The role of descending venography in the management of patients with chronic venous disease of the lower extremity.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficacy and clinical information obtained from the authors' first 17 consecutive descending venograms. All 17 patients had chronic venous disease refractory to standard conservative and surgical measures. The standard classification of valvular insufficiency was used in evaluating these venograms. There were no deaths, slight morbidity and minimal patient discomfort. In 16 patients meaningful clinical information was derived from the venograms, with 7 patients having deep venous valvular surgery. Descending venography will demonstrate the site of incompetent valves and estimate the degree of reflux. This test is necessary before anticipated reconstruction of deep vein valves.     

Insulin insensitivity is rapidly reversed in rats by reducing dietary fat from 40 to 30% of energy.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of reducing dietary fat content from 40 to 30% of total energy on body composition and insulin sensitivity in rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a control diet (30% energy as fat) or a high fat diet (40% energy as fat) for 10 wk. In vivo glucose tolerance tests indicated that both basal and glucose-stimulated insulin concentrations were elevated in rats fed the high fat diet. Two groups of rats offered the high fat diet were then fed the control diet (HF,C) and two that had received the high fat diet were then fed a diet (30% energy as fat) containing a fat-mimetic carbohydrate (HF,M). Two groups continued to receive the high fat diet and two groups continued to receive the control diet. Rats were killed 1 and 2 wk after the diet switch. In vivo glucose tolerance tests indicated that insulin sensitivity was corrected in HF,C and HF,M rats after 3 d. Body fat content was greater in rats fed the high fat diet and remained high after 7 d of consuming either diet with 30% of energy from fat. There was no effect of diet on liver fatty acid utilization or on diaphragm glucose oxidation. Adipocytes from all treatment groups were insulin resistant, possibly due to feeding status or age of the rats. The results of this study suggest that a moderate reduction in fat intake, from 40 to 30% of energy, can produce a rapid improvement of insulin sensitivity in insulin-insensitive rats, independent of changes in body fat content and irrespective of the means used to reduce dietary fat content.     

The process of VNA affiliation with a major teaching hospital.

Affiliation among agencies with differing staff, resources, organizational structure, policies, and programs is never easy. The author discusses major components of an affiliation between a visiting nurse association and its former competitor--a major teaching hospital.     

Autologous Fat Injection for Vocal Cord Medialization in the Canine Larynx

This study examined the use of autologous fat as an alternative to Teflon® and collagen as the implantable material in vocal cord medialization. Five animals underwent left recurrent laryngeal nerve sections with subsequent fat harvest and implantation into the left true vocal cords. Three animals were killed after 48 hours and 2 after 3 weeks; their larynges were examined with light microscopy. The results of the 48-hour samples show moderate acute inflammation and few areas of focal necrosis. The 3-week samples show no necrotic foci, minimal foreign-body reaction, and maintenance of structure and volume of the injected fat. Autologous fat may prove to be a valuable alternative to nonautologous injectable material in vocal cord augmentation.     

Histologic analysis of tissue response to bucrylate-pantopaque mixture

A toxicologic-pathologic study of isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate (Bucrylate) was carried out first in dogs and then in humans whose arteriovenous malformations were infused with this embolic agent. The canine specimens obtained at 7, 18, 28, and 147 days after embolization showed the development of a mild histiocytic giant cell reaction, which evolved to end-state sclerotic arteritis. The response was confined to the vessels and did not involve contiguous parenchymal tissues. Ten human specimens, obtained from 1 hr to 7 years after treatment, showed a similar bland reaction with no evidence of suppuration or premalignant changes.     

The narcissistically vulnerable system: A case study of the public mental hospital

The present paper introduces the concept of the narcissistically vulnerable system by suggesting that organizations may manifest some of the same pathological characteristics as narcissistic individuals. The public mental hospital was chosen as an example of such a system. Reasons for its vulnerability were suggested and specific defenses, employed at the system level, were discussed. Finally, remedies for the repair of the narcissistically vulnerable system were considered.     

Changes in cognitive and Language functioning of Preschool children with autism

Preschool children with autism and their normally developing peers were compared on the Stanford-Binet IV and Preschool Language Scale before and after 1 school year. Both measures showed that although the children with autism functioned at a lower level than their normally developing peers, the children with autism had narrowed this gap after treatment, making a nearly 19-point increase in IQ and an 8-point gain in language quotient. The IQ measure remained stable for the normally developing peers while their language showed a 7.73-point increase. The data support the notion that young children with autism can make very significant developmental gains.Special thanks to the parents and the children who participated in this study. Thanks also to Michael Alessandri, Jean Burton, David Celiberti, Nancy Gera-Moglia, Anne Nathan, and Lisa Kamean who assisted in the data collection process. We appreciate the cooperation of Alicia MacWright and Leisa Tomchek who taught two of the classes from which participants were drawn.