Effect of remote aortic injury and thrombosis on cholesterol atherosclerosis

Recent tissue culture studies indicate that platelet factors enhance lipoproteins to stimulate proliferation of smooth muscle cells, a key event in atherogenesis. It was of interest to determine if continued remote aortic injury and thrombosis can increase the severity of hypercholesterolemia induced atherosclerosis. Four groups of rabbits were studied, two groups fed 0.5 g cholesterol per day, one group with and one group without massive abdominal aortic white mural non-occlusive thrombosis and injury induced with a permanent indwelling catheter, and two groups fed 1 g cholesterol per day, one group with and one group without similar thrombosis and injury. Serum lipids in the four groups were qualitatively and quantitatively not significantly different from each other at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. When they were sacrificed at 12 weeks the percent intimal surface area in the thoracic aorta (48 ± 22) and arch (75 ± 28) of the rabbits with thrombosis and fed 0.5 g cholesterol per day was significantly (p < 0.01) greater than the percent intimal area (20 ± 14) and (24 ± 18) of the rabbits without thrombosis. The percent intimal area with lesions in the rabbits fed 1 g cholesterol per day with thrombosis (59 ± 25) and (84 ± 30) was significantly greater (p < 0.01) than the percent area (24 ± 29) and (32 ± 32) of the rabbits without thrombosis. Since the effects could not be attributed to differing serum lipid levels it is possible that the increased severity of atherosclerosis in the remote arch and thoracic aorta was related to increased permeability, cell proliferation or collagen synthesis possibly stimulated by circulating factors released from the remote massive non-occlusive thrombus or from circulating platelets activated by contact with the injured abdominal aortic wall.     

Arginine-induced glucagon secretion in the spontaneously diabetic BB Wistar rat

The spontaneously diabetic BB Wistar rat shows many characteristics analogous to human insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM). These include inappropriately normal immunoreactive glucagon in the presence of hyperglycemia, absolute hyperglucagonemia with severe ketosis, and hyperresponsiveness to exogenous arginine in vivo. We used an in situ pancreas preparation to further study portal vein glucagon responses to intravenous arginine. In normal rats, magnitude of response was correlated with prestimulation levels. Basal levels were significantly increased in hyperglycemic diabetics compared to controls, but responses to arginine were attenuated in both absolute and relative terms. Comparisons of responses with poor and good prior diabetes control showed no significant differences. Thus, a further anomaly of glucagon secretion has been identified in these rats.     

Dermatologic disorders

The contribution of emotional factors to many dermatologic disorders has long been recognized, although the specific relationships and mechanisms remain to be clarified. Sensitive dermatologists have long incorporated psychotherapeutic approaches into their management of a variety of skin disorders, and in some cases psychiatric consultation or treatment may be called for. The author briefly surveys pruritus, hyperhidrosis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, rosacea, alopecia areata, psoriasis, and associated conditions, including “dermatologic nondisease”; focuses on the psychic substrate present in many of them; and outlines the appropriate integration of psychotherapy into the treatment selected.     

Why Do Radial Artery Grafts for Aortocoronary Bypass Fail? A Reappraisal

The reasons for the high failure rate of radial artery grafts for aortocoronary bypass (ACB) are appraised. Each of 11 dogs received four types of grafts: femoral arteries were grafted to carotid arteries, and jugular veins were grafted to femoral arteries bilaterally. One of each pair of grafts was wrapped in a plastic sheet in order to interfere with the regeneration of vasa vasorum. The grafts were examined 2 months later. The results suggest that although operative trauma and intraluminal pressure change play important roles, the thick-walled artery appears to depend more on vasa vasorum for its integrity than does the thin-walled vein. A free radical artery graft, with vasa vasorum disrupted at both ends, cannot regenerate readily from the adjacent tissue, as is the case at the ACB position, and is therefore more vulnerable to subintimal hyperplasia and occlusion than either the vein graft or the internal mammary artery graft; both of these grafts are thinner, and the internal mammary artery graft remains undisrupted at one end.     

Depression and hysterectomy: a prospective study

In 102 women who underwent hysterectomy, the incidence of depression was higher before surgery (16%) than afterwards. Factors predicting depression included a history of depression, lower socioeconomic status, and high preoperative scores in the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Fear of cancer and fear of an adverse sexual effect from the hysterectomy were the main causes of anxiety. The results support the hypothesis that hysterectomy by itself does not lead to depression.     

Congenital hypoplasia of right ventricular myocardium (Uhl's anomaly) associated with pulmonary atresia in a newborn

A third case of congenital marked hypoplasia of the right ventricular myocardium (Uhl's anomaly) associated with pulmonary valvular atresia and absent tricuspid leaflets is reported. The anatomic differences between this disease, hypoplasia of the right ventricle and Ebstein's anomaly are discussed. During the neonatal period the clinical diagnosis is difficult. Malformations like tricuspid atresia, pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and Ebstein's anomaly can all give almost the same clinical picture. The prognosis of the complete form of Uhl's anomaly remains poor.     

Partial short arm deletions of the X chromosome and spontaneous pubertal development in girls with short stature.

Five additional examples of partial deletion of the short arm of the X chromosome are reported. All of the patients had short stature. The presence of the other stigmata of Turner syndrome, including ovarian dysfunction, appeared to depend on the location of the deletion. Chromosomal analysis of girls with short stature (less than 140 cm), normal pubertal development, and regular menses may reveal that minor deletions of the short arm of the X chromosome are more frequent than has been previously reported.     

Regulation of ethanol intake by rats with an induced preference for ethanol.

This paper is an attempt to characterize the nature of ethanol preference acquired by male albino rats after 30 daily sessions of hypothalamic stimulation. It was observed that rats that acquired ethanol preference following hypothalamic stimulation continued to ingest significant amounts of ethanol even after it was adulterated with 0.05% quinine hydrochloride. None of the ethanol-preferring rats exhibited any signs of withdrawal when ethanol presentations were terminated following 73 days of ethanol ingestion. The ethanol preferring rats were extremely accurate in regulating the amount of absolute ethanol ingested when the concentration of solutions presented to them were systematically varied. The data is discussed in terms of the specificity of the phenomenon and possible shifts in preference-aversion taste function.     

QT interval measurement by a computer assisted program: a potentially useful clinical parameter

The duration of electrical systole (QT interval) was measured in 72 subjects (48 women and 24 men) who had normal coronary arteries and left ventricular function at cardiac catheterization (group 1). The same measurements were obtained in 100 patients with a normal ECG (from 40 women and 60 men referred to our institution and found normal on a noninvasive clinical basis) and compared to a double independent manual calculation (group 2). The computer assisted program was found reliable in QT interval measurements. In both study groups women showed longer QTc. No difference in QTc duration was seen in subjects taking beta-blockers prior to angiography. As compared to group 1, subjects of group 2 showed similar average QTc values. However, 9 out of 100 subjects of group 2 had abnormal QTc as compared with none of group 1 (p less than 0.05). QTc calculations may improve the usefulness of computer assisted programs in ECG interpretation. Present data can be used as reference values for normality. They stress in addition the necessity of introducing the heart rate correction for the interpretation of QT interval. This can help in stimulating prospective clinical studies to assess the value of QTc as an index of risk for cardiac dysrhythmias.