Fractured talar beaks

The talar beak is a well-described secondary sign of talocalcaneal coalition but is not pathognomonic of the condition and may be seen in other causes of restricted or abnormal subtalar motion. We present an unusual complication of talar beaks in two patients who sustained fractures through their beaks. One of the patients described did not have a talocalcaneal coalition but had developed a beak following a compound fracture dislocation of the ankle joint complicated by infection, a previously undescribed predisposing cause.     

Cobb's collar--a forgotten entity

Cobb's collar or Moormann's ring is a stricture of the bulbar urethra which is largely unrecognised but has considerable relevance urologically as the site of congenital or post-instrumental strictures. The history, anatomy, embryology and surgical importance are reported.     

Beta carotene uptake into atherosclerotic plaque: Enhanced staining and preferential ablation with the pulsed dye laser

The yellow color of atherosclerotic plaque is due to the presence of carotenoids, which absorb light between 430–530 nm and account for the preferential ablation of plaque by the pulsed dye laser operating at 480 nm. This study was designed to examine tissue uptake of β-carotene and the effect of uptake on arterial plaque ablation. Forty-two atherosclerotic NZW rabbits were given intravenous β-carotene at a dose of 40 mg/kg, twice weekly and killed between 1 hour and 28 days after the initial injection. β-carotene was not detected in control specimens but was significantly greater in plaque than in normal wall at all time points following β-carotene injection (P < 0.04 Mann Whitney U test). The ablation threshold was significantly lower in β-carotene treated plaque than in untreated plaque or normal arterial wall (P < 0.01, Fisher's exact test). In this model β-carotene is preferentially taken up into arterial plaque, resulting in increased absorption of laser radiation at 480 nm and enhanced tissue ablation. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Relation between toxicity and carcinogenesis in the kidney: an heuristic hypothesis

Cellular toxicity and cellular carcinogenesis are closely linked. In the kidney, this relationship has been emphasized by the recent discovery of a number of putatively non-mutagenic chemicals that result in acute and chronic toxicity and ultimately in carcinogenesis, especially in the male rat. Many, but not all such compounds, result in renal PTE phagolysosomal overload. At the same time, known metabolites of other carcinogens, e.g., HCBD and FBPA, result in acute renal injury and/or necrosis, followed by chronic tubular disease, interstitial nephritis, and ultimately carcinogenesis. A series of cell mechanisms have been suggested that lead from acute cell injury to altered control of cell division. These mechanisms appear to involve ion deregulation, (especially [Ca2+]i) resulting from a variety of continued injuries, (e.g., oxidative stress from inflammatory cells) and ultimately leading to altered gene expression.     

A Thalamic Contribution to Arousal-induced, Non-photic Entrainment of the Circadian Clock of the Syrian Hamster

It is well established that the circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) is entrained by light. More recently, the potent effects of arousing, non-photic cues on the clock have been recognized. The neural mediators of non-photic entrainment are yet to be identified. To examine the contribution of the thalamic intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) and its NPY-immunopositive projection, the geniculo-hypothalamic tract to non-photic entrainment by arousal, male Syrian hamsters received lesions of the IGL (IGLX) which ablated NPY-immunoreactivity in the SCN. Their circadian responses to both photic and non-photic cues were then tested. Lesions resulted in a delay in the timing of activity onset following lights out, but had no effect on the behavioural or cellular circadian responses to phase-advancing light pulses presented at circadian time (CT) CT19 (where CT12 represents the time of activity onset). Injection with a benzodiazepine (chlordiazepoxide, 100 mg/kg) at CT6 suppressed wheel-running, increased general locomotion of intact controls and induced large phase advances of the circadian rhythm of wheel-running. Chlordiazepoxide also inhibited wheel-running in lesioned animals, but there was no significant increase in general locomotion and the lesioned animals did not phase advance. Serial arousal by injection of saline at intervals of 23.5 h for 6 days entrained the circadian rhythm of wheel-running of intact hamsters and was associated with an increase in general locomotor activity. Entrainment by serial arousal was abolished by IGLX. However, the lesioned animals did show a clear behavioural response to every presentation of the non-photic cue. These results show that the IGL is a necessary component of the neural pathways mediating both arousal- and benzodiazepine-induced non-photic entrainment.     

Efficacy of home health care in patients with peripheral vascular disease

This investigation was designed to study the effects of home health care (HHC) on patients who have been hospitalized with peripheral vascular disease. For a patient to have HHC, the patient had to have a defined wound, educational needs, or both. Sixty patients, 30 with HHC and 30 without, were contacted approximately 30 days after their last hospital discharge. The 30 patients with HHC were deemed to be at increased risk because of multisystem disease with multiple medications, infirmity, early senility, and often complex wounds. In a prospective fashion, each patient was interviewed by either a registered nurse or medical student using a standardized data collection form. The following issues were assessed: incidence of postoperative complications, knowledge of the patient of his or her disease, compliance with medication (knowledge of, regular use), incidence of readmission, and unscheduled clinic or emergency department visits. Upon statistical analysis using the two-sample t-test and Pearson chi-square test, no significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of complications, compliance, or patient education. HHC, therefore, was found to be helpful to patients with peripheral vascular disease. In our study, the use of HHC made the risk of complications in a group of patients with defined teaching needs and wound care needs equal to that in a group with no such defined needs on discharge from the hospital.     

Outcome for patients colonised with Burkholderia cepacia in a Birmingham adult cystic fibrosis clinic and the end of an epidemic.

BACKGROUND: There has been increasing concern since 1979 about the emergence of Pseudomonas cepacia (Burkholderia cepacia) in patients with cystic fibrosis in the UK and elsewhere. Colonisation of the sputum has been shown to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Evidence suggests person to person transmission and some centres have segregated those colonised with B cepacia from other patients with cystic fibrosis. The outcome of patients colonised by B cepacia has been studied, together with the effects of strict segregation. METHODS: The outcome in 18 patients with sputum colonised by B cepacia was compared with that in age, sex, and severity matched controls with no evidence of B cepacia colonisation by a retrospective case note study. RESULTS: No difference between cases or controls were found in the 24 month period prior to colonisation by B cepacia in lung function, number of days in hospital, or outpatient visits. Colonisation led to an increased rate of loss of lung function and utilisation of hospital services. There was an increase in the numbers of transplants and deaths amongst the cases. Since 1992 there have been only three new cases of B cepacia colonisation and the incidence and prevalence of the organism has fallen dramatically since segregation commenced. CONCLUSIONS: B cepacia appears to be linked to the decline in colonised individuals. There was no evidence that colonisation occurred in patients declining for other reasons. B cepacia colonisation confers a worse prognosis than Pseudomonas aeruginosa alone. Segregation appears to limit the spread of the organism from infected individuals to other patients with cystic fibrosis.