Craniosynostosis: diagnostic value of three-dimensional CT reconstruction

Three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) has an important role in determining the presence and extent of congenital and acquired craniofacial deformities. The authors compared the sensitivity and specificity of three-dimensional CT in the detection and characterization of craniosynostosis with that of planar CT and skull radiography. Eighty-two patients with isolated and syndromal synostoses were imaged with CT and three-dimensional CT, and 42 with skull radiography. Three-dimensional CT scan processing was performed by shaded-surface reconstruction, volumetric, and depth-coded methods. Two trained observers read each scan series in a blinded fashion. Diagnostic utility of the images was determined with receiver operating characteristic analysis. The observers ranked three-dimensional shaded images higher than the other types, with three-dimensional volumetric images second and three-dimensional surface images ranked third. Results of this study demonstrate that three-dimensional shaded-surface reconstruction from CT scans is superior to conventional plain radiographs and CT scans in diagnosing craniosynostosis.     

Interaction of irradiation and microwave-induced hyperthermia in the Dunning R3327G prostatic adenocarcinoma model

The interaction of radiation and hyperthermia was systematically studied in the Dunning R3327G prostatic adenocarcinoma, the preeminent animal model for human prostatic cancer. Subcutaneous tumors (produced by injection of 10(7) cells) were treated when they had reached a volume of about 1 cm3, which occurred about 3 weeks after implantation. With the use of a randomized complete factorial design, four factors were examined. Each agent was used at one of three dose levels. For radiation, these were 5, 15, and 25 Gy; for hyperthermia, 42 degrees C for 15 minutes, 43 degrees C for 30 minutes, and 44 degrees C for 60 minutes. Two sequences (hyperthermia plus irradiation and irradiation plus hyperthermia) and five time delays between agents (0, 12, 24, 48, and 120 hours) were used. The growth delay (the time it took for the initial tumor volume to double) of subcutaneously implanted tumor served to quantitate treatment effect. Significant (P less than .05) statistical interactions were observed for several combinations of factors and individual factors. Hyperthermia plus irradiation was more effective than irradiation plus hyperthermia except at the delay time between treatments of 0 hours. Peak growth delay occurred when the time between treatments was 0-24 hours and depended on agent doses. Many combinations produced therapeutic synergy.     

Leukaemia in benzene workers: a retrospective cohort study

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 233 benzene factories and 83 control factories in 12 cities in China. The benzene cohort and the control cohort consisted of 28,460 benzene exposed workers (178,556 person-years in 1972-81) and 28,257 control workers (199,201 person-years). Thirty cases of leukaemia (25 dead and 5 alive) were detected in the former and four cases (all dead) in the latter. The leukaemia mortality rate was 14/100,000 person-years in the benzene cohort and 2/100,000 person-years in the control cohort; the standardized mortality ratio was 5.74 (p less than 0.01 by U test). The average latency of benzene leukaemia was 11.4 years. Most (76.6%) cases of benzene leukaemia were of the acute type. The mortality due to benzene leukaemia was high in organic synthesis plants followed by painting and rubber synthesis industries. The concentration of benzene to which patients with a leukaemia were exposed ranged from 10 to 1000 mg/m3 (mostly from 50 to 500 mg/m3). Of the 25 cases of leukaemia, seven had a history of chronic benzene poisoning before the leukaemia developed.     

Cough sensitivity in children with asthma, recurrent cough, and cystic fibrosis

In adults, cough sensitivity is influenced by gender and is heightened in those with non-productive cough. This study examined if cough sensitivity is (i) altered in children with asthma, recurrent cough, and cystic fibrosis and (ii) influenced by age, gender, or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Cough sensitivity to capsaicin and spirometry were performed on 209 children grouped by the diagnosis of asthma, recurrent dry cough, cystic fibrosis, and controls. Cough sensitivity was increased in children with recurrent cough, and lower in children with cystic fibrosis when compared with children with asthma and controls. Age influenced cough sensitivity in the controls. In the asthmatics, FEV1 (% predicted) correlated to cough sensitivity measures. There was no gender difference in cough sensitivity. It is concluded that cough sensitivity is different among children with recurrent dry cough, asthma, and cystic fibrosis. In children, age, but not gender, influences cough sensitivity measures and when cough sensitivity is used in comparative studies, children should be matched for age and FEV1.     

Clinical intravenous urography: comparative trial of ioxaglate and iopamidol

A comparative trial of ioxaglate sodium meglumine and iopamidol in excretory urography was undertaken. The study failed to demonstrate any statistically significant differences between the two media in terms of urographic quality. Diagnostically adequate urograms were obtained in 92.6% of patients receiving ioxaglate and 89.6% of patients receiving iopamidol. There were no intermediate, major, or fatal reactions with either media. Minor reactions were slightly more common with ioxaglate. Both media are good, safe urographic agents, and either can be advocated when excretory urography with low-osmolar agents is indicated.