Anatomy and pathology of the eye: role of MR imaging and CT.

Since the development of CT and MR imaging, significant progress in ophthalmic imaging has been made. As the technology advanced and MR imaging units improved their ability in terms of spatial resolution, the role of MR imaging in ophthalmic imaging has increased accordingly. This article considers the role of MR and CT imaging in the diagnosis of selected pathologies of the eye.

Orbital and ocular imaging using 3- and 1.5-T MR imaging systems.

The goal of this article is to familiarize general radiologists and clinicians (particularly ophthalmologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons) with the recent introduction of clinical MR imaging scanners operating at a magnetic field strength of 3-T and to compare them with the more common standard scanners operating at 1.5-T. In this study, MR imaging at 3-T was found to offer superior depiction of orbital and intracranial anatomy and pathologic findings.

TH1/TH2 cytokine secretion of first degree relatives of T1DM patients.

Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance has been demonstrated in Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients. We characterized the peak levels, secretory pattern and total cytokine production of the Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN gamma) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10), by stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of twenty six first-degree relatives of T1DM patients, and eleven matched controls. At enrollment, first degree relatives demonstrated a significant increase in peak and overall secretion of IL-2; P<0.

Control of hypertension with captopril affords better renal protection as compared with irbesartan in salt-loaded uremic rats.

Background/aim: Hypertension induced by exaggerated sodium consumption accelerates the progression of renal failure. We investigated the effects of a high-sodium (HS) diet on the progression of renal failure in rats maintained normotensive by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition or AT-1 blockade.

Methods: In 70 Sprague-Dawley rats, renal failure was induced by five-sixths nephrectomy.

[Transient lower limbs paralysis--a rare presenting symptom of Sjögren's syndrome].

Sjögren's syndrome is commonly presented with eye and mouth dryness caused by an autoimmune destruction of lacrimal and salivary glands. Kidney involvement is not common but may appear in patients with long standing disease. We present a patient with Sjögren's syndrome whose first manifestation of the disease was related to type 1 renal tubular acidosis (RTA) causing severe hypokalemia with lower limb paralysis.

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Shigella flexneri from Argentina: first report of TOHO-1 outside Japan.

A 9-year nation-wide survey of the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in Shigella flexneri is described. Ten of 9033 (0.1%) isolates produced ESBLs, which were characterized by isoelectric focusing, PCR and DNA sequencing.

Right-left correlation of the sympathetically induced fluctuations of photoplethysmographic signal in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

Photoplethysmography (PPG) records the cardiac-induced changes in tissue blood volume by light-transmission measurements. The baseline and amplitude of the PPG signal show very low-frequency (VLF) spontaneous fluctuations, which are mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, and high correlation between right and left extremities of healthy subjects. As sympathetic neuropathy is one of the diabetic complications, the right-left correlation of the PPG fluctuations was examined in diabetic patients.

Cognitive impairment associated with major depression following mild and moderate traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and major depression are neuropsychiatric conditions that have been associated with cognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between major depression and cognitive impairment following mild and moderate TBI. Seventy-four TBI patients were assessed for the presence of major depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV and completed a neurocognitive assessment battery.

CARB-9, a carbenicillinase encoded in the VCR region of Vibrio cholerae non-O1, non-O139 belongs to a family of cassette-encoded beta-lactamases.

The gene bla(CARB-9) was located in the Vibrio cholerae super-integron, but in a different location relative to bla(CARB-7). CARB-9 (pI 5.2) conferred beta-lactam MICs four to eight times lower than those conferred by CARB-7, differing at Ambler's positions V97I, L124F, and T228K.

Enhanced glucose-dependent glucagon-like peptide-1 and insulin secretion in Crohn patients with terminal ileum disease is unrelated to disease activity or ileal resection.

Background: Enhanced secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been reported in patients with Crohn disease (CD). However, the correlation between the enteropancreatic axis and the activity of CD remains unclear.

Methods: Plasma glucose, insulin, GLP-1 levels and insulin sensitivity were determined before and after oral glucose tolerance tests in 13 patients with CD of the terminal ileum, in 13 patients after resection of the terminal ileum and in 7 healthy controls.

Low stimulated IL-4 secretion in PBMC from patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

An imbalance between the Th1 and Th2 arms of the cellular immune system has been reported in several autoimmune diseases but not in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Peak, total secretion and secretory pattern of the Th1 cytokines (IFNgamma and IL-2) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) were determined in resting and stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from nineteen CIU patients, six acute urticaria patients and twelve controls. Stimulated IL-4 secretion was significantly reduced in CIU patients as indicated by their five- and three-fold lower peak levels and total IL-4 secretion, respectively.

Swab cultures accurately identify bacterial pathogens in diabetic foot wounds not involving bone.

Aims: Current clinical practice assumes swab cultures from wounds are unreliable. However, this assumption is based upon data culled only from wounds in which osteomyelitis and/or gangrene were present. This study aimed to re-evaluate the accuracy of swab cultures vs.

Increased expression of tissue factor and receptor for advanced glycation end products in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with vascular complications.

The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the expression of tissue factor (TF) and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGEs) and vascular complications in patients with longstanding uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D). TF and RAGE mRNAs as well as TF antigen and activity were investigated in 21 T2D patients with and without vascular complications. mRNA expression was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in nonstimulated and advanced glycation end product (AGE) albumin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Loss of captopril-bound Fe by end-stage renal failure patients during hemodialysis.

Background: Patients on chronic hemodialysis often suffer from severe anemia, the outcome of iron deficiency and inadequate response to erythropoietin. Antihypertensive treatment with captopril worsens anemia, erythropoietin production and iron balance in hemodialysis patients. We investigated the possibility that iron chelation by captopril in the blood may result in elimination of iron-captopril complexes during hemodialysis, thus minimizing the effect of both medications.

Normal p21Ras/MAP kinase pathway expression and function in PBMC from patients with polycystic ovary disease.

Polycystic ovary disease (PCOD) is associated with insulin resistance and increased prevalence of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The p21Ras/MAP kinase is a major intracellular signaling pathway mediating insulin signaling in insulin responsive tissues. The expression, regulation and function of the p21Ras/MAP kinase pathway in PCOD patients were examined.

Heparanase, galectin-3, and tissue factor mRNA are expressed in benign neoplasms of the thyroid.

Objective: Heparanase, galectin-3, and tissue factor (TF) are overexpressed in solid malignant thyroid tumors. We studied their expression in multinodular goiters (MNGs).

Design And Methods: Thyroid tissue specimens from 15 MNGs were obtained during surgery.

Estrogen-induced changes in the microtubular system correlate with a decreased susceptibility of aging neurons to beta amyloid neurotoxicity.

A growing body of evidence suggests that estrogen has beneficial effects on Alzheimer's disease. However, the mechanisms underlying estrogen's neuroprotective effects are not completely understood. In the present study, we analyzed first whether estrogen protects mature hippocampal neurons against fibrillar Abeta-induced neurotoxicity.

Risperidone, but not olanzapine, decreases bone mineral density in female premenopausal schizophrenia patients.

Background: The hyperprolactinemia induced by conventional antipsychotics often leads to osteoporosis. The commonly used atypical antipsychotics risperidone and olanzapine vary in their hyperprolactinemic properties. Therefore, we compared hormone profiles and bone properties in female premenopausal schizophrenia patients treated with either risperidone or olanzapine.

Discordant effect of body mass index on bone mineral density and speed of sound.

Background: Increased BMI may affect the determination of bone mineral density (BMD) by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and speed of sound (SOS) measured across bones. Preliminary data suggest that axial SOS is less affected by soft tissue. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on BMD and SOS measured along bones.

Diagnosis of normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism by oral calcium loading test.

We evaluated the oral calcium-loading test (OCLT) in diagnosing normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism. Calcium and PTH levels were measured before, 60, 120 and 180 min after oral 1 g of calcium gluconolactate administration in 102 consecutive females with high circulating PTH levels, and 25 controls. Patients were classified as follows: Group A, patients with a parathyroid adenoma identified by two imaging modalities.

Age and major depression after mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The authors investigated the relationship between age and major depression in the acute period following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Patients with mild TBI (N=210) were assessed for the presence of major depression with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.

Results: Older patients (age 60-plus) had lower rates of major depression than younger patients.