Purpose:To define the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging prevalence of pancreatic cysts in a cohort of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) compared with a control group without ADPKD that was matched for age, sex, and renal function. Materials and Methods:In this HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved study, all patients with ADPKD provided informed consent; for control subjects, informed consent was waived. Patients with ADPKD (n = 110) with mutations identified in PKD1 or PKD2 and control subjects without ADPKD or known pancreatic disease (n = 110) who were matched for age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and date of MR imaging examination were evaluated for pancreatic cysts by using axial and coronal single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted images obtained at 1.5 T. Total kidney volume and liver volume were measured. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate potential associations between collected variables and presence of pancreatic cysts among patients with ADPKD. The number, size, location, and imaging characteristics of the cysts were recorded. Results:Patients with ADPKD were significantly more likely than control subjects to have at least one pancreatic cyst (40 of 110 patients [36%] vs 25 of 110 control subjects [23%]; P = .027). In a univariate analysis, pancreatic cysts were more prevalent in patients with ADPKD with mutations in PKD2 than in PKD1 (21 of 34 patients [62%] vs 19 of 76 patients [25%]; P = .0002). In a multivariable logistic regression model, PKD2 mutation locus was significantly associated with the presence of pancreatic cysts (P = .0004) and with liver volume (P = .038). Patients with ADPKD and a pancreatic cyst were 5.9 times more likely to have a PKD2 mutation than a PKD1 mutation after adjusting for age, race, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, liver volume, and total kidney volume. Conclusion:Pancreatic cysts were more prevalent in patients with ADPKD with PKD2 mutation than in control subjects or patients with PKD1 mutation.q RSNA, 2016

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Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) is an important modulator of phospholipid transfer and exchange among lipoproteins and also plays a role in inflammation and oxidative stress. Accordingly, PLTP has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is common in patients with atherosclerosis, and both inflammation and oxidative stress have also been implicated in its development and progression. The goal of the present study was to examine the relation between plasma levels of PLTP and LV systolic function. Baseline plasma PLTP activity was measured in 389 male patients referred for coronary angiography for a variety of indications. Detailed clinical, angiographic and laboratory characteristics were available for the patients. Compared to those patients with normal LV function (defined as an ejection fraction of >=55% on ventriculography), patients with any degree of LV dysfunction had elevated PLTP activity (median PLTP 17.8 pmol/ul/h versus 15.9 pmol/ul/h, p=0.0038). Using multivariate analysis, and adjusting for a variety of confounding variables known to affect both LV function and PLTP activity, PLTP activity was an independent predictor of the presence of any left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the entire population (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.12–1.93, p=0.0052). Furthermore, PLTP activity was an independent predictor of the presence of LV dysfunction in both patients with and without myocardial infarction on presentation (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.18–4.86, p=0.0161 and OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.05–1.89, p=0.0206, respectively). In conclusion, PLTP activity may represent a novel marker of LV systolic dysfunction in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease.

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Aims: To study and compare the morphometric alteration in the umbilical cord obtained from thirty normal pregnancies (Group-I) and thirty pre-eclamptic pregnancies (Group-II). Methods: Morphological changes in umbilical cords were examined on formalin fixed paraffin embedded section. Various parameters were measured by planimeter. Results: In pre-eclamptic group total vessel area, total vein area, total luminal area of vein, and wall thickness of arteries were increased, whereas jelly area and wall thickness of vein were decreased as compared to normal group. Conclusion: Increased umbilical arterial thickness, decreased umbilical vein wall thickness and increased luminal area of vein which could be a predictor of intrauterine growth retardation in term pre-eclamptic patients. Nepal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology / Vol 7 / No. 1 / Issue 13 / Jan- June, 2012 / 28-32 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njog.v7i1.8832