[Cytologic diagnosis of abdominal lesions with fine needle aspiration guided by ultrasound].

The purpose of this work was to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of puncture-aspiration with fine needle, guided by ultrasonography, trying to determine its usefulness in our hospitals and its reliability in the diagnosis of intraabdominal lesions of different locations. 29 punctures were practiced on 19 patients, 9 women and 10 men of ages comprised between 34 and 94 years, with lesions in different organs of the abdominal cavity diagnosed by ultrasonography with real time equipment and lineal 3.5 and 5 MHz transducers.

[Thyroid disease in progressive systemic sclerosis].

There is no agreement wither thyroid disease is a common feature of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). We evaluated 28 patients with proven PSS with determinations of T3, T4, TSH and Tg as well as antimicrosomal autoantibodies. Radioactive I uptake, thyroid scintigraphy, TRH test and fine needle biopsy were performed in selected patients.

Inventory of potential reconstructive needs in the patient with burns.

The rehabilitation and reconstruction of patients who survive large burns is an arduous task. To facilitate it we have devised an inventory form to accurately record the somatic abnormalities caused by burns and also the severity and location of burns. This form was used in the assessment of 25 pediatric patients with massive burns.

[Ultrasonographic changes in the gallbladder wall in non-gallbladder diseases].

Alterations of the gallbladder wall is a well known sonographic sign of acute cholecystitis. But thickening of the gallbladder wall is also found in patients without intrinsic gallbladder disease. We present our experience on this regard in patients with cirrhosis, acute viral hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, halothane hepatitis, fulminant hepatic failure, malaria due to plasmodium falciparum, heart failure, severe malnutrition due to gastric obstruction, septicemia, pyogenic hepatic abscess, amoebic hepatic abscess and in a 14 years old patient with fracture of the skull-acute anemia-shock.

Clinical evaluation of a new combined oral contraceptive desogestrel--ethinylestradiol.

A clinical study was performed with a new progestogen, desogestrel, in a 0.15 mg dose associated with 0.03 mg of ethinylestradiol and was administered cyclically during 21 days; 632 cycles were evaluated in 56 women.

Influence of opioid peptides on learning and memory processes in the chick.

Several experiments were conducted to examine the effects of intracranial injection of opioid peptides and antagonists on learning and memory in the chick. Pretraining injection of [leu5]enkephalin and the selective delta receptor agonist [D-Pen2,L-Pen5]enkephalin (DPLPE) into the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale (IMHV) produced impairment. ICI 174,864, a delta-selective antagonist, reversed the impairment produced by either [leu5]enkephalin or DPLE, results indicating that delta receptors may play a role in learning in the chick and suggesting that the impairment produced by [leu5]enkephalin is mediated through delta opioid receptors.

Time courses of amnesia development in two areas of the chick forebrain.

The roles of different forebrain structures in stages of memory formation were investigated by injecting agents into either the left medial hyperstriatum ventrale (MHV) or right lateral neostriatum (LNS) close to the time of one-trial taste-avoidance training. With L-glutamate injected into either the left MHV or right LNS 5 minutes pretraining, retention was good 1 minute posttraining but significantly impaired at 5 minutes and each subsequent time point. With emetine injected into either area, retention was still good 60 minutes posttraining but significantly impaired at 90 minutes.

Interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 3: case report, review, and definition of a phenotype.

Interstitial deletions of 3q have, to our knowledge, been reported in only four patients. We present an additional patient with interstitial deletion of 3q, with breakpoints at 3q23 and 3q25. The patient was small for gestational age and had a multiple congenital anomalies (MCA) syndrome including microcephaly; unusual facial appearance with bilateral microphthalmia, blepharophimosis, and ptosis; ventricular septal defect; and bilateral clubfeet.

Memory stages and brain asymmetry in chick learning.

Stages of formation of memory and the roles of different forebrain structures in memory formation were investigated by injecting various agents into the brains of chicks close to the time of peck-avoidance training. With L-glutamate injected bilaterally into the hyperstriatum 5 min pretraining, retention was good 1 min posttraining but significantly impaired at 5 min and each subsequent time point from 10 min to 24 hr. With ouabain, retention declined more slowly, showing significant impairment at 15 min and thereafter.

[Total situs inversus associated with Lutembacher syndrome].

We describe a 19 years old patient with total situs inversus in association with Lutembacher's syndrome, and surgical intervention. Our review of the literature, did not disclosed any similar case.

An economically constructed and durable intracerebral cannula system for small rodents.

An easily constructed cannula system is described for applying experimental substances to the brain of freely moving mice. Stainless steel tubing surrounded by a nylon insulator cap glued to the skull provides an economical and durable system which requires little preparation.

An altered ribosomal protein in an edeine-resistant mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The r-proteins of an edeine-resistant mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were compared to those of the wild-type strain by using two different two-dimensional electrophoretic techniques: (1) the Kaltschmidt-Wittmann method and, (2) the Kaltschmidt-Wittmann system, in the first dimension and the Na Dodecyl-SO4 system in the second. With the first technique, the results indicate that the patterns of basic ribosomal proteins are similar in the two strains. However, the pattern of acidic ribosomal proteins of the mutant revealed an additional protein band with respect to the normal one.

Histochemical distribution of acid glycosaminoglycans in rat cerebellum during postnatal development: neuropile.

Developmentally regulated modifications of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the central nervous system (CNS) have suggested that also in the CNS, these compounds might participate in morphogenesis and nerve cell differentiation. However very few studies have been reported concerning the regional distribution of these compounds by histochemical techniques. We have used the Alcian Blue staining method also in conjunction with enzymatic digestion and with a technique which allowed the measurement of the degree of GAG sulphatation.

Histochemical demonstration of cytoplasmic glycosaminoglycans in the macroneurons of the human central nervous system.

The presence of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) has been histochemically demonstrated in the CNS of various mammalian species. They have been related with some nerve functions as neurotransmitters storage and synaptic transmission. In the present paper, the histochemical properties of nerve cell cytoplasmic GAG were studied in several regions of adult human CNS.

Chemical characterization of a new haemoglobin variant haemoglobin J Cubujuqui (alpha2141(HC3)Arg replaced by Ser beta2).

Haemoglobin J Cubujuqui (alpha2141(HC3)Arg replaced by Ser beta2) was found during a screening for abnormal haemoglobins carried out in Costa Rica. This variant is clinically silent, although its substitution is in one of the residues involved in the stabilization of the deoxy form of the haemoglobin molecule.