Spontaneous hemothorax associated with von Recklinghausen''s disease

Spontaneous hemothorax is a rare and life threatening complication of neurofibromatosis. Two types of vascular involvement have been described: (a) stenotic or aneurysmal alterations in large vessels such as the aorta and its branches; and (b) dysplastic features in smaller vessels. Thoracotomy and surgical ligation of the bleeding vessels is primarily indicated in the presence of active bleeding with associated hemodynamic compromise. A more conservative approach with endovascular embolization or non-operative management have also been reported in case of hemodynamic stability. We present a rare case of spontaneous hemothorax treated conservatively in a patient with von Recklinghausen's disease.     

Detection of moderate and severe coronary artery stenosis with technetium-99m tetrofosmin myocardial single-photon emission tomography

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of technetium-99m tetrofosmin myocardial imaging for the localization of coronary artery stenoses of different degrees of severity. Stress-rest single-photon emission tomography (SPET) was performed on separate days in 80 patients (64 males, 16 females; mean age 61 years; 43 patients with previous myocardial infarction; 18 patients with pharmacological stress), within 6 months of coronary angiography. Scintigraphic images were blindly and independently evaluated by three observers. Coronary stenosis was defined as a >50% narrowing in luminal diameter; severe stenosis was defined as a proximal stenosis of >75% or a peripheral stenosis of >90%. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries or insignificant coronary stenosis in 13 patients and significant coronary stenoses in 67 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of ^99mTc-tetrofosmin SPET in respect of severely stenosed vessels were, respectively, 80% and 65% for the left anterior descending artery (LAD), 100% and 46% for the right coronary artery (RCA) and 58 and 78% for the left circumflex artery (LCx) territories. Considering all the significantly stenosed vessels, a significant decrease in sensitivity was observed for LAD territories (to 59%, P=0.05), and a nonsignificant decrease for RCA (88%) and LCx (47%) territories while specificity values remained essentially unchanged. No significant changes in sensitivity or specificity were observed when regions with previous myocardial infarction were excluded. In conclusion, the sensitivity of ^99mTc-tetrofosmin SPET for the localization of individual stenosed vessels is only moderate when all significant stenoses are considered, but the ability of this technique to predict the location of severe coronary artery stenoses seems satisfactory, with the exception of the low specificity in respect of RCA territories. Received 26 April and in revised form 7 June 1997     

Daughters caregiving for hispanic and non-hispanic alzheimer patients: Does ethnicity make a difference?

This study assessed Cuban-American Hispanic and White non-Hispanic daughters who were major caregivers for their mothers suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Although patients in both ethnic groups did not differ in their level of cognitive and functional impairment, Cuban-American Hispanic patients were significantly more likely to be living in their daughters' homes while the White non-Hispanic patients resided in institutional settings. Caregivers were equivalent in their knowledge and utilization of community services, but Cuban-American daughters were significantly more aware of financial aid resources. Cuban-American patients were significantly more depressed than their White non-Hispanic counterparts with daughters showing similar but nonsignificant trends. The impact of cultural factors on caregiving is discussed.     

Chain conformation and compatibility in polymer blends. A small-angle X-ray scattering study of the system poly(propylene glycol)-poly(methyl methacrylate)

The thermodynamic compatibility of dilute, solid solutions of poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) (mass-average molar mass M?_w = 3900 g/mol) in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) (M?_w = 550000 g/mol) was investigated by means of small-angle X-ray scattering. The results of the analysis show that PPG is molecularly dispersed in the solid, amorphous matrix of PMMA, and that the molecules display the typical statistical coil macroconformation of polymers in dilute, liquid solution, whereby the numerical value of the second virial coefficient seems to point to the unperturbed nature of the coils. This behaviour, consistent with the concept of “interpenetration of segments”, is in total agreement with the experimentally measured compositional variation of the glass transition temperature of the blends.     

Characterization of Brucella abortus Soluble Antigen Employed in Immunoassay

A soluble antigen extract of Brucella abortus (BASA) has been prepared by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and furnished to a number of workers who are examining antibody-mediated and cell-mediated immune responses of cattle infected with B. abortus. Three lots of BASA were examined. There were quantitative but not qualitative differences among lots by content of protein, total carbohydrate, hexose, fatty acid, and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid. The presence of smooth lipopolysaccharide was demonstrated by the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid and lipid, by Limulus lysate gelation activity, and by formation of characteristic lipopolysaccharide precipitates in immunoelectrophoresis. A polysaccharide antigen as well as two nonsurface antigens, A2 and C, were also identified. BASA is a satisfactory antigen for use in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay since the smooth lipopolysaccharide component bound to polystyrene and functioned in the test. Normal murine spleen cells showed a mitogenic response to BASA similar to that produced by purified smooth lipopolysaccharide. BASA has been used in other laboratories to stimulate peripheral blood leukocytes from cattle infected with B. abortus. Because BASA is a mixture of antigenic components shown to have mitogenic effects in the mouse system, questions on the nature of its stimulatory effect on bovine cells are raised.     

Epidermal growth factor receptor expression correlates with poor survival in gastric adenocarcinoma from Mexican patients: a multivariate analysis using a standardized immunohistochemical detection system.

The aim of the study was to determine epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in gastric adenocarcinoma by standardized immunohistochemistry and to correlate EGFR expression with clinical features and patient survival. EGFR expression was investigated in paraffin sections of resection specimens of 89 gastric carcinomas from Mexican Mestizo patients using standardized immunohistochemistry with antigen retrieval (Dako EGFRpharmDx assay detection system). Membrane staining of EGFR was evaluated in the neoplastic cells and graded using a semiquantitative score (0-3+). Of the 89 carcinomas examined, staining of neoplastic cells was weak in 17 (19.1%, score 1+), moderate in 16 (18.0%, score 2+), and strong in nine cases (10.1%, score 3+). EGFR reactivity was heterogeneous, frequently showing completely negative up to 3+ positive areas within an individual tumor. EGFR reactivity score correlated with distant metastases (P=0.002) and clinical stage (P=0.033). EGFR score 0/1+ was significantly associated with an increase in patient survival when compared to score 2+/3+ (P=0.0006). In a multivariate analysis, EGFR positive cells in muscularis or subserosa (P=0.004), distant metastases (P=0.016) and residual disease (P=0.039) were significantly correlated with decreased survival. The prognosis was associated with the EGFR reactivity score (P=0.003), distant metastases (P=0.0001) and residual disease (P=0.012) in a univariate analysis. EGFR reactivity in neoplastic cells is an independent prognostic factor in gastric adenocarcinoma. The relevance of the heterogeneity in EGFR expression with regard to tumor progression, metastasis and anti-EGFR therapy needs to be studied.