The conditional survival statistics for survivors with primary supratentorial astrocytic tumors.

BACKGROUND: Relative survival rates can offer a general description of tumor outcome and, traditionally, are used for surveillance and comparison purposes. However, they are not informative for individual tumor survivors. Conditional survival estimates can calculate the probability of surviving next some years given survival to a specific period of time after craniotomy for individual tumor survivors. However, clinically, they have not been used for predicting the tumor outcome. METHODS: We calculated conditional probabilities of survival within 6 years after craniotomy in 112 patients with primary supratentorial astrocytic tumors and evaluated factors affecting the survival time more than 2 years after craniotomy. RESULTS: Our data showed that the conditional probability of survival can predict yearly survival rate when patients survive for a specific period of time. The conditional survival rates within 6 years after craniotomy were always higher than those evaluated by relative survival rates. Overall, the longer the patients survived, the higher the conditional probabilities of surviving sixth year postoperatively were. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the conditional probabilities of survival have good availability and are important estimates for individual tumor survivors.

Outcome of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage of unknown etiology.

During a 7-year period, 56 patients with a verified subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in whom neuroradiological investigations failed to reveal a reasonable cause of the bleeding were evaluated. Forty-six patients who survived the SAH were interviewed at a follow-up examination from 10 to 82 months (mean 37 months) after the bleeding. Early prognosis of an unfavorable outcome was possible on the basis of two clinical variables: the poor Glasgow coma scale (GCS < = 11) at admission and the Fisher's SAH grade of greater than II on brain computerized tomographic scans. Other clinical variables in the acute stage, including age, sex, a history of hypertension and the complications of SAH, such as vasospasm, hydrocephalus, and rebleeding, were not related to the early outcome. GCS on discharge was predictive of activity of daily life at follow-up review. On the follow-up, 80% of the patients experienced a good recovery. Rebleeding episode occurred in a patient 5 years after the bleeding. The overall rebleeding rate was 2.2% (equivalent to an annual recurrence of 0.7%). This study confirmed a good prognosis for patients with SAH of unknown cause. We recommend that after thorough panangiography, those patients with SAH of unknown etiology should be encouraged to return to a normal life style without any restriction.

Isometric muscle strength of Chinese young males in Taiwan.

This paper represents the results of an anthropometric measurement of the isometric muscle strength of Chinese young males in Taiwan aged from 16 to 20 years. The study uses a sample of 120 male students and measures four types of muscle strength: (1) right arm strength in exerting pull, push, adduction, abduction, lift, and press directions with five elbow angles (60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 degrees) in seated posture; (2) grip strength of both hands; (3) backlift strength: and (4) chest expanding strength. The obtained data are analysed and listed. Comparisons are made between the results of this study and those from domestic and foreign studies available in the literature. In general, their pattern is similar, but values obtained in this study are relatively smaller than those obtained in western countries.

Pituitary transplantation--a study on the response of hypophysis-adrenal axis to physiological stress.

Previous studies on experimental intracerebral pituitary transplantation have shown survival and possible function of fetal pituitary glands grafted to the hypothalamic region of inbred strains. In the present study, fetal pituitary tissue was implanted into hypothalamic area of the hypophysectomized rat by stereotactic methods. We investigated the hormonal levels and secretions of fetal pituitaries grafted to the allogenic host and studied the effects of physiological stimuli on hypophysectomized rats with grafted pituitaries. We found that the fetal pituitary allografts released adrenal corticotropin (ACTH) and corticosterone in response to stimulation by corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), and released corticosterone alone in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. The grafts are acutely responsive to CRH and retain their potential for physiological regulation and function. The ACTH-releasing-signal generated in the host by insulin-induced hypoglycemia failed to activate the graft, so activation by other physiological stimuli cannot be ruled out.

Delayed intracerebral tension pneumocephalus--report of two cases.

Two patients were found with delayed intracerebral tension pneumocephalus 5 and 12 months later, following head injury. Simple skull X-ray showed a large air-containing cyst in the left frontal lobe in both cases. Dural repairs were done through an intradural approach via single frontal craniotomy. Basal skull fracture with dural tear at cribriform plate of ethmoid bone and intracerebral cyst filled with air were found during operation. Their deteriorated consciousness became clear post-operatively. Plain computed tomography was a very useful instrument in determining the location of the gas collection, fracture site, and tension on the brain.

Moment of inertia: psychophysical study of an overlooked sensation.

The distribution of mass in an object held in the hand, as described by its moment of inertia, is a fundamental and potent but largely unrecognized contributor to the object's "feel." A limited set of experiments has produced Weber fractions for human differential sensitivity to this property in the approximate range of 1/5 to 1/3, which is about ten times the Weber fraction reported for lifted weights.