The elbow.

Elbow joint movements have been defined, and published data concerning the measurement of these movements have been reviewed. These measurements may be reproduced by using the techniques which have been recommended, with a choice between straightforward clinical methods or a more pedantic approach for the researcher. It was recognized that the amplitudes of joint movements vary considerably between subjects, and that any lack of motion can best be shown by reference to a normal contralateral limb.

Ultrasonic characteristics of posterior urethral valves.

Thickening of the bladder wall and dilatation of the prostatic urethra can be shown by ultrasound in infants with posterior urethral valves. This can be helpful in the diagnosis of hydroureter. Marked hypertrophy of the bladder muscle can appear as solid echogenic mass and simulate a pelvic tumor.

Radioisotope spleen scan in patients with splenic injury.

The technetium Tc 99m sulfur colloid liver-spleen scan is a valuable aid in diagnosis and treatment of patients with splenic injury. After reviewing the charts of 47 patients who were ill as a result of splenic trauma, we came to the following conclusions: (1) the scan identified the injury, accurately mapped its extent, and indicated the presence or absence of associated liver injuries; (2) the scans were useful in following the extent and rate of healing of the splenic injury; (3) the scan is an indirect measurement of of return of splenic fuction; (4) the procedure can be performed in a reasonable time frame with no serious morbidity; and (5) the indications, contraindications, and timing of scans are now reasonably well established.

The prevention of hepatitis B with vaccine. Report of the centers for disease control multi-center efficacy trial among homosexual men.

A randomized, double-blind, vaccine/placebo trial of the Merck 20-micrograms hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine was done among 1402 homosexual men attending venereal disease clinics in five American cities. Vaccination was followed by only minimal side effects. Two doses of vaccine induced antibody in 80% of vaccine recipients.

A functional study of the rheumatoid elbow.

A clinical and functional study of rheumatoid elbows has been done to discover the magnitude and frequency of disabilities caused by elbow problems. Pain and weakness were found to affect all activities which were tested, with adjacent joint involvement, flexion deformity, and lack of supination causing significant disability. Instability was not a frequent problem.

Utilization of ultrasound in the evaluation of spinal dysraphism in children.

Automated water path ultrasound scanning was used to examine 15 infants and children with suspected spinal dysraphism. The spinal abnormalities demonstrated by ultrasound included meningocele, myelomeningocele, and spinal lipoma. In addition, renal abnormalities (pyelocaliectasis and hydronephrosis) were seen in 5 patients.

On the formation of spontaneous deletions: the importance of short sequence homologies in the generation of large deletions.

Using lacl-Z fusion strains of Escherichia coli we have devised systems that detect deletions of varying lengths. We examined deletions 700-1000 base pairs long, and genetically characterized over 250 spontaneous deletions. Of these, we analyzed 24 by direct DNA sequencing and 18 by inspection of restriction fragment patterns.

A model for the effect of excision repair on the survival of human cells exposed to chemical carcinogens.

A model is presented which correlates the survival of normal human fibroblasts (NF) after exposure to N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-AcO-AAF) with the rate of excision of carcinogen residues bound to DNA. Measurements of the rate of excision of carcinogen residues suggest that this is a first-order process with 37% of the adducts remaining after about 70 h. From this information and the dose-response relationship for survival of NF and repair deficient cells we can determine the mean number of adducts required to produce a potentially lethal lesion and the effective time available for repair.

Carcinogenic epoxides of benzo[a]pyrene and cyclopenta[cd]pyrene induce base substitutions via specific transversions.

We have determined the spectrum of base-pair substitution mutations induced in the lacI gene of a uvrB- strain of Escherichia coli by two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons--(+/-)7 alpha,8 beta-dihydroxy-9 beta,10 beta-epoxy-7,8,9,10 tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BPDE), and 3,4-epoxycylopenta[cd]pyrene (CPPE). Approximately 10% of all lacI mutations induced by either BPDE or CPPE are nonsense mutations, suggesting that base-pair substitutions are a large fraction of the mutational events induced by these agents in the uvrB- bacteria. Both carcinogens specifically induced the G .

Silastic radial head prosthesis in rheumatoid arthritis.

This paper reports our experience of using the Silastic radial head prosthesis in 18 elbow joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis. There was a varying degree of severity of involvement in 15 of the elbows, and in a further 3 cases replacement was carried out at an early stage of the disease. The 3 cases in whom early replacement was carried out had the best results at follow-up and 11 of the remaining 15 were considered to have a satisfactory overall result.

Candidiasis of the liver and spleen in childhood.

Four children with acute leukemia and surgically documented candidiasis of the liver and/or spleen were examined with a combination of diagnostic imaging modalities including 99mTc-sulfur colloid and 67Ga-citrate scintigraphy, gray-scale ultrasound, and body computed tomography (CT). Abnormalities were detected in every individual examined. 99mTc-sulfur colloid scintigraphy revealed "cold" areas in the liver or spleen.

The reliability of noninvasive diagnostic procedures in children with brain tumors.

To determine the most reliable method of following the progress of disease in children with primary intracranial neoplasms, the noninvasive diagnostic procedures in 92 children were analyzed. Computerized tomographic (CT) scanning was found to be significantly superior to all other testing procedures in sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy. This superiority was seen regardless of tumor location or pathological subtype.

Mechanisms of organic acid and monosaccharide transport in the kidney of the brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula.

The mechanisms of organic acid and monosaccharide transport in the kidney of T. vulpecula were investigated using the renal cortical slice preparation. The kinetics, the sensitivity to inhibitors of metabolism and sodium transport, and the specificity of the concentrative uptake of p-amino-hippurate and alpha-methyl-D-glucoside were examined and compared with published results from studies in eutherian mammals.

lac Repressor: a proton magnetic resonance look at the deoxyribonucleic acid binding fragment.

The DNA binding fragment from Escherichia coli lac repressor, the N-terminal 56 amino acid residue "headpiece", has been examined by high-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy at 360 MHz. The aromatic region has been examined in detail along with the four headpieces of altered repressors that are each missing one of the tyrosines, respectively. The spectra here show more resolved resonances and correct errors in the resonance assignments that have been published by Ribeiro et al.

Genetic insertion of nuclear spin labels in the lac repressor.

A general strategy for the insertion of nuclear spin labels throughout the sequence of a protein is illustrated with the Escherichia coli lac repressor. Examples are shown where the 19F nucleus is incorporated using 3-fluorotyrosine, as well as the selective insertion of additional protons. These selectively inserted nuclei give additional resonances in the respective NMR spectra that can be used to probe the structure and function of the proteins.

Detection of deep venous thrombophlebitis by gallium 67 scintigraphy.

Deep venous thrombophlebitis may escape clinical detection. Three cases are reported in which whole-body gallium 67 scintigraphy was used to detect unsuspected deep venous thrombophlebitis related to indwelling catheters in three children who were being evaluated for fevers of unknown origin. Two of these children had septicemia from Candida organisms secondary to these venous lines.

Evaluation of a charcoal particle test for rheumatoid factor.

A rheumatoid factor charcoal card test was compared with a rheumatoid factor latex slide and tube agglutination test. Qualitative findings with 280 of 290 selected sera were the same. Quantitative results converted to standard rheumatoid factor units were similar.