Congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis. Report of a case with 7-year follow-up and a review of the literature

A case of congenital self-healing reticulohistiocytosis in an otherwise healthy newborn boy is presented. Histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural findings are described and the nosologic position of this entity is discussed.     

Five Percent Lidocaine Cream Applied Simultaneously to the Skin and Mucosa of the Lips Creates Excellent Anesthesia for Filler Injections

Background. Injection of filler substances into the lips is painful, and many patients also find the injection of local or regional anesthesia into the lips painful.
Objective. To develop a highly effective and painless form of anesthesia to facilitate injection of filler substances into the lips.
Methods. Five percent lidocaine cream was applied simultaneously to the skin, vermilion, and mucosa of the lips (with the use of a barrier to keep the cream in contact with the mucosa and out of the rest of the mouth) for 20 to 30 minutes.
Results. Profound anesthesia of the lips was reliably produced, with no complications.
Conclusions. This "anesthetic cream block" is easier to perform and better tolerated than injectable anesthetics. Use of this technique is likely to expand the range of physicians who perform filler injections on the lips and will probably also expand the range of patients who wish to have filler injections done on their lips and who (because they had little or no discomfort) are willing to return for additional filler injections in the future.     

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia of the orbit associated with obstructive airway disease

Two patients with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia isolated to the orbit had eyelid swelling, a superior orbital mass, and histories of intermittent obstructive airway disease. One patient later developed a transient peripheral blood eosinophilia as high as 36%. One lesion recurred 38 months postoperatively and responded to systemic corticosteroid therapy.     

Lithium and haloperidol differentially alter the dynorphin A (1-8) and enkephalin levels in the neurointermediate lobe of rat pituitary

Repeated administration of the antimanic drug lithium (4 mEq/kg/day for 2, 4 or 6 days, i.p.) to rats produced a progressive decline and eventual depletion of dynorphin-A (1-8) (DYN) concentration whereas Met5-enkephalin (ENK) was only marginally decreased in the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL). Administration of a neuroleptic haloperidol neither affected ENK and DYN levels nor influenced lithium-induced changes. The study reveals that lithium produces a preferential perturbation in the dynorphin system relative to the enkephalin system. These results taken together with other evidence, indicate that dynorphin is possibly coreleased with vasopressin following lithium administration and provide a pharmacological support to the previously described colocalization and corelease of these endogenous peptides in the NIL.     

Ameloblastoma with multiple delayed recurrences: a case report

The ameloblastoma is a tumor arising predominantly in the mandible from odontogenic epithelium, and is locally invasive. It is rarely malignant; but even when benign, it causes gross local destruction and expansion of tissue. Growth is persistent, and recurrence may occur more than a decade after presumed total resection. Surgical resection should include a reasonable margin of healthy tissue whenever possible. Late patient presentation due to a paucity of symptoms, and insiduous tumor growth patterns render complete removal of the ameloblastoma difficult. Follow-up examinations should span a prolonged period, exceeding 10-15 years.     

What are health authorities doing about the health problems caused by unemployment?

Unemployment is over three million in Britain, and unemployment is known to be associated with poor health. It has been suggested that health authorities should produce a comprehensive response to the health problems caused by unemployment, and a survey was undertaken to find how many had done so. All the regional and district health authorities in England, the health boards of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and the family practitioner committees of England and Wales were asked by letter what they were doing to respond to the health problems of unemployment. A list of suggestions of what they might be doing was enclosed. The overall response rate was 77% (255/331), and 50% (127/255) of the respondents were doing something--33.3% (3/9) of the regional health authorities, 64% (101/158) of the district health authorities and health boards, and 26% (23/88) of the family practitioner committees. The paper describes what they were doing. A relation was sought between the level of unemployment in an area and the extent of the response, and a significant association was found. Half of Britain's health authorities are now responding in some way to the health problems associated with unemployment.     

Short term correlates of the Neuro Emotional Technique for cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot case series

Introduction As many as one quarter of all cancer survivors report traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences. While the majority of these patients do not meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is growing evidence that subsyndromal symptoms can significantly contribute to functional impairment and negative health outcomes. Treatment options for the hallmark symptoms of traumatic stress—unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and avoidant behaviors—have not been well investigated for the cancer survivorship population. Materials and methods Seven female cancer survivors with traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences and no other major psychopathology, were enrolled to receive three sessions of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET), a brief, targeted treatment that combines traditional desensitization principles with complementary modalities. Results Psychological outcome measures (Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and physiological measures (Heart Rate (HR) and Skin Conductance Level (SCL) demonstrated the following changes: 71% on IES, 88% SUD, 74% on HR, and 65% on SCL following the intervention. Statistically significant changes were observed for all four parameters, and effect size g for proportion improved were 0.50 each for IES, SUD, and HR, and 0.20 for SCL. Conclusions These cases suggest feasibility of the NET intervention for cancer-related traumatic stress and the potential for change in symptoms and physiological reactivity. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific and long-term effects of such an approach. Implications for cancer survivors Traumatic stress from cancer-related experiences might represent a constellation of symptoms that are amenable to brief, targeted interventions. This study was supported by the O.N.E. Research Foundation     

Update on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the most significant chronic illnesses of adults. Comprehensive care of the affected patient requires the medical-surgical nurse to have knowledge of the disease process, collaborative management, and nursing care based on research and current practice guidelines.