Mediastinal hibernoma simulates a malignant lesion on dual time point FDG imaging.

Dual time point 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been shown to be useful in helping differentiate benign from malignant lesions. An enhancing mediastinal mass of fat and water density was incidentally detected on computed tomography (CT) in a patient being evaluated for thoracic trauma. He subsequently underwent dual time point FDG PET/CT imaging which revealed a significant rise in standard uptake value (SUV) within the lesion over time, favoring a malignant etiology. Biopsy proved the lesion to represent a hibernoma, an uncommon benign fatty tumor. This case exemplifies the complexity of tissue metabolic properties, and the difficulty in establishing absolute criteria for benign and malignant processes.

Detection of casein fragments in an invertebrate and in a vertebrate using in situ hybridization.

Using a non-radioactive in situ hybridization procedure it has been demonstrated that both invertebrates such as the mollusc Mytilus galloprovincialis and lower vertebrates such as the fish Cyprinus carpio express bovine alphaS1- and kappa-casein homologous mRNAs. In particular, positive results were found in molluscan immunocytes, and in cells located in different fish tissues: intestine, endocrine pancreas and kidney. These findings suggest that the casein genes are highly conserved throughout evolution.

Impact of clinically significant heterotopic ossification on functional outcome after traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To assess heterotopic ossification's (HO) impact on functional outcome after TBI. DESIGN: Retrospective with matched control group, single center. SETTING: TBI Model System of Care at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-six patients with TBI and triple-phase bone scan confirmed HO were matched with 26 patients without clinical evidence of HO. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Acute and rehabilitation lengths of stay (LOS), Admission and Discharge Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, FIM change, FIM efficiency (FIM gains per week), and discharge disposition. RESULTS: The two groups had similar acute care LOS. Patients with HO had significantly longer inpatient rehabilitation LOS and significantly lower FIM mobility and activities of daily living subscale scores on admission and discharge. FIM efficiency was significantly lower for the group with HO. Significantly fewer patients with HO were able to be discharged to home. CONCLUSIONS: HO is associated with a poorer functional outcome; however, it is not clear whether HO causes the decreased function or whether it may serve more generally as an indicator of those patients who will not progress as far or as rapidly during inpatient rehabilitation.

Casein peptide release and passage to the blood in humans during digestion of milk or yogurt.

In adult humans, after milk or yogurt ingestion, many peptides derived from alpha s1-, beta- or kappa-caseins were detected in stomach, including the kappa-caseinoglycopeptide, an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Smaller peptides derived from casein and lactoferrin were recovered from duodenum. Two long peptides, the kappa-caseinoglycopeptide and the N-terminal peptide of alpha s1-casein, were absorbed and detected in plasma. These results support the concept that food-born peptides could have physiological activities in man.

A peptide fraction from factor VIII reduces PKC activity in cultured endothelial cells.

A peptide fraction of low molecular weight (Vueffe) prepared from bovine Factor VIII by enzymatic hydrolysis with trypsin, reduces significantly (p<0.05) membrane bound protein kinase C (PKC) activity in cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells grown with enhanced glucose levels (22.2 mM) or stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The activation of PKC is a common pathway by which mediators increase transendothelial permeability during tissue inflammation and in the development of diabetic vascular complications. Our results suggest that the antihaemorrhagic properties of Vueffe could be related to a decrease in endothelial permeability mediated by PKC.

Measurement of platelet aggregation peptide inhibitors by ultrasonic interferometry.

Several peptide inhibitors of thrombin- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation and of the interaction between glycoprotein Ib and von Willebrand factor were studied by a new method--ultrasonic interferometry (Echo Cell). Inhibition of aggregate formation in a concentration-dependent manner was observed. The sensitivity of the method was 3 to 40 times higher than that of classical turbidimetry.

Primary adrenal lymphoma: gallium scintigraphy and correlative imaging.

Primary adrenal lymphoma is a rare entity, with only 16 cases reported in the last 40 yr. Although 67Ga scintigraphy has been extensively used to evaluate patients with other types of lymphomas, there are no reports of its use in patients with this disease entity. A man with primary adrenal lymphoma and no evidence of extraadrenal spread who was evaluated from presentation to remission with gallium scintigraphy and CT is presented. Gallium scintigraphy was valuable in assessing response to therapy.

Effects of aging on the cerebral distribution of technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime in healthy humans.

Some brain functions decline at a linear rate throughout adulthood. Others remain relatively stable until very late in the life cycle. This study characterized the effects of aging on the regional cerebral distribution of hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO) in healthy human volunteers. The sample consisted of 26 men and 18 women with a mean age of 41.6+/-14.9 years (range: 19-73). Their past medical histories, physical examinations, and laboratory screening tests were normal. Single-photon emission tomography (SPET) scans of the brain were performed with a standardized acquisition and processing protocol on a triple-headed camera equipped with fan beam collimators. A 3-D restorative filter and a correction for uniform attenuation were applied before the images were reinterpolated in planes parallel to the line connecting the frontal and occipital poles. Mean counts per pixel were measured in multiple regions of interest (ROIs) within each hemisphere by custom fitting a set of templates to the images. The mean activity in each ROI was compared with the mean activity per pixel in the whole brain. Regression analyses were used to relate the activity ratios to age with both linear and nonlinear models. The relative concentration of radioactivity decreased significantly with age in most, but not all, gray matter structures. It increased in the white matter regions. The nonlinear model of aging fit the data significantly better than a straight line did. Most of the changes with age occurred during young adulthood. No further changes were detectable after the onset of middle age. The median breakpoint age at which the rate of change became negligible was 36.6 years. Aging significantly affects the relative uptake of HMPAO in healthy humans. It decreases in many gray matter regions and increases in most white matter regions. However, the changes do not appear to be linear. Most seem to occur during young adulthood before people reach their late thirties. The distribution then appears to remain relatively stable throughout middle age.

Pneumococcal sacroiliitis.

We report an unusual case of Streptococcus pneumoniae sacroiliitis in a previously healthy 31-year-old woman. Six cases of pneumococcal sacroiliitis have been reported; the only two cases in adults occurred in young women in the preantibiotic era. Our patient had fever and a depressed level of consciousness, with subsequent right buttock and thigh pain. Blood cultures revealed S pneumoniae, and a bone scan showed increased tracer activity in the right sacroiliac joint. Although the cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count was only 3/microL, culture of cerebrospinal fluid grew S pneumoniae. Our patient was successfully treated with a 6-week course of intravenous antibiotics (penicillin G after an initial week of ceftriaxone), followed by 2 weeks of oral penicillin therapy.

Binding of the bovine caseinoglycopeptide to the platelet membrane glycoprotein GPIb alpha.

The bovine caseinoglycopeptide (residues 106-169), the C-terminal part of kappa-casein, inhibited the von Willebrand factor-dependent platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. An affinity matrix made of the caseinoglycopeptide selectively bound the platelet membrane glycoprotein GPIb alpha which contains the von Willebrand factor binding site. The amino acid residues of GPIb alpha participating in the caseinoglycopeptide binding were located after residue Glu 90.

Regional metabolic alterations in Alzheimer's disease: an in vitro 1H NMR study of the hippocampus and cerebellum.

The concentrations of selected metabolites in the hippocampus and cerebellum of 13 Alzheimer's diseased (AD) and four nondemented postmortem brains were measured using high resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy. For both the hippocampal region and the cerebellum, the putative neuronal marker N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) was significantly lower in AD brains relative to the nondemented brains. For the hippocampal region, the NAA concentration correlated inversely with semiquantitative assessments of neuronal loss and neurofibrillary tangles. The gamma-aminobutyric acid levels in both hippocampus and cerebellum of an age- and a postmortem interval-matched subset of AD brains were lower than those of the controls. Because the cerebellum is generally thought to be unaffected by AD, the NAA decrease in the Alzheimer cerebellum may be due to lesions of either the Alzheimer or non-Alzheimer type in contralateral cerebrum.

Gastric duplication cyst. Scintigraphy and correlative imaging.

Gastric duplication cysts are uncommon congenital anomalies, and examples imaged with scintigraphy are rarely reported in the literature. The authors report an infant with duplication of the stomach, which was extensively evaluated using scintigraphy, ultrasound, computed tomography, and upper gastrointestinal series. The role of multimodality imaging is discussed, and correlative surgical and histologic findings are presented.

The ruminant digestion model using bacteria already employed early in evolution by symbiotic molluscs.

The purification and some molecular properties of six lysozymes from the gills of different mytilids and vesicomyids are described: they belong to the previously described Invertebrate lysozyme family. The predominance of the bacterial nutrition in these organisms seems to necessitate the presence of a lysozyme as in the case of the ruminant digestion model.

Immunostimulating agents: what next? A review of their present and potential medical applications.

Many chemical entities, either from natural sources or prepared by synthesis, are known to exert stimulating activities on various functions of the immune system, such as antibody production, resistance to infections, rejection of malignant cells, etc. In this review, the origin, chemical structures and main activities of several immunostimulants are described, with special emphasis on their present or potential medical usefulness. An attempt is made to envisage the future of this type of pharmacological agents, excluding however from the presentation the endogenous modulators of the immune system (cytokines), the production and activities of which are influenced by the immunostimulants themselves.