Unusual presentation of perirenal lung metastases

Lung cancer is not commonly known to metastasise to the perirenal space, with only five such cases previously published. We present an unusual case of perirenal lung metastases manifesting as diffuse perinephric stranding which to our knowledge has not been described before.     

High prevalence of HIV infection among homeless and street-involved Aboriginal youth in a Canadian setting

Aboriginal people experience a disproportionate burden of HIV infection among the adult population in Canada; however, less is known regarding the prevalence and characteristics of HIV positivity among drug-using and street-involved Aboriginal youth. We examined HIV seroprevalence and risk factors among a cohort of 529 street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. At baseline, 15 (2.8%) were HIV positive, of whom 7 (46.7%) were Aboriginal. Aboriginal ethnicity was a significant correlate of HIV infection (odds ratio = 2.87, 95%CI: 1.02 – 8.09). Of the HIV positive participants, 2 (28.6%) Aboriginals and 6 (75.0%) non-Aboriginals reported injection drug use; furthermore, hepatitis C co-infection was significantly less common among Aboriginal participants (p = 0.041). These findings suggest that factors other than injection drug use may promote HIV transmission among street-involved Aboriginal youth, and provide further evidence that culturally appropriate and evidence-based interventions for HIV prevention among Aboriginal young people are urgently required.     

Accuracy of passive ankle joint positioning during quiet stance in young and elderly subjects

Age-related postural deficits elicit compensatory mechanisms such as ankle dorsiflexion in the elderly. To gain further insight into this problem, the ability to match an ankle angle during quiet stance was studied in 12 elderly and 12 young subjects. Following an initial single limb angular perturbation presented in the ±4° range, a subject had to return a tilt platform to level, as determined by the nonperturbed limb. Elderly subjects exhibited significant positive (0.9°) over-shoot of the level position, in contrast to young subjects who matched ankle angle with a mean error of −0.1°. The elderly group also exhibited an increase in positioning error for angular displacements in the range between −1 and +1°. The results document age-related postural changes in ankle positioning which might affect postural stability in older adults.     

Cognitive impairment in aged rhesus monkeys associated with monoamine receptors in the prefrontal cortex

The “frontal aging hypothesis” has been proposed by many researchers suggesting that the earliest and most severe age-related changes in the cortex occur in the frontal lobes. Two of these changes include decreases in cognitive functions mediated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and significant decreases in norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA). To investigate whether the changes in these neurotransmitter systems are directly related to the cognitive decline seen in aging we utilized the rhesus monkey as a model of normal human aging. Our goal was to determine if age-related changes in cognition is associated with changes in norepinephrine and dopamine receptor binding density in the PFC. Eight young monkeys between five and ten years of age (six males and two female) and eight aged monkeys between 25 and 32 years of age (five males and three females) were behaviorally characterized. Subsequently on-the-slide in vitro binding assays were used to quantify the -1 adrenergic, -2 adrenergic and DA1 receptors as well as the NE and DA uptake receptors. Aged animals as a group demonstrated significant cognitive impairments and aging produced a significant decrease in -1 adrenergic and -2 adrenergic receptor binding in the PFC but no significant change in binding for the DA1 receptor or the NE or DA uptake receptors. Further analysis revealed a significant relationship between monoamine receptor binding and cognitive performance on three tasks: delayed non-matching to sample, delayed recognition span test and the conceptual set-shifting task.     

Impairment of executive function induced by hypertension in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

The effects of chronic, untreated hypertension on executive function were investigated in a nonhuman primate model of hypertensive cerebrovascular disease. Executive function was assessed with the Conceptual Set-Shifting Task (CSST). a task adapted from the human Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Like the WCST, the CSST requires abstraction of a stimulus set, followed by a series of set shifts. Performance on the CSST by 7 young adult monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with surgically induced hypertension was compared with that of 6 normotensive monkeys. The hypertensive group was significantly impaired relative to the normotensive group in abstraction and set shifting. Although the neural basis of this impairment is unclear, evidence from studies with humans and monkeys suggests that the prefrontal cortex may be the locus for this effect of hypertension.     

Isokinetic Hamstrings:Quadriceps Ratios in Intercollegiate Athletes

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in the concentric hamstrings:quadriceps (H:Q) ratio among athletes in different sports at 3 velocities. DESIGN AND SETTING: We measured the H:Q ratio of both knees using the Biodex Pro Isokinetic Device. SUBJECTS: Eighty-one male and female collegiate athletes. MEASUREMENTS: We performed analyses for sport, velocity, and side of body for each sex. To compare the means of the concentric H:Q ratios for mean peak torque and mean total work, a 2 x 3 x 4 mixed-factorial analysis of variance was computed for women and a 2 x 2 x 3 mixed-factorial analysis of variance was computed for men. RESULTS: We observed no significant interactions for men and women for the concentric H:Q ratio for mean peak torque. There was a significant mean difference among velocity conditions and a significant difference for men with respect to velocity. No significant differences were found for side of body or sport. CONCLUSIONS: The H:Q ratio increased as velocity increased. No differences existed for the H:Q ratio for sport or side of body.     

Exogenous lung surfactant: effect on radiographic appearance in premature infants

At birth, premature infants of 25-29 weeks gestation, at high risk for development of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), were given a single dose (90 mg) of calf lung surfactant extract (CLSE) by intratracheal instillation. The frequency and severity of RDS were assessed with use of a simple radiographic scoring system in which pulmonary parenchymal densities and the prominence of the air-bronchogram effect were used as indicators of widespread atelectasis. Radiographs were obtained in surfactant-treated and control infants within the first 90 minutes of life as part of an initial evaluation of their pulmonary status. Subsequent examinations were performed at less than 24 hours and less than 48 hours of age. Radiographic assessment of lung disease compared consistently with coordinated data on oxygen and mean airway pressure requirements of the infants. Both indicated a significantly decreased frequency and severity of RDS in the infants treated with surfactant. The results provide supporting evidence of the effectiveness of exogenous lung surfactant replacement in mitigating RDS in very premature infants.     

Thrombosis at venous insertion sites after inferior vena caval filter placement

Color Doppler flow imaging or compression ultrasound (US) was used to prospectively determine frequency of thrombosis at 54 venous insertion sites (47 in common femoral veins, seven in right internal jugular veins) after percutaneous placement of Greenfield filters for interruption of the inferior vena cava. Fifty-one filters were successfully placed in 51 patients with a dilator set or a balloon angioplasty catheter. Nine focal thrombi were detected in the common femoral vein (19%) and one in the right internal jugular vein (14%). Use of dilators induced eight thrombi (24%), compared with two (10%) from balloon catheters. The left common femoral vein had a high frequency of thrombosis, regardless of dilation technique (five of nine). Of nine patients with acute common femoral vein thrombosis, four became symptomatic within 10 days after the procedure. Patients may remain asymptomatic or have delayed symptoms; thus, US is valuable for determining patients at risk of thrombosis of the common femoral vein.