Radiologic appearance of non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage]

The diagnosis of nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage is currently made by computed tomography and is rarely problematic. The causes of bleeding are very numerous. It is important to determine the cause of the hemorrhage promptly, because there may be a recurrence of bleeding. Guidelines for radiologists are proposed and discussed here.     

Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Somalia. III. Plants of the families Lauraceae-Papilionaceae.

Thirty-five plants are listed, which are used by traditional healers in the central and southern parts of Somalia. For each species are listed: the botanical name with synonyms, collection number, vernacular name, medicinal use, preparation of remedy and dosage. Results of a literature survey are also reported including medicinal use, substances isolated and pharmacological effects.     

Adenocarcinoma with simultaneous squamous carcinomas of the larynx

Background. Primary adenocarcinoma of the larynx is a rare neoplasm. The incidence is reported as less than 1% of all laryngeal neoplasms in multiple series. Simultaneous primary adenocarcinoma and a solitary squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx is even rarer and only one case has been found on review of the literature. Methods. A case report of a 74-year-old man with a history of right-sided throat pain, odynophagia, and progressive hoarseness is presented with a review of the literature pertaining to this unusual case. Results. The patient was found to have three distinctly separate laryngeal lesions on direct laryngoscopy. Histopathologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was made on one of the three biopsied sites with the other sites being squamous cell carcinoma. Following Combined radiotherapy and surgical treatment, the patient has remained free of disease. Conclusions. Adenocarcinoma of the larynx is an infrequent and lethal disease. This case report and a review of the literature demonstrate that aggressive surgical management is indicated, although still may not result in improved survival. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ultrasonic diagnosis of non-calculous intraluminal obstruction in the extrahepatic bile ducts. Apropos of 8 cases

Ultrasound examination in 8 patients with occlusive jaundice demonstrated non-lithiasic extrahepatic intracanalar obstacles, a malignant tumor in 4 and a non-tumoral process (granuloma on suture thread, ball sludge, hemobilia in 2 cases) in the other 4. Analysis of echographic data suggested possible differential diagnosis criteria for these two types of occlusion.     

Real-life performance considerations of four pediatric multi-channel cochlear implant recipients.

Most pediatric cochlear implant programs support a team approach for post-implant services. However, individuals directly involved in the care of these children often have differing opinions on the child's performance. We describe our experience with four children, aged 3 to 10 at the time of implantation, who have used the Nucleus 22-channel cochlear implant device for at least nine months. A questionnaire, focusing on the individual's observations of the child's speech and hearing performance in their particular setting (i.e., clinic, home, school), was completed by the child's parent(s), therapist and classroom teacher. Overall, performance in structured settings (i.e., testing and therapy sessions) was not in agreement with performance in unstructured settings (i.e., classroom and home environments). The results suggest that different individuals interacting with the same child in different environments often have differing perceptions of the child's performance. Based on the information obtained on the four cases, we discuss factors to consider in assessing the real-life performance of pediatric cochlear implant recipients.     

Primary lymphocytes as predictors for species differences in cytotoxic drug sensitivity.

Several in vitro methods have been suggested to predict drug-induced haematotoxicity and species differences; the most commonly used being the clonogenic CFU-GM assay. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether primary lymphocytes from peripheral blood, assayed with a short-term non-clonogenic assay, could be used to detect species differences in drug sensitivity, and offer an alternative to the CFU-GM assay. The effect of 17 different cytotoxic drugs on lymphocytes from human, dog, rat and mouse was evaluated. A higher sensitivity of human than mouse lymphocytes was seen for topotecan and for 3 of 5 antimetabolites tested. Clear species specificity was also seen for the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib where rodent cells were 50-300 times less sensitive than human cells. Good agreement between our data and published CFU-GM data was observed, suggesting that primary lymphocytes may be a useful model for species difference screening in drug development.     

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with protein S deficiency]

Venous thrombosis is rare in children. It can be either acquired or of constitutional origin. Thrombosis during non-Hodgkin lymphoma remains exceptional and is usually locally associated to the tumoral process, raising the issue of its tumoral or cruoric nature. The treatment is based on anticoagulation concomitantly to chemotherapy. We report on a 4-year-old boy admitted for mediastinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who developed a thrombosis of the superior vena cava associated to protein S-deficiency. The mechanism of thrombosis may have been multifactorial: associated protein S-deficiency, vascular compression, tumoral process and chemotherapy.     

Recombinant activated factor VII for intractable bleeding post splenectomy in a patient with myeloproliferative disorder.

Recombinant activated factor VII has been Food and Drug Administration approved to treat hemorrhages in hemophiliac patients with inhibitors and in acquired hemophilia patients. Recombinant activated factor VII use has also been considered for the management of uncontrolled bleeding in a number of congenital and acquired hemostatic abnormalities. The myeloproliferative disorders are a group of clonal hematologic diseases where, frequently, abnormal platelet function is considered a hallmark. This is the first case report addressing the clinical benefit of off-label use of recombinant activated factor VII in an attempt to control intractable bleeding in a patient with a myeloproliferative disorder after splenectomy.