Descriptions of two new cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Panama, and coincident infection with Rickettsia rickettsii in Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. in an urban locality of Panama City, Panama.

The clinical and pathologic characterisation of two fatal cases of tick-borne rickettsiosis in rural (El Valle) and urban (City of Panama) Panama are described. Clinical and autopsy findings were non-specific, but the molecular analysis was used to identify Rickettsia rickettsii in both cases. No ticks were collected in El Valle, while in the urban case, R. rickettsii was detected in Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l., representing the first molecular finding in this tick in Panama and Central America.

[Octreotide scintigraphy in thyroid orbitopathy]. / Gammagrafía con octreótido en la orbitopatía distiroidea.

INTRODUCTION: Graves' disease, which has an autoimmune basis, is associated with the infiltration of activated lymphocytes into the retrobulbar tissues of the eye. These activated lymphocytes express somatostatin receptors on their surface which mediate the inflammatory response. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of (111) In-Octreotide scintigraphy in the identification of orbital activity in Graves' disease and the usefulness of treatment with a somatostatin analogue, based on a pre-established protocol within the Nuclear Medicine Department. METHODS: We studied a group of eighteen patients with symptomatic Graves' ophthalmopathy of between two months and four years duration. We injected 6 mCi of (111) In-Octreotide parenterally, and performed scintigraphy four and twenty-four hours later. Four patients, all in the active phase, showed orbital somatostatin receptors, for which they were treated with lanreotide 60 mg every fifteen days for three months. Patients were reviewed after 3 months treatment with a further scintigraphy and clinical study. RESULTS: In our study all four treated patients had less than sixteen months of ophthalmopathy, and three responded well to the treatment. CONCLUSION: Scintigraphy with Octreotide is a useful procedure allowing identification of patients in the active phase of the ophthalmopathy who are likely to respond well to treatment with somatostatin analogues.

Recombinant human thyrotropin stimulation prior to 131I therapy in toxic multinodular goitre with low radioactive iodine uptake. / La estimulación previa con rhTSH mejora la respuesta al tratamiento con radioyodo en pacientes con bocio multinodular tóxico de baja captación.

AIM: Stimulation with recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) increases thyroid radioiodine uptake, and is an aid to 131I therapy in non-toxic multinodular goitre (MNG). However, there are not many studies using rhTSH prior to 131I in toxic multinodular goitre to improve hyperthyroidism and compressive symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective study was conducted on patients with MNG and hyperthyroidism. Patients were recruited consecutively and divided into group I, stimulated with 0.3mg of rhTSH before radioiodine therapy, and a control group or group II, without stimulation. Thyroid function, radioiodine thyroid uptake, thyroid weight, and compressive symptoms were measured, and patients were followed-up for 9 months. RESULTS: Group I consisted of 16 patients (14 women), with a mean age 69.7 years, and group II with 16 patients (12 women), with a mean age 70.7 years. After stimulation with 0.3mg rhTSH in group I, 131I uptake (RAIU) at 24h increased by 78.4%, and the estimated absorbed dose by 89.3%. In group II, the estimated absorbed dose was lower than group I after stimulation with rhTSH (29.8Gy vs. 56.4Gy; P=0.001). At 9 months of follow-up, hyperthyroidism was controlled in 87.5% of patients in group I, and 56.2% in group II (P=0.049). The mean reduction in thyroid weight was higher in group I than in group II (39.3% vs. 26.9%; P=0.017), with a tendency towards subjective improvement of compressive symptoms in group I, although non-significant. Only 2 patients described tachycardias after rhTSH administration, which were resolved with beta-blockers. CONCLUSION: Stimulation with 0.3mg of recombinant human thyrotropin prior to radioiodine therapy achieves a reduction in thyroid weight and functional improvement in patients with hyperthyroidism and multinodular goitre with low uptake, and with no need for hospital admission.

[99mTc-HMPAO-leukocyte-labeled scintigraphy in the detection and follow-up of inflammatory bowel disease]. / La gammagrafía con leucocitos marcados con Tc-HMPAO en el diagnóstico y seguimiento de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.

To assess the clinical value of 99mTc-HMPAO-leukocyte-labeled scintigraphy (LLS) in the detection and follow-up of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the pediatric population, we retrospectively reviewed 33 patients (15 boys; mean age 10.7 +/- 2.2 years) with suspected IBD. A total of 58 examinations were performed: 29 for screening purposes, 23 for follow-up and 6 to detect relapses. LLS was compared with clinical symptoms (PCDAI index), biologic markers of inflammation, barium contrast radiology (BCR; n = 22), sonography (n = 22), colonoscopy (n = 16), and biopsy (n = 13). The final diagnosis was Crohn's disease in 12, ulcerative colitis in 4, and no IBD in 17. In the 17 patients without IBD, LLS was always negative. Among the 16 patients with IBD, LLS showed concordant results with BCR in 7/10 patients, with sonography in 6/11, with colonoscopy in 9/12 and with biopsy in 8/9. The severity of LLS increased with the PCDAI index (p < 0.001), with a positive correlation between the scintigraphic activity index/PCDAI r = 0.76. An increase in the PCDAI index with the severity of LLS (p < 0.001) was also observed in the follow-up, and a weak correlation (r = 0.50) between erythrocyte sedimentation rate/scintigraphic activity index was obtained. In 5 patients with normal biologic markers, LLS detected inflammation. All 6 patients with relapses were symptomatic; 5 had inflammation on LLS and 5 had abnormal biologic markers. In conclusion, LLS can be a useful screening tool in the detection of IBD in children to assess the grade of inflammation and extension of IBD. This technique can detect the presence of inflammation during follow-up and should be performed when relapses are suspected.

Effects of early use of atenolol or captopril on infarct size and ventricular volume: A double-blind comparison in patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: beta-Blockers and ACE inhibitors reduce early mortality when either one is started in the first hours after myocardial infarction (MI). Considering the close correlation between morphological changes and prognosis, we aimed to investigate whether the benefit of both beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors might reside in a similar protective effect on infarct size or ventricular volume. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a randomized, double-blind comparison between early treatment with captopril or atenolol in 121 patients with acute anterior MI, both drugs showed a similar reduction in mean blood pressure. However, only the atenolol-treated patients showed a significant early reduction in heart rate. Infarct size, obtained from the perfusion defect in resting single photon emission imaging, was higher in captopril-treated patients than in atenolol-treated patients: 29.8+/-12% versus 20.8+/-12% (P:<0.01) by polar map and 28.3+/-13% versus 20.0+/-13% (P:<0.01) by tomography. Changes from baseline to 1 week and to 3 months in ventricular end-diastolic volume, assessed by echocardiography, were as follows: 58+/-14 versus 64+/-19 (P<0.05) and 65+/-21 mL/m(2) (P<0.05), respectively, with captopril, and 58+/-18 versus 64+/-18 (P<0.05) and 69+/-30 mL/m(2) (P<0.05), respectively, with atenolol. Neither group showed significant changes in end-systolic volume. Among patients with perfusion defect >18% (n=51), those treated with atenolol showed a significant increase of end-systolic and end-diastolic ventricular volumes, whereas captopril-treated patients did not. CONCLUSIONS: Although early treatment with atenolol or captopril results in similar overall short- and medium-term preservation of ventricular function and volumes, in patients with larger infarctions, a beta-blocker alone does not adequately protect myocardium from ventricular dilatation.

Alkaloid production by a Cinchona officinalis 'Ledgeriana' hairy root culture containing constitutive expression constructs of tryptophan decarboxylase and strictosidine synthase cDNAs from Catharanthus roseus.

Cinchona officinalis 'Ledgeriana', former called Cinchona ledgeriana, hairy roots were initiated containing constitutive-expression constructs of cDNAs encoding the enzymes tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and strictosidine synthase (STR) from Catharanthus roseus, two key enzymes in terpenoid indole and quinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. The successful integration of these genes and the reporter gene gus-int was demonstrated using Southern blotting and the polymerase chain reaction. The products of TDC and STR, tryptamine and strictosidine, were found in high amounts, 1200 and 1950 µg g-1 dry weight, respectively. Quinine and quinidine levels were found to rise up to 500 and 1000 µg g-1 dry weight, respectively. The results show that genetic engineering with multiple genes is well possible in hairy roots of C. officinalis. However, 1 year after analyzing the hairy roots for the first time, they had completely lost their capacity to accumulate alkaloids.

[Ulcerative colitis and colonic angiodysplasia associated with a lower digestive hemorrhage. Their diagnosis by 99-technetium-labelled red blood cells]. / Colitis ulcerosa y angiodisplasia de colon, asociadas en una hemorragia digestiva baja. Diagnóstico mediante hematíes marcados con 99mtecnecio.

We describe a case of a patient with previously diagnosed of ulcerative colitis, who was admitted to the hospital because of rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. A mild active colitis was reported by colonoscopy with biopsy. Rectal bleeding relapsed, and an arteriovenous malformation in the transverse colon compatible with angiodysplasia was located by early vascular scintigraphy with 99m-technetium-labeled red blood cells. This finding was confirmed by selective arteriography. Four months after hemicolectomy, the patient is free of rectal bleedings. Labeled red blood cell scintigraphy may be useful to differential diagnosis of lower digestive hemorrhage.

[Recurrent rectorrhagia caused by angiodysplasia of the colon localized exclusively by scintigraphy with Tc-99m red blood cells]. / Rectorragia recidivante por angiodisplasia de colon, localizada exclusivamente mediante gammagrafía con 99mTc-hematíes.

A case of angiodysplasia of the colon with clinical manifestation of massive rectal bleeding is presented. The activity and the severity of the life-threatening bleeding episode led to emergency exploratory laparotomy with intraoperative colonoscopy which was not diagnostic. Three years later, following multiple recurrent bleeding episodes and non diagnostic explorations, the localization of the hemorrhage was obtained by abdominal scintigraphy with 99mTc-red blood cells. Surgical removal of the affected area achieved definitive cure.

[Bone metastasis versus insufficiency fractures due to pelvic radiotherapy for gynecologic neoplasm]. / Metástasis óseas versus fracturas por insuficiencia en pelvis irradiadas por neoplasia ginecológica.

Five cases of patients with gynecological neoplasm (four cervix carcinoma and one endometrial sarcoma) who underwent pelvic external radiotherapy and intracavitary brachytherapy in whom pathologic pelvic uptake was found in the bone scan are presented. The diagnosis was pelvic insufficiency fractures due to radiotherapy adverse effects on the skeletal system confirmed by CT and by the favorable scintigraphy and clinical outcome. Both bone metastases and insufficiency fractures must be considered in the differential diagnosis of bone pain in irradiated pelvises. The bone scintigraphy detects these insufficiency fractures early and can show a typical symmetric uptake pattern. In asymmetric lesions, the CT and clinical follow-up as well as the scintigraphic evolution of the lesions should confirm the findings of the bone scintigraphies.

[Extraosseous accumulation of 99mTc-HMDP in knees with synovial effusion]. / Acúmulo extraóseo de 99mTc-HMDP en rodillas con derrame sinovial.

In the presence of extraosseous activity seen in the late phase of the bone scintigraphy (BS) localized in the distal femur of patients prior to radiation synovectomy, we decided to review the frequency of this finding in 20 patients (24 joints) and its relationship with scintigraphic and clinical parameters. Mild soft tissue accumulation was seen in the late phase of the BS in 14 out of 24 joints, without association between this finding and knee uptake in vascular blood pool and late phases of the BS. However, a significant association with synovial effusion was found, and patients with higher degree of effusion presented extraosseous activity more frequently. In conclusion, we think that soft tissue accumulation in the late phase of the BS is a sign of synovial effusion.