Thymoma and aregenerative anemia

Among 32 patients with thymoma treated at the Louisiana State University Medical Center, there was one patient with aregenerative anemia attributable to thymoma (an incidence of 3.3%). Despite successful surgical removal of the thymoma, there was only slight improvement of the hematologic status three years after thymectomy. The result in this patient approximates the general experience, with hematologic remission being likely in less than 20% of cases. Experience casts doubt on whether treatment with adrenocortical steroids, mediastinal irradiation, or splenectomy provides significant beneficial effects.     

Acute Sinusitis in the Rabbit: A New Rhinogenic Model

The objective of this study was to create a rhinogenic model of sinusitis using an implanted foreign body in the nasal cavity of the rabbit. The study design was a prospective controlled trial of the experimental design. In this model an obstructing foreign body was placed into the nasal cavity and then impregnated with pathogenic bacteria. This model was studied histologically using wholemount techniques. Quantitative assessment of the degree of inflammation was made for the maxillary and ethmoid sinus and for overall effect for each animal. Bacteriologic study was performed in a limited number of animals. The results indicated that a significant infection develops in about half of animals. This peaks in intensity between 1 and 2 weeks after implantation and subsequently subsides with some evidence of long-term changes present after 4 weeks. It is concluded that this is a viable and perhaps preferable animal model to study sinusitis. Further investigation is necessary to completely characterize this model.     

Case report 720

A man presented with a mass in the left first metacarpal bone. Later, his chest radiograph showed extensive, bilateral, rounded opacities in both lungs with enlarged hilar lymph nodes, and he developed expanding lesions in the left radius, ulna, and metacarpal bones. The pulmonary lesions were treated with radiotherapy and cytotoxic agents, and the tumor mass in the first metacarpal was debulked. All biopsies showed similar features of a mixed tumor (pleomorphic adenoma) with metastatic or embolic pulmonary involvement; ultrastructural and immunocytochemical investigations supported this unique diagnosis. The patient remains well 15 years after the initial diagnosis. It is possible that the myoepithelial elements in this case had been displaced intraosseously during development. We are not aware of a similar case in the literature.     

乳酸脱氢酶实验检测细胞新陈代谢的实验研究

目的 探索LDH实验检测细胞活力的可行性。方法 原代培养骨髓细胞和软骨细胞，用LDH实验测定上述两组细胞的活力，并与镜下活体观察到细胞的生长状况相比较。与目前比较成熟的测定细胞活力的MTS实验的测得的值相比较。结果 LDH实验对上述两组细胞的活力的测定结果与镜下活体观察到的结果相符合。与MTS实验的测得的结果经统计学处理无显著差异。结论 LDH实验可用于细胞活力的直接测定，而对活细胞的生存、繁殖无影响。     

Predictive power of various models for longitudinal attachment level change

Abstract Several statistical models that have been suggested in the periodontal literature for describing longitudinal attachment level changes, such as the gradual loss, single-burst, multiple-burst, and random walk models as well as other models introduced in this paper are compared by their power to predict future attachment loss. The data used in this analysis is from 1061 sites of 8 subjects, with moderate to severe periodontal disease, monitored monthly for about a year. This study found that none of the suggested models could significantly outperform the naive mean predictor, which predicts the future attachment level from the past mean. It was also found that no single model, such as the burst, gradual, or random walk, together with measurement error can fully explain the variation in the data. These results indicate that in the course of one year, the attachment level change may not follow the same model. Consequently, a model that fits well to past data cannot be accurately extended to the future.     

Necrotizing fasciitis and evisceration complicating an inferiorly based epigastric TRAM flap

Summary The rectus abdommis myocutaneous flap, based on the deep inferior epigastric vessels, is an excellent flap for reconstructing large wounds of the groin and perineum. However, wound infection in the donor site is a potential complication, even with thorough preparation of the recipient site. We present one such case in a diabetic patient who developed a necrotizing fasciitis and evisceration following transfer of an inferiorly based myocutaneous flap.