HIV-related neurological disease.

Early neurological complications present an opportunity to make an early diagnosis of HIV infection. Patients may present with subtle symptoms and signs of neurological disease, but many HIV-related complications are readily treated if they are correctly diagnosed. As there are also neurological side effects of anti-HIV drugs, the management of patients with neurological complications and HIV disease requires accurate diagnosis.

Calcium ionophore (A-23187) induced peritoneal eicosanoid biosynthesis: a rapid method to evaluate inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism in vivo.

The present investigation characterizes calcium ionophore (A-23187) induced peritoneal eicosanoid biosynthesis in the rat. Intraperitoneal injection of A-23187 (20 mug/rat) stimulated marked biosynthesis of 6-keto-PGF(1alpha) (6-KPA), TxB(2), LTC(4) and LTB(4), with no detectable changes on levels of PGE(2). Levels of all eicosanoids decreased rapidly after a peak which was seen as early as 5 min.

Evaluation of 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, zileuton, A-78773 and ICI-D-2138 in an ionophore (A-23187)-induced pleural inflammation model in the rat.

Intrapleural injection of A-23187 (10 micrograms), a calcium ionophore, elicited rapid increase in biosynthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes in a time-dependent manner. 6-Keto-prostaglandin-F1 alpha (6-KPA) was the principal cyclooxygenase product with modest increases in levels of thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin-E2. Orally administered indomethacin, a selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, and three selective 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, zileuton, A-78773 and ICI-D-2138 markedly attenuated respective arachidonate pathways with projected ED50 values of < 1-2 mg/kg.

Selective impairment of express saccade generation in patients with schizophrenia.

When a temporal gap is introduced between the offset of a central fixation point and the onset of a peripheral saccadic target, normal subjects generate an increased number of short latency (90-150 ms) saccades, termed express saccades, and the profile of express saccade frequency across different gap sizes for any individual subject, even if untrained in the task, shows a high test-retest reliability. In patients with schizophrenia, the generation of express saccades was also normal for gap sizes of 200-300 ms or in an overlap task (gap = 0 ms). However, for temporal gaps of 50-150 ms, the generation of express saccades was significantly impaired in the schizophrenic subjects.

Long-term follow-up of serous ovarian tumors of low malignant potential.

The biologic behavior of serous tumors of low malignant potential (LMP) is of significant interest, yet most large series lack extended follow-up. This study consists of 200 patients: 106 patients were diagnosed with serous tumors of LMP at our institution between 1979 and 1984 and an additional 94 patients were identified in the referred tumor registry. The patients ranged in age from 6 to 98 years (median, 34 years).

An automated sequential sampling system for particulate acid aerosols: description, characterization, and field sampling results.

An automated sequential sampling system for the measurement of particulate acid aerosols was developed in order to allow the routine collection of daily samples with only once-per-week site visits. The system's design, operation, and associated quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC), and data validation procedures are described. Results from a multi-year field application of this system in the Buffalo, Albany, and New York City metropolitan areas are reported, as well as from external audits and interlab analytical intercomparisons.

Primary tumors of the ovary and colon associated with pseudomyxoma peritonei.

The patient presented had primary tumors of the ovary and colon in association with pseudomyxoma peritonei. Since pseudomyxoma peritonei has been associated with mucin-producing tumor of the genital and gastrointestinal tract, a thorough evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract should be performed in patients thought to have pseudomyxoma peritonei secondary to an ovarian neoplasm.

Inhalation of carbon monoxide does not accelerate arteriosclerosis in cockerels.

The effects of chronic exposure to moderate levels of carbon monoxide (CO) upon the augmentation of arteriosclerotic plaque development were investigated in a series of in vivo studies. Cockerels were exposed to carefully regulated CO levels in dynamic exposure chambers. The plaque volume percentage in the aortic walls of experimental and control animals was determined by point-counting.

An abnormality of plasma amyloid protein precursor in Alzheimer's disease.

beta A4 amyloid deposition in the brain, which is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD), may result from either overexpression of the amyloid protein precursor (APP) or failure of APP to be correctly processed. A blood marker reflecting this abnormal metabolism would be of diagnostic value and would provide a means of monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. We analyzed immunoblots of plasma APP enriched by heparin-Sepharose chromatography from patients with moderate to severe AD dementia (n = 34) and control subjects (n = 77) and found an approximately 50% increase in the proportion of 130-kd APP species in patients with AD (p less than 0.

Indirect sonographic guidance for epidural anesthesia in obese pregnant patients.

Background And Objectives: Obesity and edema frequently obscure anatomic landmarks and result in technical difficulties during epidural anesthesia administration. However, the method of indirect sonographic guidance permits identification of the midline by sagittal scan of the laminae of lumbar vertebrae 2, 3, and 4.

Methods: Thirty-six obese women scheduled for elective repeat cesarean delivery were prospectively studied.

Uterine stromal sarcoma cell line. A cytogenetic and electron microscopic study.

Uterine sarcomas constitute approximately 3% of all malignant uterine corpus tumors. Of these, the tumors that originate solely in the stromal elements of the uterine wall are relatively infrequent and have not been well characterized cytogenetically. We report data from a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma both at the time of resection and after months in long-term tissue culture.

Management of diabetes in surgery: a survey of current practice by anaesthetists.

A questionnaire survey of anaesthetists, based at the three main hospitals in Bristol, was undertaken to determine what methods are currently being used by anaesthetists to manage diabetes in patients for surgery. Replies were received from 56 of the 90 anaesthetists (62%). Surgical procedures were defined as minor, moderate, and major.

Gaucher patients with oculomotor abnormalities do not have a unique genotype.

Sixteen non-Ashkenazic American children with Gaucher disease who demonstrate slowing of the horizontal saccades are described. Attempts to correlate this specific clinical phenotype with a unique genotype were unsuccessful. Focusing on the three most common mutations, at least five different genotypes were present in these patients.

Intraretinal gray lesions as a sign of reversible visual loss following prolonged ophthalmic artery hypoperfusion.

A 49-year-old woman developed severe unilateral visual loss following carotid artery ligation for a carotid-cavernous fistula. The pathophysiology was presumed to be an ophthalmic artery steal caused by the fistula. This was confirmed when visual acuity was restored by a subsequent ligation of the ophthalmic artery, despite 2 weeks of profound visual loss and ocular ischemia.

Delayed choroidal perfusion in giant cell arteritis.

The fundus fluorescein angiograms of 13 patients with visual disturbance due to biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (11 with anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION); 2 with visual obscurations only) were compared with the fluorescein angiograms from 33 patients with acute nonarteritic AION and 23 age-matched normal eyes. In all 13 patients with giant cell arteritis, the fluorescein angiograms showed a significant delay of choroidal filling time (mean 69 seconds) in comparison with either normal subjects (mean 5.8 seconds) or patients with nonarteritic AION (mean 5.

Immunolocalization of Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide precursor to cellular membranes in baculovirus expression system.

One characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (A beta disease) is the accumulation of amyloid deposits within the extracellular space of the brain and meninges. A 40 amino acid peptide called beta-peptide or A4 protein is the subunit of the amyloid fibrils found in these deposits. The sequence of beta-peptide is contained within those of a family of larger proteins called the Alzheimer beta-amyloid peptide precursor (APP).

Copurification of Sp33-37 and scrapie agent from hamster brain prior to detectable histopathology and clinical disease.

Studies were conducted to determine whether accumulation of the scrapie agent protein Sp33-37 in brain correlated with the appearance of the scrapie agent or with pathology. The concentrations of the scrapie agent and Sp33-37 were measured in purified fraction P5 isolated from hamster brains at weekly intervals after inoculation. The scrapie agent concentration in fraction P5 was approximately 10(-1) LD50/g brain 1 day post-inoculation and increased to 10(9.

Variation in the blood concentration/analgesic response relationship during patient-controlled analgesia with alfentanil.

The effect of supplementing postoperative patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with a mandatory fixed-rate infusion was studied using alfentanil. Patients were assigned by lottery to receive alfentanil PCA with a bolus of 200 or 300 mcg or alfentanil PCA with a bolus of 100 or 200 mcg plus an infusion of 900 mcg/hr, such that ten patients received each treatment. Seven patients receiving PCA only, compared to two in the groups receiving infusion, were withdrawn due to inadequate pain relief (0.

HPV-16 viral transcripts in vulvar neoplasia: preliminary studies.

Specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types are strongly associated with intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cancer of the cervix. In contrast, the role of HPVs in the pathogenesis of invasive carcinoma of the vulva is poorly understood. We have employed in situ hybridization for the detection of subgenomic transcripts in four vulvar specimens to elucidate the role of HPV type 16 in the development and progression of vulvar cancer.

Validation of a clinical antisaccadic eye movement test in the assessment of dementia.

The ability to generate antisaccades (eye movements deliberately made in the direction opposite to that of a visual stimulus) may be used to assess central nervous system function in a variety of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. However, the usefulness of this paradigm in clinical practice is limited by the need for an oculographic laboratory. We describe a clinical version of such an antisaccadic task and present normative data from 332 subjects.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the vulva.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the vulva is an uncommon low-grade sarcoma of dermal origin. Although wide local excision is the treatment of choice, microscopic tumor projections beyond the central tumor nodule explain the tumors' propensity for local recurrence. Frozen sections of margins may be useful to ensure complete resection.

Placental site trophoblastic tumor in a postmenopausal woman.

Placental site trophoblastic tumor is a rare neoplasm that arises in the trophoblastic tissue of the placental bed. This case report is unusual because of the patient's advanced age at the time of diagnosis and the favorable response of the disease to chemotherapy. Although the clinical course is benign for most patients with placental site trophoblastic tumor, the malignant variant of the disease is characterized by recurrence, relative insensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy, and death.