The relationship between neuropsychological function and brain damage detected by neuroimaging after closed head injury

Studies relating neuropsychology and structural neuroimaging after closed head injury are reviewed. Particular attention is given to the question of the relative contribution of focal and diffuse damage to neuropsychological impairment. The evidence currently available emphasizes the importance of diffuse damage in closed head injury. Diffuse damage is not equally distributed in the brain, and the review suggests three axes that are relevant for neuropsychological function: (1) damage may be unilateral or bilateral, (2) damage is characteristically greater in anterior regions than posterior regions, and (3) damage shows a centripetal gradient. A large gap remains between the emergent generalizations concerning head injury and reliable neuropsychological interpretation of scans from individual patients.     

The chief medical residency in Canada: comparison of opinions between physicians-in-chief and chief medical residents.

We conducted a survey of physicians-in-chief (PCs) and chief medical residents (CMRs) in training programs throughout Canada to determine their attitudes toward the need for and role of CMRs in Canada and to rate the importance of CMR duties and attributes. Forty-three hospitals with 5 to 126 house staff in all eight provinces with medical schools were surveyed; 36 PCs (84%) and 29 CMRs (67%) returned a completed questionnaire. Compared with the CMRs the PCs preferred more prior training (p less than 0.03), estimated as significantly less the time spent by CMRs in required duties (p less than 0.05) and rated as more important the responsibilities of faculty-house staff liaison, house staff leader, house staff role model and teaching house staff (p less than 0.05) and the attributes of clinical judgement, medical knowledge, clinician model and research interests (p less than 0.03). All of the PCs and 97% of the CMRs rated the position as somewhat to very necessary; 83% of the PCs and 66% of the CMRs would not alter the present CMR roles. A total of 92% of the PCs felt that the position was very or somewhat advantageous with respect to a future private practice, compared with 67% of the CMRs (p less than 0.02). Increased administrative and committee duties, decreased teaching and future reductions in house staff were identified as major but reversible threats to the unique quality of the CMR position. We conclude that the CMR has a necessary, important and highly regarded role in Canadian university hospitals that could possibly be improved by regular review by the PC and CMR at each hospital to avoid the identified problems.     

Endothelial function and aqueous humor flow rate in patients with Fuchs' dystrophy

Using a two-dimensional scanning fluorophotometer, we studied 50 subjects with symmetric ocular involvement of Fuchs' dystrophy without epithelial edema. Twenty-six subjects with confluent or nearly confluent cornea gutata with increased corneal thickness and 24 subjects with mild to moderate cornea guttata with normal corneal thickness were compared to normal control subjects. There were no statistically significant differences in endothelial permeability between the three groups. Corneal thickness was significantly increased in the subjects with confluent to nearly confluent guttae, however. These results suggest that endothelial pump function may be affected in subjects with advanced cornea guttata with stromal edema.     

Are Continuity Clinic Patients Less Satisfied When the Resident Is Postcall?

Due to recent public debate and newly imposed resident work hour restrictions, we decided to investigate the relationship of resident call status to their ambulatory patients' satisfaction. Resident continuity clinic patients were asked to rate their level of satisfaction on a 10-point Likert-type scale. Using multiple regression approaches, these data were then assessed as a function of resident call status. We found that in 646 patient encounters, patient satisfaction scores were significantly less when the resident was postcall, 8.99 ± 1.8, than when not postcall, 9.31 ± 1.3. We herein discuss etiologies and implications of these findings for both patient care and medical education.     

Effect of indomethacin on arachidonic acid metabolism in human leukocytes stimulated ex vivo.

We had previously shown that inhibition of cyclooxygenase in vitro by indomethacin can cause increased formation of products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism in leukocytes. To determine if this effect also occurred in vivo, we studied leukocyte arachidonic acid metabolism in 12 volunteers before and after ingestion of 150 mg indomethacin daily for 3 days. Blood was collected before treatment and 2 hours, 2 days, and 5 days after the final dose of indomethacin. Serum thromboxane B2, a measure of platelet cyclooxygenase activity, was profoundly suppressed 2 hours after the final dose of indomethacin but had recovered to control values at 2 days. Mixed leukocyte suspensions and purified neutrophil suspensions were prepared and stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187 and the resultant 5-lipoxygenase metabolites were quantified by HPLC. Two hours after the final dose of indomethacin, the stimulated levels of 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, leukotriene B4, and leukotriene C4 were significantly increased to 247% +/- 68%, 135% +/- 14%, and 149% +/- 23% of pretreatment values, respectively. Two days after the final dose of indomethacin, 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid levels were still significantly elevated. By 5 days all parameters had returned to baseline. Similar effects were not observed in purified neutrophil suspensions, probably because of the loss of indomethacin from the cells during the multiple washing procedures used in their preparation. This is in accord with the reversible nature of the inhibitory effect of indomethacin on cyclooxygenase. We conclude that indomethacin at a commonly used dose increases the ability of circulating leukocytes to produce 5-lipoxygenase products.     

The search for a physiologic marker of Machado-Joseph disease

Machado-Joseph disease is a dominantly inherited, multisystem, degenerative disorder that lacks a proven genetic marker. Peripheral nerve conduction-refractory period, sensory evoked potentials, and quantified oculomotor recordings were studied in nine patients affected with this disease to look for a potential physiologic marker. Only the oculomotor measurements of saccade and smooth pursuit gain were consistently abnormal in all patients. Identical eye movement recordings in 12 asymptomatic individuals at risk for Machado-Joseph disease revealed findings typical of affected patients in only 1 individual. Quantified oculomotor studies may contribute to the early confirmation of the disease, primarily in individuals at risk with minor or equivocal neurologic signs.     

Expression of functional postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors in rabbit isolated distal saphenous artery--a permissive role for angiotensin II?

In the rabbit isolated distal saphenous artery, the population of postjunctional adrenoceptors is of the alpha 1 variety under normal in vitro experimental conditions, based on the potency order of selective agonists and on the effects of the antagonists prazosin and rauwolscine against responses to UK-14304. Angiotensin II (A II, 0.05 microM) however, without affecting resting baseline tension, markedly enhanced responses to UK-14304, particularly at low concentrations. This previously unseen component of the response to UK-14304 was resistant to prazosin (0.1 microM) but susceptible to rauwolscine (1 microM). A II would therefore appear to have a permissive role for the expression of a quiescent population of postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the rabbit distal saphenous artery.     

Glutamergic Action on Alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone Release from the Rat Hypothalamus

Release of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) synthesized in the hypothalamus is regulated by monoaminergic neuronal systems. An endogenous dopaminergic system inhibits α-MSH release (1, 2) whilst serotoninergic systems exert a biphasic effect on peptide release (3). The toxic effects of neonatal peripheral administration of monosodium glutamate on hypothalamic neurons containing proopiomelanocortin- (POMC-) derived peptides (4, 5) suggest additionally the presence of glutamate receptors on or indirectly influencing the POMC neuron. By comparison of the effect of the excitatory amino-acid agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate and kainate on the release of α-MSH from superfused slices of rat hypothalamus, we have demonstrated a stimulatory glutamergic action on α-MSH release mediated through NMDA-type receptors.