Classification of sexual dysfunction for management of intracavernous medication-induced erections.

A total of 75 patients was placed into 1 of 3 classes of sexual dysfunction based on nocturnal penile tumescence tracings rather than on etiology of the sexual dysfunction. The patients then were given an intracavernous injection with incremental dosages of 0.2 to 1.0 ml. of a combination of papaverine hydrochloride and phentolamine mesylate vasoactive intracavernous therapy. The results of the study were categorized as class 1--mild sexual dysfunction (100% successful with low dosages of medication), class 2--moderate sexual dysfunction (95% successful but larger dosages of medication were required) and class 3--severe sexual dysfunction (a 50:50 chance of a successful treatment and even higher dosages of medication were required). A portable home nocturnal tumescence monitor classification of severity of sexual dysfunction provided a guideline for the intracavernous pharmacological injection initial dosage and the probability of success or failure in patients who desire this form of therapy for male sexual dysfunction.     

Suppurative corneal ulceration in Bangladesh

Suppurative keratitis is an important preventable cause of blindness, particularly in the developing world. This study analyses 142 cases of suppurative keratitis referred to Chittagong Eye Infirmary, Bangladesh. Some 53.5% of cases were bacterial and 35.9% were fungal. The five most common pathogens were: Pseudomonas sp. 24%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 17%, Aspergillus sp. 13%, Fusarium sp. 7% and Curvularia sp. 6%. Gram stain and culture results were consistent in 62.6% of cases. Previous antibiotic treatment was a significant factor for failure of culture isolation and less so for Gram stain failure. On Gram stain, 55.9% of pseudomonal cases were missed, but only 2% of fungal cases were missed. Over all, Gram stain had a sensitivity of 62% and positive predictive value of 84% for bacterial cases, and 98% and 94% for fungal cases, respectively. Fungal ulcers were typically filamentous, but an antecedent history of trauma was not common. The most frequent injury was due to rice grains, but the inoculum appeared to be introduced during eye washing with contaminated water. Pseudomonal ulcers occurred most frequently in the monsoon season, and Fusarium cases were seen only in the hot, dry season.     

Metastasis to skeletal muscle from colorectal carcinoma. A case report

In a 75-year-old woman, adenocarcinoma of the rectum recurred in the skeletal muscle after a two-year disease-free interval. Spread of colorectal carcinoma to skeletal muscle is infrequent. Only three cases seem to have been previously reported in the literature.     

Closed flexible intramedullary nailing of adolescent femoral shaft fractures

Twenty-five femoral shaft fractures in twenty-three patients aged 10-16 years with open epiphyses and treated with flexible intramedullary nailing were studied retrospectively. Clinical and roentgenographic follow-up averaged 28 months. Hospitalization, which included patients with multiple injuries, averaged 11.7 days. Patients ambulated without assist devices as early as 2 weeks postoperatively (average of 7.7 weeks). All fractures healed with no leg length inequality--21 with anatomic alignment and full range of motion of the hip and knee. Three patients sustained intraoperative extension of the fracture resulting in healing with angular or rotatory malalignment. One patient with associated knee ligamentous injury had less than full knee flexion at follow-up. All patients had normal gait (except one patient with residual hemiplegia) and were able to participate in full activities including athletics. Early ambulation and functional recovery with low morbidity and cost suggest that this procedure should be considered for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in this age group.     

Nonheme iron in sickle erythrocyte membranes: association with phospholipids and potential role in lipid peroxidation

Previous studies documented the abnormal association of heme and heme proteins with the sickle RBC membrane. We have now examined RBC ghosts and inside-out membranes (IOM) for the presence of nonheme iron as detected by its formation of a colored complex with ferrozine. Sickle ghosts have 33.8 +/- 18.2 nmol nonheme iron/mg membrane protein, and sickle IOM have 4.3 +/- 3.0 nmol/mg. In contrast, normal RBC ghosts and IOM have no detectable nonheme iron. The combination of heme and nonheme iron in sickle IOM averages nine times the amount of membrane- associated iron in normal IOM. Kinetics of the ferrozine reaction show that some of this nonheme iron on IOM reacts slowly and is probably in the form of ferritin, but most (72% +/- 18%) reacts rapidly and is in the form of some other biologic chelate. The latter iron compartment is removed by deferoxamine and by treatment of IOM with phospholipase D, which suggests that it represents an abnormal association of iron with polar head groups of aminophospholipids. The biologic feasibility of such a chelate was demonstrated by using an admixture of iron with model liposomes. Even in the presence of tenfold excess adenosine diphosphate, iron partitions readily into phosphatidylserine liposomes; there is no detectable association with phosphatidylcholine liposomes. To examine the bioavailability of membrane iron, we admixed membranes and t-butylhydroperoxide and found that sickle membranes show a tenfold greater peroxidation response than do normal membranes. This is not due simply to a deficiency of vitamin E, and this is profoundly inhibited by deferoxamine. Thus, while thiol oxidation in sickle membranes previously was shown to correlate with heme iron, the present data suggest that lipid peroxidation is related to nonheme iron. In control studies, we did not find this pathologic association of nonferritin, nonheme iron with IOM prepared from sickle trait, high-reticulocyte, postsplenectomy, or iron-overloaded individuals. These data provide additional support for the concept that iron decompartmentalization is a characteristic of sickle RBCs.     

Atypical manifestations of pneumonia in the elderly.

This article focuses on the features of common lower respiratory-tract infections in the elderly, specifically those age-associated physiologic and immunologic changes that alter the classic clinical picture of infection. Attention is directed at the epidemiology and clinical features of pneumonia in community, institutionalized, and hospitalized individuals. Those treatment factors unique to an elderly patient are discussed.