Brightness discrimination and contrast sensitivity in chronic glaucoma--a clinical study.

The visual acuity, the difference in sensitivity of the two eyes to light (brightness ratio), and contrast sensitivity were assessed in 28 patients with chronic open angle glaucoma and compared with those of 41 normal controls of similar ages and visual acuity. The results obtained were related to the results of Tübingen visual field analysis in patients with glaucoma. Twenty-four of the 28 glaucoma patients (86%) had a significant disparity in brightness ratio between the two eyes. This was found to match the frequency of visual field loss. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the interocular differences in brightness sense and the difference in the degree of visual field loss between the two eyes. Of the glaucoma patients 39% had sum contrast sensitivities outside the normal range for age-matched normal controls. No significant correlation was found between the interocular difference in brightness sense and the visual acuity or the interocular difference in sum contrast sensitivity. It is concluded that, in the presence of a normal visual acuity, the brightness ratio test warrants evaluation as a potential screening test for chronic open angle glaucoma.     

Formation of a stump after enucleation

Despite the progress achieved in the treatment of ocular diseases, removal of the eyeball still has to be resorted to rather often. The records of 12 hospitals of Moscow over a year evidence 678 enucleations and eviscerations, 248 (39 percent) of these for oncologic diseases, 189 (29.1 percent) because of injury aftereffects, 153 (24 percent) because of glaucoma, and 58 (8 percent) because of ocular inflammations. Common enucleation was carried out in 203 of +/- 400 patients (except oncologic ones) and enucleation with implantation of biological and synthetic drafts in 197 cases, i.e. in half of the patients who needed it; this is explained by the absence of the necessary implants in hospitals. A bank of grafts should be created for centralized provision of ocular hospitals.     

Immunogold localisation of laminin in normal and exfoliative iris.

Immunoelectron microscopic studies of exfoliative iris tissue (seven specimens) revealed the presence of laminin in the fibrillar component of exfoliation material. The immunogold label was uniformly distributed on the exfoliation fibres. Deposition of laminin labelled exfoliation material in the dilator muscle was a noteworthy feature, as was an apparent depletion of laminin in the basement membranes of ostensibly unaffected vessels. In control iris tissue (five enucleated eyes) laminin was identified in the basement membrane round vascular contractile cells, but not beneath the endothelium.     

Efficacy of diltiazem in the treatment of diffuse oesophageal spasm

Calcium antagonist relax smooth muscle, a possible useful concept in treatment of diffuse oesophageal spasm. Therefore the effects of oral diltiazem (60 mg t.d.s.) and placebo were compared in eight patients with diffuse oesophageal spasm in a 10-week double-blind crossover study. The patients recorded the severity of chest pain and/or dysphagia in daily pain diaries using visual analogue scales. Chest pain index and dysphagia index were calculated by multiplying frequency with daily intensity of each individual symptom. When compared to placebo, diltiazem did not significantly change the overall dysphagia index and chest pain index. An individual sizeable reduction of dysphagia was attained on diltiazem in four out of six patients and in six out of eight patients suffering from chestpain. Side effects were not seen during diltiazem therapy. Diltiazem, in our study, did not yield in a significant improvement of symptoms in diffuse oesophageal spasm. Diltiazem, however, can offer relief in selected individual patients suffering from diffuse oesophageal spasm.     

Automation of pharmaceutical dissolution testing by flow injection analysis

The different types of instruments used for monitoring pharmaceutical dissolution testing are presented. Their features and the need for automation are critically discussed. The advantages of flow injection analysis in this respect are illustrated by a variety of examples clearly showing its adaptability to the different problems posed by other automatic and non-automatic alternatives.     

Increased prevalence of undernutrition in Parkinson's disease and its relationship to clinical disease parameters

Summary An anthropometric study was performed in 95 subjects (53 male, 42 female) with Parkinson's disease. Weight, height, triceps and biceps skin-fold thicknesses, and mid-arm circumference were recorded. A high incidence of undernutrition was found (23.6% of males and 22.5% of females, as defined by recent British guidelines). A subgroup of severely disabled patients with Parkinson's disease had a significantly lower mean body mass index than a similarly disabled control group with chronic pyramidal upper motor neuron lesions (males 20.6v 23.2 kg/m² p<0.05; females 20.6v 26.6 kg/m² p<0.01), suggesting that the undernutrition is not due to chronic illness or immobility alone. Correlation between anthropometric indices and clinical features of disease demonstrated that the presence of moderate or severe dyskinetic movements was the clinical parameter most strongly related to undernutrition. The reduction in anthropometric indices was most marked for skin fold thickness (related to percentage body fat) and least for arm muscle circumference (related to lean body mass); therefore the weight loss seen in Parkinson's disease is primarily due to fat loss rather than muscle loss.     

Survey of certification practices for patients admitted to Sterkfontein Hospital

The involuntary hospitalisation of psychiatric patients continues to be a controversial issue. All patients certified and admitted to Sterkfontein Hospital under Sections 9 and 12 of the Mental Health Act, No. 18 of 1973, over a 4-week period were surveyed. Almost 40% were admitted as urgent certifications. The majority of the patients in the sample were black, single, urban and had either primary or limited high school education. Most patients had been referred from academic/teaching and provincial hospitals. The average duration of hospital stay was 7.2 weeks, with only 1 patient eventually being transferred to a ward for chronic patients within the hospital, which suggests that Sterkfontein Hospital functions largely as an acute psychiatric facility. There was a discrepancy of approximately 30% between the assessments of the certifying and ward doctors, probably as a result of differing uses of terminology. Not only are more community psychiatric services needed, but communication between psychiatry and the other medical disciplines should be improved.     

Intragastric blood flow in the etiology of duodenal ulcer--new aspects of surgical treatment

In the experiment on dogs and in patients with duodenal ulcer disease, it was established that the regulation of acid production besides the vagal nerves was mediated by the intragastric gastrin transport with the blood flow. A method of preoperative diagnosis of the intensity of intragastric blood flow permitting to define more accurately the indications for the choice of a method for surgical treatment has been developed. Supplementation of the selective proximal vagotomy with circular mucosectomy at the boundary between the antrum and body of a stomach enhances the effectiveness of operation due to reduction of the antral gastrin influence on the acid-producing zones of the stomach.