Morphometry of the distal air spaces in lungs of aging dogs.

Changes in pulmonary morphometric measurements with age were examined by manual and automated methods in 14 normal beagle dogs aged 289-3,694 days. The study was instituted as a statistical adjunct to previous morphological studies on these dogs that showed anthracosis and associated dilatations in the distal airways in aged dogs. With increasing age, the volumetric density of alveolar ducts increased concomitantly with decreases in the volumetric densities of alveoli and alveolar parenchymal tissue.

Intestinal obstruction in the newborn.

Any newborn who continues to vomit in the first few days of life, particularly if the vomitus contains bile and if the abdomen is distended, should have immediate investigation because intestinal obstruction in the newborn is a fatal condition unless promptly recognized and surgically corrected. The most common cause of obstruction at this age is atresia and the simplest possible surgical procedure which adequately corrects this deformity should be done. It is also possible to successfully correct the obstruction caused by other congenital deformities such as annular pancreas and meconium ileus.