Characterization of the insulin-like growth factor axis in a human hepatoma cell line (PLC).

The insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and -II) are structurally related peptides participating in the regulation of metabolism, growth and cellular differentiation. In the present study, the human hepatoma cell line PLC was studied for the expression of individual components of the IGF axis. Northern blot analysis using IGF-I and -II coding cDNAs failed to detect IGF-I- or -II-specific transcripts in total RNA from PLC cells.

Severe pulmonary hypertension in a neonate caused by premature closure of the ductus arteriosus following maternal treatment with diclofenac: a case report.

The administration of non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) has occasionally been related to fetal and neonatal cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, cerebral and renal complications. This report describes a term newborn with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension due to premature closure of the ductus arteriosus following a 5 day maternal treatment with diclofenac two weeks before delivery. Pulmonary hypertension only responded to unusually high doses of inhaled NO.

Spectral analysis of photoplethysmograms from radial forearm free flaps.

Objective: Photoplethysmography utilizes a green-light-emitting diode to transmit light into a tissue. Reflected light from hemoglobin in dermal capillary red blood cells is received by a photo detector and is analyzed as light intensity along a frequency spectrum. This method of analysis allows for the removal of "noise" above (stray light and alternating current [AC]) and below (room vibrations and respiratory motion) the peak signal (1 to 2 Hz) and results in a means to distinguish between perfused and nonperfused tissues.

Identification of a candidate modifying gene for spinal muscular atrophy by comparative genomics.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common recessive disorder characterized by the loss of lower motor neurons in the spinal cord. The disease has been classified into three types based on age of onset and severity. SMA I-III all map to chromosome 5q13 (refs 2,3), and nearly all patients display deletions or gene conversions of the survival motor neuron (SMN1) gene.

MRI of pouch-related fistulas in ulcerative colitis after restorative proctocolectomy.

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine the value of MRI in diagnosing pouch-related fistulas in patients with ulcerative colitis and to compare pulse sequences with and without contrast enhancement in their performance of visualization.

Method: Forty-four patients with pelvic symptoms after restorative proctocolectomy underwent MRI. All 26 patients with pouch-related fistulas were treated surgically; 18 patients with pouchitis were treated conservatively.

[Use of the ultrasound contrast medium levovist in after-care of liver transplant patients. Improved vascular imaging in color Doppler ultrasound].

Introduction: A study was carried out to determine whether an improvement in the detection of vascular signals in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation can be achieved by the use of ultrasound contrast medium in colour Doppler sonography.

Material And Methods: In the early postoperative follow-up of liver transplant recipients, 31 colour Doppler sonograms were obtained in 21 patients before and after intravenous injection of the ultrasound contrast agent Levovist (Schering, Berlin). A grading score with four categories was used to evaluate the sonograms with special regard to the visibility of colour and flow signals in the hepatic artery and also in the portal vein and the hepatic veins.

Mouse insulin-like growth factor binding protein-6: expression, purification, characterization and histochemical localization.

The mitogenic and metabolic activities of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are modulated by a family of six high affinity IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs). This study describes the expression of the mouse IGFBP-6 which is unique among IGFBPs in its preferential binding of IGF II, in insect cells using the baculovirus system. The purified, O-glycosylated IGFBP-6 was functional as shown by IGF binding and by inhibition of IGF II-stimulated DNA synthesis in human fibroblasts.

[TIPSS: 10 years of clinical experience].

Unlabelled: To demonstrate and document 10 years of clinical experience gathered by us with TIPSS and to discuss achievements, problems and outlook.

Material And Methods: The analysis is based on the following parameters: portosystemic gradient; morphological delineation of the portal circulation; determination of the portal perfusion fraction (PPF) and the total liver perfusion (GLP); arterial flow changes; hepatic encephalopathy; incidence of restenotic shunt occlusion and recurrent variceal bleeding.

Results: Variceal filling was widely reduced by TIPSS, and significantly reduced portal liver perfusion as assessed morphologically and rheologically.

Characterization of the IGF axis components in isolated rat hepatic stellate cells.

The insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I, -II) are circulating peptides known to participate in the regulation of metabolism, growth, and cellular differentiation. In the present study, "early cultured" (days 2-3 of culture) and "culture-activated" (days 6-7 of culture) rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were analyzed for expression of individual components of the IGF axis. Northern blot analysis of IGF-I messenger RNA (mRNA) revealed transcripts of 7.

Pseudolesions at T1-weighted gradient-echo imaging after administration of superparamagnetic iron oxide: comparison with portal perfusion abnormalities at CT during arterial portography.

Purpose: To compare specific findings at T1-weighted gradient-echo (GRE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed after administration of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) with nontumorous regional portal perfusion abnormalities seen at computed tomography (CT) during arterial portography (CTAP).

Materials And Methods: The results of CTAP, MR imaging, and surgery were compared in 19 patients with liver metastases and five with benign liver tumors. MR imaging was performed by using turbo spin-echo (SE) sequences and a GRE sequence before and after infusion of SPIO.

Overwhelming postsplenectomy infection with vaccine-type Streptococcus pneumoniae in a 12-year-old girl despite vaccination and antibiotic prophylaxis.

This report describes a 12-year-old girl who developed vaccine-type pneumococcal septicemia (type 4, Danish nomenclature) 2 years after splenectomy for recurrent idiopathic thrombocytopenia despite vaccination with the 23-valent vaccine 4 weeks before surgery and antibiotic prophylaxis with penicillin V. The disease presented as high fever with shivering and vomiting followed by disseminated petechiae and a deteriorated general condition. Initial laboratory studies showed severe sepsis with leucocytopenia and thrombocytopenia, a markedly elevated CRP, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Retinal arterial occlusion in a child with factor V Leiden and thermolabile methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase mutations.

Purpose: To analyze the potential cause of retinal arterial occlusion in a 9-year-old child.

Methods: Case report. Antithrombin III, protein C, free protein S, activated protein C resistance, and antiphospholipid antibodies in plasma were determined.

Structural and functional analysis of the promoter of the hepatic lipase gene.

Hepatic lipase (HL) gene transcription is almost exclusively limited to hepatocytes. Here we have studied sequences and transcription factors regulating basal and hepatocyte-restricted HL promoter activity. Sequencing of a cloned 3.

Tri-iodothyronine increases insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 expression in rat hepatocytes.

Previous in vivo studies demonstrated significant variations in insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-4 hepatic mRNAs and/or serum levels depending on the rat thyroid status. In this study we employed cultured hepatocytes from adult rats to demonstrate a possible direct regulation of these genes by tri-iodothyronine (T3). Northern blot analysis revealed that IGFBP-1 and -4 messages were clearly expressed, whereas IGFBP-2 signal was barely detectable.

Continuous plasma resin perfusion for detoxification of methotrexate.

Unlabelled: Acute renal failure is a rare but very severe side-effect of methotrexate (MTX) treatment requiring extracorporeal detoxification. A new detoxification regime, consisting of a haemodiafiltration (HDF) and continuous plasma resin perfusion (PRP) over anion exchange resin column with high affinity for MTX, was used for treatment of MTX-induced acute renal failure in a 2-year-old boy with medulloblastoma. More than 99% of MTX was removed from plasma by perfusion over the resin column resulting in a marked decrease of MTX plasma half-life.

Intermittent administration of furosemide versus continuous infusion in the postoperative management of children following open heart surgery.

Objective: To compare the amount of furosemide needed to fulfil defined criteria for renal output if given intermittently or as a continuous infusion and to compare the effect of these two regimens on hemodynamic variables and urine electrolyte concentrations.

Design: Prospective randomized study of postoperative hemodynamically stable pediatric cardiac patients. The patients were given furosemide according to the urine output, either as an intermittent bolus injection or as a continuous infusion.

Preemptive ketamine decreases postoperative narcotic requirements in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

The aim of this study was to determine if preemptive administration of systemic ketamine decreases postoperative pain when compared with postwound closure administration of ketamine. Patients undergoing abdominal procedures were randomized into a preemptive or postwound closure ketamine administration group. Before surgical incision, patients in the preemptive group (n = 20) were given 0.

The mouse region syntenic for human spinal muscular atrophy lies within the Lgn1 critical interval and contains multiple copies of Naip exon 5.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a relatively common, autosomal recessively inherited neurodegenerative disorder that maps to human chromosome 5q13. This region of the human genome has an intricate genomic structure that has complicated the evaluation of SMA candidate genes. We have chosen to study the mouse region syntenic for human SMA in the hope that the homologous mouse interval would contain the same genes as human 5q13 on a simpler genomic background.

Insulin-like growth factor-I serum concentrations and patterns of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in patients with chronic liver disease.

Background/aims: Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I are decreased in liver cirrhosis. However, this growth factor is bound for the most part to specific binding proteins that are known to modulate biological actions. Plasma insulin-like growth factor binding proteins are predominantly synthesized in the liver.

Effect of type of anesthesia and lower-abdominal laparotomy in mice on the cytokine response to acute stress.

Background And Objective: Recent emphasis has been placed on the accuracy of systemic cytokine levels as an index to the severity of acute surgical stress. In this investigation, a murine animal model was developed to determine the effect of the type of anesthesia on the cytokine response to a standard surgical stress.

Methods: The initial phase was designed to assess the severity of the acute stress response to a standard surgical stimulus by measuring the release of proinflammtory cytokines in 30 Balb C mice subjected to halothane anesthesia and exploratory laparotomy.

Malignant hyperthermia involving the administration of desflurane.

Purpose: This report describes an episode of malignant hyperthermia (MH) in a ten year old boy receiving desflurane anaesthesia.

Clinical Features: Following induction of general endotracheal anaesthesia with thiopentone and succinylcholine, desflurane was administered for maintenance of anaesthesia. Ten minutes after commencing desflurane administration, heart rate and PETCO2 increased to 165 bpm and 50 mmHg, respectively.

Echothiophate iodide induced transient hyper- and hypothyroidism.

A case of hyper- and hypothyroidism induced by echothiophate iodide eye drops is presented. The thyroid dysfunction was due to excessive iodide intake from the eye drops.