Lobar Pulmonary Edema Due to Mitral Regurgitation: Diagnosis by Echocardiography

A bstract One etiology of unilateral lobar pulmonary edema is mitral regurgitation. Echocardiography is able to demonstrate the retrograde flow of blood into the pulmonary veins and allows timely diagnosis and treatment planning. Correction of mitral regurgitation is followed by resolution of the radiographic abnormality.     

Characterization and phenotypic analysis of differentiating CD34+human bone marrow cells in liquid culture

Abstract: Our current understanding of human haematopoietic stem cell biology is based in part on the characterization of human CD34⁺ bone marrow cell differentiation in vitro. CD34 is highly expressed on early stem cells and haematopoietic progenitor cells with clonogenic potential and is gradually lost during differentiation and commitment. However, CD71 (transferrin receptor) is expressed at low levels on early stem cells and generally increases during haematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation. We reasoned that the combination of these surface markers would provide a useful framework for the simultaneous analysis of multiple lineage differentiation of CD34⁺ haematopoietic progenitor cells in liquid culture. In this report, we identify the phenotype of distinct subpopulations of myeloid, erythroid and lymphoid cells in liquid suspension culture using differential expression of CD34 vs. CD71 in combination with specific lineage markers. Freshly isolated human CD34⁺ bone marrow cells were introduced into suspension culture and monitored over a 6-d period using 3-colour flow cytometry. This is the first demonstration that differential expression of CD34 vs. CD71 can be used to simultaneously monitor differentiation of multiple haematopoietic cell lineages in liquid suspension culture, facilitating the study of cytokine-, drug- or chemical-induced alterations in haematopoietic progenitor cell differentiation in vitro.     

Lymphoscintigraphy as a predictor of lymphatic drainage from cutaneous melanoma

Background: If cutaneous lymphoscintigraphy (CL) is accurate in predicting the draining lymph node basins at risk from primary axial melanomas, then regional metastases should only occur in those lymph node basins identified by CL. Methods: This study is a retrospective review of patients undergoing CL for primary axial melanomas from June 1, 1985, until June 31, 1992. Data retrieved included age, gender, number of basins identified, location of basins identified, management of basins, recurrence in lymphatics, development of distant disease, and long-term follow-up. Results: A total of 181 patients underwent elective LND, and 48 patients (27%) had melanoma in the nodes within the dissected basin. Of these 181 patients, seven developed nodal metastases as their site of first recurrence. All seven recurrences were seen at sites dissected or at sites indicated by CL, which the primary surgeon elected not to treat initially. Of the 116 patients observed, 16 (14%) developed lymph node metastases as their first site of recurrence. Fifteen of these 16 patients had their site of lymph node metastases predicted by CL. In this study, CL predicted 98.6% of all lymph node metastases. Conclusions: The high overall reliability of CL as demonstrated by long-term follow-up indicates that the information obtained by CL can be reliably used to guide intervention. Initial evaluation of patients with high-risk cutaneous melanomas at sites with ambiguous lymphatic drainage must include CL in order to determine the draining lymph node basins and to plan therapy. Presented at the 47th Annual Cancer Symposium of The Society of Surgical Oncology, Houston, Texas, March 17–20, 1994.     

The impact of left ventricular dysfunction on cardiac donor transplant rates.

BACKGROUND: Because of the shortage of heart donors in the United States, efforts are necessary to maximize the yield of donor screening. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction on heart donor use. METHODS: Using the California Transplant Donor Network database, the records of all potential organ donors screened between January 1997 and June 1998 were reviewed. After excluding subjects for whom family consent could not be obtained and subjects <13 or >or=60 years old, a study group of 223 potential heart donors was analyzed. The number of hearts not used because of LV dysfunction, coronary artery disease (CAD), valvular disease, and LV hypertrophy were quantified. A logistic regression model was developed to quantify the independent effect of LV dysfunction on donor use rates after adjustment for age, weight, and cause of death. RESULTS: Ninety-nine (44%) of the 223 potential donor hearts were not transplanted. Thirty-six of these hearts were not transplanted because of cardiac causes, primarily LV dysfunction (26 cases) and CAD (8 cases). The multivariable analysis showed that after adjusting for other donor variables, ejection fraction was the most significant predictor of non-use, with an odds ratio of 1.48 per 5-point decrease in ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular dysfunction is an important cause of failure to transplant adult donor hearts. Efforts to improve the yield of heart donor screening should focus on prevention or reversal of LV dysfunction.     

A protocol for the urine dipstick/pad method.

The urinary tract accounts for nearly one third of all infections in the long-term care setting. This article reviews factors that influence nitrite and leukocyte esterase results obtained from traditional urine dipstick analysis for assessment of urinary tract infections in elderly long-term care residents. This article also proposes a protocol for a urine dipstick pressed into an incontinence pad as an alternative to dipstick analysis of a clean-catch or catheterized urine specimen.