Risk of infectious complications in well-appearing children with transient neutropenia

To determine whether well-appearing children found incidentally to be neutropenic are at risk for an infectious complication, 44 consecutive months of hematology laboratory records were reviewed. One hundred nineteen patients had medical record documentation regarding clinical course, serial white blood cell counts, and the absence of serious infections, chronic illnesses, or a family history known to be associated with neutropenia. The median duration of documented neutropenia was 13 days (range, 1 to 491 days). Infectious complications occurred in 4 of the 36 patients who had neutropenia for more than 30 days (2 with stomatitis, 1 with cellulitis, and 1 with pneumonia) but in none with shorter durations of neutropenia. There were no significant associations between the development of an infectious complication and either the initial absolute neutrophil count or the lowest documented absolute neutrophil count, nor was there a correlation between the initial absolute neutrophil count and the duration of neutropenia. These data indicate that infectious complications occur in otherwise well children with unexplained neutropenia that persists, but these infections are infrequent and usually are superficial.     

Usher syndrome: clinical findings and gene localization studies

The issue of genetic heterogeneity is a critical problem in the localization of the gene(s) for Usher syndrome. Based on the data obtained on families studied to date, the differences between type I and type II Usher syndrome appear quite distinct with regard to auditory and vestibular function. Although the majority of families can be confidently diagnosed as typical type I or type II, clinical investigations revealed four families with findings that did not fit into either of the two more common subtypes. These findings emphasize the critical importance of an in-depth clinical analysis concomitant with the linkage investigation to assure accurate subtyping of Usher syndrome. Based on an analysis of only those families with definite type I or type II Usher syndrome, approximately 17% of the genome can be excluded as a potential site of the gene for type I, and 14% can be excluded as the site for the type II gene. This study will continue until the Usher gene(s) is successfully localized.     

Methanol-induced monoamine changes in hypothalamus and striatum of albino rats

This paper suggests that like ethanol, methanol also produces certain changes in the steady state level of monoamines in hypothalamus and striatum of albino rats. Though, the toxic manifestations of methanol are attributed to the metabolic end product of methanol viz. formic acid by several workers, we report here that the methanol-induced brain monoamine changes, at least, could be attributed to the direct action of methanol rather than to its metabolic end products like formaldehyde or formate. Studies in the steady state level of rat brain monoamines have shown that after methanol administration (3 g/kg), there is severe depletion of dopamine level in striatum but a significant increase in the level of dopamine, serotonin and 5-hydroxy indole acetic acid in hypothalamus. At the same time, norepinephrine and epinephrine levels are reduced in hypothalamus as well as in striatum. These effects do not seem to be induced by metabolic acidosis. The changes in monoamine levels are very well correlated with the blood and brain level of methanol as evidenced by maintaining a higher methanol level either by simultaneous administration of ethanol or by blocking methanol metabolism by pretreatment with 4-methyl pyrazole and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole. It is thus postulated that monoamine changes induced by methanol appear to be the direct effect of methanol per se on the monoaminergic neuronal membranes.     

Effects of polymyxin B on selected features of equine carbohydrate overload

Gram negative endotoxins play a contributory role in the syndrome which results from over consumption of carbohydrates by horses and ponies. Since the antibiotic polymyxin B exerts a direct anti-endotoxin effect by chemically modifying the active lipid A moiety of endotoxin, it might be expected to protect horses after carbohydrate overload and provide a new therapeutic and experimental tool for this condition. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of polymyxin B on hemostatic, hemodynamic, acid-base, and clinical aspects of the syndrome resulting from carbohydrate overload. Experimentally-induced carbohydrate overload resulted in lactic acidosis, hypercoagulability, hypovolemic shock and lameness. Although there was a slight delay in the onset of clinical signs resulting from experimental carbohydrate overload in treated animals, polymyxin B administered iv at 2.5 mg/kg every 6 hr failed to significantly ameliorate the coagulopathy, acidosis, lameness and shock induced by alimentary carbohydrate overload.     

Tumoral calcinosis simulating osteomyelitis

A case of tumoral calcinosis simulating osteomyelitis and associated with bunion formation in a 20-year-old female is presented. The most striking findings in this patient were the soft tissue calcifications. There was no evidence of any of the known causes of heterotopic calcifications. This kind of simulation between tumoral calcinosis bunion formation and osteomyelitis has not been previously described.     

Thoracic disc herniation in acromegaly

Herniation of a thoracic disc in an acromegalic giant is reported. Degenerative changes in the spine in association with dorsal kyphosis, and the additional strain, resulted in the disc prolapse.     

Estimation of breakthrough time on activated carbon fixed bed adsorbers for multicomponent organic solvent vapors

The estimation of breakthrough time for multicomponent organic solvent vapors on activated carbon fixed beds is significantly complicated and difficult. This paper describes a simple estimation method of breakthrough time for the first component (foremost breakthrough component) in two- or three-component organic solvent vapors on an activated carbon fixed bed. The breakthrough time for the first component was expressed by the harmonic mean value of the breakthrough times in each pure component. Estimated breakthrough times were compared with the experimental ones.     

Stupor and affective state: alleviation of psychomotor disturbances by lorazepam and recurrence of symptoms after Ro 15-1788

In a single patient suffering from a major depressive episode with melancholia (DSM-III), both severe psychomotor symptoms, such as stupor and mutism, and mood disturbances could be abolished completely and promptly by administration of the benzodiazepine lorazepam. Remission of symptoms was entirely and immediately reversed by the benzodiazepine antagonist Ro 15-1788. These drug effects were constantly reproducible. Possible mechanisms of action and the influence of GABAergic neurotransmission on affective and psychomotor state are discussed.     

Scanning Electron Microscopic Observations on the Epithelium of the Human Prostatic Urethra

The human prostatic urethra has been investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy. On the posterior wall of the urethra, the seminal colliculus with the orifices of the ejaculatory ducts is clearly detectable. The upper portion of the prostatic urethra shows a typical transitional epithelium with large superficial cells of a ruffled appearance. In the lower portion of the organ (underneath the openings of the ejaculatory ducts), the apical pattern of the cells varies considerably. Four main aspects are recognizable: apices provided with microvilli, dome-shaped apices with an almost smooth surface, large apices with labyrinthic microplicae and ciliated apices. Also, apices showing intermediate characteristics can be noted. The functional significance of the morphological patterns as well as the possibility of a transition among the various types of surface structures are discussed.