Role of five platelet membrane glycoprotein polymorphisms in branch retinal vein occlusion.

To determine whether polymorphisms of platelet surface glycoprotein associated with arterial thrombosis are risk factors for branch retinal vein occlusion. A case-control study in which 69 patients with branch retinal vein occlusion and 147 controls who attended the eye clinic for nonvascular complications participated. DNA was extracted from whole blood and analyzed for genotyping of platelet glycoprotein polymorphisms by polymerase chain reactions and specific restricted enzymes. No relationship was found between the four platelet glycoprotein polymorphisms i.e. GPIa C807T, VNTR and Kozak of glycoprotein Ibalpha, the HPA-1 of glycoprotein IIIa and the occurrence of branch retinal vein occlusion. The HPA-2 polymorphism was found in 18 out 60 (30%) patients with branch retinal vein occlusion in comparison with 27 out 142 (19%) of controls, with an estimated odds ratio of 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 0.91-3.65). The four platelet glycoprotein polymorphisms are not risk factors for branch retinal vein occlusion and therefore it seems unnecessary to screen those patients for it. A larger study is required, however, to determine whether HPA-2 is a novel risk factor for branch retinal vein occlusion.     

Lymphangiomatosis presenting with bronchial cast formation.

Lymphangiomatosis is a rare disorder of the lymphatic system that is known to cause chylothorax. Chyloptysis may occur but chylous bronchial cast formation is rare. A case is reported of lymphangiomatosis in a 34 year old woman whose initial manifestation was cough productive of bronchial casts. Two years later the patient developed a chylothorax. Ligation of the thoracic duct through a low thoracotomy was curative.     

Retention of "safe" blood donors. The Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study

BACKGROUND: There are obvious advantages to increasing donor retention. However, for reasons of blood safety, certain donors may, in fact, be more desirable to retain than others. “Safe” donors are defined as those who provided a blood donation that was negative on all laboratory screening tests and who subsequently reported no behavioral risks in response to an anonymous survey. This study identifies the most important factors affecting the intention of “safe” donors to provide another donation. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An anonymous survey asking about donation history, sexual history, injecting drug use, and recent donation experience was mailed to 50,162 randomly selected allogeneic donors (including directed donors) who gave blood from April through July or from October through December 1993 at one of the five United States blood centers participating in the Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study. Before mailing, questionnaires were coded to designate donors with nonreactive laboratory screening tests at their most recent donation. RESULTS: A total of 34,726 donors (69%) responded, with substantially higher response among repeat donors. According to reported intentions only, the vast majority of “safe” donors indicated a high likelihood of donating again within the next 12 months. Only 3.4 percent reported a low likelihood of donating again. A comparison of those likely to return and those unlikely to return reveals significant differences in demographics and in ratings of the donation experience. A higher proportion of those unlikely to return were first-time donors, minority-group donors, and donors with less education. The highest projected loss among “safe” donors was seen for those who gave a fair to poor assessment of their treatment by blood center staff or of their physical well-being during or after donating. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that efforts to improve donors' perceptions of their donation experience, as well as attention to the physical effects of blood donation, may aid in the retention of both repeat and first-time donors.     

Rupture of the posterior tibial tendon: CT and surgical findings

Computed tomography (CT) was performed in 42 patients with 49 clinically suspected tears of the posterior tibial tendon. Twenty-eight of the 49 suspected tears were subsequently surgically explored and repaired. Three patterns of tendon abnormalities were recognized on CT scans: type I-intact, hypertrophied, heterogeneous tendon; type II-attenuated tendon; and type III-absence of a portion of a tendon. Types I and II correlated with partial rupture seen during surgery, and type III correlated with complete rupture of the tendon. CT findings were accurate in 96% of the patients who underwent surgery. In four cases (14%), tendon rupture was seen on CT scans, but the extent of the injury was underestimated and the rupture was misclassified. Reactive periostitis of the distal tibia was seen in 71% of diseased tendons and may represent an important factor in the diagnosis of tendon rupture.     

Mesenteric and retroperitoneal cysts.

Mesenteric and retroperitoneal cysts are rare intra-abdominal tumors. Ten new patients are presented as well as 152 other cases reported in the English literature. These 162 cases were then analyzed for significant trends. Patients under 10 years of age were significantly different from the older group with respect to a shorter duration of symptoms, a higher number of patients requiring an emergency operation, a lower number of recurrences and the location of the cyst. Patients with retroperitoneal cysts were more likely to have incomplete excision of the cyst and therefore had a higher incidence of recurrence. They also required marsupialization more often. Retroperitoneal cysts should be considered a different entity from mesenteric cysts even though they present clinically in a similar fashion. The outcome of surgical treatment is less satisfactory in patients with retroperitoneal cysts.     

Differences in the hypothermic response to ethanol in rats selectively bred for oral ethanol preference and nonpreference

The duration of retention of tolerance to ethanol was tested in the alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats lines, using ethanol-induced hypothermia as a measure of tolerance. Rats received two injections of ethanol (3.5 g/kg) body wt, IP) and the time between the injections was 1, 2, or 3 days. When one day separated the two injections, tolerance to the hypothermic effect of a second “test” injection was found in both lines. When 2 or 3 days separated the two injections, the P line showed a loss of tolerance and the NP line showed sensitization to ethanol. Sensitization in the NP line grew stronger when the interval between injections was increased from 2 to 3 days. The duration of retention of tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia in the P line was shorter than has previously been reported for motor impairment in this line. It appears that the duration of tolerance retention in the P line depends on the test used to measure tolerance. Sensitization to ethanol in the NP line may be associated with low oral ethanol intake. This research was supported, in part, by grants AA08312, AA03243, and AA07611 from the PHS