Evaluation of the 3-Dimensional,Weight-Bearing Orientation of the Normal Adult Knee

The purpose of this study was to use 3-dimensional, weight-bearing images corrected for rotation to establish normative data of limb alignment and joint line orientation in asymptomatic, adult knees. One hundred adults (200 lower extremities) were recruited to receive weight-bearing, simultaneous biplanar imaging of both lower extremities. Multiple radiographic parameters were measured from 3D images, corrected for limb rotation. 70.0% of knees were in neutral, 19.5% in varus, and 10.5% in valgus overall alignment. Only 31 % of knees possessed both a neutral mechanical axis and the absence of joint line obliquity. There was substantial agreement between the 2D and 3D images for overall mechanical alignment (κ = 0.77), but only a moderate agreement for joint line obliquity (κ = 0.58). A substantial portion of asymptomatic adults possess either a varus or valgus mechanical alignment and joint line obliquity.     

Hysterectomy in a male? A rare case report

INTRODUCTION

Persistent Mullerian duct syndrome is a rare form of male pseudo-hermaphroditism characterized by the presence of Mullerian duct structures in an otherwise phenotypically, as well as genotypically, normal man; only a few cases have been reported in the worldwide literature. A great variety of organs have been found in indirect inguinal hernial sacs.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We report a case of 70 year old man, father of 4 children with unilateral cryptorchidism on the right side and left-sided obstructed inguinal hernia containing uterus and fallopian tube (that is, hernia uteri inguinalis; type I male form of persistent Mullerian duct syndrome) coincidentally detected during an operation for an obstructed left inguinal hernia.

DISCUSSION

PMDS is usually coincidently detected during surgical operation, as was in our case. However pre-operative ultrasonography, computerized tomography and MRI allow possible pre-operative diagnosis.³

CONCLUSION

In cases of unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism associated with hernia, as in our patient''s case, the possibility of PMDS should be kept in mind.     

PET and PET/CT imaging: what clinicians need to know

Positron emission tomography (PET), once the sole province of academic medical centers, is rapidly being adopted in daily clinical practice in community hospitals and outpatient centers. It can be especially useful in oncology, cardiology, and neurology. We provide an overview of the fundamentals of PET and PET with computed tomography (PET/CT) and discuss their current clinical utility.     

Chronic liposome administration in mice: effects on reticuloendothelial function and tissue distribution

Liposomes have a pronounced tendency to localize in the reticuloendothelial (RE) system, a major host defense system. We have examined, in mice, the effect of chronic i.v. administration of low to moderate liposome doses on drug metabolism, phagocytic index and spleen and liver size. Little effect on the rate of pentobarbital metabolism was noted, except when mice received 80 mg/kg of sphingomyelin-containing liposomes in a series of 10 injections over 3.5 weeks. Impairment of RE phagocytic function was found to be related to liposome size and composition, size and frequency of liposome dose and the presence of lipid peroxides. The effects on tissue distribution of liposome-entrapped [14C]sucrose was also determined in mice receiving chronic liposome injections. In RE blockaded mice there was a consistent trend in favor of decreased liver uptake and increased spleen uptake. No significant uptake of liposome contents was seen in non-RE tissues even in mice with severe RE blockade, indicating that the induction of RE blockade by predosing with empty liposomes may not be a successful strategy for increasing liposome uptake to non-RE tissues. Liver to spleen ratios of [14C]sucrose appeared to be a sensitive method for quantitating RE blockade. Sphingomyelin-containing liposomes produced the greatest RE blockade, distearoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes were intermediate and egg phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes produced the least impairment in RE function. Liposomes which contained 1% vitamin E as an antioxidant had slightly less effect on RE function than liposomes not containing vitamin E.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Redefining ‘doing something’: health professionals' views on their role in the care of stroke patients

Stroke has traditionally been considered, both by lay people and by many people working within the health services, to be a tragic yet essentially uninteresting condition, possibly because of its associations with old age, chronicity and the widespread perception that very little can be done about it. This study explored health professionals' views about their role in caring for people with stroke, and about what they gained from and contributed to this work. Questionnaires were distributed to staff working on an elderly care unit, a general medical ward and a stroke unit. Nurses and physiotherapists were positive and reported that they had much to offer people with stroke, and many rewards to gain from their work. Occupational therapists reported that in theory they had much to contribute to people with stroke, but in practice lack of resources and staff shortages prevented them from fulfilling their potential. Speech therapists also complained of scarce resources, and of a lack of recognition of their specialty, but felt able to contribute to improving peoples' quality of life. Both psychologists reported that their work with people with stroke was satisfying and stimulating. However, with the exception of the consultant on the stroke unit, doctors reported feeling they had little to offer, and little to gain from working with people with stroke. Therapists on the elderly care unit, and speech therapists in all settings reported difficulties within the multidisciplinary team. Although each profession had different concerns and priorities, the majority seemed to have a positive approach to their work with people with stroke. Similarly, the majority reported that the best thing about their work was when people recovered, although professions defined recovery differently. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.     

Right ventricular volumes and function in thalassemia major patients in the absence of myocardial iron overload

Aim

We aimed to define reference ranges for right ventricular (RV) volumes, ejection fraction (EF) in thalassemia major patients (TM) without myocardial iron overload.

Methods and results

RV volumes, EF and mass were measured in 80 TM patients who had no myocardial iron overload (myocardial T2* > 20 ms by cardiovascular magnetic resonance). All patients were receiving deferoxamine chelation and none had evidence of pulmonary hypertension or other cardiovascular comorbidity. Forty age and sex matched healthy non-anemic volunteers acted as controls. The mean RV EF was higher in TM patients than controls (males 66.2 ± 4.1% vs 61.6 ± 6%, p = 0.0009; females 66.3 ± 5.1% vs 62.6 ± 6.4%, p = 0.017), which yielded a raised lower threshold of normality for RV EF in TM patients (males 58.0% vs 50.0% and females 56.4% vs 50.1%). RV end-diastolic volume index was higher in male TM patients (mean 98.1 ± 17.3 mL vs 88.4 ± 11.2 mL/m2, p = 0.027), with a higher upper limit (132 vs 110 mL/m2) but this difference was of borderline significance for females (mean 86.5 ± 13.6 mL vs 80.3 ± 12.8 mL/m2, p = 0.09, with upper limit of 113 vs 105 mL/m2). The cardiac index was raised in TM patients (males 4.8 ± 1.0 L/min vs 3.4 ± 0.7 L/min, p < 0.0001; females 4.5 ± 0.8 L/min vs 3.2 ± 0.8 L/min, p < 0.0001). No differences in RV mass index were identified.

Conclusion

The normal ranges for functional RV parameters in TM patients with no evidence of myocardial iron overload differ from healthy non-anemic controls. The new reference RV ranges are important for determining the functional effects of myocardial iron overload in TM patients.