The correlation of serum estrogens and androgens with bone density in the late postmenopause.

A pilot group of 16 women in the late postmenopause were evaluated for bone density by computerized axial tomography (CT) scanning and for hormonal milieu. A highly statistically significant positive correlation between lumbar-3 spongiosum density and both dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), r = 0.67; P less than 0.

An experimental study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow dynamics in a ventricular assist device.

The fluid dynamic behavior of a Newtonian water/glycerol solution, a non-Newtonian polymer (separan) solution, and bovine blood were compared in the Penn State Electrical Ventricular Assist Device (EVAD). Pulsed doppler ultrasound velocimetry was used to measure velocities in the near wall region (0.95-2.

Parenteral nutrition: short term effects on hepatic clearance of sodium taurocholate and indocyanine green.

Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is thought to induce cholestasis. However, serum hepatic enzyme abnormalities were found in 70 percent of patients before TPN was started. Rate constants (alpha, beta, K(E] and total clearance (CIT) of sodium taurocholate (STC) and indocyanine green (ICG) were studied in 20 carefully selected patients not on TPN and who had no hepatic or renal disease.

Effect of advancing pregnancy on the glucose tolerance test and on the 50-g oral glucose load screening test for gestational diabetes.

To determine the validity of the 50-g, one-hour glucose screening test for gestational diabetes in relation to the duration of pregnancy, 101 patients from a high-risk population had the screening test in the first trimester and glucose tolerance tests (GTT) in the second and third trimesters. The sensitivity (88%) and specificity (82%) of the screening test were similar to values reported when the test is performed later in pregnancy. However, immediate follow-up GTTs in the second trimester revealed only 25% instead of 88% of the gestational diabetic patients uncovered by the positive screening tests.

Prevalence of and markers for the attenuated form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and hyperprolactinemia masquerading as polycystic ovarian disease.

To determine the prevalence of the attenuated form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and hyperprolactinemia (HPPN) relative to polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD), 100 consecutive women presenting with the classic clinical features of PCOD were evaluated by basal hormonal profiles and subsequent adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation tests. The study also sought biochemical markers for CAH other than ACTH stimulation. The prevalences were found to be as follows: PCOD, 65%; PCOD with HPPN, 9%; HPPN, 3%, end-organ hypersensitivity (EOH), 4%; homozygotic CAH, 4%; and heterozygotic CAH, 15%.

Computerized blood-flow analysis in osteochondritis dissecans.

A retrospective review of static images and computerized blood flow studies (CBFS) in patients with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) suggests that CBFS maybe useful in following the clinical course of this disease.

Rationale for the administration of opiate antagonists in treating infantile autism.

A rationale exists for clinical trials of opiate antagonists in at least some patients with pervasive developmental disorders. An abnormality in levels of an endogenous opioid ligand, which may be partially corrected by neuroleptics, has been reported in the plasma of some autistic patients. Moreover, data suggesting that opiate antagonism may improve faulty attention and diminish the frequency of self-injurious behavior were reviewed.

Plasma growth hormone response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in infantile autism: a pilot study.

Plasma growth hormone responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia were examined in eight preschool-age autistic children. Six of these children were examined on two separate occasions: during the period of baseline evaluation and after 4 weeks of daily haloperidol administration. On at least one occasion, half of this small sample exhibited persistent elevation of growth hormone levels, with a failure to return to baseline values over the course of a 135-minute period postinsulin infusion.

Relative affinities for different classes of neurotransmitter receptors predict neuroleptic efficacy in infantile autism: a hypothesis.

In this report, the clinical efficacy of specific neuroleptics in infantile autism was related to the degree to which they bind to different classes of neurotransmitter receptors and calcium channels in brain. Based upon available receptor-binding data, predictions were made regarding the efficacy of neuroleptics which have not yet been studied in this disorder. Future selection of potentially effective agents should be based upon a pharmacological rationale.

Plasma growth hormone response to oral l-dopa in infantile autism.

In order to assess further the occurrence of hypothalamic dysfunction in infantile autism and its possible relationship to dopaminergic abnormalities, the l-dopa provocative test was performed in 22 patients fulfilling DSM-III criteria for this disorder. The results indicate a high incidence (at least 30%) of blunted plasma growth hormone (GH) responses following oral administration of l-dopa in this sample. These data suggest an alteration of hypothalamic dopamine receptor sensitivity in the patients with blunted responses.

Brain glycine levels following lithium toxicity: case report.

A case is reported of a patient who died as a result of lithium toxicity. Brain lithium levels and changes in brain glycine levels are discussed.

Regression of cervicovaginal abnormalities in DES-exposed women. A comparison of changes in sexually inactive women and the effects of the onset of sexual activity.

Sequential colpophotographs were reviewed from a group of 1,139 female progeny exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero and who were not yet sexually active on initial examination. Forty had ectopy. For 27 the normalized yearly rate of squamous metaplasia (replacement of columnar epithelium) was 28.

Effect of chronic haloperidol and quinacrine coadministration on striatal HVA levels and stereotypic behaviors in response to apomorphine in the rat.

The effects of chronic administration of quinacrine, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, on striatal homovanillic acid (HVA) levels and behavioral sensitivity to challenge with a dopamine agonist were examined in rats. Moreover, the ability of chronic phospholipase A2 inhibition to modulate the behavioral supersensitivity and striatal HVA reduction induced by chronic haloperidol administration was also examined. Daily intraperitoneal injection of quinacrine resulted in a significant reduction of striatal HVA levels.

Cardiac arrest following administration of vancomycin.

A two-year-old female child status post-bilateral nephrectomies sustained a cardiac arrest following the central intravenous administration of vancomycin chloride. This report reviews the literature concerning the problems associated with the use of vancomycin chloride in the perioperative period.

Status of cholinesterase activities in blood in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The availability of easily accessible biochemical trait markers of central cholinergic activity would assist in the identification of homogeneous subgroups of neuropsychiatric patients within specific diagnostic categories. In addition to a refinement of nosology, these measures could also help to design specific treatment interventions. The activities of cholinesterase isoenzymes in blood have been reported to be abnormal in neuropsychiatric disorders with proven or hypothesized abnormalities of central cholinergic transmission.

Brain uptake indices of guanidine and 4-aminopyridine.

A deficiency of central neural transmission mediated by acetylcholine (ACh) is implicated in the etiopathology of Alzheimer's disease. The appreciation of this neurochemical deficit has led to treatment strategies designed to facilitate central cholinergic transmission (1). A major limitation of current clinical studies is the availability of centrally-effective, long-acting cholinomimetic agents.

Acetylcholinesterase activity in CSF in schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease and normals.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and protein were measured in the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease, depression, schizophrenia with and without tardive dyskinesia, and control subjects. AChE activity was assayed by a radioenzymatic method involving the direct extraction of hydrolyzed 3H-acetate into a toluene-based scintillation fluid followed by liquid scintillation spectrometry. AChE activity was proportional to the amount of CSF protein.