Evaluation of a rapid stoolantigen test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of a rapid assay that wasdeveloped to detect Helicobacter pylori antigen in the stool,using the principle of immunochromatography, in the Chinese population. METHODS: Eligible patients without prior treatment of H.pylori were recruited. An in‐house rapid urease test (RUT) andhistology were used as the gold standard. The results of the rapidstool antigen test were compared with the gold standard. RESULTS: Valid rapid stool antigen test results for interpretationwere obtained from 94 consecutive patients (mean age: 52.5, range:22?82 years). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictivevalue, negative predictive value and accuracy were, respectively, 77.5%,87.0%, 81.6%, 83.9% and 83.0%.The test was easy to perform and results were available within 15 min. CONCLUSION: The rapid stool antigen test using immunochromatography accuratelydiagnoses H. pylori infection in Chinese patients.     

Determination of stent stenosis: An in vivo experimental comparison of intravascular ultrasound and angiography with histology

Purpose: To compare intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and angiography with histology in determining the degree of stent stenosis in an in vivo experiment. Methods: In 16 sheep, a total of 64 stents were implanted into the external iliac arteries. Two stents were inserted on either side. Patency was followed by angiography and IVUS. Four types of stent were used: two Dacron-covered (Cragg Endopro and heparinized Cragg Endopro) and two non-covered (Cragg and Memotherm stents). Eight animals were killed after 1 month, eight others after 6 months. Histological sections were prepared from the stented vessels. Measurements of the patent and total stent diameters determined by IVUS, angiography, and histology were compared. Results: Correlation between IVUS and angiography was 0.75, between IVUS and histology 0.77, and between angiography and histology 0.85. A mean stent stenosis of 17 ± 11% (range 0–51%) was found on angiography, of 10 ± 11% (0–46%) on IVUS, and of 20 ± 11% (4%–49%) on histology. In comparison with histology, IVUS underestimated the degree of stenosis by 10 ± 8%, and angiography underestimated it by 3 ± 6%. Resolution of IVUS was calculated to be about 0.35 mm and that of angiography to be about 0.15 mm. Conclusion: Under experimental conditions, IVUS was not superior to angiography in determining the degree of stent stenosis in long-segment stenoses of iliac artery stents, when measurements were correlated with histology. Angiography is sufficient for following the patency of iliac artery stents.     

Mucocutaneous manifestations in 22 consecutive cases of primary HIV-1 infection

Summary Twenty-two consecutive patients presenting with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HTV-1) seroconversion were studied. Most of the patients had a glandular fever-like illness.
All patients had fever and pharyngitis, and eight of them also suffered from ulcers of the oral, genital or anal mucosa. Uniform skin eruptions were observed in 17 of the 22 patients. The exanthem consisted of varying numbers of macular or maculopapular lesions that were oval or rounded in shape, ranging from a few millimetres to 1 cm in diameter. The lesions were distributed on the upper thorax in all cases, and were particularly profuse in the collar region. The face forehead and scalp were involved in most cases, but the eruption was sparse or absent at the periphery of the extremities. In the majority of patients, the exanthem appeared after 2 or 3 days of fever. The exanthem developed during the first day, persisted for 5-8 days, and then cleared concurrently with the general recovery of the patients.
Histopathological studies of skin punch biopsy specimens from four patients showed a sparse lymphocytic cell infiltrate distributed around vessels of the dermal superficial plexus. The infiltrates predominantly consisted of equally represented T-helper/inducer and T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells. A vacuolar aberration of basal layer cells was found in two of the four eases studied histologically. The microscopic findings correspond to the histopathological patterns seen in toxieodermia and in the interface dermatitis of morbilliform viral exanthems. The exanthem is a frequent and characteristic sign of primary HTV infection, which is further indicated if mucosal ulcers are present.     

METHOTREXATE AND PREDNISOLONE TREATMENT OF A CHILD WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS

ABSTRACT: Björksten, B. and Bäck, O. (Department of Paediatrics and Dermatology University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden) Methotrexate and prednisolone treatment of a child with psoriatic arthritis. Acta Paediatr Scand, 64:664, 1975–A case of severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in a child is presented. Only one detailed report has been published previously. The result of treatment with prednisolone and methotrexate was encouraging.     

脑脊液在多发性硬化诊断和研究中的意义

尽管近年来神经影像学技术如头颅ＣＴ和ＭＲＩ的长足进步，为多发性硬化（ＭＳ）临床诊断提供了有力的手段，但脑脊液（ＣＳＦ）检查在ＭＳ临床和研究方面的重要作用仍然是其他方法无法取代的。它不仅为ＭＳ的诊断和鉴别诊断提供依据，而且ＣＳＦ中免疫细胞和免疫分子的变...