Thyroid disorders in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

To clarify the prevalence of thyroid disorders in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 45 SLE patients not receiving corticosteroid therapy for at least 6 months were selected over a period of 1 year. They were investigated by utilizing thyroid ultrasonography and by determinations of thyroid antibodies and thyroid function. Of these patients, 24 (53.

Renal calcification in very low birth weight infants.

Between January 1990 and December 1991, serial real-time ultrasound examinations and analyses of urine were performed on a total of 50 infants with birth weights less than 1,500 g to assess the incidence of renal calcification. Five infants (10%) developed renal calcification at a mean age of 48.8 +/- 14.

Renal function in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

A total of 75 jaundiced infants with gestational ages ranging from 37 to 42 weeks were studied during the first 10 days of age to evaluate renal function by measuring endogenous creatinine clearance (Ccr), fractional excretion of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) to creatinine, fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) and urine osmolality. All jaundiced infants were divided into two groups. Group 1 infants (n = 35) had total serum bilirubin levels ranging between 21 and 39.

Prophylaxis of ophthalmia neonatorum: comparison of silver nitrate, tetracycline, erythromycin and no prophylaxis.

From November, 1989, to October, 1991, 4544 neonates were born at our hospital. Neonatal ocular prophylaxis immediately after birth was used with 1% tetracycline ophthalmic ointment in 1156 neonates, 0.5% erythromycin ophthalmic ointment in 1163 neonates and 1% silver nitrate drops in 1082 neonates.

Maximum inspiratory pressure: a neonatal criterion for weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Thirty-three newborn infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of our hospital were studied. Mechanical ventilation was used for more than 24 hours for each patient. Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) was measured by means of a manometer at the oral end of the endotracheal tube just prior to extubation.

The relationship between systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and the left ventricular outflow tract Doppler in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In an attempt to investigate the role of left ventricular blood outflow in the generation of systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, we precisely analyzed the temporal relation of SAM and the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) systolic Doppler events obtained at the maximal mitral-septal apposition or equivalent area in eight patients with severe SAM, in five patients with mild/moderate SAM, and in seven patients with no SAM, using M-mode and pulsed Doppler echocardiography; the results were compared with those in 10 normal subjects. In all 13 patients with SAM, the timing of SAM generation corresponded to the LVOT Doppler events either between the onset of SAM and the onset of Doppler (r = 0.834, p less than 0.

Potential diagnosis of hemodynamic abnormalities in patent ductus arteriosus by cine magnetic resonance imaging.

Cine magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 11 patients with communication between systemic and pulmonary circulation. In five patients with uncomplicated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), ductus arteriosus was delineated by a persistent band of low signal intensity, whereas in two patients who also had severe pulmonary hypertension the signal intensity was varied. Two separate low signal intensities in the main pulmonary artery and the descending aorta were each uniformly recorded in the five patients with uncomplicated PDA, consistent with continuous left-to-right shunt and turbulent flow acceleration, respectively.

Localization of transforming growth factor-alpha in adult Syrian hamster tissues.

Using the cheek pouch of the Syrian hamster as an experimental model for oral carcinogenesis, it has been shown that the expression of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is consistently associated with the malignant transformation process. We have recently shown that production of TGF-alpha has been localized to normal hamster oral epithelium and bone marrow eosinophils. In this study we investigated the production of this cytokine in other normal hamster adult tissues.

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy complicated with brain embolism: report of one case.

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy complicated with brain cardioembolism is rarely documented by both 2-dimensional echocardiography and cranial computed tomography in pediatric patients. A 2-year-old girl developed hemiparalysis 15 months after diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The 2-dimensional echocardiograms of left ventricular thrombi, computed tomographic findings of brain embolism, clinical course, treatment and outcome are presented.

Anticardiolipin antibodies in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Fifty-six consecutive patients, 53 males and 3 females aged from 36 to 83 with a mean age of 61.0, all with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), were screened for anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) by single sampling at time of admission to the medical intensive care unit; results were compared with those for age-matched, healthy controls. IgM and IgG-ACA were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay technique.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: an unusual presentation as unilateral renal mass in the infant.

The onset of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in infants and children is unusual, and renal involvement is typically bilateral. The presentation of a unilateral renal mass in such a disorder is extremely rare. We report a 2-month-old infant with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease presenting with unilateral renal involvement; the literature concerning this entity is reviewed.

Arnold-Chiari type 1 malformation and syringomyelia.

A 12-year-old boy had a long history of headache since the age of 4 years. Numbness and weakness of the upper extremities and chest tightness, especially in the morning, were noted since 2 years ago. The headache became more severe and frequent and attacked even in sleep since one year ago.

[Cerebrospinal fluid study in Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis].

The demonstration of intrathecally synthesized IgG had been known to be one of the most important aids in diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Three quantitative methods (CSF IgG, IgG index, de novo IgG synthesis rate) and qualitative detection of oligoclonal band (OB) were used in this study. We collected CSF and serum samples from 22 patients, including 14 with clinically definite MS (DMS) and 8 with clinically possible MS (PMS).

Exogenous surfactant for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants.

A prospective, randomized and controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of surfactant in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in infants. Eighteen premature infants with RDS were studied. Group I consisted of 9 premature infants with a mean birth weight of 1,455 +/- 265.

Effect of a Chinese medicine "kyushin" on serum digoxin concentration measurement in dogs.

The effect of the Chinese medicine kyushin administered orally on serum digoxin measurement was studied in an animal model. Administration of 6 pills of kyushin caused a significant increase in the serum concentration of a digoxin-like immunoreactive substance (DLIS). The DLIS concentration increased to a peak value of 1.