Growth of the uterus

BACKGROUND: The pattern of growth of the uterus was examined by ultrasound examinations of 358 girls who attended a paediatric endocrine outpatient department but were shown not to have any endocrine defect. METHOD: The uterus was measured in length and width at the cervix and at the fundus (cm). Endometrial thickness was measured (mm). Scans were divided by Tanner breast stage and the dimensions compared by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA, with the Student Newman Keuls post hoc test). RESULTS: There was an increase in uterine length, diameter of the fundus, and endometrial thickness at each breast stage from 1 to 5 (ANOVA, p < 0.05), and in the diameter of the cervix with each breast stage from 1 to 4 (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The ratio of the fundus to the cervix increased from 0.95 to 1.29 between breast stages 1 and 4. CONCLUSION: The onset of puberty is marked by an increase in the dimensions of the uterus and in endometrial thickness, but also by a change in the shape of the uterus from a tubular to a pear shaped organ.     

Field dependence and self-actualization in alcoholics.

Field independence and self-actualization were significantly increased in alcoholic patients following a 6-week treatment program. There were no differences, however, between patients treated by drug-assisted individual therapy, individual therapy, or milieu therapy. Some causal factors are hypothesized, and implications for treatment are discussed.     

In-111-labeled white blood cell uptake in noninfected closed fracture in humans: prospective study

Since indium-111 white blood cell (In-111 WBC) scintigraphy is often used to evaluate for osteomyelitis in bone fractures, it is important to know if noninfected fractures have In-111 WBC uptake. Twenty-seven noninfected closed fracture sites in 19 patients were prospectively evaluated with technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy and In-111 WBC scintigraphy. In-111 WBC uptake was present in 41% of the 27 sites. In the 11 positive sites, the In-111 WBC uptake was 1+ (definite but minimal) in 55%, 2+ (moderate) in 36%, and 3+ (marked) in 9%. The visual intensity of the radioactive uptake on In-111 WBC scintigrams relative to that on bone scintigrams was less in 82%, equal in 9%, and greater in 9%. The visual size of the area of uptake on In-111 WBC scintigrams and bone scintigrams was smaller in 36%, equal in 55%, and greater in 9%. Factors that may help distinction of In-111 WBC uptake due to fracture alone from infection associated with fracture are discussed.     

Application of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the development and validation of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of the rat respiratory system

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of the respiratory system provide a quantitative basis for extrapolating the localized dose of inhaled materials and improving human health risk assessments based upon inhalation studies conducted in animals. Nevertheless, model development and validation have historically been tedious and time-consuming tasks. In recognition of this, we previously reported on the use of proton (1H) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for visualizing nasal-sinus passages in the rat, and for speeding computational mesh generation. Here, the generation and refinement of meshes for rat nasal airways are described in more detail and simulated airflows are presented. To extend the CFD models to the complete respiratory tract, three-dimensional (3D) 1H MR imaging of rat pulmonary casts was also utilized to construct pulmonary airway meshes using procedures developed for the nasal airways. Furthermore, the feasibility of validating CFD predictions with MR was tested by imaging hyperpolarized 3He gas at physiological flow rates in a straight pipe with a diameter comparable to the rat trachea. Results from these diverse studies highlight the potential utility of MR imaging not only for speeding CFD development but also possibly for model validation.     

A compact respiratory-triggering device for routine microimaging of laboratory mice

A partial-body plethysmograph was developed for measuring the respiratory flow of anesthetized mice during routine microimaging experiments performed in the close confines of an 89-mm-diameter, vertical-bore magnet. Respiratory flow patterns were used for synchronizing conventional T2-weighted spin-echo imaging with the respiratory cycle, thereby, significantly reducing motion-induced artifacts and increasing observed liver lesion contrast.     

Proctalgia Fugax in Patients with the Irritable Bowel, Peptic Ulcer, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease

One hundred forty-eight patients with gastrointestinal disease, 50 patients with the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 49 each with peptic ulcer and inflammatory bowel disease, were interviewed to determine if they had proctalgia fugax (PF) and if the symptom was associated with the IBS. One-third of the patients had PF. It occurred in 51% of females and 12% of males (p less than 0.001). When corrected for sex, PF was no more prevalent in IBS than in peptic ulcer or inflammatory bowel disease. Only two of six previously described IBS symptoms were more prevalent in the PF patients. Attacks occurred in the day in 94%, and one-third of sufferers related them to defecation. The pain was localized in the anus in 90%, occurred less than five times a year in 51%, and lasted less than 1 min in 57%. In most, activity was not interrupted by this pain and only 20% had ever reported it to a physician. PF is very common among patients with abdominal symptoms, but is not related to the IBS. Since it is infrequent, benign, and transient, PF is usually not mentioned to the physician.     

Anti-Xa activity after subcutaneous administration of dalteparin in ICU patients with and without subcutaneous oedema: a pilot study

Introduction  

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients often suffer from subcutaneous oedema, due to administration of large fluid volumes and the underlying pathophysiological condition. It is unknown whether the presence of subcutaneous oedema impairs the absorption of dalteparin, a low molecular weight heparin, when it is given by subcutaneous administration for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. The objective of this study is to compare the anti-Xa activity of dalteparin after subcutaneous administration in ICU patients with and without subcutaneous oedema.