Continuous irrigation with thrombolytics for intraventricular hemorrhage: case-control study.

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a complication of a spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Standard treatment is with external ventricular drain (EVD). Intraventricular thrombolysis may improve mortality but does not improve functional outcomes.

Dural venous sinus stenting technique for idiopathic intracranial hypertension in patients with tortuous venous anatomy.

Venous sinus stenting (VSS) for medically refractory idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is emerging as a safe and effective alternative to shunting. However, stent navigation past the jugular bulb with commonly used carotid stenting systems via femoral access in cases with tortuous venous anatomy can present a challenge, leading to procedural failure. We present a technical refinement using a cervical access and peripheral vascular stent with a more stable 0.

Resistance circuit training combined with hypoxia stimulates bone system of older adults: A randomized trial.

Purpose: Aging leads to gradual irreversible decline in bone mass. As adherence to pharmacological treatment is poor, hypoxia combined with strength training has been suggested for therapeutic benefit for clinical populations. The present study investigated the effects of normobaric cyclic hypoxic exposure combined with resistance circuit training on bone of older adults.

Putting Time in Perspective: An Integrated Graduate Medical Education Institutional Dashboard and Report Card.

Background: ACGME-I requires sponsoring institutions (SIs) to have systematic oversight of program performance. This was initially carried out through annual review, however, maintaining compliance became a challenge for a large SI like Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) as the number of residency programs grew from 5 to 34 in 3 years.

Objective: We assessed the impact of quarterly monitoring using a dashboard on graduate medical education (GME) program performance and institutional oversight.

Production levels and health status in Iberian piglets at weaning.

The aim of this study was to describe the postweaning growth of Iberian piglets and its relationship with the occurrence of diarrhea. To assess these factors in response to different weaning ages, a total of 360 pure-breed Iberian piglets were studied. Three trials were conducted with 120 piglets from 24 litters randomly assigned to be weaned at 28 or 42 d of age (12 litters and 60 piglets each).

Propofol and etomidate depress cortical, thalamic, and reticular formation neurons during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness.

Background: The sites where anesthetics produce unconsciousness are not well understood. Likely sites include the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and reticular formation. We examined the effects of propofol and etomidate on neuronal function in the cortex, thalamus, and reticular formation in intact animals.

Anesthetic effects on fictive locomotion in the rat isolated spinal cord.

General anesthetic mechanisms are poorly understood. Anesthetic immobilizing effects occur in the spinal ventral horn. However, a detailed analysis of anesthetic effects on ventral motor networks is lacking.

Validation and insights of anesthetic action in an early vertebrate network: the isolated lamprey spinal cord.

Background: The lamprey spinal cord is a well-characterized vertebrate network that could facilitate our understanding of anesthetic action. We tested several hypotheses concerning the lamprey's clinical application to anesthesia, and the sites/mechanisms of anesthetic action.

Methods: In isolated lamprey spinal cords, minimum immobilizing concentrations (MICs) were determined for halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, propofol, or the nonimmobilizer F6 (1,2-dichlorohexafluorocyclobutane), applied during D-glutamate-induced fictive swimming or noxious tail stimulation.

Modulation of the immune responses in chickens by low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus H9N2.

Most low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses cause no or mild disease in avian species. Little is known about the mechanisms of host defence and the immune responses of avian influenza-infected birds. This study showed that chicken macrophages are susceptible to infection with LPAI H9N2 and H6N2 viruses and that infection led to apoptosis.

Coarse filters for pond effluent polishing: comparison of loading rates and grain sizes.

A system comprising a UASB reactor, shallow polishing ponds and shallow coarse filters, treating actual wastewater from the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has been evaluated. The main focus of the research was to compare grain sizes and hydraulic loading rates in the coarse filters. Two filters operating in parallel were investigated, with the following grain sizes: Filter 1: 3 to 10 cm; Filter 2: 8 to 20 cm.

Simple wastewater treatment (UASB reactor, shallow polishing ponds, coarse rock filter) allowing compliance with different reuse criteria.

UASB reactors followed by polishing ponds comprise simple and economic wastewater treatment systems, capable of reaching very high removal efficiencies of pathogenic organisms, leading to the potential use of the effluent for unrestricted irrigation. However, for other types of reuse (urban and industrial), ponds are limited in the sense of producing effluents with high suspended solids (algae) concentrations. The work investigates a system with coarse rock filters for polishing the pond effluent.

Case report: difficult spinal anaesthesia for caesarian section in two obese pregnant patients.

Two obese patients presented for Caesarean Section for poor progress in labour. Spinal anaesthesia was chosen because of obesity, gravidity and worry about possible related airway problems in both patients. In both cases the needle seemed to be short.

Improvement of semen quality in infected asymptomatic infertile male after bacteriological cure.

Bacteriological etiology was investigated in 29 infected asymptomatic infertile males. The localization of the infection and the effect of a long term antibiotic therapy on semen parameters were evaluated. The most frequent etiological agent isolated was Enterococcus faecalis.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-6 regulate c-fos protooncogene expression in human pituitary adenoma explants.

We have previously shown that interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-6, which are expressed in the anterior pituitary, affect anterior pituitary cell proliferation in normal rats and cell lines. Here we examined their effects on the c-fos expression by human anterior pituitary adenomas. Adenoma cells in culture do not express c-fos mRNA.

Glucocorticoids: their role on gonadal function and LH secretion.

The aim of the study was to investigate gonadal function and LH reserve in patients on chronic therapy with supraphysiological doses of GC. We clinically evaluated 17 male subjects (aged 23-56 years-old) on chronic GC therapy. In four subjects (aged 23-39 years-old) randomly selected, three basal blood samples were drawn and pooled for measurement of SHBG, total, free and bioavailable testosterone.

Seminal plasma modulates lymphokine-activated killer cell activity in vitro.

We have previously reported that seminal plasma (SP) pool from donors and azoospermic patients can inhibit the NK response in vitro. In this study we investigated whether SP also inhibits the interleukin -2-activated natural cytotoxicity (LAK). Pools of SP from 10 healthy donors and 17 azoospermic patients were used.

Biosynthesis of testicular steroids in the immature, adult and senescent guinea-pig.

The potential biosynthetic capacity of testicular hormones was studied in immature, pubertal and aging guinea-pig. In their sexual development towards puberty, changes in the relationship of the steroids involved in the steroidogenic pathways were observed. The testosterone/androstenedione ratio changes markedly, showing an important increase with pubertal proximity.

Alpha-interferon induces cortisol release by human adrenals in vitro.

It is at present not clear whether alpha interferon (INF-alpha) can participate in the control of glucocorticoid blood levels through direct action on the adrenal gland. In this study, the possible action of INF-alpha on cortisol release by adrenal tissue was tested in vitro. Slices of normal human adrenals were incubated with INF-alpha for 3 h at 37 degrees C in 95% air and 5% CO2.

Immunologic studies of male infertility.

The immunological basis of male sterility, as previously described, is related to alterations of spermatogenesis or impairment of seminal plasma formation. Both may be developed independently or may be related. Acute or subacute lesions of the genital tract or gonads may be more closely related to the presence of autosensitization than are chronic inflammatory processes or endocrine diseases of the testis.

[Eclampsia induced by skin allografts in spontaneously hypertensive rats].

In order to develop an experimental model for eclampsia, 22 female inbred Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) were grafted with skin from Holtzman males. The implantation of four sequential grafts took place at an interval of ten days. Each SHR was mated with its corresponding skin donor ten days after the last graft.

Cushing's syndrome and autoimmunity.

Is Cushing's syndrome ever caused by adrenal stimulating autoantibodies? Specific antiadrenal antibodies were found in the serum of three of seven patients with Cushing's syndrome. The immunologic techniques that showed positive results were complement fixation, tanned RBC hemagglutination, and immunofluorescence. Lymphocytic infiltration of the adrenal was present in two cases, in one of which nodular hyperplasia seemed to be of primary adrenal origin with autoimmunity as a possible cause.