Trends in radiation dose for low grade gliomas across the United States

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - Adjuvant radiation is often used in patients with low grade gliomas with high-risk characteristics with a recommended dose of 45–54 Gy. We used the...     

Productivity loss due to deformity from leprosy in India

The productivity loss in India due to deformity from leprosy was assessed in a random sample of 550 leprosy patients from a rural and an urban area in the state of Tamil Nadu. Logistic and log-linear regression analyses on these leprosy patients showed that elimination of deformity would: a) raise the probability of gainful employment from 42.2% to 77.6%; b) increase annual earnings per patient gainfully employed from Rs 2948 to Rs 6469; and c) raise overall earnings for all patients from Rs 1259 to Rs 5023 per year. The earnings of 550 control subjects (adult family members of the leprosy patients) were consistent with these predictions. Extrapolation to all of India's estimated 645,000 leprosy patients with deformity suggests that elimination of deformity would raise productivity by +130 million per year. The authors conclude that the development and evaluation of programs to eliminate deformity from leprosy deserve high priority.     

Recombinant murine interferon-gamma inhibits the fusion of mouse alveolar macrophages in vitro but stimulates the formation of osteoclastlike cells on implanted syngeneic bone particles in mice in vivo

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells that originate from the fusion of mononuclear precursors and are responsible for bone resorption. Indirect evidence from in vitro studies suggests that IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha inhibit and stimulate bone resorption, respectively, but contradictory results have emerged from the literature regarding the effects of IFN-gamma on macrophage multinucleation. Using highly sensitive model systems, the present work demonstrates that, in mice, rMuIFN-gamma inhibits the fusion of alveolar macrophages in vitro but augments the number of osteoclastlike cells on implanted syngeneic bone particles in vivo. Although rMuTNF-alpha fails to stimulate macrophage multinucleation in either system, treatment of implanted animals with rMuIFN-gamma appears to limit the inflammatory reaction and favor tissue repair.     

An electron microscopic study of local anesthetic-induced skeletal muscle fiber degeneration and regeneration in the monkey

An electron microscopic study was done on abductor pollicis brevis muscles of 18 Rhesus monkeys after intramuscular injections of 0.75% bupivacaine, 2% mepivacaine, or 2% lidocaine + epinephrine. The muscles were examined for from 2 h to 28 days. Severe muscle fiber damage, consisting of breakdown of sarcolemma and myofibrils, was seen as early as 2 h. Phagocyte mediated fragmentation of the degenerating muscle fibers was at its peak during the third and fourth days. Myoblasts were abundant during the fourth day. Early myotubes appeared on the fifth and sixth days, and they matured during the second week. Satellite cells appeared alongside mature myotubes. Overall, the local anesthetic-induced breakdown and regeneration of skeletal muscle fibers in the monkey followed a course quite similar to that seen in the rat.