Aberrant expression of tetraspanin molecules in B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders and its correlation with normal B-cell maturation

Tetraspanin proteins form signaling complexes between them and with other membrane proteins and modulate cell adhesion and migration properties. The surface expression of several tetraspanin antigens (CD9, CD37, CD53, CD63, and CD81), and their interacting proteins (CD19, CD21, and HLA-DR) were analyzed during normal B-cell maturation and compared to a group of 67 B-cell neoplasias. Three patterns of tetraspanin expression were identified in normal B cells. The first corresponded to bone marrow CD10(+) B-cell precursors (BCP) which showed high expression of CD81 and CD9, low reactivity for CD53 and negativity for CD37. CD10(-) B-lymphocytes showed downregulation of CD9/CD81 and upregulation of CD53/CD37. Plasma cells showed re-expressed CD9 and downregulated CD37. Hierarchical clustering analysis of flow cytometry immunophenotypic data showed a good correlation between the tumor differentiation stage and the pattern of tetraspanin expression, with all analyzed individual samples classified into three major groups, independently of their normal or neoplastic origin. Despite this, neoplastic B-cells frequently showed aberrantly high/low expression of the different markers analyzed. Interestingly, in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, abnormal expression of CD53 and CD9 were associated with different patterns of disease infiltration, which would support the role of these molecules on modulating adhesion and migration of neoplastic B cells.

[Possibility of cauda equina nerve root damage from lumbar punctures performed with 25-gauge Quincke and Whitacre needles]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the possibility of puncturing nerve roots in the cauda equina with spinal needles with different point designs and to quantify the number of axons affected.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed in vitro punctures of human nerve roots taken from 3 fresh cadavers. Twenty punctures were performed with 25-gauge Whitacre needles and 40 with 25-gauge Quincke needles; half the Quincke needle punctures were carried out with the point perpendicular to the root and the other half with the point parallel to it. The samples were studied by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The possibility of finding the needle orifece inserted inside the nerve was assessed. On a photographic montage, we counted the number of axons during a hypothetical nerve puncture.

RESULTS

Nerve roots used in this study were between 1 and 2.3 mm thick, allowing the needle to penetrate the root in the 52 samples studied. The needle orifice was never fully located inside the nerve in any of the samples. The numbers of myelinized axons affected during nerve punctures 0.2 mm deep were 95, 154, and 81 for Whitacre needles, Quincke needles with the point held perpendicular, or the same needle type held parallel, respectively. During punctures 0.5 mm deep, 472, 602, and 279 were affected for each puncture group, respectively. The differences in all cases were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to achieve intraneural puncture with 25-gauge needles. However, full intraneural placement of the orifice of the needle is unlikely. In case of nerve trauma, the damage could be greater if puncture is carried out with a Quincke needle with the point inserted perpendicular to the nerve root.

Prognostic factors affecting long-term outcome after stem cell transplantation in Hodgkin's lymphoma autografted after a first relapse

PURPOSE

To analyse outcome and prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) in 357 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) undergoing an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after a first relapse and reported to the The Grupo Espanol de Linfomas/Trasplante Autologo de Medula Osea (GEL/TAMO) Cooperative Group.

METHODS

Two hundred and twenty males and 137 females with a median age of 29 years were autografted in second remission (n=181), first sensitive relapse (n=148) and first resistant relapse (n=28).

RESULTS

Five-year actuarial TTF and OS were of 49% +/- 3% and 57% +/- 3%. Advanced stage at diagnosis, complementary radiotherapy before ASCT, a short first complete response (CR) and detectable disease at ASCT adversely influenced TTF. Year of transplant < or =1995, bulky disease at diagnosis, a short first CR, detectable disease at ASCT and > or =1 extranodal areas involved at ASCT were adverse factors for OS.

CONCLUSIONS

ASCT constitutes a therapeutic option for HL patients after a first relapse. Promising results are observed in patients with low tumour burden at diagnosis, autografted after a long CR and without detectable disease at ASCT. Innovative approaches should be pursued for patients with risk factors at relapse.

[Embolization of non-functioning renal allograft: efficacy and control of systemic inflammation]

BACKGROUND

The graft intolerance syndrome (fever, pain, haematuria) may lead to a chronic inflammatory disease, with cardiovascular repercussion. Nephrectomy is considered the classical treatment of these cases but nowadays renal vascular embolization has been suggested as a possible alternative treatment. The present study concerns seven cases trated with renal vascular embolization in our hospital summarizing data of graft intolerance syndrome and the chronic inflammatory disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between january 2000 and december 2003 seven renal vascular embolization were performed in nonfunctioning renal allograft. The procedure was made with calibrated particles of 300-500micron. Data about complications related to the technique the same as analitic inflammatory parameters before and after treatment (CRP, ferritin, serum albumin, hemoglobin, erythropoietin) were registered.

RESULTS

The patients were two men and five women, with median age of 39,7 +/- 8,8 years. The period beween the dialysis and the embolization was of 10,0 +/-8,2 months. Comparing the perion of admission in the hospital due to nephrectomy which was of 17,86+/-4,41 days, the period because of embolization was shorter, being 8,14 +/- 4,53 days. All analitic parameters studied, clearly improved after embolization with decrease of ferritin and CRP, increase of albumin and better hemoglobin level with lower erythropoietin dose. In five of the seven patients there was no renal captation with CT or gammagraphy. Four patients presented a postembolization syndrome, but no other important complication was registered. Neither reembolization nor renal nephrectomy was neccesary in any of the seven cases.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous renal embolization is a simple, easy, safety and effective technique that must be considered as an alternative treatment to nephrectomy, resolving the chronic inflammatory disease secondary to the graft intolerance syndrome.

[Sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis]

INTRODUCTION

To determine the frequency of sleep disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and their relation with other manifestations of the disease.

METHODS

Selected patients had clinically definite MS (relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive forms) and duration of the disease over two years. They were serially evaluated at the unit of demyelinating diseases of a third level hospital. The following scales were applied: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, EDSS, ISS and ESS. Statistical analysis by means of non parametric test and logistic regression was carried out.

RESULTS

One hundred patients were included (72% women and 28% males). Mean age was 39 years. Eighty eight were relapsing-remitting forms and the rest secondary progressive forms. Mean EDSS was: 2.5. Mean duration of evolution: 11.2 years. The prevalence of sleep disorders was 36%. Age, sex, evolutionary form, degree of disability and chronic fatigue did not relate with the sleep disorders in these patients. In the multivariant analysis by means of logistic regression, we found that every point more in Hamilton's scale multiplies the probability of presenting sleep disorders by 1.2.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression is the only variable that independently relates, with the presence of sleep disorders in MS patients.

[Pulmonary hemorrhage and anti-phospholipid syndrome]

The presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (anticardiolipin antibodies and lupus anticoagulant) associated to venous and/or arterial thrombotic phenomena and fetal losses define the anti-phospholipid syndrome. On rare occasions severe hypoprothrombinemia associated with this disease as a cause of hemorrhagic manifestations has been described. In addition very few cases of alveolar hemorrhage in anti-phospolipid syndrome (APS) have been described, being this complication usually related to microthrombosis and/or capillaritis of pulmonary vessels. We describe two patients without previous clinical manifestations of anti-phospholipid syndrome that showed pulmonary hemorrhage with anticardiolipin antibodies positivity. The first of them, a 33-year-old male, began his disease with low prothrombin time and the presence of antiprothrombin antibodies. In the biopsy by thoracoscopy the presence of pulmonary hemorrhage without capillaritis nor thrombotic phenomena was demonstrated, becoming evident certain clinical improvement and normalization of the prothrombin time after receiving immunosuppressive treatment but with persistence of the pulmonary hemorrhage 5 years later. The second case, a 89-year-old male, began his condition with bilateral lung infiltrates and hemoptysis, anticardiolipin antibodies positivity, and thrombopenia, with recurrence of the condition 1 year later. After other etiological possibilities were ruled out, and despite hemorrhagic trait in both patients, we consider that they should be in the clinical context of the anti-phospholipid syndrome, although at this time they did not meet the criteria recognized in order to diagnose this disease. Within the ampliable clinical spectrum of the anti-phospholipid syndrome we should take into account the pulmonary hemorrhage.

[Modifications of the lipid metabolism induced by interferon beta in multiple sclerosis patients and its relationship with the disease activity]

INTRODUCTION

It has been recently suggested that total cholesterol and low density lipoproteins (LDL) levels can behave as biological markers of activity in demyelinating diseases. Thus, our aim has been to describe the modifications of the plasma levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride due to treatment with interferon-beta in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and to determine their relationship with the disease activity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Study of the follow-up of MS patients under treatment with interferon-beta. Clinical and analytical controls were performed before initiating treatment and than at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of its initiation.

RESULTS

Fifty six patients have been studied, 41 of them women. Mean age was 37.4 years. Fifty were relapsing- remitting forms and the rest secondary progressive forms. The mean plasma levels of triglyceride increased and total cholesterol levels diminished during the 24 months of treatment with interferon, mainly in the first 3 months. No statistically significant relationship was found between disease activity and mean plasma levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol before the beginning of the treatment and during the period of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with interferon-beta in the MS patients originates changes in the plasma lipid profile, but neither these changes nor the plasma lipid levels before the treatment behave as biological markers of disease activity.

Immunohistopathological findings in the lungs of calves naturally infected with Mycoplasma bovis

Histology and immunohistochemistry were used to analyse the lesions and distribution of Mycoplasma bovis antigen in the lungs of 18 naturally infected calves. Microscopic examination of pneumonic lungs revealed two distinct patterns of necrosis and inflammation. The first pattern was observed in six of 18 (33.3%) calves in which microscopic lesions were characterized by large irregular areas of coagulative necrosis surrounded by a dense zone of degenerated neutrophils. Moderate amounts of mycoplasmal antigen were in the centre and periphery of these necrotic foci and, to a lesser extent, in mononuclear cells of the peribronchial lymphoid tissue. The second pattern was observed in 18 of 18 (100%) calves and consisted of rounded foci of caseous necrosis composed by granular eosinophilic material surrounded by a rim of granulation tissue. Large amounts of M. bovis antigen were detected in the centre and periphery of these necrotic foci and, to a lesser extent, in the peribronchial lymphoid tissue, and alveolar and interstitial macrophages. It was concluded that both caseous and coagulative necrosis of the lung parenchyma was primarily caused by M. bovis. Infection with M. bovis should be suspected in bovine necrotic bronchopneumonia, particularly in cases in which the pulmonary necrosis is part of a pyogranulomatous inflammation centred around airways. The pattern of caseous necrosis with pyogranulomatous inflammation is characteristic of M. bovis infection while the pattern of coagulative necrosis is similar to and must be differentiated from Mannheimia haemolytica and Haemophilus somnus infection.

Dura-arachnoid lesions produced by 22 gauge Quincke spinal needles during a lumbar puncture

AIMS

The dural and arachnoid hole caused by lumbar puncture needles is a determining factor in triggering headaches. The aim of this study is to assess the dimensions and morphological features of the dura mater and arachnoids when they are punctured by a 22 gauge Quincke needle having its bevel either in the parallel or in the transverse position.

METHODS

Fifty punctures were made with 22 gauge Quincke needles in the dural sac of four fresh cadavers using an "in vitro" model especially designed for this purpose. The punctures were performed by needles with bevels parallel or perpendicular to the spinal axis and studied under scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTS

Thirty five of the 50 punctures done by Quincke needles (19 in the external surface and 16 in the internal) were used for evaluation. When the needle was inserted with its bevel parallel to the axis of the dural sac (17 of 35), the size of the dura-arachnoid lesion was 0.032 mm(2) in the epidural surface and 0.037 mm(2) in the subarachnoid surface of the dural sac. When the needle's bevel was perpendicular to the axis (18 of 35) the measurement of the lesion size was 0.042 mm(2) for the external surface and 0.033 mm(2) for the internal. There were no statistical significant differences between these results.

CONCLUSIONS

It is believed that the reported lower frequency of postdural puncture headache when the needle is inserted parallel to the cord axis should be explained by some other factors besides the size of the dura-arachnoid injury.

[Anterior craniofacial resection: oncologic outcome and complications in a series of 111 cases]

INTRODUCTION

Anterior craniofacial resection is a standardized procedure for the treatment of ethmoid and frontal orbital tumors with intracranial invasion.

METHODS

A retrospective review of 111 patients with sinonasal tumors involving the anterior skull base who underwent combined craniofacial surgery.

RESULTS

The most frequent pathological entity was adenocarcinoma (54 cases) and other epithelial tumors (29 cases). Five year actuarial survival according to the Kaplan-Meier method was 40%. Survival was affected by the histology of the tumor, brain involvement, and deep soft tissue involvement of the orbit. The UICC staging system did not show statistical prognostic significance. Complications occurred in 39 (35.1%) patients, resulting in 4 (3.6%) postoperative deaths. Major complications included cerebrospinal fluid leak in 18 patients, meningitis in 10, infection in 9, stroke in 4, and pneumocephalus in 4. The extent of the craniofacial resection was the most important factor associated with major complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the advanced stage of most of the patients, anterior craniofacial resection succeeded in terms of an acceptable survival rate. Nevertheless, significant complications were observed although in most patients were not life-threatening and had no negative impact on the quality of life.

[Origin of spinal subdural hematomas: a postmortem anatomical study]

OBJECTIVE

Although the mechanism by which cranial subdural hematomas form is known, the formation of spinal subdural hematomas is less clearly defined. The aim of this study was to identify vessels that can be found in the dural sac and whose rupture might lead to the formation of spinal subdural hematomas.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The dura mater, subdural space, and the arachnoid mater were studied in samples of dural sac taken from the eleventh thoracic vertebra to the fifth lumbar vertebra. The samples were taken from 3 fresh cadavers. Some were fixed in glutaraldehyde, dehydrated, and metallized with gold for scanning electron microscopy. Others were fixed in glutaraldehyde, treated with osmium tetroxide, and embedded in an epoxy resin for observation under a transmission electron microscope.

RESULTS

Small hematomas--some on the internal surface of the dura mater and others surrounding nerve roots--were found within a thin, translucent arachnoid mater. Vessels measuring up to 100 microm were found within the dura mater, between its inner and outer laminae. Venules and capillaries were observed in the subdural space and in the arachnoid mater.

CONCLUSIONS

Vessels are present between the laminae of the dura mater, in the subdural space, the arachnoid mater, and in spinal nerve roots. The rupture of these vessels could account for the formation of spinal subdural hematomas.

Quantitative analysis of bcl-2 expression in normal and leukemic human B-cell differentiation

Lack of apoptosis has been linked to prolonged survival of malignant B cells expressing bcl-2. The aim of the present study was to analyze the amount of bcl-2 protein expressed along normal human B-cell maturation and to establish the frequency of aberrant bcl-2 expression in B-cell malignancies. In normal bone marrow (n=11), bcl-2 expression obtained by quantitative multiparametric flow cytometry was highly variable: very low in both CD34(+) and CD34(-) B-cell precursors, high in mature B-lymphocytes and very high in plasma cells. Bcl-2 expression of mature B-lymphocytes from peripheral blood (n=10), spleen (n=8) and lymph node (n=5) was significantly higher (P<0.02) in CD23(-) as compared to CD23(+) B cells, independent of the type of tissue analyzed. Upon comparison with normal human B-cell maturation, bcl-2 expression in neoplastic B cells from 144 patients was found to be aberrant in 66% of the cases, usually corresponding to bcl-2 overexpression (63%). Follicular lymphoma (FL) carrying t(14;18) and MALT lymphoma were the only diagnostic groups constantly showing overexpression of bcl-2. Bcl-2 overexpression was also frequently found in precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (84%), typical (77%) and atypical (75%) B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, prolymphocytic leukemia (two of three cases), mantle cell lymphoma (55%), but not in t(14;18)(-) FL, splenic marginal zone lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

[Intracranial and spinal subdural hematoma: a rare complication of epidural and subarachnoid anesthesia]

Subdural and epidural hematomas complicating central blocks are rare but serious complications that can lead to permanent neurological deficits. This review discusses cranial and spinal subdural hematomas, including the history of this complication in the literature. Theories to explain the mechanisms by which hematomas are formed are presented and risk factors are analyzed. The associations between such hematomas and the design of the various needles used for lumbar puncture are evaluated and the most common cranial and spinal locations are discussed. The anatomy of tissues that envelop and contain chronic subdural hematomas are described and the various neurological alterations that can develop are mentioned. Finally, diagnostic imaging options and corrective surgical techniques are reviewed.

Intrinsic defects explain altered proliferative responses of T lymphocytes and HVS-derived T-cell lines in gastric adenocarcinoma

We have taken advantage of a recently described technique of transformation and immortalization of T lymphocytes using the lymphotropic Herpesvirus saimiri, to achieve long-lasting T-cell lines from gastric cancer patients and healthy volunteers. Blood samples were drawn and T lymphocytes were transformed. Once sustained growth was observed, lines were subjected to phenotypic and functional analyses, and the results compared with freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Cytofluorometric analysis revealed that CD3 and CD45 were found at lower proportion in primary cells from patients than from control individuals (54% vs 75%, p<0.001, 90% vs 96%, p<0.05, respectively), and in HVS-derived T-cell lines (90% vs 98%, p<0.05, 97% vs 100%, p<0.05, respectively). Proliferative analyses showed that primary isolated cells were unable to respond adequately to CD3-, CD2-, and PHA-mediated stimulation, as compared to controls. Similarly, T-cell lines from patients proliferated to a lesser extent when CD3- and CD2-mediated stimuli were considered, especially when simultaneous stimulation via CD3 and CD2 molecules was carried out (47,824 counts per minute [cpm] vs 121,478 cpm, p<0.05). Altogether these results show that the defects reported in T cells from patients with cancer are not exclusively due to tumour-derived factors, since the alterations persist in long-lasting, HVS-transformed, T-cell lines, suggesting that this model seems a suitable one to disclose them.

[Influence of early or late referral to nephrologist over morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis]

OBJECTIVE

We studied the influence of early vs late referral to nephrologist of patients with chronic renal failure over clinical situation at the onset of hemodialysis and outcome.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

From january 1994 to december 1998, 139 patients started hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease at the Hospital General de Albacete, all of them included in the study and clinical follow-up concluded in december 2001. Patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis were excluded. Early (ER) and late referral (LR) were defined by the time of first nephrology encounter greater than or less than 6 months respectively, before iniciation of hemodialysis.

RESULTS

106 patients (76.25%) were referred early; mean follow-up time 6.3 +/- 4.5 years. 33 patients (23.74%) had late referral, follow-up time was less then six months, 18 patients were followed during less than 4 weeks. There were no differences in demographic data and comorbid conditions between LR and ER patients (age, cardiac and vascular disease, diabetes, neoplasia...). Mean plasma concentration of creatinine and urea was significantly greater, whereas hematocrit and albumin were less in the LRA than the ER group. Emergency dialysis through central vein catheterisation was more frequent in the LR group. Number of admissions and duration of hospital stay were higher in the LR group. No significant differences in nutrition, dialysis doses or anemia were found between the two groups after 6 and 12 months of hemodialysis. Long term outcome was similar in both groups: no significant differences were found in percentage of patients transplanted or deceased after 3 years of treatment. Survival analysis failed to show a difference between ER and LR groups (mean survival time was 73.6 +/- 4.3 months and 73.0 +/- 6 months respectively).

CONCLUSION

Late referral to the nephrologist is associated with increased early morbidity vs early referral, although long term outcome is not worse if predialysis comorbid conditions are comparable and dialysis care achieve equal results in dialysis doses, nutrition and anemia in both groups in the first months of treatment. Improvement of outcome of patients referred early to the nephrologist will depend on the adoption of preventive measures over comorbidity factors that should be applied in early stages of renal disease.

Validation and sensitivity analysis of a probabilistic model for dietary exposure assessment to pesticide residues with a Basque Country duplicate diet study

The 'fitness for purpose' of a probabilistic model designed to assess dietary exposure to pesticides was validated. The model had to meet two prerequisites. First, it should provide more realistic estimates of intake than conservative methods. Second, it should not underestimate 'true' intakes. True intakes were estimated using a duplicate diet study. Three approaches were used to check the prerequisites: visual comparison, a statistical test of a high percentile, and a comparison for each infant of the duplicate diet, conservative and model intake values. Compliance with the prerequisites was met for the six pesticides selected, in the three approaches. Model outcome distributions reduced the uncertainty, considered as the difference between conservative and duplicate diet intakes, by 75-98% for high percentiles, depending on the pesticides. A sensitivity analysis of the model based on analysis of variance for selected factors was conducted for three pesticides. The factors included concentration and food consumption input data presentations, values assigned to pesticide-food commodities without analysis, values assigned to samples with results below the limit of reporting, unit-to-unit variability and processing factors. Their significance and relevance were studied. Assigning values to pesticide-food commodities without analysis and processing factors, when available, were the most relevant factors in this study.

Germline mutations at microsatellite loci in homozygous and heterozygous mutants for mismatch repair and PCNA genes in Drosophila

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a phenotype associated with the deficient repair of replication errors. Replication errors persist in defective mismatch repair (MMR) conditions, although alterations in components of the replication machinery, such as the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) factor, could also increase the replication errors; therefore, MSI is expected in both situations. It also seems that heterozygous individuals for MMR genes have a high risk of cancer, as in the case of human non-polyposis colon carcinoma (HNPCC), characterised by MSI. Thus, here we investigate the effect of heterozygosity for a Msh2-null allele or for altered PCNA alleles, on the stability of microsatellite sequences. The study was carried out in Drosophila germ cells analysing the progeny of individual crosses. We found that one Msh2 disrupted allele is sufficient to produce MSI in germ cells. Although the MSI in Msh2(-/+) individuals was in the same order of magnitude as in Msh2(-/-) individuals, the former manifested a MSI that was four-fold lower. To a lesser extent, PCNA homozygous and heterozygous mutants also show MSI in the germline, which reveals the importance of DNA replication factors to maintain genomic stability in vivo. Furthermore, the high MSI found both in heterozygous Msh2 and PCNA mutants suggests a high degree of genomic instability in individuals bearing a mutant allele of these genes, which could have important implications in cancer susceptibility.

Apoptosis induced by different doses of caffeine on Chinese hamster ovary cells

Caffeine has been investigated for its potential mutagenic activity to bacteria, fungi and mammalian cells in culture, and at high concentrations it is also an inducer of apoptosis. Caffeine can exert acute cellular toxicity, including inhibition of cell growth and cell death, in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cell survival and apoptotic or non-apoptotic effects of caffeine to different concentrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). These effects were evaluated by measuring cell viability, caspase 8 activity and fragmented DNA. This study suggests that the concentration of caffeine is of critical importance because high doses of caffeine induce apoptosis and low concentrations can act as an antioxidant. Previously, the cytotoxicity of caffeine was evaluated using a wide range of concentrations by the neutral red test. From this screening, adequate doses were selected to perform the caspase activity and fragmentation DNA studies. The potential antioxidant effect of caffeine was studied using tert-butyl-hydroperoxide as a free-radical generator. The repeatability was checked through three separate tests with the same concentration.

[Possibility of nerve lesions related to peripheral nerve blocks. A study of the human sciatic nerve using different needles]

When a needle tip comes too close to a nerve axon, the mechanical effect over the nerve membrane produces paresthesia. We examined the hypothetical mechanical damage of short bevel and long bevel needles over sciatic nerve bundles under scanning electron microscopy.

METHODS

We obtained samples of sciatic nerve from three patients of 68, 74 and 76 years old. These samples were fixed, dehydrated and coated with gold microfilm for their observation under scanning electron microscopy. Ten short bevel needles and ten long bevel needles were studied under the same microscopic technique. We interpolated microscopic images from sciatic nerve samples and different needle bevels at various angles to study the mechanical damage of these needles to nerve axons.

RESULTS

Sciatic nerve bundles were found 0.1 to 0.2 mm deep in the samples; information was given about the bevel length and angle of needles. The damage is perceptible under scanning electron microscopy, when the needle bevel is introduced 0.3-0.4 mm deep into the nerve bundle; here, the needle tip cuts through the perineurum, piercing the nerve bundle. At a depth of 1 mm, the lesion caused by short bevel needles is greater than that caused by long bevel needles. The type of epineural lesions caused by short bevel needles is also different from the ones caused by long bevel needles.

CONCLUSIONS

Lesions that affect superficially the epineurum can cause paresthesia by compression of nerve fascicles without damaging the axons. If the perineurm is damaged, the lession will also affect the blood-nerve barrier, leading probably to posterior sequels.

[Chronic pancreatitis as the initial presentation of Crohn's disease]

It has been suggested that pancreatitis could be an extrahepatic manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease, since its incidence in this disease is greater than that in the general population and in many cases no etiological factor is found. We present a case of chronic idiopathic pancreatitis as the initial presentation of Crohn's disease of the colon.

Autologous stem cell transplantation for primary refractory Hodgkin's disease: results and clinical variables affecting outcome

BACKGROUND

Patients with primary refractory Hodgkin's disease (PR-HD) have a dismal prognosis when treated with conventional salvage chemotherapy. We analyzed time to treatment failure (TTF), overall survival (OS) and clinical variables influencing the outcome in patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for PR-HD and reported to the Grupo Español de Linfomas/Trasplante Autólogo de Médula Osea (GEL/TAMO).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Sixty-two patients, 41 males and 21 females with a median age of 27 years (range 13-55) were analyzed. Forty-two patients (68%) had advanced stage at diagnosis, 47 (76%) presented with B symptoms and 29 (47%) with a bulky mediastinal mass. Seventy-five percent of the patients had received more than one line of therapy before ASCT. Thirty-three patients received bone marrow as a source of hematopoietic progenitors, and 29 peripheral blood. Six patients were conditioned with high-dose chemotherapy plus total-body irradiation and 56 received chemotherapy-based protocols.

RESULTS

One-year transplantation-related mortality was 14% [95% confidence interval (CI) 6% to 23%]. Response rate at 3 months after ASCT was 52% [complete remission in 21 patients (34%), partial remission in 11 patients (18%)]. Actuarial 5-year TTF and OS were 15% (95% CI 5% to 24%) and 26% (95% CI 13% to 39%), respectively. The presence of B symptoms at ASCT was the only adverse prognostic factor significantly influencing TTF [relative risk (RR) 1.75, 95% CI 0.92-3.35, P = 0.08]. The presence of B symptoms at diagnosis (RR 2.08, 95% CI 0.90-4.79, P = 0.08), MOPP-like regimens as first-line therapy (RR 3.84, 95% CI 1.69-9.09, P = 0.001), bulky disease at ASCT (RR 2.79, 95% CI 0.29-6.03, P = 0.009) and two or more lines of therapy before ASCT (RR 2.24, 95% CI 0.95-5.27, P = 0.06) adversely influenced OS.

CONCLUSIONS

In our experience, although overall results of ASCT in PR-HD patients are poor, one-quarter of the patients remain alive at 5 years. Despite this, other therapeutic strategies should be investigated in this group of patients to improve the outcome.

[Value of C-reactive protein level in the detection of necrosis in acute pancreatitis]

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the detection of necrosis in acute pancreatitis and to determine the best cut-off point for CRP used for this purpose.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of 157 patients with acute pancreatitis who underwent computed tomography (CT) with intravenous contrast material between 72 h and 8 days after the onset of symptoms and whose serum CRP values were determined by nephelometry 24 h or later after the onset of pain.

RESULTS

Ninety-four patients were men and 63 were women, with a mean age of 61 years (range, 15-96 years). The cause of pancreatitis was biliary lithiasis in 53.5%, alcohol in 20.4%, and idiopathic in 10.8%. Other causes were found in 15.3%. The mean (standard deviation) time elapsed between symptom onset and extraction to evaluate CRP was 3.21 (1.7) days. The patients were divided into two groups according to the results of CT: 132 patients with acute intersitial edematous pancreatitis and 25 patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The mean CRP concentrations were: 322 mg/l (range, 10.7-538) in patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis and 133 mg/l (range, 3-442) in those with acute interstitial pancreatitis; this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve of CRP vs. the occurrence of necrosis was 0.862 (95% CI, 0.778, 0.946). To evaluate the presence of pancreatic necrosis a cut-off level of 200 mg/l showed a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 75% while a cut-off level of 279 mg/l presented a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 88%.

CONCLUSIONS

In acute pancreatitis, a CRP value of less than or equal to 200 mg/l obtained at 72 h of symptom onset is useful for ruling out, with a high degree of probability, the presence of necrosis. With higher values, additional investigations should be performed to determine the presence of pancreatic necrosis; nevertheless, with values higher than 279 mg/l the risk of necrosis markedly increases.

[Epidural anesthesia with ropivacaine vs. bupivacaine in continuous perfusion for the treatment of labor pains]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the analgesic efficacy and extent of motor block when 0.125% ropivacaine or 0.125% bupivacaine were given in continuous perfusion through an epidural catheter during labor.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We studied 60 ASA I-II women, each carrying a single fetus at full term and in spontaneous labor. The patients were distributed in 2 groups. Women in the ropivacaine group (R) (n = 30) received 8 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine for analgesic induction, followed by a continuous perfusion of 10 mL/h at 0.125%. The bupivacaine group (B) (n = 30) received bupivacaine at the same concentration and infusion rate. The objective of analgesia was to achieve a score less than 3 on a visual analog pain scale. If analgesia was inadequate, a 5 mL bolus of 0.2% ropivacaine or bupivacaine, depending on group, was administered. The motor block was evaluated on an abbreviated Bromage scale and we recorded hemodynamic stability, fetal status, type of delivery and the total dose of local anesthetic.

RESULTS

Analgesia and hemodynamics were similar in both groups. Group R required a larger number of additional boluses, although the difference was not statistically significant. A motor block was observed in 8 patients in group B and 1 in group R (p < 0.05). Fetal status was similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Both drugs were equally effective for controlling the pain accompanying labor, such that ropivacaine offered no advantage over bupivacaine in that regard. Ropivacaine's reduced motor block effect at the doses administered may offer an advantage in some situations, such as when a walking epidural is provided.

[The blood-nerve barrier in peripheral nerves]

AIM

To study ultrastructural details of perineurium and endothelium samples from the endoneural vessels that form part of the blood-nerve barrier of peripheral nerves, with the intention of furthering our understanding of how these natural structures protect axons against foreign substances.

METHODS

We obtained samples from the sciatic nerve at the superior angle of the popliteal fossa. The samples were first fixed in glutaraldehyde and then in osmium tetroxide; later they were dehydrated with acetone and soaked in resin epoxy (Epon 812). Ultra-thin sections were treated with uranyl acetate and lead citrate in solution. The slides were observed under a transmission electron microscope.

RESULTS

The perineurium has a thickness of 10 to 25 microns and is composed of 8 to 15 continuous cell layers lying concentrically around each nerve fascicle. Each perineurial cell layer consists of a single layer of flat cells joined together by specialized junctions to provide a barrier against diffusion. Most of the endoneural vessels found near the axons were capillaries measuring 6 to 10 microns in diameter and composed of 6 to 8 endothelial cells with specialized junctions without fenestrations.

CONCLUSIONS

The blood-nerve barrier is a cylindrical structure formed partly by membranes composed of tightly joined perineurial cell layers whose union is reinforced by specialized junctions that tend to isolate each fascicle. In addition, there is a cylindrical structure made up of endoneural endothelial cells also united by specialized junctures. These tend to keep blood away from axons and to impede the passage of circulating substances into the endoneural environment. Systemic diseases that alter and diminish the efficacy of the barrier in peripheral nerves may have implications for the creation of peripheral nerve blocks.

[Evaluation of ventricular synchronization by fourier phase analysis in a radionuclide ventriculography]

INTRODUCTION

Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) evaluates segmental and global ventricular contractility and also detects conduction abnormalities.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the temporal parameters of ventricular synchronization in the normal heart by a third harmonic (3H) Fourier phase analysis in a RNV and introduce this technique in our center.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Thirty normal subjects (19 men and 11 women) were included. An equilibrium RNV was performed in 35 degree left anterior oblique projection with 10 degree caudal tilt. The onset (T0); mean time (T(m)); total contraction time (T(t)); final time (T(f)) and propagation time (T(p)) for right (RV) and left ventricle (LV); as well as total propagation time (T(TP)); interventricular time (T(RV-LV)) and septum-lateral wall conduction time (T(S-LW)) were measured on the 3H Fourier histogram of the time-activity curve.

RESULTS

Right ventricle contraction started 5 ms before that of the left ventricle (T(0RV) = 66 +/- 38 ms; T(OLV) = 71 +/- 30 ms), with a longer total contraction time (T(tVD) = 67 +/- 28 ms vs T(tVI) = 64 +/- 38 ms). Total propagation time (T(TP)) was 69 +/- 37 ms and the interventricular time (T(RV-LV)) was 2 +/- 25 ms. Contraction progressed from septum to lateral wall, with a septum-lateral wall conduction time (T(S-LW)) of 4 +/- 22 ms.

CONCLUSION

Simultaneous contraction of right and left ventricles can be quantified by RNV phase analysis, providing a useful tool for ventricular resynchronization assessment in multisite pacing.

Control of foot and mouth disease: the experience of the Americas

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) was first recognised in South America in 1870, almost simultaneously in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina), in the central region of Chile, in Uruguay, in southern Brazil and coincidentally, on the northeastern coast of the United States of America. The epidemiology of the disease was unknown and no government action was taken following the initial outbreaks. This resulted in the disease spreading to other areas of Chile, as well as to Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay, reaching Venezuela and Colombia in the 1950s, and Ecuador in 1961. The entire continent was affected in the 1960s when national FMD control programmes were initiated, with the exception of Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and Patagonia. In the 1970s, steps were taken to implement a regional control and eradication strategy in view of the impact of production and trade on the persistence of the virus. The Plan Hemisférico de Erradicación de la Fiebre Aftosa (PHEFA: Hemispheric FMD Eradication Plan), public- and private-sector policies, new diagnostic tools, the oil-adjuvanted FMD vaccine and regional strategies played a part in improving the epidemiological situation during the 1990s. A setback was encountered in 2000 and 2001, with outbreaks due to virus types A and 0 recorded in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

Spontaneous and bleomycin-induced genomic alterations in the progeny of Drosophila treated males depends on the Msh2 status. DNA fingerprinting analysis

Deficiency in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) confers instability of simple repeated sequences and increases susceptibility to cancer. Some of the MMR genes are also implicated in other repair and cellular processes related to DNA damage response. Supposedly, lack of their function can lead to a global genomic instability, besides microsatellite instability (MSI). To study the spontaneous and induced genomic instability in germ cells, related to the Msh2 status, DNA alterations in the progeny of individual crosses of Drosophila deficient in one or two copies of the Msh2 gene, were analysed by the arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR). The results indicate that the progeny of homozygous parents for the normal Msh2 allele (+/+) presents a significantly lower frequency of genomic alterations than those from heterozygous (+/-) or mutant homozygous (-/-) parents. In addition, the DNA damage transmitted to the progeny, after the adult parental males were exposed to bleomycin, indicates that whereas the induction of mutations related to MSI depends on the lack of the Msh2 function, the induction of other mutational events may require at least one functional Msh2 allele. Thus, the results obtained with heterozygous individuals may have special relevance for cancer development since they show that a disrupted Msh2 allele is enough to generate genomic instability in germ cells, increasing the genomic damage in the progeny of heterozygous individuals. This effect is enhanced by mutagenic stress, such as occurs after bleomycin exposure.

Microscopic changes induced by the intratracheal inoculation of amniotic fluid and meconium in the lung of neonatal rats

Meconium aspiration syndrome is a major contributor to neonatal respiratory distress in infants and it has been sporadically recognized in neonatal animals. This investigation was designed to study the short and long term effects of meconium and amniotic fluid in the lungs of neonatal rats. Seven-day-old rats (n = 123) divided in three groups were intratracheally inoculated with saline solution, amniotic fluid or meconium. Rats were euthanatized on 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 112 postinoculation days (PID) and the lungs were examined by light microscopy. Saline solution did not induce any change while amniotic fluid elicited only a mild foreign body response which disappeared by PID 14. In contrast, meconium induced an exudative alveolitis characterized by recruitment of neutrophilsn in the bronchoalveolar spaces. Meconium also induced atelectasis, hyperinflation and thickening of alveolar septa all of which had disappeared by PID 14. Starting at PID 7, neutrophils were progressively replaced by macrophages, giant cells, and some fibroblasts. There were sporadic foci of mineralization starting at PID 14 and lasting up to PID 112. Some mineralized foci became lined with cuboidal epithelial cells at PID 28. Meconium was slowly degraded but still evident by PID 112. It was concluded that inoculation of meconium in neonatal rats induces acute microscopic changes typical of meconium aspiration syndrome. The long term lesions induced by meconium consisted of persistent multifocal histiocytic alveolitis and bronchiolitis reaction with occasional foci of calcification.

[Adipose tissue within peripheral nerves. Study of the human sciatic nerve]

AIM

To describe the distribution of intraneural adipose cells in relation to nerve fascicles in a portion of peripheral nerve usually involved in accomplishing an anesthetic blockade of a lower extremity.

METHOD

Using a scanning electron microscope, we studied sciatic nerve samples from the point of amputation of a lower limb of three patients. The samples were obtained at the upper angle of the popliteal fossa, 10-15 cm cephalad to the knee joint line.

RESULTS

During dissection of the sciatic nerve samples, we observed a solitary trunk, but examination of the cross-sections under the microscope revealed the components of two clearly separated branches joined by supporting tissue. The sciatic nerve had an oval form in the portion under study, measuring 6.5 to 7.5 mm by 3.6 to 3.9 mm. Between the fascicles, the adipose tissue varied in thickness from 0.5 mm in the central zones to 0.2 mm in the peripheral zones. The adipocytes, which were all similar in the size with diameters of 40 microns, were empty, as a result of elimination of the lipid vacuoles during fixation. The adipose tissue was distributed inside the epineurium to surround isolated fascicles or groups of fascicles.

CONCLUSIONS

The adipose tissue inside a nerve surrounded the fascicles to form adipose sheaths that separated the fascicles from one another. The thicknesses of these adipose sheaths varied from one fascicle to another. Cells join to make it possible to create a compact adipose sheet that can delay the diffusion of local anesthetic injected near a nerve and that can therefore interfere with the characteristics of an anesthetic blockade.

Cystodefecoperitoneography in patients with genital prolapse

The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate pre- and postoperative findings of cystodefecoperitoneography (CDP) and to correlate the findings to the clinical examination in patients with genital prolapse. Twenty-five female patients were investigated both pre- and postoperatively with a standardized questionnaire, clinical examination and CDP, including contrast medium in the rectum, vagina, bladder, small bowel and peritoneal cavity. At preoperative clinical examination a rectocele was diagnosed in 24 patients, a cystocele in 7 and an enterocele in 2. At the preoperative CDP a rectocele was diagnosed in 21 patients, a cystocele in 22 patients and a peritoneocele in 9, of which six contained small bowel (i.e. an enterocele). Surgery was performed according to the clinical findings. At the postoperative clinical examination no rectocele was diagnosed, a cystocele was diagnosed in 3 patients and an enterocele in 1. Postoperative CDP showed a rectocele in 4 patients, a cystocele in 24 and a peritoneocele in 7 patients, of which three contained small bowel (i.e. an enterocele). CDP may complement the clinical assessment of patients with genital prolapse, in particular to confirm or detect defects involving the posterior compartment. The radiologic definition of cystocele needs further evaluation.

Two groups of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia: myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative. Prognostic implications in a series of a single center

The clinical records of 70 patients seen at our hospital between 1976 and 1998 and diagnosed as suffering from chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) were reviewed in order to confirm the validity of the classification into two forms of disease that the French-American-British Co-operative Leukaemia Group (FAB) proposed in 1994: myelodysplastic (MD) and myeloproliferative (MP), depending on the peripheral white blood cell count (WBC) (less or more than 13 x 10(9)/l, respectively). After the rejection of incomplete records and lost to follow up patients, our study population consisted of 49 records. Our results confirm that, even though this classification is useful in order to separate two classes of patients, it is not enough to predict the prognosis in an accurate manner. A lot of studies have tried to find some prognostic factors, but the results have been discordant. The multivariate analysis of our group of patients showed three prognostic factors: serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >1.5 times normal level, blasts in bone marrow >5%, and peripheral blood leukocytes >10 x 10(9)/l. A second multivariate analysis led us to distinguish two groups: high risk (2-3 risk factors) and low risk (0-1 risk factors) (median survival 7 and 44 months, respectively) with a very high statistic significance (P<0.0001). This score should be applied to other series of CMML patients in order to confirm its validity.

In vitro toxicity of stimulant soft drinks

Some drinks containing natural products with stimulant properties are highly consumed among young adults. The market for these drinks has increased in past years around the globe, and, although they might be harmless, overdoses or combination of these with other drinks could be harmful to the health of some consumers in certain circumstances. Samples were obtained at food shops and different popular brands were chosen. Cytotoxicity tests used were neutral red uptake, total protein content, and tetrazolium assay on Chinese hamster ovary cells. Results revealed that tested samples were not cytotoxic; however, studies have demonstrated the toxicity of high concentrations of some of these products. For this reason, the authors considered it to be of critical importance to carryout an in vitro toxicity screening of stimulant soft drinks that are highly consumed.

Prevalence of macroprolactin detected by Elecsys 2010

BACKGROUND

Macroprolactin or big-big PRL is, usually, a complex of little prolactin (PRL) with anti-PRL autoantibody. There are some patients with hyperprolactinemia showing a high proportion of serum macroprolactin. However, its clinical significance is not clear. Immunoassays used to determine PRL differ in their ability to detect macroprolactin. Moreover, in recent years, PRL assays have changed from isotopic methods (radioimmunoassays and immunoradiometric assays) to non-isotopic automated immunoassays. The effect of macroprolactin on currently used methods is often unknown. The aim of this work was to study the different reactivity of macroprolactin in two immunoassays systems, Elecsys 2010 and ACS Centaur, and to assess the clinical repercussion of this condition.

METHODS

We studied retrospectively 956 consecutive routine patients. Samples with a PRL value >636 mIU/l (211 samples) were subjected to the polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation test to detect macroprolactin, and 2 of them also to gel filtration chromatography for further confirmation. PRL was measured by Elecsys 2010 and, alternatively, by ACS Centaur.

RESULTS

By Elecsys 2010, macroprolactin was detected in 19 patients (9%). After removing macroprolactin, PRL levels were within the normal range in every case but one. When original sera from patients with macroprolactin were processed with ACS Centaur. PRL levels were normal or only marginally elevated. The correlation of PRL values in samples with and without macroprolactin assayed by both systems was 0.64 and 0.98, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly 9% of hyperprolactinemic patients detected by Elecsys 2010 may have macroprolactin, but the detection rate obtained using ACS Centaur is much lower. As macroprolactin seems to have minimal clinical relevance, it would be important that the users of PRL assays be aware to what extent macroprolactin interferes with their assays, and have available a validated method, such as the PEG precipitation test, to confirm the presence of macroprolactin.