteristics of patients with type I glycogenosis, the presentation types, the main clinical signs, the diagnostic criteria and also the disease outcomes on long term follow-up.

Methods: The study group consisted of 6 patients (medium age 3 years 6 months) admitted in hospital between 2001 and 2005 and followed-up for 1 to 5 years. The sex ratio was 1:1.

Quantum dots are phagocytized by macrophages and colocalize with experimental gliomas.

Objective: The identification of neoplastic tissue within normal brain during biopsy and tumor resection remains a problem in the operative management of gliomas. A variety of nanoparticles are phagocytized by macrophages in vivo. This feature may allow optical nanoparticles, such as quantum dots, to colocalize with brain tumors and serve as an optical aid in the surgical resection or biopsy of brain tumors.

Macrophage-mediated colocalization of quantum dots in experimental glioma.

This chapter describes the methodology and a detailed protocol for the targeting and optical imaging of experimental brain tumors in rats using quantum dots (QDs). QDs are optical semiconductor nanocrystals that exhibit stable, bright fluorescence over narrow, size-tunable emission bands. The size-tunable optical properties of QDs allow multiplexing with multiple emission wavelengths from a single excitation source.

NMDA-dependent facilitation of corticostriatal plasticity by the amygdala.

Emotions generally improve memory, and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is believed to mediate this effect. After emotional arousal, BLA neurons increase their firing rate, facilitating memory consolidation in BLA targets. The enhancing effects of BLA activity extend to various types of memories, including motor learning, which is thought to involve activity-dependent plasticity at corticostriatal synapses.

Transbilayer pores induced by thickness fluctuations.

Thermally-induced fluctuations of individual phospholipids in a bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) are converted into collective motions due to the intermolecular interactions. Here, we demonstrate that transbilayer stochastic pores can be generated via collective thermal movements (CTM). Using the elastic theory of continuous media applied to smectic-A liquid crystals, we estimate the pore radius and the energetic requirements for pore appearance.

[Anemia in COPD].

COPD, a "trendy" disease, didn't yet reveal all its secrets. A frequently subject discussed lately in the specialty literature is about its association to anemia. This is taking in consideration that in all pneumology books COPD is considered a disease associated to the polyglobulia.

Identification of basolateral amygdala projection cells and interneurons using extracellular recordings.

This study tested whether firing rate and spike shape could be used to distinguish projection cells from interneurons in extracellular recordings of basolateral amygdala (BLA) neurons. To this end, we recorded BLA neurons in isoflurane-anesthetized animals with tungsten microelectrodes. Projection cells were identified by antidromic activation from cortical projection sites of the BLA.

The survey on the practice of gastroenterology in Romania.

Aim Of The Study: To get data on the current practice of Gastroenterology in Romania.

Material And Method: We obtained data regarding the number of gastroenterologists in Romania from the Centre of Statistics of the Ministry of Health and Family (CSMHF) and the National Centre of Training for Medical Personnel (NCTMP). We sent a questionnaire to all the Centers of Gastroenterology in Romania inquiring about the number of gastroenterologists and fellows, and about the gastroenterological procedures performed.

Pegylated-interferon alpha 2a treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients on chronic haemodialysis.

Aim: To evaluate the response to pegylated-interferon alpha 2a in chronic hepatitis C patients on chronic haemodialysis.

Methods: Ten patients with chronic C hepatitis were enrolled in this study. All had increased aminotransferases for more than 6 mo, positive antiHCV antibodies and positive PCR HCV-RNA.

Comparative study concerning the efficacy of Peg-IFN alpha-2a versus Peg-IFN alpha-2b on the early virological response (EVR) in patients with chronic viral C hepatitis.

Background: Pegylated interferons (Peg-IFNs) represent, in association with Ribavirin, the first line of treatment in chronic C viral hepatitis. The AIM of our paper was to compare the efficacy of Peg-IFN alpha 2a (Pegasys) and Peg-IFN alpha 2b (PegIntron) in a group of patients from the Department of Gastroenterology in Timisoara.

Material And Method: 116 patients with chronic C viral hepatitis were treated.