RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence shows that manipulations of cortical body representation, for example, by simply viewing one's own body, can relieve pain in healthy subjects. Despite the widespread use of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) as an effective experimental tool for the manipulation of bodily awareness, previous studies examining the analgesic effect of the RHI have produced conflicting results. METHOD: We used noxious heat stimuli to induce finger pain in 29 healthy subjects, and we recorded the participants' pain thresholds and subjective pain ratings during the RHI and during the control conditions. Two control conditions were included in our experiment - a standard one with reduced illusion strength (asynchronous stroking control) and an additional one in which the participants viewed their own hand. RESULTS: Raw data showed that both the RHI and the vision of the own hand resulted in slightly higher pain thresholds than the asynchronous stroking control (illusion: 47.79 °C; own-hand: 47.99 °C; asynchronous: 47.52 °C). After logarithmic transformation to achieve normality, paired t-tests revealed that both increases in pain threshold were significant (illusion/asynchronous: p = 0.036; own-hand/asynchronous: p = 0.007). In contrast, there was no significant difference in pain threshold between the illusion and the own-hand conditions (p = 0.656). Pain rating scores were not log-normal, and Wilcoxon singed-rank tests found no significant differences in pain ratings between the study conditions. CONCLUSION: The RHI increases heat pain threshold and the analgesic effect of the RHI is comparable with that of seeing one's own hand. The latter finding may have clinical implications.
Asunto(s)
Ilusiones/fisiología , Umbral del Dolor/fisiología , Dolor/fisiopatología , Adulto , Imagen Corporal , Femenino , Calor , Humanos , Ilusiones/psicología , Masculino , Dolor/psicología , Dimensión del Dolor , Umbral del Dolor/psicología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
The linear hypertrophic scar has become the most common type of pathologic scarring. Silicone-gel sheeting is the first line therapy while intralesional steroid is the second. A light and electron microscopic analysis was carried out to reveal differences in tissue reaction following the two different treatments. Two groups of 12 patients each were treated for 4 months. For the first group, diluted Triamcinolone acetonide was injected until an inactive state was achieved. The other group of patients was treated with silicone-gel sheeting. The scars were examined every two weeks and their appearance documented. After reaching the expected therapeutic response, inactive scars were removed. The excised scars were evaluated through light microscopic histopathology and electron microscopy. The light and electron microscopic observations revealed marked differences following treatments. The activity of fibroblasts and the numbers of collagen fibers forming bundles decreased and the orientation of the collagen fibers was more variable in the treated scars. The amount of elastic fibers increased after both steroid and silicone-gel sheeting treatment. Vascularization was also slightly changed, with more capillaries and fewer pre-capillary arteries detected in the treated scars. Both treatments resulted in the same decrease in score but steroid treatment was more rapid in onset. We suggest that the two different treatments work through different mechanisms, although the final functional outcome is similar.
Asunto(s)
Cicatriz/tratamiento farmacológico , Cicatriz/patología , Tejido Conectivo/patología , Geles de Silicona/uso terapéutico , Triamcinolona Acetonida/uso terapéutico , Antiinflamatorios/administración & dosificación , Antiinflamatorios/uso terapéutico , Tejido Conectivo/efectos de los fármacos , Tejido Conectivo/ultraestructura , Humanos , Hipertrofia , Inmunohistoquímica , Inyecciones , Microscopía Electrónica , Geles de Silicona/administración & dosificación , Triamcinolona Acetonida/administración & dosificaciónRESUMEN
A follow-up study was performed to describe characteristic physiological alterations by means of computer tomography, direct chemical analysis and histology of the liver, and blood biochemical parameters during conventional force-feeding of Landes geese. 30 birds were exposed to an 18-day long force-feeding. Sampling was performed at the start and during force-feeding (7th, 11th, 14th, 18th days). Computer tomographic data were plotted in 3D histograms, effectively indicating the volumetric development and the fat deposition of the liver. Applying the so-called fat index, a saturation process was found for the hepatic fat content. Histological sections indicated the appearance of microvesicular fat forms in the hepatocyte cytoplasm, which first turned to a total fatty infiltration, later changing to a macrovesicular form with progressing inflammation; membrane damage was not visualized. In blood metabolites triglyceride, total and HDL cholesterol and uric acid increased measurably, while creatinine concentration decreased. Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase activities increased strongly, while that of lactate dehydrogenase only slightly. Based on the results of macroscopic and microscopic imaging techniques and blood biochemical parameters, a comprehensive follow-up study was performed, elucidating still unknown processes during force-feeding of geese.
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Gansos/anatomía & histología , Hígado/anatomía & histología , Tejido Adiposo/anatomía & histología , Envejecimiento , Alimentación Animal , Animales , Proteínas Sanguíneas/análisis , Dieta , Nutrición Enteral , Gansos/crecimiento & desarrollo , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Lípidos/sangre , Hígado/diagnóstico por imagen , Hígado/crecimiento & desarrollo , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
The significance of co-infections with novel hepatitis viruses Hepatitis G (GBV-C, HGV) and TT virus (TTV) in chronic hepatitis C is not clear. We determined the prevalence of HGV RNA and TTV DNA in chronic hepatitis C patients and in asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers, and assessed the influence of these agents on the course of HCV infection. Seventy-seven patients with chronic hepatitis C--50 of them treated with interferon (IFN)--and 33 HCV carriers with normal alanine aminotransferase have been investigated. Previous HBV infection was detected by testing serum HBsAg and aHBc. HGV RNA and TTV DNA were detected by PCR. In the healthy population, the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.3%, HGV RNA 8.0% and TTV DNA 18.5%. In chronic hepatitis C HGV RNA occurred in 9.09% and TTV DNA in 40.25% of cases. In IFN-treated patients with sustained remission, the frequency of TTV was 20% vs. 45.7% found in non-responders. Among asymptomatic HCV-carriers, the prevalence of HGV RNA was 9.09% and TTV DNA 75.7%. Neither HGV RNA nor TTV DNA had apparent effect on the HCV infection. TTV was detected with the lowest frequency in persons with sustained remission due to IFN, suggesting antiviral effect of IFN on TTV.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Circoviridae/complicaciones , Infecciones por Flaviviridae/complicaciones , Virus GB-C , Hepatitis C Crónica/complicaciones , Hepatitis Viral Humana/complicaciones , Torque teno virus , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Femenino , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis B/análisis , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most meaningful risk factor in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC). The hepatitis B virus X protein (HBxAg) is a multifunctional protein with many important functions in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. A monoclonal anti-HBxAg antibody was developed in our laboratory and characterized by different methods. Using this antibody HBxAg was detected in formaldehyde fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections of 72 liver biopsies from patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma. The co-expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) and HBxAg was compared. The histological and cytological localization of the detected HBxAg showed a characteristic distribution in different stages of HBV infection. Strong and diffuse nuclear reaction was detected in PHC cases in contrast to the focal, cytoplasmic and nuclear labeling in the acute and chronic B hepatitis cases. Our antibody seems to be a suitable prognostic marker for routine pathohistological diagnosis and for comparative pathological and epidemiological research on the development of PHC.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Monoclonales , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/diagnóstico , Antígenos de la Hepatitis B/inmunología , Hepatitis B Crónica/diagnóstico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/diagnóstico , Transactivadores/inmunología , Animales , Biopsia , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/inmunología , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Antígenos del Núcleo de la Hepatitis B/inmunología , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/inmunología , Hepatitis B Crónica/inmunología , Humanos , Immunoblotting , Técnicas para Inmunoenzimas , Cirrosis Hepática/diagnóstico , Cirrosis Hepática/inmunología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/inmunología , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Pronóstico , Estudios Retrospectivos , Bazo/inmunología , Proteínas Reguladoras y Accesorias ViralesRESUMEN
The early detection and complex therapy of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most seasonable questions of the gastroenterology-oncology, because of the increasing prevalence of the primary liver cancer. The course of the hepatocellular carcinoma is rapid, untreated patients rarely live over 5-6 months. Combination of different treatment modalities in HCC can offer the best chances for survival. If possible, a surgical resection should be the primary procedure, followed by adjuvant cytostatic treatment and chemoembolisation. The authors report three cases with HCC with extremely long survival. The long-term survival achieved by multimodality therapy, as presented in these cases, seems to justify aggressive therapeutical approaches in HCC. It has been concluded, that early detection and complex, aggressive multimodality treatment--even repeated liver resections and surgical elimination of duplex distant metastases--can result in long-term survival with a good quality of life.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Anciano , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/cirugía , Quimioembolización Terapéutica , Terapia Combinada , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/cirugía , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Análisis de SupervivenciaRESUMEN
Two different manifestations of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (histiocytosis X) are presented, the first occurring as a solitary rib eosinophil granuloma in an 11-year-old girl, and the second as an eosinophil granuloma of the lung of her mother, a 41-year-old heavy smoker, appearing 8 years after the onset of her daughter's disease. Familial clustering of two different manifestations of histiocytosis X disease is very rare and raises the possibility of inherited mutations that promote emergence of clonal Langerhans cells.
Asunto(s)
Histiocitosis de Células de Langerhans/patología , Adulto , Niño , Femenino , Antígenos HLA , Histiocitosis de Células de Langerhans/genética , Histiocitosis de Células de Langerhans/inmunología , Humanos , Pulmón/patologíaRESUMEN
Systematic random rectal ultrasound directed map-biopsy of the prostate was performed in 77 RDE (rectal digital examination) positive and 25 RDE negative cases, if applicable. Hypoechoic areas were found in 30% of RDE positive and in 16% of RDE negative cases. The score for carcinoma in the hypoechoic areas was 6.5% in RDE positive and 0% in RDE negative cases, whereas systematic map biopsy detected 62% carcinomas in RDE positive, and 16% carcinomas in RDE negative patients. The probability of positive diagnosis of prostate carcinoma increased in parallel with the number of biopsy samples/case. The importance of systematic map biopsy is emphasized.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias de la Próstata/diagnóstico por imagen , Ultrasonografía/métodos , Anciano , Biopsia , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Hiperplasia Prostática/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasia Intraepitelial Prostática/diagnóstico por imagen , Prostatitis/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
Chemical carcinogens generally require metabolic activation in order to be able to bind to DNA and contribute to cancer causation. Most of the human metabolizing enzymes are genetically polymorphic, and these polymorphisms may affect the enzyme activity or inducibility. In our present study we investigated the connection between genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450 1A1, 2E1 (phase I enzymes) and glutathione-S-transferase M1 (a phase II enzyme) and colorectal cancer occurrence in a Hungarian population. The CYP 2E1 c2 allele proved to be in significant association with colorectal cancer (OR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.05-3.52), the CYP 1A1 Val allele was also overrepresented among colon cancer patients (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.90-2.74), and the frequency of GSTM1 homozygous 0 genotype showed only minor difference (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.75-1.35). Combined analysis of the polymorphisms showed that individuals carrying all the three "high-risk" alleles have a strikingly increased risk for sporadic colorectal cancer (OR: 4.62, 95% CI: 1.23-25.68).
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/genética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Citocromo P-450 CYP1A1/genética , Citocromo P-450 CYP2E1/genética , Glutatión Transferasa/genética , Isoenzimas/genética , Adenocarcinoma/enzimología , Adenocarcinoma/epidemiología , Anciano , Alelos , Biotransformación/genética , Carcinógenos Ambientales/farmacocinética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/enzimología , Neoplasias Colorrectales/epidemiología , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Femenino , Eliminación de Gen , Frecuencia de los Genes , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Genotipo , Humanos , Hungría , Hidrocarburos Aromáticos/farmacocinética , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Nitrosaminas/farmacocinética , Mutación Puntual , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Polimorfismo de Longitud del Fragmento de Restricción , Riesgo , Población Blanca/genéticaRESUMEN
The history of alcohol consumption has been nearly as long as the history of mankind. Alcohol-related diseases represent a serious problem all over the world and they show a gradually increasing tendency. It can be stated that the frequency of occurrence, severity and mortality of alcohol-related hepatic diseases are in direct correlation with the amount of alcohol consumed. The direct hepatotoxic effect of alcohol and its metabolites has become obvious by now. In addition to this, other mechanisms also play a part in the development of hepatic diseases: their occurrence and severity are significantly influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The rather wide spectrum of alcohol-related hepatic diseases includes steatosis, perivenular fibrosis, alcohol-related hepatitis, occlusive venous lesions, cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. All of these disorders are characterized by clearly defined, characteristic but non-specific changes, which need to be supplemented by histological diagnostic criteria. Cirrhosis, which must still be regarded as an irreversibly lethal condition, is thought to develop in two ways. A well-known and widely accepted assumption is that episodes of alcohol-related hepatitis aggravated by progressive fibrosis sooner or later lead to cirrhosis. Another possible explanation is that steatosis facilitating the development and spreading of perivenular fibrosis--even without episodes of hepatitis--may lead to cirrhosis. Thus, alcohol-related hepatic conditions have characteristic pathohistological features, none of which, however, are pathognomonic at the same time. Therefore, the definitive diagnosis of any form of alcohol-related hepatic disorders needs to take evidence of alcohol consumption into account.
Asunto(s)
Hepatopatías Alcohólicas/patología , Hígado Graso Alcohólico/patología , Hepatitis Alcohólica/patología , Humanos , Cirrosis Hepática Alcohólica/patología , Hepatopatías Alcohólicas/complicacionesRESUMEN
AIMS: Three gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumours (GANT) were characterized by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Two of the three cases occurred in the small intestine, while the third was found in the stomach. Besides the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural description, the aim of this study was to examine the relation between the known and accepted predictive factors (ploidy data, the S-phase fraction, the mitotic and MIB-1 index and the size of the tumour) and the survival of the patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The immune profile showed that 3/3 cases were vimentin and NSE, 2/3 were synaptophysin and PGP 9.5 positive, while 1/3 also showed S100 positivity. Ultrastructurally, all the cases had dense core granules, one of them contained skenoid fibres. The flow cytometry revealed diploid DNA in all cases, however, significant differences could be seen in the proliferative activity of the individual neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of the published data of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) generally, neither the MIB-1 index and the ploidy data nor the size of the primary tumour helped to predict the clinical progression of the examined GANTs. However, the high proliferative activity (57 mitoses/10 HPF) and the elevated S-phase fraction (24%) was associated with advanced, metastatic and recurring disease in case 3. On the basis of these three cases, high mitotic activity is the most reliable factor in predicting aggressive clinical behaviour.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades del Sistema Nervioso Autónomo/patología , Sistema Digestivo/inervación , Neoplasias Gastrointestinales/patología , Índice Mitótico , Adulto , Antígenos Nucleares , Enfermedades del Sistema Nervioso Autónomo/metabolismo , Enfermedades del Sistema Nervioso Autónomo/cirugía , Biomarcadores de Tumor/metabolismo , Recuento de Células , Gránulos Citoplasmáticos/ultraestructura , ADN de Neoplasias/análisis , Sistema Digestivo/patología , Procedimientos Quirúrgicos del Sistema Digestivo , Resultado Fatal , Citometría de Flujo , Neoplasias Gastrointestinales/metabolismo , Neoplasias Gastrointestinales/cirugía , Humanos , Antígeno Ki-67 , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Orgánulos/ultraestructura , Ploidias , PronósticoRESUMEN
A case of a 67 year old male successfully treated local recurrence of previously radically resected hepatocellular carcinoma with distant metastases of the lung is reported. Two years after a complete removal of the primary liver malignoma a local recurrence was resected which was followed by selective intraarterial cytostatic treatment and chemoembolisation. A three-year disease-free interval was achieved, then recurrence in the liver and lung metastases were detected at the regular check-up. All of the malignant focuses were eliminated by parenchyma sparing surgical resections, then a postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (FAM scheme) has been followed. After eight months the patient remained symptom-free. The long-term survival seems to justify the aggressive approach of this kind of malignancies.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma Hepatocelular/cirugía , Neoplasias Hepáticas/cirugía , Neoplasias Pulmonares/secundario , Anciano , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/terapia , Terapia Combinada , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Neoplasias Hepáticas/terapia , Neoplasias Pulmonares/diagnóstico por imagen , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Neoplasias Pulmonares/cirugía , Masculino , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos XRESUMEN
In a newborn girl with a history of connatal liver damage, histological examination of a liver biopsy sample taken during the seventh week of life revealed incipient destruction of bile ducts. Very high titres of antimitochondrial antibodies were later detected in the plasma. As the hepatic injury tended towards fibrosis, the histological diagnosis became primary biliary cirrhosis. Autoantibodies against E1 alpha, E2, and E3 subunits and protein X component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, and against citrate synthase were detected on western immunoblotting in a 1 in 1000 dilution of the patient's serum. The patient died of her illness at 11 years of age. In liver specimens obtained at autopsy human immunoglobulin deposition was detected on the surface of almost all hepatic cells by immunohistology. As there is a physical and functional interaction between pyruvate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase within the mitochondria, the presence of autoantibodies against certain proteins in the patient suggests that in this form of the disease the molecular recognition and then the autoimmunisation process could be directed against a mitochondrial enzyme cluster containing both pyruvate dehydrogenase and citrate synthase.
Asunto(s)
Autoanticuerpos/sangre , Citrato (si)-Sintasa/inmunología , Cirrosis Hepática Biliar/inmunología , Complejo Piruvato Deshidrogenasa/inmunología , Western Blotting , Femenino , Histocitoquímica , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Mitocondrias Hepáticas/enzimologíaRESUMEN
Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems are proposed for the indirect monitoring of formaldehyde by the parallel detection of its N-methylated precursors and the corresponding demethylated compounds. As an example for such immunoanalytical differentiation between an N-heterocyclic compound and its N-methylated derivative, the quantitative detection of the systemic triazole fungicide, myclobutanil, is discussed. Antibodies recognizing the non-zwitterionic structure of 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-[(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-methyl]-hexanonitril e (myclobutanil) showed only minor binding to corresponding N-alkylated derivatives of myclobutanil. And vice versa, literature data indicate that antibodies raised against the pyridilium ionic structure of the herbicide paraquat, displayed only mediocre reactivity towards the corresponding dealkylated derivatives. Thus, both experimental and literature data suggest that immunoanalytical methods for differential detection of N-methylated heterocycles (potentially including formaldehyde precursors) and their non-methylated counterparts are possible to develop.
Asunto(s)
Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática/métodos , Fungicidas Industriales/inmunología , Compuestos Heterocíclicos/análisis , Afinidad de Anticuerpos , Haptenos/inmunología , Compuestos Heterocíclicos/química , Metilación , Triazoles/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Angiocentric T-cell lymphoma of the lung. The case history of a patient with primary angiocentric T-cell lymphoma of the lung having an unusually long survival period (> 10 years) is presented. Attention is paid to the possibilities of differential diagnosis that should be taken into account in the analysis of certain lymphocytic infiltrates of the lung. In accordance with relevant data of the literature, this case shows that pleiomorphic small cell T-lymphomas may have a protracted course, and the disease free periods repeatedly achieved in this patient by irradiation and chemotherapy are thought to be noticeable. Authors refer to some recent findings which may give new insights in the pathobiology of extranodal T-cell lymphomas, and result in recognition of new disease entities.
Asunto(s)
Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapéutico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/inmunología , Linfoma de Células T/inmunología , Biopsia , Resultado Fatal , Humanos , Trastornos Inmunoproliferativos/tratamiento farmacológico , Trastornos Inmunoproliferativos/inmunología , Trastornos Inmunoproliferativos/patología , Neoplasias Pulmonares/clasificación , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Neoplasias Pulmonares/terapia , Linfoma de Células T/clasificación , Linfoma de Células T/patología , Linfoma de Células T/terapia , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estadificación de Neoplasias , Radiografía TorácicaAsunto(s)
Anciano , Comunismo/historia , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Ética Médica , Historia del Siglo XX , Humanos , Hungría , PolíticaRESUMEN
Two cases of mesenteric desmoids observed after colectomy are reviewed. In one of them the familial polyposis had been known, in the other familial history could not be proved. Fibrous change prevented making of the planned Kock reservoir.