Asymmetric eeg changes as method actors generated emotions

Nine method actors recalled personal experiences to create emotional states of sexual arousal or depression. Electroencephalographic (EEG) data recorded from left and right frontal, central, parietal and occipital locations were spectrally analyzed for power in each major frequency band and for coherence among all pairs of channels. Contrasts between the emotion conditions showed less alpha power (greater activation) over the right hemisphere for sexual arousal than for depression. Analysis of coherence topography showed higher coherence in right central and posterior regions during the sexual arousal condition. These data are consistent with previous evidence of right hemisphere contribution to sexual arousal and suggest further that asymmetric patterns of brain activity may be associated with specific emotional states.     

Nocardia asteroides aortitis with perforation of the aorta

A 53-year-old man died of nocardial aortitis eight months after undergoing aortic valve replacement. Autopsy revealed vegetation in the area of a previous aortotomy incision and a small perforation of the aorta enclosed by pericardium immediately above the prosthetic valve ring. Prosthetic valve endocarditis was not present. Multiple splenic infarcts, microabscesses of both kidneys, and myocarditis were identified. Antemortem blood cultures and postmortem cultures of the aortic vegetation grew Nocardia asteroides.     

Thyroid cancer: diagnosis and management based on a review of 142 cases

Review of 142 patients with thyroid cancer diagnosed and treated in a community hospital from 1958 through 1972 suggests that total thyroidectomy and radical neck dissection are unwarranted in the treatment of papillary carcinoma. Radioactive iodine scanning and needle biopsy are also shown to be unreliable indexes of malignancy. An operation approach to the management of specific thyroid cancers is presented.     

Sterilization of Ommaya reservoir by instillation of vancomycin

We describe the management of a patient with a Staphylococcus epidermidis infection of an Ommaya reservoir that was being used for the treatment of carcinomatous meningitis. Intravenous vancomycin failed to eradicate the organism. We treated our patient successfully with parenteral antibiotics and local instillation of vancomycin (25 μg/ml) without removing the reservoir. The patient tolerated the intraventricular vancomycin well. We recommend this approach in the treatment of infected Ommaya reservoirs in patients who have diseases with extremely poor prognoses and who wish to be discharged from the hospital early.     

Role of blood viscosity in the production of innocent ejection murmurs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that may participate in the production of innocent ejection murmurs. Although it is known that ejection murmurs are produced by turbulent flow, the cause of turbulence in subjects with innocent murmurs has not been determined. The viscosity and the density of blood are factors that participate in the production of turbulence. Therefore, their role in the production of innocent ejection murmurs was investigated in 40 healthy young women, aged 18 to 22 years. Fourteen subjects had an innocent murmur; 26 had no murmur. All had a normal hematocrit (37 ml/100 ml or greater); none were anemic. However, the subjects with an innocent murmur had a significantly lower hematocrit (P < 0.01), and consequently the viscosity of blood in these subjects was lower (0.038 ± 0.001 versus 0.042 ± 0.001 poise) (P < 0.001). The density of blood and the estimated stroke volume were similar in both groups. These observations suggest that young women with an innocent murmur may have a lower viscosity of blood than those without a murmur. The increased turbulence caused by the decreased viscosity may contribute to causing inaudible ejection murmurs to exceed the threshold of audibility.