Unique variant of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection with intact atrial septum

Summary Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections (PAPVCs) are rare in association with an intact atrial septum. However, the diagnosis should be considered in patients with otherwise unexplained findings of left-to-right shunt and right heart enlargement. An unusual variant is presented, which we considered unsuitable for operative repair, based on findings at catheterization. Developmental, hemodynamic, and surgical considerations are discussed.     

Non-hierarchical logistic models and case-only designs for assessing susceptibility in population-based case-control studies

This article describes how genetic components of disease susceptibility can be evaluated in case-control studies, where cases and controls are sampled independently from the population at large. Subjects are assumed unrelated, in contrast to studies of familial aggregation and linkage. The logistic model can be used to test collapsibility over phenotypes or genotypes, and to estimate interactions between environmental and genetic factors. Such interactions provide an example of a context where non-hierarchical models make sense biologically. Also, if the exposure and genetic categories occur independently and the disease is rare, then analyses based only on cases are valid, and offer better precision for estimating gene-environment interactions than those based on the full data.     

The relationship between interviewers' characteristics and ratings assigned during a multiple mini-interview.

PURPOSE: To assess the consistency of ratings assigned by health sciences faculty members relative to community members during an innovative admissions protocol called the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI). METHOD: A nine-station MMI was created and 54 candidates to an undergraduate MD program participated in the exercise in Spring 2003. Three stations were staffed with a pair of faculty members, three with a pair of community members, and three with one member of each group. Raters completed a four-item evaluation form. All participants completed post-MMI questionnaires. Generalizability Theory was used to examine the consistency of the ratings provided within each of these three subgroups. RESULTS: The overall test reliability was found to be .78 and a Decision Study suggested that admissions committees should distribute their resources by increasing the number of interviews to which candidates are exposed rather than increasing the number of interviewers within each interview. Divergence of ratings was greater within the pairing of community member to faculty member and least for pairings of community members. Participants responded positively to the MMI. CONCLUSION: The MMI provides a reliable protocol for assessing the personal qualities of candidates by accounting for context specificity with a multiple sampling approach. Increasing the heterogeneity of interviewers may increase the heterogeneity of the accepted group of candidates. Further work will determine the extent to which different groups of raters provide equally valid (albeit different) judgments.     

Routine obstetric ultrasound

Routine ultrasound may have a positive effect on obstetric outcome when determination of gestational age and placental localization are combined with evaluation for multiple gestation, congenital anomalies and growth retardation. The potential risk and benefit of obstetric ultrasound must be better understood before this procedure is used as a screening tool in large populations.     

HLA-B27-associated uveitis with a chorioretinitis manifestation.

A 29-year-old man who had been treated for acute anterior uveitis in a local medical office and observed for 1 month presented complaining of distorted vision in his left eye for 1 week. On ophthalmic examination, the anterior segment was relatively quiet with few cells. A posterior segment examination revealed cystoid macular edema and multiple splinter retinal hemorrhages. Results of all laboratory and imaging studies were negative, except for a positive HLA-B27 haplotype. Fluorescein angiography revealed massive leakage in the mid and late phase, consistent with chorioretinitis. Periocular corticosteroid injections and oral prednisolone were administered. The patient responded to the treatment well with subsequent resolution of chorioretinitis 2 months later. Although rare, chorioretinitis can occur in the setting of uveitis associated with HLA-B27 and seems to respond well to corticosteroid treatment.     

The CarboMedics Prosthetic Heart Valve in the Mitral Position: Results of the Multicenter International Trial

A bstract Isolated mitral valve replacement using the CarboMedics prosthetic mitral valve (CarboMedics, Inc., Austin, TX) was studied in 13 centers in the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia between 1987 and 1993 in 428 patients with a mean age of 57 ± 14 years. Actuarial survivals at 1, 2, and 5 years were 88.2% and 75.8%. Freedom from events at 5 years were 94.8% for major thromboembolism, 96.6% for thrombosis, and 96.7% for endocarditis. Linearized morbidity rates (events per 100 patient years) for events at > 30 days postoperatively were .51 thrombosis, 1.1 major thromboembolism, and .37 endocarditis. These results at early to mid-term compare favorably with the first generation bileaflet valve.     

Passive electrical properties of motoneurons in aged cats following axotomy

The objective of this study was to determine whether the aging process influences the changes in the electrophysiological properties of motoneurons that occur as a consequence of axotomy. Accordingly, using intracellular recording and stimulating techniques, the basic electrical properties of control (unaxotomized) and axotomized spinal cord motoneurons of aged cats were determined. Compared with control motoneurons, axotomized motoneurons exhibited increases in input resistance (R_in), membrane time constant (τ_b) and the equalizing time constant (τ_c). While the electrotonic length (L) remained unchanged, axotomy induced a decrease in the total cell capacitance (C_cell. The post-axotomy reduction of C_cell indicates that the motoneuron surface area was reduced and the increased membrane time constant indicates that there was an increase in membrane resistivity (R_m). The post-axotomy conservation of L accompanied by an increase in R_m suggests that aged axotomized motoneurons undergo geometrical changes. Furthermore, calculations based on cable theory suggest that the diameter of the equivalent cylinder (d) decreased following axotomy, whereas the equivalent cylinder length (l) remained unaffected. It is concluded that axotomy produces significant alterations in the soma-dendritic portion of aged spinal motoneurons, as indicated by the changes found in their passive electrophysiological properties, and that the pattern of the response that occurs in axotomized motoneurons of adult cats is also present in axotomized motoneurons of aged animals.     

Cancer risk due to occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) demonstrate carcinogenic activity in animal models. Although some epidemiologic studies have implicated PAHs as risk factors for human cancer, the evidence reported to date has not been consistent. The purpose of this report is to describe the associations between occupational exposure to PAHs in the workplace and each of 14 types of cancer. A population-based, case-control study was carried out in Montreal to investigate associations between a large variety of environmental and occupational exposures on the one hand, and several types of cancer on the other. A detailed job history was obtained from each subject along with information on a number of potential confounders. Each job history was reviewed by a team of experts, who used this information to construct a corresponding history of occupational exposures. Among the PAH exposures considered were benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and five categories of PAHs defined on the basis of the source material, namely, wood, petroleum, coal, other sources, and any source. Altogether, 3,730 cancer patients and 533 population controls were interviewed and their job exposure histories coded. For each of 14 types of cancer analyzed, three control groups were available: other cancer patients, population controls, and the pooled set of cancer and population controls. The associations between 14 cancer types and 6 PAH exposures were analyzed using logistic regression methods. For most types of cancer evaluated, there was no evidence of excess risk due to PAHs at the levels encountered in the occupations in which PAH exposure has been prevalent in the Montreal area. For a few cancer sites–the esophagus, the pancreas, and the prostate gland–there were suggestions of excess risk; these observations are noteworthy hypotheses for further investigation. For lung cancer, there appeared to be an increased risk due to PAHs among nonsmokers and light smokers, but not among heavy smokers.