Same-Day Yttrium-90 Radioembolization: Feasibility with Resin Microspheres

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility of a same-day yttrium-90 (⁹⁰Y) radioembolization protocol with resin microspheres (including pretreatment angiography, lung shunt fraction [LSF] determination, and radioembolization) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver metastases.

Neonatal renal failure due to obstructive candidal bezoars

Acute renal failure (ARF) developed in a 7-week-old infant due to bilateral candidal bezoars (fungal balls) causing obstruction at the pelviureteric junction. The baby was born at term with an appropriate birthweight, and had been treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics for respiratory distress and septicemia during the 1st week of life. Recovery from ARF followed renal decompression with bilateral nephrostomy tube placement and parenteral administration of amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine. Received August 21, 1996; received in revised form and accepted January 3, 1997     

An unusual cause of adult onset cerebellar ataxia with hypogonadism

We report an unusual case of sporadic adult onset cerebellar ataxia with hypogonadism. A 40-year-old unmarried man presented with progressive ataxia and dysarthria along with complaints of non-development of secondary sexual characteristics and erectile dysfunction. There were complaints of intermittent diarrhea. Clinical examination revealed a pan-cerebellar syndrome with features of hypoandrogenism. No eye movement abnormalities were evident. There were signs of malabsorption. Investigations confirmed the presence of auto-antibodies found in celiac disease, and a duodenal biopsy confirmed the same. Hypoandrogenism was postulated to be due to hypergonadotropic hypogonadism which has been mentioned in a few patients of celiac disease. However, the pattern seen in our patient was of a hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This is probably secondary to an autoimmune hypophysitis seen in some patients in the absence of other clinical manifestations. Autoantibody testing should be a diagnostic necessity in any adult with a sporadic cerebellar ataxia.     

A simplified method for the determination of blood lactic acid levels in occupational health practice

Blood lactate assays are now widely used as measures of oxygen debt, especially in the areas of assessment of anaerobic power; assessment of fatigue; VO2(max) end-point determination, and rationalisation of work-rest cycles. A need exists for a method which will meet the following criteria: simplicity--single, small samples; rapidity, and feasibility with easily available instrument and chemicals. In order to develop such a method, the standard Barker and Summerson method was modified so as to use 0.02 ml of blood sample, and the following tests were carried out on 25 subjects at rest, and various levels of work: paired comparisons on analysis by macro and micro methods on the same sample of blood; paired comparisons on venous and capillary (fingertip) samples. In both cases, the paired values showed high correlation (0.99) and highly significant differences of means (P = 0.01 and 0.001, respectively). The regression equations obtained were also highly significant (P = 0.001). The combined equation was Y = 0.9655 X -0.4366; samples taken 2,4,5,6 and 10 mins after work showed that peak occurred in the 4th min sampling (2 vs 4 and 4 vs 6 min means significantly different at P = 0.05, and analysis of variance significant at (P = 0.001). It may be concluded that drawing, fingertip sample 4 mins after the end of work, analysing by the micro method, and using the regression equation will give the true peak blood lactate level, and satisfy the systems criteria defined.     

Effects of age, gender, and education on cognitive tests in a rural elderly community sample: norms from the Monongahela Valley Independent Elders Survey

A random sample of 1,350 persons aged 65 years and older in a rural community underwent cognitive screening as part of a survey to establish a population-based registry of dementing disorders. The screening battery included the neuropsychological tests of the assessment protocol used in the National Institute on Aging multicenter Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). This paper reports a large body of normative neuropsychological data from this sample with members of relatively low socioeconomic status. Age, sex, and educational level were found to have statistically significant effects on test scores. The implications of these findings for the establishment of screening cutoff scores are discussed.