Flash X-ray microscopy with a gas jet plasma source.

A novel flash X-ray source, the gas jet plasma source, has been used for contact X-ray microscopy. Using a wavelength range of 2-7 nm a resolution of the order of 30 nm can be obtained. The gas jet plasma source provides a new and unique tool which should allow future imaging of wet live cells.

Phenytoin induced gingival overgrowth in institutionalized epileptics.

In a cross-sectional, epidemiological study of phenytoin induced gingival overgrowth in 77 institutionalized persons with epilepsy, the severity of the gum lesions was quantified by means of a precise new technique. Lesion severity was then compared statistically to other clinical and laboratory parameters. Positive correlations were detected between overgrowth severity and gingival inflammation, probing depths, calculus accumulation, plaque score and the measurement gingival margin to mucogingival junction (GM-MGJ).

Chagas' disease in northern California. No longer an endemic diagnosis.

Chagas' disease has long been considered a diagnosis endemic to South and Central America, with over 10 million seropositive cases in Brazil alone, and over 25 percent of infants in rural Brazil with demonstrable parasitemia. In northern California, progressive biventricular heart failure developed in a 75-year-old woman with a history of right bundle branch block, sinus bradycardia, and ventricular dysrhythmias. Echocardiography showed a characteristic pattern of inferoposterior hypokinesis with relatively intact septal motion.

Salivary phenytoin levels in institutionalized epileptics.

Measurement of phenytoin (PHT) levels in saliva has been advocated as a monitor of plasma levels, and therefore of effective dosage. All studies to date have been performed on outpatients. We have now analyzed whole saliva from 62 mentally retarded, institutionalized, PHT-treated persons with epilepsy.

Assessing the risk of retinitis pigmentosa with age-of-onset data.

Early characteristic electrophysiologic and ophthalmoscopic changes may help predict the development of retinitis pigmentosa. Until recently, if these were absent or equivocal, the ophthalmologist had to rely on the family pattern of transmission and simple Mendelian genetic methods to calculate the patient's risk of manifesting the disease. We used data on age of onset of subjective night blindness in 229 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (189 with autosomal recessive disease, 27 with autosomal dominant disease, and 13 with X-chromosome-linked disease) with Bayesian methods of probability calculation to predict the risk of retinitis pigmentosa development in a given patient more accurately than is possible with simple Mendelian methods.

Possible assignment of a dominant retinitis pigmentosa gene to chromosome 1.

A genetic linkage study, performed on a large family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP), demonstrated that the RP gene may be linked to the Rh locus, known to be on the short arm of human chromosome 1. Linkage studies on RP along with other studies, can help to more accurately classify these disease entities. Localizing the RP gene locus has the potential for allowing the early diagnosis of individuals at risk.

HLA typing in retinitis pigmentosa.

HLA serological typing was performed on 173 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) of all hereditary types. No significant difference was found in the frequency of any HLA (A, B, C) antigen, when comparing autosomal dominant and recessive RP patients with a control population.

Evaluation of high efficiency Csl and Cul photocathodes for soft x-ray diagnostics.

The photoefficiency of CsI and CuI photocathodes was measured for photons in the 22-240-eV (50-560-A) energy range. The within-batch and batch-to-batch variation in photoefficiency were studied as was the sensitivity of the samples to storage under dry nitrogen. The effect of exposure to air was investigated.

Progressive nature of pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy.

A 30-year-old man with pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy showed, within a relatively short time, changes that documented the progressive nature of this disease. These changes included: further constriction of peripheral visual fields; more extensive and frequently confluent areas of retinochoroidal atrophy; a scalloped appearance of lesions resembling posterior gyrate atrophy; peripheral pigment clumping; and the presence of localized atrophic areas with crystal deposition in the peripheral retina.

Anticipatory guidance in elective ophthalmic surgery.

With respect to the preoperative ophthalmic patient, anticipatory guidance is a technique of informing the patient in a detailed way about all aspects of the upcoming intervention, including the need for surgery, the degree of pain and disability to be expected, type of anesthesia to be used, some information about the postoperative course, and the expected disability following surgery on either a temporary or a permanent basis. The purpose of anticipatory guidance is to permit the patient to make a better psychologic adaptation to a crisis situation and to relieve preoperative anxiety through information, resulting in easier postoperative recovery. In addition, anticipatory guidance and improved understanding between physician and patient may go far to reduce those misunderstandings that lead to malpractice actions subsequent to surgical procedures.

Closure of pinholes under intense laser radiation.

The closure of pinholes due to plasma created by intense laser radiation interacting with the pinhole perimeter is studied. Pinholes with 100-300-microm initial diam close in 3-14 nsec, respectively, for a 10-nsec FWHA, 10-J incident laser pulse. For a constant focal spot size and pulse duration, the closure time and rate are found to be a function of laser energy; however, the energy transmitted through the pinhole is independent of the incident energy for the pulse duration, pinhole diameters, and focal spot size used in these experiments.

Probable genetic linkage between autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and amylase (AMY2): evidence of an RP locus on chromosome 1.

A linkage analysis is reported for three branches of a single family segregating for autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. A statistically significant lod score of 3.9 is obtained for the RP locus and AMY2 at a recombination frequency of 1%.

Sub-keV x-ray imaging using a low-cost ellipsoidal lens.

An ellipsoidal lens has been evaluated using the sub-keV x radiation from a laser-produced plasma. The measured collection efficiency is ~0.3%.

The clinical significance of retinitis pigmentosa without pigment: a computer assisted analysis.

Sixty-eight consecutive patients with retinitis pigmentosa were studied to determine the frequency of the non-pigmented form of the disease. There was an overall incidence of 22%. Fifty percent of all cases had no characteristic pigmentation, if the duration of night vision difficulty was three years or less.

Retinitis pigmentosa: accelerated course of visual loss secondary to exogenous thyroid administration.

A 30 year old white female with known retinitis pigmentosa of autosomal dominant transmission was placed on thyroid medication for weight control purposes for nearly one year. The unusually rapid progression of visual field changes and the increased severity of night vision problems are documented by serial functional studies.

Unilateral retinitis pigmentosa sine pigmento.

A patient presented with unilateral findings of night blindness shown by impaired rod function and dark adaptation, constricted visual fields with good central acuity, a barely recordable electro-retinographic b-wave, and a unilaterally impaired electro-oculogram. There were none of the pigmentary changes usually associated with retinitis pigmentosa. The unaffected right eye was normal in all respects.