Pulmonary Manifestations in Patients of Rheumatoid Arthritis and its Correlation with Severity of Disease

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology marked by symmetric, peripheral polyarthritis. RA has a prevalence of 1–2% in the general adult population. The mortality rate in patients with RA increases during the course of the disease, with a tendency to accelerate after 15 years. Aim: To study the pulmonary manifestations and their severity using [Disease Activity Score (DAS)—28 score] in patients of RA. Materials and methods: Present study was conducted in the Department of Medicine, Sardar Patel Medical College and Associated Group of Hospitals Bikaner, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, on 100 patients. This study was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted over 1 year. Consecutive cases of RA patients attending the outpatient department or admitted to the medicine wards were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Pulmonary manifestation was present in a total of 38% of cases, while the remaining 62% of cases had no pulmonary manifestation. The presence of comorbidity and C-reactive protein (CRP) was significantly associated with pulmonary manifestation in RA patients. On high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), the most common finding was interstitial lung disease (ILD) (60.5%), with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) as the most common pattern. On performing a pulmonary function test (PFT), 33 patients (86.84%) had an abnormal result, with restrictive as the most common pattern. Conclusion: The patients of RA, especially those with advanced age, long duration of disease, male sex, and associated comorbidity, should be screened for pulmonary complications of RA using X-ray chest and PFT, supplemented by HRCT chest wherever required.

The brain of the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus murinus (Wagner, 1840): a cytoarchitectural atlas / O cérebro do morcego vampiro comum, Desmodus rotundus murinus (Wagner, 1840): um atlas citoarquitetural

The vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, is exceptionally agile and stealthy in nature. Feeding at night on cattle blood, it is a known scourge carrying rabies. It is endowed with a very high neocortical volume among bats, acute olfactory capabilities and an accessory olfactory system. These characteristics have resulted into an impressive number of neuroanatomical investigations except a long due atlas on its brain. This study presents a cytoarchitectural atlas of the brain of the common vampire, Desmodus rotundus murinus, in the frontal plane, serially between the olfactory bulb and the medulla oblongata. Twenty six selected sections are presented, each separated by about 300 to 560 microns. The atlas figures show lugol fast blue-cresyl echt violet stained hemisections with their matching half in a labeled line drawing. About 595 discrete brain structures (some repeating) have been identified. This study is likely to provide the accurate localization of nuclear groups, whole structures, fiber tracts, and interconnections to facilitate future neuroanatomical and neurophysiological investigations on the vampire brain.

O morcego vampiro, Desmodus rotundus, é excepcionalmente ágil e furtivo. Alimentando-se à noite do sangue de gado, é um conhecido flagelo portador da raiva. Entre os morcegos, apresenta um alto volume neocortical, capacidades olfatórias agudas e um sistema ofatório suplementar. Estas características têm suscitado um número impressionante de estudos neuroanatômicos, no entanto, não foi produzido ainda um atlas do cérebro desta espécie. O presente estudo apresenta, assim, um atlas citoarquitetural do cérebro do vampiro comum, Desmodus rotundus murinus, no plano frontal, serialmente entre o bulbo ofatório e a medula oblongata. Vinte e seis seções selecionadas são aqui apresentadas, cada uma separada por em torno de 300 a 560 mícrones. As figuras do atlas mostram hemisseções manchadas com lugol violeta de cresilo, com a sua respectiva metade apresentada numa figura rotulada. Em torno de 595 estruturas cerebrais discretas (algumas repetidas) foram identificadas. Este estudo proverá a localização precisa de grupos nucleares, estruturas inteiras, tratos de fibras, e interconexões para facilitar futuras investigações neuroanatômicas e neurofisiológicas realizadas no cérebro do morcego vampiro.

Histochemical localization of enzymes and lipids in the ovary of a vespertilionid bat, Scotophilus heathi, during the reproductive cycle

O presente estudo descreve as mudanças sazonais na D5 3b hidroxiesteróide desidrogenase (3b-HSD), glicose-6 fosfato desidrogenase (G-6-PD), e lipídios no ovário de um morcego vespertilionidae, Scotophilus heathi. As atividades totais dos lipídios e do 3b-HSD estão restritas às células tecais e intersticiais do ovário. Os lipídios, 3b-HSD e G-6-PD totais, aumentaram significantemente durante a recrudescência, e permaneceram elevados durante a dormência de inverno e o período de acasalamento, quando comparados a outras fases reprodutivas. A alta incidência de atividade de lipídios e enzimas nas células intersticiais durante o período de acasalamento e durante o período de ovulação sugere claramente que estas células estão ativamente envolvidas na esteroidogênese. O declínio da atividade dos lipídios e enzimas durante a dormência de inverno, o qual se correlaciona com os níveis decrescentes da esteroidogênese, podem ser o fator responsável pela longa sobrevivência do folículo de De Graaf no ovário do S. heathi.