PARTICIPATION AND NEEDS AMONG MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF OPHTHALMOLOGISTS

A survey of Australian Ophthalmologists in relation to Continuing Education and related issues was carried out in 1979-80. 53% of College members responded. A small multi-choice question paper tested the level of competency of the group. Age, geographic distribution, and type of practice were recorded and related to presently available continuing education facilities. Future needs are assessed and questions raised regarding the direction of continuing education in the future. The level of ophthalmic knowledge appears to be satisfactory but decreases with age, along with attendance at education programmes. 25% of ophthalmologists consider themselves isolated. Future programmes should consider these factors. Views on undergraduate, general practitioner and community education are also summarised.     

Management of tumors of the liver. Combined use of arteriography and venography in the assessment of resectability, especially in hilar tumors

Twenty-five primary and secondary malignant tumors involving the liver were assessed preoperatively by combined hepatic arteriography and portal venography. The resectability of the lesions as judged by these radiographic techniques was compared with the operative findings. Only 1 of 6 peripheral nonhilar tumors was unresectable, in contrast to 11 of 19 tumors involving the hilus In every case the operative findings confirmed the preoperative radiologic data. Of the patients with hilar lesions, four had isolated unilateral involvement of either the main trunk or a major secondary branch of the lobar artery and vein and were all resectable. None of the 11 hilar lesions with bilateral or stem involvement of the vasculature were resectable. It is suggested that hepatic angiography not only yields information on diagnosis, anatomic abnormalities and concurrent disease, but also is important in assessing tumor resectability. For this purpose, both selective hepatic arteriography and splenic venography are necessary.     

Acute suppurative cholangitis: Comparison of internal and external biliary drainage

Forty-eight patients with acute cholangitis who presented with postcholocystectomy choledocholithiasis are reported on in this study. As soon as the general condition of the patients had improved, or as soon as the fluid balance was established, usually within 48 hours of admission, the patients were divided into two groups: group A (28 patients) underwent choledochoduodenostomy, and group B (20 patients) had T-tube drainage. The results demonstrate that internal biliary drainage in patients with acute cholangitis is associated with lower mortality and morbidity, and that further recurrent choledocholithiasis is eliminated after choledochoduodenostomy, which was the drainage procedure used exclusively in this series of patients. We believe that this difference in results is due first to the elimination of the possibility of exogenous contamination through the T tube when internal drainage is used, and second to the difference in the caliber and length of the two drainage systems.     

Identification of urinary metabolites of sodium dipropylacetate in man; potential sources of interference in organic acid screening procedures.

Organic acid screening of urine samples from two children with neurological disease demonstrated the presence of two unknown metabolites. The children were receiving an antiepileptic drug, sodium dipropylacetate. The major abnormal compound has been shown by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to be 3-oxodipropylacetic acid, a previously unidentified metabolite of dipropylacetate in man, while the minor metabolite was indentified as 2-(n-propyl)-glutaric acid.     

Inappropriately low serum GH in an acromegalic: Lysosomal involvement in intracellular hormone degradation

A patient with galactorrhea, amenorrhea and severe acromegaly was found to have a large pituitary adenoma. In view of the severity of the disease the serum growth hormone (GH) level (22.5 mlU/liter) was considered inappropriately low. Tissue from the adenoma was obtained during successful treatment with interstitial irradiation (⁹⁰Yttrium). Trypsindispersed biopsy cells in culture for 12 days secreted low amounts of GH compared to the same number of adenoma cells from 5 other unselected acromegalics or a normal pituitary. No other hormones were secreted in culture. Immunocytochemical staining was positive only with GH antisera but showed low intracellular content. This was confirmed by direct analysis of the tumor tissue which showed the GH content to be only 20% of that found in 5 normal pituitaries and 4% of that found in 8 other adenomas from acromegalics. Electron microscopy showed a striking appearance, with GH secretory granules that were sparse in number, smaller than usual, and in the main arranged around numerous intracellular profiles with double membranes and low electron density that were tentatively identified as autophagic vacuoles (secondary lysosomes). Subcellular fractionation showed the distribution of the radioimmunoassayable GH in the gradient to be coincident with the peak of the lysosomes whereas in 2 other acromegalics the GH peak was clearly separated from the lysosomes. We conclude that the simultaneous appearance in our patient of a relatively low serum GH together with a large tumor and severe acromegaly can be explained biochemically by the striking finding of crinophagy - disposal of hormone secretory granules within the somatotroph cells themselves.     

网络环境下研究生培养档案信息管理和利用

网络环境下研究生培养档案信息管理工作的要点:认真研究并掌握网络环境下研究生培养管理工作的内在规律,及时调整工作程序和工作重点,强化研究生培养档案信息的收集,加强对电子档案信息的核查和维护,充分发挥现代网络信息技术的优势,组织好研究生培养档案信息,为教师、研究生及管理工作提供有效的信息服务.     

Superoxide independence of paraquat toxicity in Escherichia coli

Hyperbaric oxygen failed to enhance the lethal effect of the herbicide paraquat towards Escherichia coli B. Variations induced in the intracellular concentrations of either of two endogenous superoxide dismutases had no effect on bacterial susceptibility to paraquat, even in the presence of hyperbaric oxygen. It is concluded that paraquat toxicity is not mediated by superoxide in this organism.     

Transfer of contraceptive steroids in milk of women using long-acting gestagens

Levels of norethisterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate were measured in serum and milk of women receiving the injectable contraceptive formulations Norigest and DepoProvera, respectively, throughout complete injection intervals. In 5 of 10 women receiving Norigest, serum norethisterone levels were undetectable by 8 weeks after injection and only 2 women had detectable levels of norethisterone in milk at this time. In contrast, 8 of 10 women receiving DepoProvera had detectable levels of medroxyprogesterone acetate in both serum and milk 12 weeks after injection. The ratio of the milk:serum concentrations of norethisterone varied from 0.12 to 0.92 (mean 0.34) and for medroxyprogesterone acetate from 0.12 to 2.60 (mean 0.88). It is unlikely that these differences between the two formulations are due entirely to differences between the binding of norethisterone and medroxyprogesterone acetate to serum proteins. The area under the curve of serum steroid concentrations plotted against time was only 50% higher for women injected with DepoPovera than for those injected with Norigest but the area under the curve for milk values was 400 times higher. Assuming the infant ingests 600 ml daily, the daily intake of steroids in the first week after injection would be 0.5 to 2.4 micrograms for norethisterone and 1 to 13 micrograms for medroxyprogesterone acetate. By 8 weeks after injection, the amount of norethisterone ingested would be small but that of medroxyprogesterone acetate would still be significant.