Acute viral myocarditis A death associated with anaesthesia

The death of a 35-year-old woman in the immediate postoperative period as a result of undiagnosed acute viral myocarditis is described. The presentation, diagnosis and course of the disease is discussed. It is recommended that wider use to be made of routine electrocardiographs as a screening test.     

Bilateral Ulnar Agenesis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Bilateral ulnar agenesis is a rare abnormality. A total of 36 cases are analyzed: 35 of these are documented in the literature and 1 stillborn male is presented in this study. Most patients had one of the three conditions: Al-Awadi/Raas-Rothschild syndrome, syndrome of ulnar aplasia with split hand/split foot deformity, or the Brachmann—de Lange syndrome. Fifty percent of all cases with bilateral ulnar agenesis were associated with lower limb defects and these cases, for the most part, also belonged to the aforementioned syndromes. Nonskeletal, internal organ malformations were identified in 34% of all patients. Nine patients presented with isolated bilateral ulnar agenesis. The Al-Awadi/Raas-Rothschild syndrome and the split hand/split foot deformity are heritable disorders. There was no evidence for genetic etiology in most of the other cases. Bilateral ulnar agenesis in our fetus was part of the Brachmann—de Lange syndrome with associated cardiac defect, diaphragmatic hernia, and umbilical artery agenesis.     

钙拮抗剂TMB-8抑制BHQ,NE和KCl引起的培养乳牛基底动脉单个平滑肌细胞内游离钙的升高

用AR CM MIC阳离子测定系统,测量单个细胞内游离钙浓度([Ca²⁺]i),研究8-(N,N-二乙胺)-n-辛基 3,4,5-三甲氧基苯甲酸酯(TMB-8)对培养乳牛基底动脉平滑肌[Ca²⁺]i的作用。在细胞外钙浓度为1.3mmol·L^-1时,TMB-8(30μmol·L^-1)可明显抑制BHQ,NE及KCl引起[Ca²⁺]i的升高。在细胞外钙为零+EGTA 0.1mmol·L^-1时,TMB-8(10,30及100μmol·L^-1)可浓度依赖性地降低静息[Ca²⁺]i,TMB-8(30μmol·L^-1)可几乎完全阻断BHQ及NE引起[Ca²⁺]i的增加。研究表明TMB-8降低培养乳牛基底动脉平滑肌[Ca²⁺]i的机制,主要是抑制肌浆网Ca²⁺的释放,或增加肌浆网对Ca²⁺的摄入,并由此间接地抑制细胞外钙的内流。     

Image processing in digital radiography

Image processing is a critical part of obtaining high-quality digital radiographs. Fortunately, the user of these systems does not need to understand image processing in detail, because the manufacturers provide good starting values. Because radiologists may have different preferences in image appearance, it is helpful to know that many aspects of image appearance can be changed by image processing, and a new preferred setting can be loaded into the computer and saved so that it can become the new standard processing method.Image processing allows one to change the overall optical density of an image and to change its contrast. Spatial frequency processing allows an image to be sharpened, improving its appearance. It also allows noise to be blurred so that it is less visible. Care is necessary to avoid the introduction of artifacts or the hiding of mediastinal tubes.     

Storage phosphor digital mammography

Digital mammography using storage phosphor CR is still in the investigational stage. It is the only digital mammography system that has been tested in preliminary clinical trials with promising early results. Further clinical studies are needed to assess the impact of the limited spatial resolution of storage phosphor technology on its application as a digital screening mammography system. Further studies also are needed to determine the optimum image processing parameters needed in digital mammography.     

Acute cardiac and pulmonary arrest after infusion of vancomycin with subsequent desensitization

J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;100:853-4.     

RELAXATION OF MESENTERIC ARTERY OF STROKE PRONE SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS BY CALCIUM REMOVAL

1. The time courses of the relaxation, induced by removal of extracellular Ca2+, of K-depolarized mesenteric artery preparations from stroke prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were compared. 2. The time course of the decline in extracellular Ca2+ was estimated from the time course of the relaxation and the concentration-response curve of K(+)-depolarized preparations to Ca2+. The time course of the decline in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration was also estimated from the reported relation between Ca2+ concentration and the contraction of skinned vascular smooth muscle. 3. The time course of relaxation was exponential, the curve being made up of three components. The time course was slower in preparations from SHRSP, especially the first component of the relaxation curve. 4. The time courses of the decline in the intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ concentrations were also exponential, being made up of three components and were also slower in the preparation made from SHRSP. 5. The wall and muscle layer of the mesenteric arteries used in the present experiments were significantly thicker in the SHRSP preparations. 6. Calculation of the half relaxation time, based on the diffusion of Ca2+ across the blood vessel wall, suggested that the slower relaxation in preparations from SHRSP is due largely to the thicker muscle layer, although differences in Ca2+ sequestration by the smooth muscle cells may also be involved.