Heel pain due to retrocalcaneal bursitis-radiographic diagnosis (with an historical footnote on Sever's disease).

Retrocalcaneal bursitis is a distinct condition causing posterior heel pain in active, healthy children. It appears to result from post-traumatic inflammation of the soft tissues of the posterior heel, and is unrelated to avascular necrosis of the calcaneal apophysis. The diagnosis may be confirmed radiographically by the loss of the lucent retrocalcaneal recess, with a normal Achilles tendon and superficial soft tissue contour, and intact cortex of the underlying os calcis.

Fertility and replacement: some alternative stochastic models and results for Brazil.

The observed joint distribution of births and child deaths for a cohort of women at a given point in time depends on the number of children that would have been born had the family experienced no deaths, the number of child deaths experienced, and the proportion of these deaths that are replaced by a subsequent birth. In this paper we estimate the parameters of the assumed distributions of these three events using a minimum distance estimation model and data from the 1970 Brazilian census. The parameter estimates are shown to be similar to those obtained previously using a maximum likelihood estimation model.

Mechanism of action of didemnin B, a depsipeptide from the sea.

With the brush border membrane vesicles prepared from the rat kidney cortex, didemnin B and its parent compound, didemnin A function neither as a K+-specific ionophore nor as an ionophore for Na+ ions while other depsipeptide antibiotics such as valinomycin and gramicidin promote transmembrane movement of K+ and Na+ ions, respectively. Didemnin B inhibits protein synthesis and DNA synthesis much more than RNA synthesis and is in general more potent than didemnin A. Time course studies reveal that the action of didemnin B is rapid and cannot be reversed after 2 h in contact with the cells.

Chemoimmunotherapy of B 16 melanoma and P388 leukemia with cyclophosphamide and pyrimidinones.

Since increasing evidence indicates that combination modality of cancer treatment is preferable, and a series of 5-halo-6- phenylpyrimidinones has been found to induce interferon production and to stimulate a variety of immune responses, several were tested alone or in combination with cyclophosphamide (CY) against B 16 melanoma and P388 leukemia. Thus far, 2-amino-5-bromo-6-(3-fluorophenyl)-4(3H)pyrimidinone ( ABMFPP ) and its sister compound 2-amino-5-bromo-6-(2-fluorophenyl)-4(3H)pyrimidinone ( ABOFPP ) were found to be superior to other pyrimidinones including 2-amino-5-bromo-6-(6-phenyl)-4-pyrimidinone which is currently under clinical investigation. Neither ABMFPP nor ABOFPP alone had any significant activity against P388 leukemia.

Extraperitoneal cesarean section: a surgical form of infection prophylaxis?

The suggestion that extraperitoneal cesarean section might be a useful method of preventing postoperative infectious complications prompted a prospective study of 91 primary extraperitoneal cesarean sections on afebrile laboring patients with ruptured membranes longer than 4 hours. Fifty of 91 patients having extraperitoneal cesarean sections (group A) were compared with 36 patients having low cervical transperitoneal primary cesarean sections (control group) meeting the same entry criteria in a prospective randomized fashion. The other 41 patients (group B = 25 of 41, group C = 16 of 41) were selected from qualifying high-risk patients depending on the availability of an experienced operator with group C receiving perioperative prophylactic antibiotics.

Outcome of a trial of labor after prior cesarean delivery.

In the United States over 90% of patients with a history of cesarean delivery in the prior pregnancy undergo repeat cesarean delivery in a subsequent pregnancy. The costs of the nearly universal approach to this issue are staggering and have been addressed by a recent National Institutes of Health consensus development conference. In 1979 at the Women's Hospital of Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center we initiated a policy of permitting a trial of spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery in selected patients with prior cesarean deliveries.

Two mechanisms of arrhythmia induction by a DDD pacemaker: a case report.

A 68-year-old man with sick sinus syndrome and a history of intermittent atrial fibrillation was treated by implantation of a DDD pacemaker. He subsequently developed recurrent episodes of shortness of breath and tachycardia. Investigation revealed two different arrhythmias, both induced by the pacemaker: (1) a tachycardia in which the dual-chamber pacemaker system provided the antegrade limb and the AV node provided the retrograde limb and (2) a triggered, ventricularly paced tachycardia caused by the pacemaker sensing atrial fibrillation waves.

Mechanism of interaction of CC-1065 (NSC 298223) with DNA.

CC-1065 (NSC 298223), a potent new antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces zelensis, interacts strongly with double-stranded DNA and appears to exert its cytotoxic effects through disruption of DNA synthesis. We undertook this study to elucidate the sites and mechanisms of CC-1065 interaction with DNA. The binding of CC-1065 to synthetic and native DNA was examined by differential circular dichroism or by Sephadex chromatography with photometric detection.

Interaction of drugs with calmodulin. Biochemical, pharmacological and clinical implications.

Calmodulin is a widely distributed, highly active, calcium-binding protein that influences a number of important biological events. Accordingly, agents that inhibit the activity of calmodulin should have profound pharmacological effects. Within the past few years, a number of compounds have been identified that inhibit calmodulin.

Three-dimensional shape analysis using local shape descriptors.

The three-dimensional shape analysis problem is a very demanding test of shape analysis algorithms. Previous approaches to the problem have employed global features such as moments and Fourier descriptors. Global features lack the capacity for solving the partial shape recognition problem, in which only part of the unknown shape is available.

Pharmacological regulation of calmodulin.

A number of psychotropic drugs, particularly the phenothiazines and related antipsychotic compounds, inhibit a variety of calmodulin-dependent enzymes. The mechanism by which these compounds inhibit the activity of calmodulin is through a selective calcium-dependent binding to this protein. With the notable exception of certain stereoisomers, compounds that are clinically effective antipsychotic agents showed the greatest degree of binding to calmodulin.

Decreased libido--a side effect of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.

Thirty-nine cases of decreased libido in glaucoma patients on carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are reported. This symptom completely reversed or markedly improved after discontinuation of the drug in all cases. Twelve of these patients restarted their carbonic anhydrase inhibitor medication which resulted in a recurrence of decreased libido symptoms.

Spatial disorientation in general aviation accidents.

Spatial disorientation (SD) was the third highest "cause" of fatal accidents in small, fixed-wing aircraft and closely related to the second highest "cause"--"continued VFR flight into adverse weather." SD was a cause or factor in 16% of all fatal accidents. When SD was ascribed as a cause or factor in an accident, 90% of the time that accident involved fatalities.

Route of absorption of drug and ointment after application to the eye.

Chloramphenicol, tetracycline hydrochloride, sodium sulfacetamide, and fluorescein sodium prepared in both aqueous solutions and ointments were placed in the conjunctival sac of humans. Each drug soon was tasted in the back of the mouth with no difference being noticed with the use of aqueous solution or ointment. Tetracycline and fluorescein studies showed that systemic absorption were similar regardless of whether solution or ointment were used.

Mirex and behavior in the Long-Evans rat.

In two experiments, adult male Long-Evans rats were fed chow containing mirex (1.78 ppm and 17.8 ppm in Experiment 1, 17.

The role of cryosurgery in external ocular and periocular disease.

This preliminary report suggests that cryosurgery has a definite place in the management of certain external periocular and ocular problems. Cryosurgery for basal or squamous cell carcinoma of the lid is easily performed, gives excellent cosmetic results, and has a low recurrence rate. It is not recommended for lesions involving the fornices, or sclerotic and morphea-type basal cell carcinomas.

Cryosurgery for ocular and periocular lesions.

This preliminary report suggests that cryosurgery has a definite place in the management of certain external periocular and ocular problems. Cryosurgery for basal- or squamous-cell carcinoma of the lid is easily performed, gives excellent cosmetic results, and has a low recurrence rate. It is not recommended for lesions involving the fornices, nor for sclerotic or morphea-type basal-cell carcinomas.

Amperometric assay of coenzyme-dependent oxidoreductase enzymes in a flow-through cell.

We have demonstrated that a simple electrochemical cell can serve as a detector of NADH concentration in a flow system thereby providing an assay technique for NADH dependent enzymes. When this is applied to NADH produced by enzymatic reaction, then a reproducible measure of enzyme activity is obtained. This method of enzyme activity assay is applicable to a number of oxidoreductase enzymes which employ NAD+ or NADP+ as coenzymes to achieve substrate modification.

Effect of drug vehicle on human ocular retention of topically applied tetracycline.

Tetracycline hydrochloride--as a 1% suspension in oil, 1 and 2% suspension in ointment, and 1 and 2% solution in water or balanced salt solution USP--was applied once to the conjunctival cul-de-sacs of volunteers and patients before cataract extraction. The tear film concentrations of drug were maintained above a bacteriostatic level in excess of six hours for 1 and 2% tetracycline in ointment, less than two hours for 1% tetracycline in oil, and less than 30 minutes for 1 and 2% tetracycline in water or balanced salt solution. The 2% tetracycline in ointment produced the highest tear film levels of drug.