A Demographic Study of the Practice of Ophthalmololgy in the State of Utah

A demographic survey of the practice of ophthalmology in the State of Utah has disclosed that there has been tremendous increase in the number of practicing ophthalmologists, particularly in the last 8 years. This increase has severely decreased the number of surgeries performed per ophthalmologist in the state, with notable regional differences.     

DSIP — more than a sleep peptide?

In several species DSIP at low doses has been shown to promote sleep. Although its physiological role remains to be clarified, DSIP illustrates several concepts applicable to other brain peptides. These include the bell-shaped dose-response curve, central effects after peripheral administration, a delayed and prolonged time course, and some penetration of the blood-brain barrier in essentially intact form. Concepts applicable to one neuropeptide, therefore, appear to be applicable to others. In this article Abba Kastin and colleagues review the known effects of DSIP and argue that more work needs to be carried out before it can be labelled functionally.     

Naloxone and fluid consumption in rats: dose-response relationships for 15 days

Rats were given daily intraperitoneal injections of 10.0, 1.0, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 or 0.0 mg/kg naloxone for 15 days. Each day after the injections, animals were allowed access to a 20% sucrose solution for two hours and to tap water for the subsequent 10 hours. Consumption of the sucrose solution by the group that received 1.0 mg/kg was reliably decreased on Day 1 and 2, reflecting the suppressive effect of naloxone at that dose. By Day 3 until the end of the experiment, however, the suppression was no longer significant, suggesting that tolerance had developed. A similar effect was seen with the group given the highest dose, 10.0 mg/kg; although drinking was significantly less than the control in each of the 15 sessions, this group showed a trend to increase intake over the days of the experiment, thus also indicating possible tolerance to the effect of naloxone. Drinking patterns of the other groups did not differ statistically from the control. Thus, the low doses had no ability to suppress consumption, and the lowest dose that did lower it soon lost that ability; the highest dose continued to suppress drinking throughout the study but with decreasing efficacy. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) demonstrated that the naloxone remained intact over the 15 days of the experiment, supporting the suggestion that tolerance to naloxone might have developed.     

Epidural hematoma after minor oral trauma.

A case report was presented in which a 15-year-old boy was beaten about the head with a baseball bat. Intraoral trauma and facial lacerations were repaired. Since results of the neurological examination were within normal limits, the patient was discharged. The next day, the patient became lethargic; however, the patient's mother did not bring the patient back to the hospital until the routine postoperative visit. At that time, the patient had right hemiparesis, was unable to speak, and was clearly obtunded. A carotid angiogram disclosed a left venous epidural hematoma in the parietal area. A craniotomy was performed with good results. The importance of follow-up neurologic examinations in cases of trauma to the face and head is stressed.