Prostatic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma causing acute urinary retention in childhood

An 8-year-old boy presented with dysuria and acute retention of urine. Rectal examination showed a hard mass arising from the prostate. CT scan of the pelvis confirmed the presence of a large prostatic tumor causing bladder outflow obstruction. A provisional diagnosis of pelvic sarcoma was initially made. Biopsy of the tumor mass however, revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of T-cell type. The tumor showed very good response to chemotherapy and the urinary obstruction significantly improved with a week after starting therapy. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Demographic and Psychosocial Characteristics of Asthmatic Children in a Canadian Rehabilitation Setting

This study investigated the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of patients attending a residential treatment program for children with asthma. Measures of background information and standardized psychosocial variables were administered to 54 inpatients over an 18-month period. Typically, our patients presented with moderate to severe chronic asthma, mostly diagnosed before 3 years of age and often associated with atopic dermatitis. The families exhibited normal levels of emotional bonding and flexibility in response to stress. Psychosocially, most children were experiencing behavioral and school-related problems, with 6-11-year-old boys exhibiting global social competency problems as well. Girls exhibited lower self-esteem. Locus of control was within the normal range for all age groups. Half the children had not previously attended an asthma education program and two-thirds of the family members either smoked and/or had a pet. The treatment implications of these characteristics of our asthma population were considered.     

前益母草素(prehispanolone)对小鼠T,B淋巴细胞的影响

用[³H]-thymidine参入法表明:益母草半日花烷型双环二萜——前益母草素(prehi-spanolone,LC-5504)对由Con A活化的T淋巴细胞有较强的促进增殖作用。其作用是单独使用Con A的5～8倍。实验研究提示,前益母草素能够增强机体的细胞免疫功能。     

Aftercare residential facility for ex-psychiatric patients--the Australian and American perspectives

The decline in the number of inpatients in psychiatric hospitals over the last decade has resulted in a strong demand for community based mental health services, and a search for alternative accommodation for ex-psychiatric patients. However, for any comprehensive planning for residential services for ex-psychiatric patients to be effective, there must be a recognition of the variety of patient needs and resources and the range of service models available. This paper attempts to review aftercare residential facilities in America and Australia, to identify the underlying care philosophy and to propose various supervision approaches.     

Avascular necrosis of femoral head: a short review

Avascular necrosis of femoral head (AVNFH) is the most common cause of hip joint destruction leading to hip replacement in Hong Kong. Steroids and alcohol are the two most common causes of AVNFH. Management of this painful and progressive situation in its early stages remains a controversial subject; but when the painful hip is affecting the patient's quality of life, a hip replacement is the treatment of choice for pain relief. However, there are concerns about the longevity of the hip replacement in this group of relatively young and active patients. Recent advances in the artificial hip joint such as the use of metal or ceramic may prolong the survival of the prosthesis even in very young and very active patients.     

Assessment of cellular mass and lean body mass by noninvasive nuclear techniques

With the nuclear techniques employed in this study, it has been possible to measure total body potassium (TBK), lean body mass (LBM), and body cell mass (BCM). The latter two are derived independently of TBK. LBM is derived from the sum of total body water (TBW), total body protein, and bone mineral ash measurements. The BCM value is, in turn, based on the difference between the LBM (as measured above) and the sum of the extracellular water and extracellular solids. It was demonstrated in 123 normal individuals that, although the TBK/LBM ratio decreases with age, the TBK/BCM ratio does not change significantly with age. It can be deduced that the ratio of TBK to intracellular water should be relatively constant with age. This relative constancy with age was demonstrated independently with the absolute measurements of TBK and intracellular water in normal individuals. Because the BCM is physiologically and chemically more homogeneous than LBM and because it reflects the actively metabolizing cellular compartment more accurately than LBM, it is the preferred parameter to be used for reference or normalization in body composition studies. For most applications, BCM is readily derived from TBK measurement by either whole body counting or isotope dilution techniques.