Hemiaplasia of the thyroid with thyrotoxicosis.

Four patients with hemiaplasia of the thyroid gland presented with thyrotoxicosis. Each patient was noted to have unilateral goiter without palpable thyroid tissue on the contralateral side. Investigation of these patients included measurements of serum L-T4, T3, thyroglobulin, thyroid microsomal antibody, long acting thyroid stimulator (LATS), and long acting thyroid stimulator protector (LATS-P). In addition, an 131I thyroid scan was performed on each patient and was repeated after TSH administration (TSH stimulation test). Three patients underwent surgery; information from the remaining patient was obtained from postmortem examination. In three patients, LATS and LATS-P were undetected, and these subjects were found to have adenomas. LATS-P, without LATS, was detected in the remaining patient, and she was found to have diffuse hyperplasia. From our cases as well as a search of the world literature, three points arise. 1) Hemiaplasia is found only when attention is drawn to the thyroid gland through some other abnormality, e.g. thyrotoxicosis or goiter. The true incidence of hemiaplasia, therefore, is unknown. 2) A TSH stimulation test is essential to differentiate hemiaplasia from a hot nodule with contralateral thyroid suppression. 3) The measurement of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins may be helpful in distinguishing toxic adenoma from Graves' disease without exophthalmos.

Collagenolytic enzyme systems in human intervertebral disc: their control, mechanism, and their possible role in the initiation of biomechanical failure.

Changes in the macromolecular matrix of the intervertebral disc may predispose to biomechanical failure of the disc. Such changes would involve extracellular enzymes capable of altering the collagen and proteoglycan of the disc matrix. In this study, extracts from homogenates of both annuli fibrosi and nuclei pulposi of human lumbar discs were found to contain neutral collagenolytic, gelatinolytic, and elastinolytic enzymes in all samples assayed. The specific activity of the collagenase was higher in extracts from nuclear than from annular tissue, a difference not seen with gelatinase or elastase. The collagenase was present as both a latent and active enzyme, the other enzymes being fully active. Human intervertebral discs therefore contain enzymes capable of degrading their extracellular macromolecular matrix.

Effect of inflammatory arthritis on dexamethasone receptors in phagocytes--a possible role for plasma factors.

Synovial tissue cells from patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis bind dexamethasone in a similar fashion to the classical steroid receptors on other cells. In contrast, synovial fluid cells and blood PMNLs from these patients bind dexamethasone with much reduced affinity. Some component of plasma may interfere with the binding of dexamethasone to its receptor.

Angiogenic factor from synovial fluid resembling that from tumours.

Synovial fluids from 2 of 2 patients with osteoarthritis, 2 of 8 with rheumatoid arthritis, and 2 of 2 with ankylosing spondylitis contained a low-molecular-weight angiogenesis factor apparently identical with that derived from tumours. The amount of factor present was highest in patients with osteoarthritis, 2 patients with psoriatic arthropathy gave negative results. It is suggested that angiogenesis factor is involved, directly or indirectly, in the production of synovial exudate.

The influence of psychological factors and an early hospital follow-up on return to work after first myocardial infarction.

The factors influencing the return to work following first myocardial infarction were studied in 112 male patients, all of whom had previously been fully employed. Delay in return to work within 4 months of discharge from hospital was seen in patients who were not given an early hospital follow-up appointment and in those who attibuted their illness to aspects of their work. Encouragement by the General Practitioner to resume employment was found to be essential if an unnecessary delay was to be avoided. Positive advice of this nature was given more frequently by General Practitioners whose patients had been seen at early hospital review. Age, a tendency to neuroticism, personal knowledge of how others had fared following a similar illness, and apparent benefit from sick payments did not appear to influence the rate of return to work.

Prognostic significance of acute systolic hypertension after myocardial infarction.

The clinical behaviour and mean peak serum aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT) values of 106 patients admitted to a coronary care unit with acute myocardial infarction who displayed acute systolic hypertension were studied. Another 106 normotensive patients with acute myocardial infarction acted as controls. Neither group had established hypertension. The mortality rate, incidence of cardiac failure, major arrhythmias, and mean peak SGOT were significantly greater in the hypertensive group, within which the duration of hypertension was correlated with mean peak SGOT levels--through there was no definite relation between the height of systolic or diastolic pressure and SGOT. Transient systolic hypertension after acute myocardial infarction was therefore associated with a relatively poor prognosis, but our observations suggest that patients with a systolic blood pressure of at least 170 mm Hg might benefit from early hypotensive treatment.

Primary ventricular fibrillation and resumption of work, sexual activity, and driving after first acute myocardial infarction.

The resumption of work, sexual activity, and driving were studied in 32 patients who had suffered primary ventricular fibrillation after their first myocardial infarction. They were compared with 95 patients whose myocardial infarction was not so complicated. Though initially slowing rehabilitation, primary ventricular fibrillation did not affect ultimately either the return to work or the resumption of normal sexual activity and driving.

Relationship of angiogenesis factor in synovial fluid to various joint diseases.

A low-molecular-weight freely dialysable angiogenesis factor has been isolated from 49 synovial fluids obtained from patients with various joint diseases. An analysis of disease type and incidence of freely dialysable angiogenesis activity showed that the osteoarthrotic group had a significantly higher incidence than all the other groups (p = 0.0332). Angiogenesis factor has also been detected in a bound form in the retentates of fluids which gave positive results for dialysable factor. The possibility that an imbalance between carrier-bound and free factor may have a causative role in disease is discussed.

Low voltage electrocardiogram after acute myocardial infarction.

In a retrospective study of patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to a coronary monitoring unit in 1971 12 per cent (39 patients) had low voltage electrocardiograms within 72 hours of admission. Of these, 7 patients (18%) died while in hospital and a further 9 (23%) died within one year of their infarction. Of the 23 patients who survived, 16 were severely incapacitated by their symptoms at the one-year follow-up. A low voltage electrocardiogram in association with acute myocardial infarction appears to imply a poor prognosis in terms of both mortality and morbidity, independently of other prognostic indices.