Histopathological Diagnosis of Partial and Complete Hydatidiform Mole in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

The diagnosis of molar pregnancy is a continuing diagnostic problem for many practicing histopathologists who are required to examine specimens of products of conception, particularly since changes in gynecological management in recent years have resulted in uterine evacuation at earlier gestations. The aim of this review is to provide practical, up-to-date, diagnostically useful information regarding the histological diagnosis of molar disease in early pregnancy. Pathophysiological issues relevant to molar pregnancies, such as genetic abnormalities, will be briefly summarized, but nonhistopathological aspects of molar disease will not be covered in detail in this review.     

Neuropsychological correlates of learning disabilities: Subtype identification by the tryon clustering method

Since Samuel Orton's (1937) assertion that dyslexia reflects abnormal brain organization, the relationship of learning disabilities to brain dysfunction has been the topic of considerable debate. Recently, learning-disabled individuals have been studied in conjunction with those known to have neurological dysfunction, in a search for common subtypes. In the present study, a population of 177 children, ages 9-0 to 14-0, were assessed on an augmented version of the Children's Halstead-Reitan Battery. One hundred twenty-nine Ss were learning-disabled, 37 of whom also had verified brain damage. The remaining 48 children had neither learning disabilities nor evidence of brain damage. Patterns of neuropsychological performance were determined using Tryon's clustering methods. The procedure yielded six subject clusters: (A) and (B)—children with low general intellectual ability; (C) children who are clumsy and lethargic; (D) children with language dysfunction; (E) children with faulty spatial orientation; and (F) children with no detectable neuropsychological deficits. These clusters were similar to those identified by investigators who have used other subject-clustering methods. Brain-damaged individuals were more prevalent in some clusters (e.g., A and B) than in others (e.g., E and F), and substantial numbers of learning disabled subjects were also found in clusters where brain-damaged individuals tended to cluster, indicating similar neuropsychological profiles. The cluster structure was validated by comparison with subtypes identified by other investigators, as well as by tests of association between clusters with exogenous factors (e.g., history of prematurity; seizures).     

A sensitive method for assay of a novel tricyclic compound using coulometric electrochemical detection

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method using coulometric electrochemical detection in the oxidative mode has been developed for the analysis of 3-(9-chloro-5,6-dihydro-11-H-pyrrolo[2,1-b][3]benzazepine-11-ylidene- N,N-dimethyl-1-propanamine(E)-Z-butenedioate hydrogen maleate (1) in plasma of patients dosed with 2-8 mg/kg/d of the drug. Concentrations as little as 0.1 ng/mL of 1 in plasma can be estimated with a mean coefficient of variation of 7.4 +/- 1.08%. The utility of the procedure was demonstrated by the analysis of 500 patient samples from a rising multiple-dose study.