Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: the importance of early magnetic resonance imaging

The diagnosis of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is frequently missed or delayed with consequent delay in instituting therapy in the crucial phase of the illness. The role of MRI in the diagnosis of ADEM is well established, however, the value of its early utilization of treatment on the outcome of patients has not been adequately stressed. Three patients with ADEM are described. Delay in the diagnosis of the first was associated with severe sequelae, while in the other two early diagnosis and institution of corticosteroid therapy which was facilitated by MRI, was associated with a better outcome. MRI should be carried out early once the diagosis of ADEM is entertained.     

The role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of a large, rapidly growing, thyroid mass.

The value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of a large rapidly growing thyroid mass was assessed in a study of 42 patients with a large (> 3 cm) rapidly growing (< two months) solitary mass. Haemorrhage into a thyroid nodule was present in 31 patients and thyroid malignancy in 11. Ultrasound of haemorrhage into a thyroid nodule revealed a large cystic mass in all 31 patients containing internal debris (22), septations (three), or a combination of both (six). The malignant causes of a large rapidly growing mass were lymphoma (two), anaplastic carcinoma (four) and metastasis (five). Ultrasound of these thyroid malignancies revealed a mass with a smooth, well-defined margin and strikingly low homogeneous echogenicity in all cases. Patients with thyroid metastases had evidence of widespread metastatic disease elsewhere. Lymphoma was differentiated from anaplastic carcinoma on fine-needle aspiration cytology or surgical biopsy. Ultrasound was of value in differentiating between a benign haemorrhagic nodule and a malignant tumour. The various malignant tumours had similar appearances, however, and could not be distinguished on ultrasound.     

Lumbar facet joint tropism does not accelerate degeneration of the facet joints.

PURPOSETo study the relationship of lumbar facet joint tropism to degeneration of the cartilage and subcortical bone in the facet joints and the effect of tropism in intervertebral disk degeneration.METHODSThe orientation of 104 cadaveric lumbar facet joints with respect to sagittal plane was measured on CT scans, and the joints were classified as having no tropism, mild tropism, or severe tropism. On MR images, the severity of cartilage degeneration and bony sclerosis was measured. The correlation between tropism and degeneration was calculated, as was the relationship among age, spinal level, and degeneration.RESULTSWe identified four spinal levels with severe tropism, six with moderate tropism, and 94 without tropism. Cartilage degeneration was not significantly more severe in the joints with tropism than in the joints without. Sclerosis was slightly greater in the joints with tropism than in the joints without it. Sclerosis and cartilage degeneration were significantly related to age and spinal level.CONCLUSIONAge, spinal level, and overall facet joint angle are more important factors in facet joint degeneration than is tropism.     

Emergency physicians and sexual involvement with patients: an Ontario survey

OBJECTIVE: To describe Ontario emergency physicians' knowledge of colleagues' sexual involvement with patients and former patients, their own personal experience of such involvement, and their attitudes toward postvisit relationships. DESIGN: Mailed survey. SETTING: Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Emergency physicians practising in Ontario. RESULTS: Of 974 eligible mailed surveys, 599 (61.5%) were returned. Of these respondents, 52 (8.7%) reported being aware of a colleague in emergency practice who had been sexually involved with a patient or former patient. When describing their own behaviour, 37 respondents (6.2%) reported sexual involvement with a former patient. However, of this group, only 9 (25.0%) had met the patient in an emergency department. Thus, of the total number of respondents, only 1.5% (9/599) reported sexual involvement arising out of an emergency department visit. Most respondents (82.4%) agreed that it is inappropriate behaviour to ask a patient for a date after an emergency assessment and before the patient's departure, and 66.4% felt that it is inappropriate to contact the patient after discharge. However, only 10.6% believed it to be unacceptable to request a social meeting after encountering a patient previously cared for in the emergency department in a nonprofessional setting. Most respondents (96.5%) did not believe that sexual involvement could ever be therapeutic for the patient. However, only 66% felt that it was always an abuse of power and 62.4% supported zero tolerance of all sexual involvement between physicians and patients. CONCLUSIONS: Vague regulatory guidelines currently in place have failed to dispel confusion regarding what is acceptable social behaviour for physicians providing emergency care. Our results support the need for clarification, and suggest a basis for guidelines that would be acceptable to the emergency medical community: that an emergency visit should not form the basis for the initiation of personal or sexual relationships, yet neither should it preclude their development in nonmedical settings.     

VS38: a new monoclonal antibody for detecting plasma cell differentiation in routine sections.

AIMS--To characterise a new mouse monoclonal antibody, VS38, which recognises an intracytoplasmic antigen of 64 kilodaltons present in normal and neoplastic plasma cells; and to establish its value as a diagnostic reagent for routine pathological practice. METHODS--A range of normal and neoplastic tissue sections, both frozen and routinely fixed, were immunostained, using the microwave method of antigen retrieval for routinely fixed specimens. The antibody was also tested on blood and bone marrow specimens and a range of human cell lines. The molecular weight of the antigen recognised by the antibody was obtained by western blot analysis. FACS analysis was used to demonstrate the cellular location of the antigen and its presence on tonsil cell suspensions and myeloma cases. RESULTS--VS38 recognised normal and neoplastic plasma cells in all of the tissues, including all routinely fixed plasma cell neoplasms tested. The antibody also weakly stained epithelial elements within the tissue but was absent from haemopoietic cells of other lineages. CONCLUSION--Antibody VS38 is of potential value in identifying myeloma or plasmacytoma in bone marrow or other tissues. It differentiates lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma from lymphocytic and follicular lymphoma. It also subdivides large cell lymphomas into two groups which may be a more reliable method of separating these tumours than morphology alone.     

X-Ray Study of the Cat Hindlimb During Treadmill Locomotion

With pulsed X-ray cinematography we have analysed the angular excursions of the distal hindlimb joints (proximal interphalangeal, PIP; metatarsophalangeal, MTP; ankle) in cats walking on a treadmill. These distal joints transmit the body weight and the dynamic forces onto the ground. We have included the knee and hip joints in the analysis to relate the angular excursions of the proximal and distal joints and to verify the data previously obtained with external markers on the kinematics of the proximal joints. At the beginning of the stance phase the PIP joints flexed rapidly, the MTP joints extended slowly and the ankle and knee yielded under body weight. Whereas the PIP joints maintained a rather constant angular position of −75° throughout the stance phase, extension continued in the MTP joints from −230° at touch-down to −270° at the end of the stance phase. Around 50 ms before lift-off the MTP joints flexed rapidly. Early (−30 ms) after lift-off this flexion changed into a slow extension. The PIP joints extended swiftly at the stance-swing transition and moderately at the end of the swing phase. During the middle part of the swing phase they flexed slowly. Small rotatory movements around the long axis of the foot took place in the last 100 ms of the swing phase. The results of this study on the distal joints are discussed in relation to the placing of the paw, to the translation of forward propulsion into a MTP movement and to the lifting of the paw (conventionally described as toe curling). They show a differentiated mechanical interaction between the different distal limb joints during these different phases, which must be known in detail to interpret the corresponding electromyographic data and to understand how the hip is moved forward over the MTP joints which serve as the final pivot during stance.     

CDC's consensus set of health status indicators: monitoring and prioritization by state health departments.

A survey assessed the extent to which state health departments monitor and prioritize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's consensus set of health status indicators. A response rate of 100% was obtained. Although mortality indicators are often monitored, only 75.5% of the states monitor work-related injury deaths. Most states monitor the incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, measles, tuberculosis, and syphilis. Low birthweight, births to adolescents, and lack of prenatal care are monitored in nearly all states and are considered high-priority problems. Only 46.9% of states are monitoring poor air quality, and only 58.8% are monitoring childhood poverty. Survey results suggest a need for standardized assessment of indicators for policy development and program planning.     

Estimates of disease incidence in women based on antenatal or neonatal seroprevalence data: HIV in new york city

Piecewise constant incidence models were developed to estimate the force of infection in women from age-and time-specific antenatal or neonatal seroprevalence data. Differential inclusion of infected women in sero-surveys compared to uninfected women was taken into account, with respect to both changes in inclusion rate following infection, and changes in relative inclusion rate over calendar time. These models were applied to anonymous HIV seroprevalence data collected from neonates born to black and Hispanic women in New York City 1988-1992, with incidence and fertility parameters estimated by maximum likelihood. Estimates of inclusion rate parameters accorded well with what is known about the natural history of HIV. The data could not distinguish between additive and multiplicative combination of the effects of age and time on incidence. Incidence was strongly dependent on age with the highest incidence in women aged 20-34 years. There was strong evidence that incidence had been falling in Hispanic women since 1982-1984. The results illustrate the extent to which trends in incidence over time may be confounded by changes in the relative inclusion rate of infected and uninfected women.