Full-thickness wounds resulting from 'do-it-yourself' cryolipolysis: a case study.

This report reviews the case of a 55-year-old woman who suffered frostbite while attempting a 'do-it-yourself' version of cryolipolysis without the guidance of a medical professional. Cryolipolysis is a well-understood process through which the careful application of below-freezing temperatures is used to induce adipose cell death while sparing the skin, reducing body fat. This patient used dry ice in lieu of professional medical equipment, resulting in 4% total body surface area full- and partial-thickness wounds to her abdomen. Ultimately, the more superficial wounds healed with xenograft and a silver-impregnated dressing. The superior, deeper wound was excised and primarily closed with a fleur-de-lis panniculectomy. Her hospital course and recovery were uneventful. This case illustrates how online information of dubious quality can put the uneducated patient at risk of injury. Health-care professionals should be aware of the questionable resources available online, and should help patients become more discerning consumers of online information. Strategies to prevent such injury should be developed on a national scale.

Effects of body positioning on swallowing and esophageal transit in healthy dogs.

BACKGROUND: Contrast videofluoroscopy is the imaging technique of choice for evaluating dysphagic dogs. In people, body position alters the outcome of videofluoroscopic assessment of swallowing. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: That esophageal transit in dogs, as measured by a barium esophagram, is not affected by body position. ANIMALS: Healthy dogs (n=15). METHODS: Interventional, experimental study. A restraint device was built to facilitate imaging of dogs in sternal recumbency. Each dog underwent videofluoroscopy during swallowing of liquid barium and barium-soaked kibble in sternal and lateral recumbency. Timing of swallowing, pharyngeal constriction ratio, esophageal transit time, and number of esophageal peristaltic waves were compared among body positions. RESULTS: Transit time in the cervical esophagus (cm/s) was significantly delayed when dogs were in lateral recumbency for both liquid (2.58+/-1.98 versus 7.23+/-3.11; P=.001) and kibble (4.44+/-2.02 versus 8.92+/-4.80; P=.002). In lateral recumbency, 52+/-22% of liquid and 73+/-23% of kibble swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. In sternal recumbency, 77+/-24% of liquid (P=.01 versus lateral) and 89+/-16% of kibble (P=.01 versus lateral) swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. Other variables were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Lateral body positioning significantly increases cervical esophageal transit time and affects the type of peristaltic wave generated by a swallow.

Decrease in circulating immune complexes during hemodialysis.

Raji cell radioimmunoassay and Clq solid phase radioimmunoassay were used to determine serially circulating immune complexes in a patient with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis who was receiving hemodialysis therapy. Initiation of hemodialysis was associated with a significant decrease in detectable immune complexes which, in turn, was associated with improvement and stabilization of renal function. We suggest that hemodialysis may remove immune complexes from the circulation and that it could be of therapeutic benefit in selected patients with presumed immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis.

Cytokine mRNA expression and serum cortisol evaluation during murine lung inflammation induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

A model system was characterized for investigating the potential role of cortisol in MTB induced immunopathology. Serum cortisol levels were evaluated in two mouse strains; C57BL/6 mice develop lung granulomas following acute Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection while A/J mice are deficient in this process. Serum cortisol levels were examined post infection, as well as immunoregulatory mRNA expression in the lung, measured using bioluminescent RT-PCR techniques. Prior to infection, the A/J mice constitutively maintain nearly 75&percent; higher serum cortisol than C57BL/6 mice. Both A/J and C57BL/6 mice exhibited approximately 30&percent; reduction in relative serum cortisol following infection. At no time did serum cortisol levels in the A/J fall below constitutive levels in the non-infected C57BL/6. The overall elevated cortisol in the A/J may affect pulmonary immunoresponsiveness; A/J mice exhibited earlier induction of IL-10 and TNF-alpha than C57BL/6 mice, with a relative lack of IL-2 during late infection. Conversely, the C57BL/6 mice demonstrated higher IL-12(p40) and IL-2 messages at the latter stages of disease than the A/J mice. Both mice demonstrated high IFN-&gama; mRNA. The high constitutive serum cortisol in the A/J mice may therefore contribute to establishment of an environment counter-productive to initiation of protective Th1 cell and granulomatous responses.

Parenteral essential amino acids in acute renal failure.

Parenteral 1.75 per cent L-essential amino acids in 47 per cent dextrose (Group I 11 patients) or 47 per cent dextrose (Group II, 9 patients) were administered to patients with severe acute renal failure in a single blind-controlled study. Survival rates (55 per cent in Group I and 56 per cent in Group II) and duration of renal failure were similar in the two groups. Rate of daily rise in blood urea nitrogen was significantly reduced during intravenous nutrition in Group I but not in Group II. Serious complications of intravenous nutrition did not occur. Since improved nitrogen metabolism is demonstrated, further trials of essential amino acid therapy in acute renal failure are indicated.

Holographic optics for a matched-filter optical processor.

The requirements on and the performance of holographic Fourier transform lenses for a matched-filter optical processor are discussed. The holographic aberrations were analyzed using a ray-tracing computer program, and holographic lenses were fabricated and assembled into an optical processor. Analysis and experimental results show that holographic optics are capable of processing images of large space-bandwidth product and can be an attractive alternative to conventional optics.

Dichromated gelatin for the fabrication of holographic optical elements.

Hardened dichromated gelatin is the best material available today for the fabrication of holographic optical elements (HOEs) because of its low scattering, large refractive index modulation capacity, and other unique properties such as reprocessibility. On the basis of experimental data accumulated during the last several years, we describe holographic characteristics of the dichromated gelatin, including exposure characteristics with a bulk exposure model, hologram thickness change, and environmental stability. Basic chemistry, hologram formation in the dichromated gelatin, and generalized processing techniques are also discussed.

Holographic recording with limited laser light.

Various holographic recording media were compared for conditions of low signal energy densities. The peak value of diffraction efficiency divided by signal-beam exposure (Q) and of normalized contrast ratio divided by signal-beam exposure (A) for Kodak 649 F and for Agfa 8E70, 10E70, and 14C70 were determined. The quantities were optimized with respect to bleaching, hypersensitization, development, and reference beam exposure. Above some value of the reference-to-signal beam ratio these quantities were constant, while their dependence, if any, on the offset angle and signal beamwidth was not determined. The film response was considered in terms of the model T(a) = [b/(b + E(d))] (e) from which Q and A were calculated.