Lateral substitution for chronic isolated anterior cruciate ligament deficiency

Thirty-five patients who had been surgically treated for major symptomatic isolated chronic anterior cruciate ligament deficiency by lateral extra-articular reconstruction alone were reviewed at an average of five years after operation. Seventy-seven per cent of patients reviewed were improved subjectively, and 83% of patients who were examined had objective evidence of only minor instability or none at follow-up. However, only a few patients had "normal" knees and many continued to have minor symptoms of instability with some restriction of activity. Most of the unsatisfactory results were in patients with significant chondral pathology at the time of reconstruction. While an extra-articular pivot-shift repair did not correct all the symptoms and signs completely, most patients were improved subjectively and objectively, and there were few complications.     

Adult adjustment of persons with severe/profound mental disabilities: A longitudinal study

The parents of 14 individuals with severe/profound mental disabilities were interviewed one and three years after their children graduated or aged out of high school. Two categories of information were sought concerning the adult adjustment of these individuals. General status variables included marital status, place of residence, agencies contacted concerning employment opportunities, financial resources, leisure activities, means of transportation, sources of help in resolving problems, and amount of postsecondary training. Employment variables included location of employment, wages, number of hours worked per week, and job benefits received. Results indicated that three years after exiting high school, all participants were very dependent upon others for housing, transportation, and financial assistance. Ten of the 14 individuals were employed 3 years after exiting high school, all in sheltered workshops.     

The Discriminative Stimulus Properties of Acute Ethanol Withdrawal (Hangover) in Rats

Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 15 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) from saline (SAL) under a drug discrimination procedure. Test sessions were conducted with 10 randomly selected subjects. Tests with various doses of PTZ resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the percentage of total session responses emitted on the PTZ-appropriate lever without a significant change in response rates across a wide range of test PTZ doses. Rats did not generalize the PTZ stimulus to ethanol (ETOH) up to ETOH test doses that completely suppressed responding. High acute ETOH doses (2, 3, and 4 g/kg) administered at various time points prior to discrimination test sessions engendered responding on the PTZ-appropriate level in a quantitative fashion, that was dose- and time-dependent. This acute ETOH delayed effect from these high doses replicates our previously published study using a Drug 1-Drug 2 discrimination task with Chlordiazepoxide and PTZ. More importantly, we suggest that the present behavioral assay may be a sensitive animal analogue of human "hangover" phenomena.     

Critical checking of the radiological diagnosis of "complete remission" and "partial remission" following induction chemotherapy of small-cell lung cancer in the light of postoperative histological examination.

A multimodal therapy concept for small-cell lung cancer, which for patients with established pretherapeutic homolateral lymph-node metastases (N2) prescribes induction chemotherapy with subsequent resection as well as supplemental chemo- and radiotherapy, provided the opportunity to evaluate histologically the radiological diagnoses "complete remission" and "partial remission" using resection specimens. In 17 patients a 75% to 100% reduction in tumor size was achieved according to radiological diagnosis. Predictions of "no evidence of disease" or "evidence of disease" were only correct in ten cases. In the remaining seven cases, histology showed the radiological findings to be incorrect. This gives a 77% sensitivity for radiological diagnosis with no specificity. Moreover, differentiation between therapy effect on the primary tumor and on the N2 metastases gives similar results: sensitivity 64% and 67% respectively, specificity 33% and 25% respectively. It is concluded that, particularly after the tumor responds well to therapy, radiological techniques are unsuitable for establishing a diagnosis of "no evidence of disease" or "evidence of disease" in small-cell lung cancer. This is because on the one hand the radiological methods available do not permit clear differentiation between vital tumor tissue and necrosis or fibrosis, while on the other hand groups of vital tumor cells beyond the resolution power of X-ray technology will escape detection.     

The effects of atrazine on microcosms developed from four natural plankton communities

Comparisons were made among Leffler microcosms developed from four different natural communities and exposed to 0, 20, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 g/L atrazine, a commonly used herbicide. Atrazine reduced net primary productivity, pH, and net productivity/respiration ratios in all four microcosm communities. In three of the four communities, the lowest observed (P < 0.05) effect concentration (LOEL) was 100 g/L. In the fourth community the LOEL was 200 g/L atrazine.The sensitivity and accuracy of bioassays with four different microcosm communities were evaluated by comparing results with values reported for acute and chronic single species bioassays, other types of microcosms, and experimental ponds exposed to similar concentrations of atrazine. The ranges of sensitivity noted in these experiments were less than the range reported for single species bioassays using common test organisms and similar to those reported for other microcosms. The similarity between Leffler microcosm results and the responses reported for the experimental ponds suggests that the Leffler microcosms accurately reflected concentrations causing ecosystem level changes in the experimental ponds.     

Biochemical characterisation of para-aminophenol-induced nephrotoxic lesions in the F344 rat

The acute biochemical effects of the nephrotoxin p-aminophenol (PAP) were studied in detail using a combination of conventional bioanalytical and ¹H-NMR spectroscopic methods. Dosing PAP (25–100 mg/kg) to male F344 rats resulted in a dose-related proximal nephropathy with consequent elevations in urinary enzymes, glucose, and urine total protein as shown by conventional methodology. ¹H-NMR spectroscopy at 400 MHz of urine from PAP-treated rats also revealed a characteristic glycosuria, with concomitant amino aciduria. The increased excretion of these compounds indicates functional defects in the proximal tubule and reduced solute reabsorption efficiency. In addition, ¹H-NMR urinalysis and conventional enzymatic analysis showed a dose-related lactic aciduria. Other changes detected by ¹H-NMR included a dose-related reduction in the excretion of citrate (confirmed by a conventional biochemical method) and an increase in the excretion of acetate. The degree of abnormalities shown by ¹H-NMR urinalysis agreed well with histopathological observations and conventional biochemical indices of nephrotoxicity. ¹H-NMR urinalysis therefore serves to highlight changes in the excretion of low MW urine components not routinely studied by conventional biochemical analysis.Abbreviations ALP alkaline phosphatase - APAP paracetamol - BUN blood urea nitrogen - GFR glomerular filtration rate - GOT glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase - LAP leucine aminopeptidase - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - MW molecular weight - NAG N-acetyl--D-glucosaminidase - PAP p-aminophenol - ppm parts per million - TMAO trimethylamine N-oxide - UFR urine flow rate     

The hepatic immune system

The liver regulates T-cell homeostasis, induces T-cell tolerance, and supports intrahepatic T-cell responses against hepatotropic pathogens. Many data from clinical and preclinical systems provide supportive evidence for these diverse roles of the liver in modulating peripheral (systemic, mucosal, and intrahepatic) T-cell immunity. Little information is available on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate the dual role of the liver in tolerizing T-cell responses and in supporting intrahepatic priming of T-cell responses. Understanding these immunoregulatory effects in the liver may offer insight into clinically relevant immunopathologies of this organ.