Accurate calculation of Narcissus signatures by using finite ray tracing

In scanning IR systems with cooled quantum detectors, the Narcissus signature usually has a limiting effect on the perceived image quality, and so it is important that it be assessed accurately before manufacture. We describe a new finite ray-tracing method in which each ray represents an equal amount of flux falling on the detector. Such methods require many rays; therefore a full error treatment is given that allows designers to estimate the necessary number of rays to obtain the required accuracy and also to calculate the standard deviation of the error in the final computed result.

[Renin-angiotensin system: involvement in polycystic ovarian syndrome]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) METHODS: A pituitary-stimulating test with luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LRH, 100 micrograms) was performed in two PCOS groups with similar mean testosteron (T) levels of luteinizing hormone/follicular stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) (LH/FSH > or = 3, group 1, n = 15; LH/FSH < 3, group 2, n = 15) and the controls (n = 20) of matched body mass index with group 1. The basal level and LRH-evoked responses of LH, plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II (AT II ) and aldosterone (ALD) were measured by RIA with commercially available kits. In the basal state, a positive correlation was found between T and AT II levels (r = 0. 49, P < 0.05) in all PCOS subjects. After LRH administration, susceptible individuals, especially of group 1 had exaggerated responses of LH, PRA, AT II and ALD as compared with the controls, and a positive correlation was also found between peak levels of LH and AT II (r = 0.54, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

There is enhanced RAS function in PCOS especially in group 1. This may contribute to the excess androgen production and high incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in this disorder.

Mechanisms of acquired resistance to modulation of 5-fluorouracil by leucovorin in HCT-8 human ileocecal carcinoma cells

Repeated (10x) exposure of HCT-8 human ileocecal carcinoma cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for 2 or 72 hr, both incubations in the continuous presence of 20 microM leucovorin (LV), yielded two stable modulation-resistant sublines, FL2h and FL72h. Although LV potentiated growth inhibition by 5-FU 2-fold in parental HCT-8 cells, it did not potentiate the effect of 5-FU in the FL2h or FL72h sublines. LV modulation of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (5-FdUrd) was also reduced (FL72h) or eliminated (FL2h). In the FL2h and FL72h sublines, the level of thymidylate synthase (TS) protein and TS activity in cell extracts, TS activity in situ, the rate of cellular uptake and metabolism of LV, and the level of 5-FU incorporation into total cellular RNA were similar to those in parental HCT-8 cells. However, LV significantly (P < 0.01) potentiated the inhibition of TS activity in situ in HCT-8 cells at 24 hr after a 2-hr treatment with either 5-FU or 5-FdUrd, but had no such activity in the FL2h and FL72h sublines (P > 0.1). Resistance to modulation of 5-FU by LV was associated with the inability of LV to increase the formation of intracellular TS-FdUMP-methylenetetrahydrofolate ternary complexes, and these complexes dissociated more rapidly (T1/2 > 1.5- to 3-fold faster) in the presence of different concentrations of 5,10-methylenetetrahydropteroylpentaglutamate. Thus, decreased stability of ternary complexes appears to be the mechanism of acquired resistance to the LV modulation of fluoropyrimidine cytotoxicity, possibly due to mutation(s) of TS in these two modulation-resistant HCT-8 sublines.

[The function of nitric oxide in the necrosis of avulsed skin flap in domestic pig]

To investigate the function of nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), the skin avulsion model was made in the lower extremity of pig. The methods of measurement of size of the survived flap, weighing, immunocytochemistry and hybridization in situ were employed, so that the survival surface area of flaps, tissue wet/dry weight ratio, NO content in the serum, gene expression of NO and NOS content in the flap tissue were determined, respectively. The results showed that the early gene expression of NOS was increased as well as the NO content and tissue wet/dry weight ratio (P < 0.01). After L-NAME was applied introvenously, the NO content and tissue wet/dry weight ratio were decreased (P < 0.01), and the survival surface area of flaps was enlarged (P < 0.01). It could be concluded that the NO might play a role in the development of the pathological changes as early congestion, edema and secondary necrosis in the avulsed skin flaps. The early application of L-NAME could do some good to the avulsed skin flap and protect it from further necrosis owing to the presence of NO.

Inflammatory valvular prolapse produced by acute rheumatic carditis: echocardiographic analysis of 66 cases of acute rheumatic carditis

Sixty-six cases of rheumatic fever (RF) associated with acute rheumatic carditis (ARC) diagnosed on the basis of the revised Jones criteria (1982) were studied retrospectively (Group I) and prospectively (Group II). Echocardiography in Group I revealed anterior mitral valve prolapse (AMVP) in 28/55 cases (51%), posterior mitral valve prolapse (PMVP) in four (7%), combined anterior and posterior mitral valve prolapse (BMVP) in five (9%), aortic valve prolapse (AVP) in eight (15%), and in Group II, AMVP in nine (82%), BMVP in one (9%), AVP in six (55%). Among the prolapsed valves 40% of the mitral valves in Group I and 64% in Group II were redundant with irregular focal thickenings. In the follow-up examination, three cases without AMVP in the early stage of ARC developed AMVP later; on the other hand, AMVP was found in the early stage and disappeared later in another three. These findings suggest that overall, ARC is an important etiology of MVP and AVP in China.

[Establishment of a new rat model of portal hypertension by intraportal injection of microspheres]

Microspheres were injected intraportally to block intrahepatic portal radicals and to produce a new rat model of portal hypertention. Different sized microspheres (15 microns, 40 microns, 80 microns) were injected into the portal vein. The resultant changes in arterial, portal, hepatic venous and splenic pulp pressures were monitored. The results showed that a small-dose injection of 80 microns microspheres (1.8 x 10(5)) produced a steady state portal venous pressure of 2.53 +/- 0.17 kPa, and all rats showed a normal arterial pressure. This volume of 80 microns microspheres was considered as the suitable dose for the induction of portal hypertention in the model. Besides, numerous microspheres were found in the pulmonary vascular bed, suggesting the existence of intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts in the normal rat liver.

[Ultramicrostructural changes of articular cartilage, subchondral bone and synovium in human osteoarthritis of patellofemoral joint]

Ten patients with patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (OA) were studied by electron microscope (SEM&TEM) to identify ultramicrostructural changes in the destroyed articular cartilage, subchondral bone and synovium. According to the results obtained, the author suggested that (1) Articular cartilage, subchondral bone and synovium in patellofemoral joint OA were noted to be in various degree of ultramicrostructural changes; (2) The cartilage degeneration in lateral compartment of patellofemoral joint were much more severe than that in medial compartment; (3) The subchondral bone had a strong tendency to undergo selerosis in the form of thicking and confluence of the trabeculae to form massive block of bone, which were not parallel to alteration of cartilage, and the rules of alteration were related to the character of loading; (4) The repair tissues of I-II grade degenerative cartilage were similar to normal cartilage, but those of III-IV grade degenerative cartilage were similar to fibrocartilage in many ways, because the source of repair tissues were different between them; (5) Alteration of synovium revealed only mild non-specific inflammatory changes following the changes of articular cartilage; (6) I-II grade patellofemoral joint OA was treated by conservative methods and III-IV grade OA should be treated by patellofemoral joint resurfacing.

Successful multidisciplinary treatment of an endodermal sinus tumor of the pineal region

The case presented is a 17-year-old male patient with a pineal region endodermal sinus tumor manifested by obstructive hydrocephalus and upward gaze limitation. The highly aggressive nature of this rare malignancy was evidenced by spontaneous tumor bleeding. The patient was treated with a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt and microsurgical tumor excision followed by irradiation and combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate and bleomycin. The response to therapy was monitored by serial measurements of serum and CSF alpha-fetoprotein level. The patient remains free of any clinical or radiographic evidence of tumor recurrence 38 months after the initial diagnosis. This experience supports the rationale for an aggressive multidisciplinary approach toward this rare and highly malignant neoplasm.

[Endoscopic control during facelifting]

The endoscopic techniques were just recently applied to aesthetic surgery. The paper reports 22 cases of video endoscopic facelift that have been performed since April 1994. The operative results were satisfactory. Clinical experience with forehead plasty, resection of corrugator and procerus muscle and other cosmetic procedures using endoscopic technique is presented.

Carnitine transport defect in fibroblasts of juvenile visceral steatosis (JVS) mouse

Juvenile visceral steatosis (JVS) mice are associated with systemic carnitine deficiency (Kuwajima, et al., 1991). In order to investigate the cause of this deficiency, we compared fibroblast carnitine transport activities in normal mice and JVS mice. The kinetic analysis showed that in formal fibroblasts, the Km and Vmax values for saturable uptake was 15.6 microM and 2.56 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. In JVS fibroblasts, however, saturable uptake was not observed. There was no great difference in the linear component of uptake between normal and JVS fibroblasts. At the physiological concentration (50 microM) of carnitine, the fibroblast carnitine transport activity in JVS mice was decreased to 18% of that in normal mice. Thus there is hardly any carnitine transport activity in the fibroblasts of JVS mice, indicating that the JVS mouse can be regarded as an animal model of primary carnitine deficiency.

Calculation and optimization of Narcissus using paraxial ray tracing

The Narcissus effect occurs in IR optical systems that employ a cooled quantum detector and can degrade the image quality very severely. Therefore, it is essential that it is controlled in the design stage. A detailed description is given of how Narcissus can be calculated, by the use of a routine based on paraxial ray tracing, and reduced automatically and simultaneously with the system aberrations, by inclusion of its results in the merit function of a damped least-squares optimization program.

Research on soft-tissue expander permeability to metronidazole and procaine

This in vitro study was designed to determine if in fact silicone expanders are readily permeable to metronidazole and procaine. The expanders were filled with 0.2% metronidazole or 2% procaine through the filler valves and then immersed wholly in normal saline. At several intervals over 120 hours, a certain amount of the surrounding saline was sampled and the drug levels subsequently determined. In this study, the silicone expanders were indeed readily permeable to the drugs, as measured with an ultraviolet spectrophotometer. A consistent diffusion curve was demonstrated. The rate of diffusion of a drug is inversely proportional to its molecular weight; i.e., the smaller the given drug's molecular weight, the greater is its ability to permeate an expander. In view of this, in the course of expansion, 0.2% metronidazole could be used in clinical expansion instead of normal saline, and a certain amount of antibiotic would diffuse out of the expander to prevent and control the infection.

[The application of expanded delto-pectoral flaps in the faciocervical region]

The delto-pectoral flap has been used to repair burned scar in the faciocervical region for some years. However, its limited size restricts its application. Furthermore, direct transfer of the flap may result in a swelling and inexpressive face and the donor site needs skin grafting. To avoid the above disadvantages, we have tried pre-expansion of the flap. In this article, the authors report the experiences in the application of the method to eighteen cases, including the surgical procedure, the applied anatomy, and typical cases as well. Also included in the article are the comparison between various therapies to the burned scar of the face, the key points for successful pre-expansion of the delto-pectoral flap, accurately maintaining the desired position. The method has been proved to have many advantages and can be widely applied.

Identification of the cysteine residues involved in the class I disulfide bonds of the human insulin receptor: properties of insulin receptor monomers

The cysteine residues involved in the class I disulfide bonds between the alpha subunits in the (alpha beta)2 dimer of the human insulin receptor have been identified by labeling with N-ethylmaleimide and by site-directed mutagenesis. Both cysteine 524 and cysteine 682 form interchain disulfide bonds; their conversion to serine residues results in the absence of receptor dimers and the presence of alpha beta monomers. The receptor monomers have a slightly lower affinity for insulin than the native receptor dimers. Insulin binding to the receptor monomers promotes their dimerization in the plasma membrane; at nanomolar concentrations of receptor, both unliganded and liganded receptors are monomers. Receptor monomers are stimulated by insulin to autophosphorylate and to phosphorylate exogenous subtrates with the same efficiency as the receptor dimers. The conclusion is that receptor dimerization is not required to activate the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor.

[The imaging features of multiple endocrine neoplasia]

The article describes ultrasonographic (US), computed tomographic (CT), 99mTc-MIBI and angiographic findings of 16 cases of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) confirmed by operations and pathological examinations. Hyperparathyroidism either was the first manifestation of MEN I or was diagnosed simultaneously with other tumors. Medullary thyroid carcinoma usually developed first or coincided with pheochromocytoma in MEN I. Regular US and CT screening can lead to the detection of new endocrine neoplasia. The authors consider that US and CT are the best imaging methods for MEN.

Mechanisms of resistance to N-[5-[N-(3,4-dihydro-2-methyl-4- oxoquinazolin-6-ylmethyl)-N-methylamino]-2-thenoyl]-L-glutamic acid (ZD1694), a folate-based thymidylate synthase inhibitor, in the HCT-8 human ileocecal adenocarcinoma cell line

N-[5-[N-(3,4-Dihydro-2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-6-ylmethyl)-N- methylamino]-2-thenoyl]-L-glutamic acid (ZD1694) is a folate-based thymidylate synthase (TS; EC 2.1.1.45) inhibitor. Metabolism to higher chain length polyglutamates is essential for its optimal cytotoxic effect. A ZD1694-resistant (300-fold) human ileocecal carcinoma cell line (HCT-8/DW2) was developed, and its mechanism of resistance was evaluated. TS activities in situ and TS protein levels in the HCT-8 parental line and HCT-8/DW2 were similar (168 +/- 47 vs 137 +/- 25 pmol/hr/10(6) cells and 2.05 +/- 0.28 vs 2.07 +/- 0.19 pmol/mg protein, respectively). The IC50 values of ZD1694 for TS inhibition in cell-free extracts were similar in both lines, but the IC50 of ZD1694 for TS inhibition in situ in HCT-8/DW2 cells was 27- and 268-fold higher than that in HCT-8 cells at 0 and 24 hr, respectively, after a 2-hr drug exposure. Folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS; EC6.3.2.17) activity was significantly lower in resistant HCT-8/DW2 cells as compared with parental HCT-8 cells (88 +/- 40 vs 1065 +/- 438 pmol/hr/mg protein when ZD1694 was used as substrate). The combined endogenous pool of methylenetetrahydrofolate and tetrahydrofolate in HCT-8/DW2 cells was also decreased. In addition, HCT-8/DW2 cells accumulated lower levels of methotrexate (MTX) in a 2-hr period, although the initial velocity of MTX transport was similar to that in parental HCT-8 cells. The lower level of FPGS activity and the lower level of (anti)folate accumulation in HCT-8/DW2 correlated with drug resistance and with the higher IC50 of ZD1694 for in situ TS inhibition. In addition, drug resistance was also correlated with the rapid recovery of in situ TS activity after drug treatment. In brief, in this highly ZD1694-resistant HCT-8 cell line, resistance is associated with decreased FPGS activity, which, in turn, affects the metabolism of ZD1694 and consequently the extent and duration of in situ TS inhibition by the drug.