Posterior dislocation of the sternoclavicular joint: report of two cases,with emphasis on radiologic management and early diagnosis

Posterior dislocations of the sternoclavicular joint are uncommon, but are potentially quite serious. Radiologic diagnosis and management are frequently difficult. The specialized projections available are not widely known, and the role of plain films is poorly understood. The incidence, pathomechanics, and clinical manifestations of such dislocations are presented and the radiologic diagnosis is discussed.     

An analysis of fluid loss during transcervical resection of submucous myomas

Objective: To determine the contribution of several variables to fluid loss during transcervical resection of submucous myomas.Design: An observational study using multiple linear regression analyses.Setting: A university-affiliated training hospital and a university department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics.Patient(s): Patients with submucous myomas.Intervention(s): Transcervical resection of submucous myomas and monitoring of fluid loss.Main Outcome Measure(s): Patient age, uterine enlargement, treatment with GnRH analogues or 8-ornithine-vasopressin, type of anesthesia, number of myomas, intramural extension of the myoma (type of myoma), and operating time were tested as variables.Result(s): Only intramural extension of the myoma and operating time were obviously related to fluid loss. For the other variables, such a relation was weak at best. The relation between fluid loss and operating time was not modified by any of the other variables.Conclusion(s): Because fluid loss is an important limiting factor in the transcervical resection of submucous myomas, special attention should be paid to reduction of the operating time and preoperative assessment of the intramural extension of the myoma to guide appropriate patient selection.     

Antagonism of phencyclidine-induced deficits in prepulse inhibition by the putative atypical antipsychotic olanzapine

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex provides an operational measure of sensorimotor gating. Deficits in PPI are observed in schizophrenia patients and can be modelled in animals by administration of noncompetitive NMDA antagonists such as phencyclidine (PCP) or dizocilpine (MK-801). Previous studies indicate that the atypical antipsychotic clozapine restores PPI in PCP-treated animals while the typical antipsychotic haloperidol does not. Olanzapine (LY170053) is a novel putative atypical antipsychotic that shares many pharmacological and behavioral properties with clozapine. The present study assessed the ability of olanzapine (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg) to antagonize deficits in PPI produced by PCP (1.5 mg/kg) and dizocilpine (0.1 mg/kg). At the two highest doses, olanzapine significantly increased PPI in PCP- and dizocilpine-treated animals without affecting PPI or baseline startle reactivity by itself. These results support the notion that olanzapine is functionally similar to clozapine and may have utility as an atypical antipsychotic agent.     

The patterns of cell death and of macrophages in the developing forebrain of the tree shrew Tupaia belangeri

The patterns of cell death and of macrophages were investigated in the forebrain and eyes of the tree shrew Tupaia belangeri during five phases of optic cup formation. Seventeen embryos were studied. Three- dimensional reconstructions were made from one embryo of each phase. In phase 1 (V-shaped optic evagination) a midline band of cell death passes through the closing anterior neuroporus. From phases 2 (optic vesicle) to 5 (far-advanced invagination) the midline band of cell death extends in the dorsal wall of the forebrain to its rostral pole and, further, into its ventral wall. At the approximate future position of the optic chiasm this ventral pycnotic area, predicted but so far unidentified by others, is connected to a previously described second band of cell death passing through the optic anlagen. Recently, evidence has been presented that chicken embryos develop holoprosencephaly and cyclopia when ventral forebrain structures are lost secondary to experimentally induced apoptosis. Our findings in Tupaia suggest that, in cases of spontaneous malformations of this kind, such an atypical pycnotic area in the ventral telencephalon might result from the defective regulation of cell death processes during optic cup formation. In the forebrain and eyes of Tupaia, the occurrence of bands of cell death precedes the appearance of the earliest intraepithelial macrophages. From phase 3 (onset of invagination) onwards almost all of them are concentrated along the band of cell death.     

Predominance of hospital deliveries among children with acute lymphocytic leukemia: speculations about neonatal exposure to fluorescent light

Dutch Childhood Leukemia Study Group, Erasmus University Medical School     

The role of nuclear medicine in oncology

Nuclear Medicine offers screening methods for oncology such as bone and bone marrow scintigraphy. During the last two decades, special procedures have gained widespread application. This paper is centered around the “tumor-specific” radiopharmaceuticals. In patients with thyroid cancer, I-131 still plays a significant role. Ga-67 still has its indications in lymphoma, while in other diseases Tl-201 cloride is now the agent of choice. Especially in thyroid cancer, Tl-201 has proved to be a reliable tumor imaging radiopharmaceutical. More recently, Tc-99m MIBI was introduced for tumor imaging. Tc-99m HMPAO may also be used for tumor scintigraphy, especially in brain lesions. In addition, I-123 IMP has successfully been used for imaging malignant melanoma. Another promising field of tumor diagnosis is receptor imaging. In neuroblastoma and malignant pheochromocytoma, I-131/123 mIBG is the radiopharmaceutical of choice and may be considered as a receptor imaging agent also. First clinical results with In-111 octreotide show potentials as somatostatine-receptor radiopharmaceutical in insulinoma, islet cell carcinoma, medullary and lung cancer, while I-123 estradiol needs some improvement until it may be recommended as diagnostic tool in breast cancer. Since 1978, radiolabeled poly- or monoclonal tumor antibodies and their fragments have gained widespread application. Especially the Tc-99m 225.28S melanoma antibody, I-131 or Tc-99m CEA and In-111/I-131 labeled OC-125 antibodies have proven to be of clinical significance in melanoma, colorectal and ovarian cancer.     

Energy spectra of poly(arylenevinylene)s containing different aromatic units

The energy gaps of poly(p-arylenevinylene)s with phenylene, naphthylene and anthrylene subunits are determined by extrapolating the UV/VIS spectroscopic data of the oligomers. The band structure of the three polymers was theoretically investigated. The topology-, geometry- and correlation-factors were determined upon which the energy spectra of this class of one-dimensional π-electron systems depend.