Effect of anaesthetic agents on tympanometry and middle-ear effusions.

Following informed parental consent 93 children underwent bilateral grommet insertion. Tympanometry was performed pre-operatively, and immediately prior to myringotomy. A standardized anaesthetic was used.

Treatment of otitis media with effusion in children with mucopolysaccharidoses.

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a constant finding in children with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). Affected children may also present the anaesthetist with a difficult airway. A 7-year retrospective review of the management of OME in individuals with MPS was carried out.

Cardiac arrhythmias and silent myocardial ischemia during hemodialysis.

Cardiac arrhythmias are noted in a significant proportion of chronic renal failure (CRF) patients on hemodialysis (HD), and may contribute to cardiovascular mortality. A number of factors have been implicated in the genesis of these arrhythmias. The role of silent myocardial ischemia (SMI), however, has not been evaluated systematically.

Deficient gene expression in protein kinase inhibitor alpha Null mutant mice.

Protein kinase inhibitor (PKI) is a potent endogenous inhibitor of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA). It functions by binding the free catalytic (C) subunit with a high affinity and is also known to export nuclear C subunit to the cytoplasm. The significance of these actions with respect to PKI's physiological role is not well understood.

The use of gastric tonometry in the assessment of celiac artery compression syndrome.

This report describes the use of gastric tonometry to measure gastric mucosal ischemia/intestinal mucosa pH (pHi) in a patient treated for celiac artery compression syndrome. Significant gastric mucosal ischemia was demonstrated prior to celiac artery decompression as indicated by a pHi of 7.29.

Curcumin blocks cytokine-mediated NF-kappa B activation and proinflammatory gene expression by inhibiting inhibitory factor I-kappa B kinase activity.

NF-kappa B plays a critical role in the transcriptional regulation of proinflammatory gene expression in various cells. Cytokine-mediated activation of NF-kappa B requires activation of various kinases, which ultimately leads to the phosphorylation and degradation of I kappa B, the NF-kappa B cytoplasmic inhibitor. The food derivative curcumin has been shown to inhibit NF-kappa B activity in some cell types.

Botulinum toxoid in the management of gustatory sweating (Frey's syndrome) after superficial parotidectomy.

Botulinum toxin has been successfully used to treat Frey's syndrome occurring in a 31-year-old patient following superficial parotidectomy for pleomorphic adenoma. An initial injection of 7.5 U (0.

EARLY DIAGNOSIS IN POST RENAL TRANSPLANT OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS: A FRESH LOOK.

A total of 86 renal transplant patients who were transplanted with live related donor (LRD) and live unrelated donor (LURD) kidneys were studied for opportunistic infections. Immune diagnosis of Toxoplasma, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Herpes-simplex virus type II (HSV-2), Aspergillosis and Tuberculosis was carried out in these patients along with sputum examination, CSF studies and biopsy of lymphnode and other tissues in few cases. A high degree of Toxoplasma, CMV & HSV-2 positivity was seen in transplanted patients.

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 in cholesteatoma, middle ear granulations and deep meatal skin: a comparative analysis.

Nine cholesteatomas, seven middle ear granulations and five deep meatal skin specimens were analysed for gelatinase activity at molecular weights corresponding to those of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) using SDS PAGE zymography. Gelatinase activity at 41-43 kDa and 45-47 kDa was investigated. Western blotting was employed using a primary monoclonal antibody to MMP-1 to provide a qualitative assessment of MMP-1.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in cholesteatoma and deep meatal skin.

A qualitative and quantitative study of the presence of Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in cholesteatoma was performed. Ten cholesteatoma and four deep meatal skin specimens were analysed for gelatinase activity at molecular weights corresponding to MMP-2 and MMP-9 using Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS PAGE) Zymography. Gelatinase activity at 72 kDa and 92 kDa was investigated.

Cystic nodal metastasis in occult tonsil carcinoma--a case report.

A "branchial cyst" in a patient above 40 years old may turn out to be a malignant cystic nodal metastasis from a primary tumour in the tonsil. We present a case of a 45-year-old woman in whom an initial mistaken diagnosis of branchial cyst was made. The neck mass was discovered to be malignant and the left tonsil was subsequently implicated as the primary source.

PREVALENCE OF MICROALBUMINURIA IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS.

The prevalence of microalbuminuria was assessed in 50 patients of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The mean age of patients was 52.1 ± 11.

CARBOHYDRATE METABOLIC DISTURBANCES IN HYPERTHYROIDISM.

Twenty five hyperthyroid patients and 25 healthy volunteers were evaluated for carbohydrate metabolic disturbance with an oral glucose tolerance test and glycosylated haemoglobin percentage. Insulin secretory response was studied in 17 hyperthyroids and 10 controls. A varying degree of abnormality was noted in hyperthyroids.

Morphological development, cell number, and allocation of cells to trophectoderm and inner cell mass of in vitro fertilized and parthenogenetically developed buffalo embryos: the effect of IGF-I.

The morphology and number of cells in the trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) of buffalo blastocysts derived from in vitro fertilization and cultured in the presence or absence of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were analyzed by differential fluorochrome staining technique. The total cell number (TCN), TE number, and ICM cell number were significantly higher in blastocysts developed in vitro in the presence of IGF-I as compared to blastocysts developed without IGF-I (P < 0.01).

A complication of indoor pistol shooting.

The aetiology of chronic rhinitis and nasal obstruction is often elusive and obscure. Many different causes have been documented including allergens, cigarette smoke, cold dry air, viruses, sulphur dioxide and industrial pollutants. This is the first case we have been able to identify of rhinitis associated with exposure to high levels of lead through indoor pistol shooting.

SILENT MYOCARDIAL ISCHEMIA IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS - FACTOR FICTION?

Thirty eight patients underwent Holter ECG monitoring for a 48 hour period covering dialysis and intermediate period to detect incidence of myocardial ischemia manifesting as ST segment changes. Seventeen patients (44.7%) had 165 episodes of dynamic ST segment changes lasting from 1 to 177 minutes, with maximum ST depression of 4 mm.

CLINICAL APPLICATION OF FLOW CYTOMETRY IN LIVE RELATED DONOR RENAL TRANSPLANTATION.

To monitor the activity of the humoral component in graft dysfunction following renal transplantation using live related donors, flowcytometric cross-match procedure was adopted. Antidonor antibodies were detected in the sera of both pre- and post-transplant patients using conventional serological cytotoxicity cross-match and flowcytometric cross-match assays. In the 52 pretransplant samples no significant differences were observed in flowcytometric and cytotoxicity tests except in 2 secondary transplant cases which were negative by cytotoxicity test.

SENSITIZATION STATE OF POTENTIAL LIVE RELATED DONOR RENAL TRANSPLANT PATIENTS.

Sensitization state of 119 patients of end-stage renal disease registered for live related donor transplant was assessed by determining the panel reactive antibody (PRA) status and the donor-specific crossmatch positivity. Eighty one patients (69.1%) showed no PRA, whereas 27 (22.

A prospective study of day case adenoidectomy.

Adenoidectomy in this country is typically performed as an in-patient procedure requiring an overnight stay in hospital but experience from other countries shows that adenoidectomy can be safely performed as a day case procedure. In Leicester, a prospective study of day case adenoidectomy was initiated in 1991 under carefully monitored conditions. We report on 721 patients entered in the first 3 years.

A canalplasty technique for the surgical treatment of chronic otitis externa.

This article describes a surgical technique for the treatment of chronic stenosing otitis externa. A retrospective survey of the post-operative course in eight patients (10 ears) showed this to be a satisfactory treatment with no recurrence of symptoms.