Temporal arteritis-like presentation of carotid atherosclerosis

A 68 year-old woman presented with a two-week history of amaurosis fugax, ipsilateral fronto-temporal headache and jaw claudication suggesting carotid giant cell arteritis. However, this syndrome proved to be due to atherosclerosis causing complete occlusion of the external carotid artery at its origin and narrowing of the internal carotid artery. Combined external and internal carotid endarterectomy relieved the symptoms. The symptom complex of temporal arteritis may be rarely mimicked by carotid atherosclerotic occlusive disease.     

Intra-urban variations of neonatal and post-neonatal mortality in a developing city

Numerous surveys at the national and regional level have demonstrated that large inequalities in infant health status exist in Southern Africa. Few studies have assessed infant mortality at the intra-urban scale of geographic analysis. Comparisons between infant mortality rates from different areas are made even more meaningful if the data are divided into two primary categories based on period-of-death; these being the neonatal and post-neonatal components. This study presents the results of a survey undertaken in Metropolitan Cape Town (population 1.6 million) during 1982. The aim was to determine the spatial variation of neonatal and post-neonatal mortality at the suburb (or community) level within the city. Overall, a total of 36,789 live births and 928 infant deaths were recorded; 53.4% in the neonatal period and 46.6% in the post-neonatal period. The mean infant mortality rate was 25.2 per 1000 live births; the neonatal mortality rate and post-neonatal mortality rate being 13.5/1000 and 11.7/1000, respectively. A marked range in death rates was evident for both components. For the neonatal category it was 0.0-49.9/1000 and 0.0-40.0/1000 for the post-neonatal period. The generally low post-neonatal mortality rate among the 69 suburbs studied has made the neonatal component the dominant contributor to the infant mortality rate. However, in the lowest socio-economic areas the post-neonatal mortality rate was responsible for over 60% of infant deaths.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Entamoeba histolytica antigens in faecal material

This paper describes a method for the detection of Entamoeba histolytica antigens in stool samples using a multi-layer ELISA. The method is sensitive and specific, showing no interference with other intestinal parasites, e.g. E. coli, E. hartmanni, Endolimax nana, Iodamoeba buetschlii, Hymenolepis nana, Giardia lamblia, Trichomonas and Ascaris. The method provides a rapid and simple screening assay for E. histolytica infections and should assist in diagnosis and epidemiological studies of the disease.     

A prospective analysis of 1400 pulmonary artery catheterizations in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

During 1983 and 1984, 1305 patients underwent 1,400 pulmonary artery (PA) catheterizations. Successful placement was achieved in 1397 (99.6%) of 1,403 attempts. The catheters were inserted via the right internal jugular vein on 1364 occasions. The median duration of monitoring was 28 h with a range from 3 to 220 h. Central venous puncture complications included carotid artery puncture in 67 instances (4.8%) and pneumothorax in one patient. Insertion of the catheters was associated with supraventricular arrhythmias on 11 occasions, ventricular arrhythmias on 930 (66.4%), right bundle branch block on two and a total heart block on one occasion. Eighteen (2.3%) of the 794 cultured catheter tips were positive. An in situ time of more than 72 h was associated with a significantly higher percentage (7.2%) of positive tip cultures compared with an in situ time of less than 72 h (P less than 0.01). Repeated PA catheterization was not associated with significantly more complications than the initial catheterization. The results show that monitoring with a PA catheter in cardiac surgical patients is associated with a low incidence of morbidity.     

Methods of ultrasonic angiography and spectrum analysis of the Doppler signal in the diagnosis of the degree of occlusive lesions of the brachiocephalic arteries

Results of an examination of 39 patients are described and critically assessed. An analysis of the resolving power of the method of ultrasonic angiography in pathological formations of major vessels of the neck is given.     

Behavioural, physiological and immunological consequences of social status and aggression in chronically coexisting resident-intruder dyads of male rats

The behavioural and physiological consequences of social status and reciprocal fighting in resident-intruder dyads of Long Evans male rats were evaluated. Before a chronic cohabitation of 10 days, residents and intruders were individually housed for one month to increase their aggressiveness. Control animals included isolates, i.e., animals kept individually housed throughout the experiment and pair-housed rats, i.e., pairs of rats housed together from their rats in the laboratory. In 19 out of 20 dyads, a clear dominance relationship developed with an advantage to the resident in 68% of the cases. Dominants showed more exploratory activity than subordinates in a open-field test at the end of the cohabitation period; subordinates groomed longer than animals from other experimental groups. Dominants had lower pain thresholds than individually and pair-housed animals. Both dominants and subordinates had higher tyrosine hydroxylase enzymatic activities in the left adrenal than isolated and pair-housed rats. Subordinates lost body weight and had higher plasma corticosteroid concentrations than animals from the other experimental groups. In addition, they had smaller thymus glands and reduced spleen lymphocyte responses to mitogenic stimulation in vitro, in comparison to dominant animals. These results show that subordination in the dyadic resident-intruder paradigm leads to a complex syndrome of behavioural and physiological changes, some of which may be modulated by the intensity of aggressive interactions.