In vitro NMR evaluation of human thyroid lesions.

In vitro analysis of spin-lattice relaxation times (T1), water self-diffusion coefficients (DH2O), and proton NMR spectroscopy were performed in a study of 88 patients with thyroid lesions in order to determine the usefulness of these parameters in the differentiation of benign and malignant tissues. Thyroid tissue sample proton NMR spectral patterns were examined at 360 MHz. Proton NMR spectra were different for normal thyroid tissues, benign, and cancerous lesions. Significantly prolonged T1 (0.5T) and decreased DH2O were found in cancerous thyroid lesions relative to normal thyroid tissues. Considerable overlap was found, however, in comparing T1 and DH2O values for benign and malignant thyroid lesions. This study suggests that proton NMR spectroscopy may be more useful than T1 and DH2O in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid lesions.

Trends in the ophthalmic literature, 1949-1989.

Trends in the ophthalmic literature were analyzed through five decades of the Archives. Original articles from 1949, 1959, 1969, 1979, and 1989 were reviewed. The mean number of authors per article increased steadily from 1.24 in 1949 to 3.50 in 1989. The mean number of institutions per article increased from 1.04 in 1949 to 1.30 in 1989. The mean number of authors with a doctor of philosophy degree increased from 0.03 per article in 1949 to 0.41 in 1989. Financial support increased from 13.5% of manuscripts in 1949 to 62.6% in 1989. These findings emphasize the growing trend in the ophthalmic literature toward multiple authors, multiple institutions, collaboration with basic scientists, and increased reliance on grant support.

Noradrenergic responses to clonidine in acute and remitted depressed male patients.

To investigate noradrenergic function in depression, plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), plasma norepinephrine (NE), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate responses to intravenous clonidine (2 micrograms/kg), an alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, were measured in 27 acutely depressed patients, 18 remitted depressed patients, and 27 normal control subjects; a placebo infusion was administered to a subgroup. Clonidine compared with placebo, over a 150-minute time course, decreased plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate, but not plasma MHPG, in the control subjects. Plasma MHPG, plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate at baseline or in response to clonidine and placebo over 150 minutes did not indicate any group differences. The only significant plasma MHPG response to clonidine in the normal control subjects occurred 60 minutes after the infusion. A significantly diminished plasma MHPG response to clonidine at 60 minutes was found in the acutely depressed group compared with the normal control subjects. These results suggest that peripheral inhibitory noradrenergic responses to clonidine are normal in depressed patients, while plasma MHPG responses to clonidine, which have a limited central contribution, appear to be a weak reflection of central noradrenergic function and appear insufficiently robust for a meaningful evaluation of hypothetical group differences in central inhibitory alpha 2-adrenergic activity in this population.

Drug therapy in otomycosis: an in vitro study.

Otomycosis represents a small percentage of clinical external otitis. This well documented entity is often a stubborn clinical problem and, in contrast to bacterial external otitis, there is no otic preparation with specific antifungal activity. In response to this lack of otic preparations, we have surveyed in vitro a variety of available preparations to determine the general spectrum of activity against appropriate bacterial and fungal species. An agar-disc diffusion system was used testing the drugs against (1.) bacteria common in external otitis, and (2.) a variety of yeast and filamentous fungi. Aqueous Merthiolate and Cresylate demonstrated good non-specific antimicrobial activity, while nystatin and clotrimazole demonstrated specific antifungal activity. Otic preparations can now be used which have demonstrated in vitro effectiveness and give an alternate means of therapy to the now empirically selected otic preparation used for otomycosis.

Histopathology of oesophagogastric lesions in pigs.

The development of parakeratotic lesions and ulcers of the oesophagogastric epithelium was studied in pigs from a variety of sources and of ages ranging from 10 to 22 weeks. In general, the severity, as assessed by gross appearance, paralleled the depth to which parakeratotic change extended into the epithelium. However, some early degenerative change and erosion was observed in epithelium graded as macroscopically normal. Separation and erosion usually occurred beneath a band of epithelial cells with cytoplasmic pallor and nuclear degeneration underlying the parakeratotic layers. These findings are discussed in relation to the possible role of diet and gastric acidity in the pathogenesis of the lesions.

Dietary fibre in the diet of the growing pig: effects on apparent digestibility and resultant implications for its use in reducing the incidence of oesophagogastric parakeratosis.

The effects on apparent digestibility of increasing dietary fibre concentrations in barley-based diets by substituting for barley either bran, oatmeal by-product, guar gum or pectin were studied using 72 pigs. Increasing substitutions of bran up to a maximum of 300 g kg-1 gave progressive decreases in apparent digestibility of dry matter, ether extract and gross energy fractions and in digestible and metabolisable energy contents, progressive increases in apparent digestibility of modified acid detergent fibre but had no consistent effect on either nitrogen or extract free of nitrogen fractions. Increasing substitution of oatmeal by-product up to the same maximum gave significant linear decreases in apparent digestibility of dry matter, extract free of nitrogen and gross energy, significant depressions in apparent digestibility of modified acid detergent fibre and significant increases in ether extract. Guar gum and pectin, both substituted to a maximum of 50 g kg-1 had no significant effects on apparent digestibility. The results are discussed in the context of the concentrations of dietary fibre needed to reduce the incidence of oesophagogastric parakeratosis.

Rate of development of oesophagogastric parakeratosis in the growing pig: some effects of finely ground barley diets, genotype and previous husbandry.

The rate of development of parakeratotic lesions in the gastric pars oesophagea was investigated in three experiments using 360 pigs, initially aged 10 to 11 weeks and weighing about 30 kg, of differing genotype and with some differences in previous rearing method, given a diet based on finely ground barley which was known to predispose to lesion formation. Lesions were found in some pigs at 10 to 11 weeks old but the incidence and severity increased progressively indicating development as quickly as one month after first giving the finely ground diet. There were indications that different genotypes and different diets given previously in rearing may have influenced the results obtained. The possible influence of other environmental factors is discussed.

Oesophagogastric parakeratosis in the growing pig: effects of the physical form of barley-based diets and added fibre.

In four experiments a total of 288 individually fed pigs were given barley-based diets for about 100 days from about 20 kg liveweight. Fine grinding of barley increased the number and severity of oesophagogastric lesions. Pelleting a diet based on coarsely ground barley had a similar effect. Coarser grinding of the barley and substituting small proportions of oat husk, but not of bran, gave lower incidences and severities of lesions. The performance responses of the pigs differed and give a framework for deciding on the balance to be struck between optimal performance and the risk of lesion development.

Accuracy of prediction of the liveweight of horses from body measurements.

Fifty-three horses, all but two of them over two years of age and varying in type, sex and liveweight (230 to 707 kg) were weighed and seven different body measurements were recorded in duplicate by a single operator. The best overall prediction of liveweight using an equation with two variables was found to be: liveweight (kg) = (umbilical girth [cm])1.78 X (length of body from tuber ischii to elbow [cm]0.97/3011). This equation had an adjusted R2 value of 94.9 per cent and was derived from the pooled data, because differences of sex, type and weight did not significantly affect the relationship. The stable behaviour of the relationship was demonstrated by the fact that about 95 per cent of the residuals lay within +/- 53 kg, giving an average error of 4.7 per cent. The accuracy of prediction of the equation was better than the accuracy of four other established equations. A nomogram based on the equation is given.

Health care facilities for the elderly in Japan.

North America and Europe have been struggling with increasing elderly populations needing medical and personal care. Japan also has suddenly found itself faced with a rapidly expanding population of sick and disabled old people. Japan, however, has witnessed this dramatic increase in its aged population proceed at a rate almost twice that of any other industrialized nation. The very suddenness of the emergence of such a top-heavy population and the equally sudden changes in the family structure have placed great stresses on both the medical and social welfare systems of Japan. This study is, then, of the present state of facilities for the care of the elderly in Japan. As the United States is now grappling with the sheer bulk of its own Social Security and Medicare plans, this article casts a light for comparison on the care of the elderly in Japan. In Japan, as in the United States, major concerns focus on the short supply of trained personnel and the mushrooming costs of care. Moreover, the dependence of the Japanese medical system on the hospital has made some hospitals into warehouses for sick or disabled elderly, while not providing enough support for the elderly to remain active at home. Japan should carefully consider, therefore, diverting some funds from medical and hospital care to social welfare facilities and home care services.

Effects of structural and non-structural polysaccharides in the diet of the growing pig on gastric emptying rate and rate of passage of digesta to the terminal ileum and through the total gastrointestinal tract.

Six experiments were made in growing pigs to investigate the effects of substituting bran, oatmeal byproduct, pectin and guar gum for barley on gastric emptying rate, pH and dry matter of digesta and on the dry matter content and rate of passage of digesta to the terminal ileum and overall. Twelve pigs with cannulas sited at the pyloric/fundic junction of the stomach were used to measure gastric emptying. Seventy-two pigs were kept in metabolism cages for the total collection of faeces and nine pigs were fitted with simple cannulas 150 mm cranial to the ileo-caecal junction. For the overall transit measurements the barley was ground through a 4.68 mm screen (C) and for the other studies either through this screen or a 1.56 mm screen (F). Gastric emptying rates were significantly faster for F diets than for C diets, but bran and oatmeal by-product substitutions were without significant effect on this variable or on rate of passage to the terminal ileum. Guar gum and pectin significantly speeded up gastric emptying and transit to the terminal ileum in C diets. Guar gum and pectin did not significantly affect overall transit time, but bran accelerated it. The results are discussed in relation to the depressive effects on nutrient utilization which have been recorded for the four polysaccharides: it is postulated that gastric emptying rate and transit time to the terminal ileum are likely to have a minimal effect on overall transit time.

Childhood rhabdomyosarcomas of the head and neck.

The most common soft tissue sarcoma occurring in infants and children is rhabdomyosarcoma, the head and neck being a frequently involved site. Treatment philosophy underwent an evolution in 1968 from radical surgery with or without adjunctive radiation therapy to a planned protocol incorporating surgery and irradiation with combination cyclic chemotherapy involving vincristine sulfate, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide. This study represents an analysis of 35 infants and children treated at Columbus Children's Hospital from 1955 to 1976. An evaluation of factors is discussed with respect to effect on survival. The fact that the study includes the full spectrum of treatment philosophies ranging from the previous program of aggressive surgical resection to the current multimodality approach permits a unique opportunity to analyze the success of the recent therapeutic program.