Head injury in child abuse: evaluation with MR imaging

To evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of head injury in child abuse, the authors compared the findings at head MR imaging and computed tomography (CT) in 19 abused children. Subdural hematomas (15 cases), cortical contusions (six cases), and shearing injuries (five cases) were demonstrated to particular advantage with MR imaging. CT remained superior in the detection of subarachnoid hemorrhage. MR imaging appears to be valuable in the assessment of patients with suspected intracranial injury due to child abuse.     

What nephrologists need to know about diagnostic test accuracy articles

Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials are well‐recognized as the best evidence for an intervention and are also becoming more available for diagnostic test evaluation. In the absence of a well‐conducted and well‐reported systematic review clinicians must rely on primary studies to determine how best to interpret and understand diagnostic test information. Diagnostic test studies are abundant in the published literature; however, there are considerable limitations to the information provided in many of these papers and careful appraisal is required before the findings can be applied to individual patients. The current paper provides a framework for determining bias, clinical applicability and erroneous findings within a paper, allowing greater efficiency in selecting studies and deciding on the value of the information reported in them.     

表面带电脂质体载药及对小鼠体内弓形虫的作用

表面电性是脂质体重要性质之一,本文用1,8-ANS作为探剂,采用荧光法和电泳法测定脂质体的表面电位。离子性药物的包封率及渗漏速度受脂质体表面电性影响,实验表明,脂质体表面电性和药物离子电性相反时,包封率高,渗漏速度慢。以小鼠感染弓形虫做模型,进行体内试验,证明脂质体载药显著优于游离药物的治疗效果。因弓形虫是细胞内寄生的原虫,凡有利于药物入胞的方法,可提高其疗效。此种模型试验简便、准确,其结果对载抗癌药脂质体研究可以借鉴。     

Centrilobular emphysema: CT-pathologic correlation

Over a 5-year period, 25 patients who had undergone chest computed tomography (CT) died and were autopsied. Their lungs were fixed in the inflated state and were assessed for the presence and severity of centrilobular emphysema (CLE). Three radiologists independently evaluated the CT scans for nonperipheral low-attenuation areas, peripheral low-attenuation areas, pulmonary vascular pruning, pulmonary vascular distortion, and pulmonary density gradient. The CT criterion that best correlated with the presence and severity of CLE was the nonperipheral low-attenuation area. With this CT criterion, lung destruction was correctly identified in 13 of 15 cases. The absence of this criterion resulted in correct identification of eight of ten normal lungs. These preliminary data suggest that CLE can be reliably identified and quantified with current CT scanners.     

Lateral and anterior–posterior mandibular position discrimination by normal subjects

This study examined and compared lateral and anterior-posterior (A-P) mandibular position discrimination for a group of twenty normal subjects (mean age = 26 years). A specially designed and constructed sliding scale required subjects to position their mandible precisely in the horizontal plane and to try to discriminate differences in the control of their mandibular position. The results revealed that subjects are more sensitive in detecting changes in the lateral positioning of their mandible than in the A-P positions. Subjects' difference limen (DL) values (threshold of discrimination between two positions) in detecting changes in mandibular position to the right of centre was 1.59 mm, and to left of centre was 1.41 mm. Subjects' DL values obtained with the mandible forward, and back of, the reference position were 1.39 and 2.61 mm respectively.     

The air-powder dental abrasive unit—an evaluation using a model system

Air-powder abrasive systems are used in dentistry to remove dental plaque, calculus and stain from the surfaces of teeth. A model system consisting of a thin layer (14 micron) of vacuum-deposited aluminium was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of such a system. Photomicrographic analysis showed two distinct areas of removal: an inner area where removal of aluminium was complete, surrounded by an area where removal was incomplete. With the aid of a relocation pin attached to the nozzle of the instrument it was demonstrated that nozzle-target distance, the air pressure input, the flow of water and the time of operation were all factors which affected the clinical efficiency of the instrument.     

An in Vitro Model for Assessing Muscle Irritation Due to Parenteral Antibiotics

An in Vitro Model for Assessing Muscle Irritation Due to ParenteralAntibiotics. WILLIAMS, P. D., MASTERS, B. G., EVANS, L. D.,LASKA, D. A., AND HOTTENDORF, G. H. (1987). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.9, 10–17. A rat skeletal muscle cell line (L6) was evaluatedfor its potential to discriminate the muscle-irritating liabilityof several parenteral antibiotics. The cells were exposed toclinical as well as diluted concentrations of tetracycline,cefoxitin, cephalothin, carbenicillin, erythromycin, ceforanide,cefazolin, and cephaloridine for 1 hr. Control cells were similarlyexposed to culture media for 1 hr. The cells were subsequentlyassayed for their content of the muscle-associated enzyme creatinekinase (CK). Depletion of CK relative to control cultures wasutilized as the index of cellular damage. The results of theseanalyses revealed the following ranking of antibiotic toxicityto L6 muscle cells: tetracycline, erythromycin, cefoxitin >cephalothin, carbenicillin > ceforanide, cefazolin > cephaloridine.The relative order of toxicity of these antibiotics to L6 cellsis in good agreement with their reported muscle-irritating liabilityin man. The correlation between the results obtained in vitroand the irritancy data in vivo suggests that this model maybe a useful adjunct to in vivo testing of parenteral antibioticsfor muscle-irritation liability.