Assessment of intraaxial and extraaxial brain lesions with digitized computed tomographic images versus film: ROC analysis.

Rationale And Objectives: The authors evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of viewing computed tomographic (CT) scans as film versus soft-copy images at a workstation.

Methods: Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the interpretation of 202 CT scans (103 were normal, 99 were abnormal) by five neuroradiologists was performed. Abnormal images contained high- or low-attenuation intraaxial lesions or extraaxial fluid (subdural, subarachnoid, or epidural hemorrhage).

Direct determination of free triiodothyronine (T3) in undiluted serum by equilibrium dialysis/radioimmunoassay (RIA).

Unlabelled: We have devised a practical, sensitive, and reliable assay for measurement of free T3 concentration in serum. The assay employs a convenient and disposable plastic equilibrium dialysis cell and a buffer that resembles the in vivo biochemical environment (Nelson JC, Tomei RT 1988 Clin Chem 34:1737). A 200-microliters aliquot of serum was dialyzed against 2.

A quantitative physiologic model of blood oxygenation for functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Rationale And Objectives: Variations in venous deoxyhemoglobin levels in response to neuronal activation represent a complex interplay between focal changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and regional metabolism. The authors present a mathematic model that characterizes the response of venous oxygenation to changes in these variables.

Methods: Using a mass balance approach, the equations for a simple input-output model are derived and solved using Matlab.

Randomized, controlled study of various agents for endoscopic injection sclerotherapy of bleeding canine gastric varices.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relative efficacy and technical ease of use of eight different agents for endoscopic hemostasis and obliteration of bleeding gastric varices in a canine model, as no comparative data are available on gastric variceal sclerotherapy. Large bleeding gastric varices in 20 heparinized dogs were randomized to endoscopic injection treatment with one of the following agents: cyanoacrylate; a 1:1:1 mixture of sodium tetradecyl sulfate 3%, ethanol 98%, and normal saline solution; ethanolamine oleate 5%; sodium morrhuate 5%; sodium tetradecyl sulfate 1.5%; polidocanol 1%; normal saline solution with epinephrine 1:10,000; or normal saline solution (control).

Randomized, prospective study of cyanoacrylate injection, sclerotherapy, or rubber band ligation for endoscopic hemostasis of bleeding canine gastric varices.

The purpose of this randomized, nonblinded study was to compare the effectiveness, safety, and technical ease of three different endoscopic techniques for the treatment of bleeding gastric varices in a canine model. Twenty dogs with large, bleeding gastric varices underwent endoscopic hemostasis with rubber band ligation, sclerotherapy, and cyanoacrylate injection. The time and number of attempts required to achieve definitive hemostasis were evaluated for each technique, and each method was assessed for ease of use.

The American Heart Association Consensus Statement on guidelines for carotid endarterectomy.

The process by which a multidisciplinary, expert panel arrived at a Consensus Statement concerning indications for carotid endarterectomy was reviewed. It is important to point out that this represents an interpretation of currently available data by the individual members of the Committee as it pertains to 96 specific potential indications for carotid endarterectomy. Clearly, as more data become available, it is likely that there will be changes in the opinion of the Committee members.

Electromyographic signal changes during exercise in human chronic jaw-muscle pain.

Twelve individuals (2 males, 10 females) with chronic masticatory muscle pain and 11 individuals (2 males, 9 females) without, had their bite force and surface electromyography from the right and left superficial masseter and anterior temporalis muscles recorded before, during and after a 30-s sustained submaximal clenching task. This task was performed at 50% of the force level of each subject's maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for 30 s. Brief (3 s) 50% MVC efforts were recorded at 15-s intervals, three times before and six times after the sustained clench.

The yeast homologue YTIS11, of the mammalian TIS11 gene family is a non-essential, glucose repressible gene.

The murine TIS11 primary response gene is rapidly and transiently induced in response to many extracellular signals. A CX8CX5CX3H sequence is present twice in the TIS11 protein, in two additional murine proteins, TIS11B and TIS11D, that share regions of strong sequence conservation with TIS11, and in a Drosophila homologue (DTIS11). Although immunolocalization of TIS11 protein to the nucleus and zinc binding have lead to the speculation that the TIS11 family proteins are transcription factors, no function for these proteins has yet been clearly determined.

Evidence for LFA-1/ICAM-1 dependent stimulation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in human B lymphoid cell lines during homotypic adhesion.

JK32.1 and SKW6.4 are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive human B cell lines that undergo spontaneous, lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) dependent homotypic adhesion in culture.

Cryptdins: endogenous antibiotic peptides of small intestinal Paneth cells.

We purified three peptides ("cryptdins") from the small intestines of mice, established their primary amino acid sequences and examined their antimicrobial activity. Their primary sequences revealed approximately 50% identity to a group of antimicrobial defensins that we had previously isolated from the granules of rat neutrophils. In addition to their ability to kill Gram-positive (L.

Case report 878: Densely calcifying synovial sarcoma of the hip metastatic to the lungs.

We discuss a patient with an occult, densely calcified synovial sarcoma of the hip who came to clinical attention because of pulmonary metastases. When synovial sarcomas present with dense and conglomerate calcification, they may be confused with benign processes such as myositis ossificans or tumoral calcinosis. Malignancies such as extraskeletal osteogenic sarcoma, extraskeletal chondrosarcoma, and mesenchymal chondrosarcoma must also be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Congenital heart disease and pregnancy.

In Europe and North America, a dramatic fall in the incidence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease has coincided with advances in medical and surgical management of congenital heart disease and has resulted in a shift in the relative incidence of these two categories of cardiac disorders in women of child-bearing age. This review deals with pregnancy and congenital heart disease--unoperated and operated. Central to this topic is the intricate interplay between maternal circulatory and respiratory physiology and maternal congenital heart disease, and the effects of this interplay upon the fetus which is exposed to risks that threaten its intrauterine viability and to risks that subsequently express themselves as developmental defects or transmitted congenital malformations of the heart or circulation.

Whole-cell recordings of spontaneous synaptic currents in medial preoptic neurons from rat hypothalamic slices: mediation by amino acid neurotransmitters.

Whole-cell recordings in hypothalamic slices from immature rats were used to test the hypothesis that inhibitory and excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters mediate fast synaptic currents in the medial preoptic area (MPOA). Bicuculline methiodide reversibly blocked spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), and 6-cyano-2,3-dihydroxy-7-nitroquinoxaline (CNQX) blocked spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs). These competitive antagonists act at gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A and non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors, respectively, thus supporting the hypothesis that these amino acid receptors activate most if not all fast synaptic currents in the MPOA.

Statistical concepts in the interpretation of serial bone densitometry.

The precision of a measurement can be expressed as the variance of multiple measurements. The coefficient of variation is a dimensionless expression of precision that is prevalent in the radiology literature. However, the coefficient of variation has important limitations.

Traumatic compared to non-traumatic clinical-pathologic associations in temporal lobe epilepsy.

This study determined differences in clinical-pathologic characteristics of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients whose mechanism of cerebral injury and chronic seizures involved a prior history of cerebral trauma compared to those with non-traumatic initial injuries. TLE patients (n = 120) from a single epilepsy center were retrospectively and blindly catalogued into pathogenic groups (independent variables) based on if there was a significant Birth injury (n = 11) or Cerebral trauma (n = 26). These two 'trauma' categories were compared to TLE patients with non-seizure non-trauma histories (Non-Sz/Non-Trauma; n = 17), or a first Prolonged seizure (n = 66).

MR imaging of tibial collateral ligament injury: comparison with clinical examination.

We sought to clarify the capability of routine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the knee to detect and grade tibial collateral ligament (TCL) injury. We also wanted to define the exact MR findings that were the most important for diagnosis. Sixty-three patients were clinically evaluated for TCL injury prior to MR imaging of the knee on a 1.

Inhibition of discharge in inferior colliculus, AII cortex and Ep cortex after presentations of click stimuli.

A temporally related reduction of discharge in response to 70-dB clicks was identified in secondary auditory (AII) cortex (48-56 ms after click), posterior ectosylvian (Ep) cortex (40-56 ms after click) and inferior colliculus (IC) (56-76 ms after click). Units in primary auditory (AI) cortex, dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) and ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) did not demonstrate a significant reduction of discharge at comparable periods. Neurons of AI cortex showed increased activity 36-40 ms after click.

Homogeneity of intracellular electrophysiological properties in different neuronal subtypes in medial preoptic slices containing the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the rat.

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) is larger in male than in female rats, the male phenotype requiring the presence of circulating androgens perinatally. These experiments investigated the intracellular electrophysiology and morphology of SDN-POA neurons and compared these properties with those of other medial preoptic area (MPOA) neurons. Biocytin-injected cells in the SDN-POA either had one or two primary dendrites, or they had multipolar dendritic arrays; dendrites were aspiny or sparsely spiny and displayed limited branching.

Testicular dislocation.

A case of unilateral superficial testicular dislocation following blunt scrotal trauma is described, including CT findings.

Identification of a new member of the protegrin family by cDNA cloning.

The porcine leukocyte protegrins are a family of cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides the primary structures of which combine features of defensins and tachyplesins. We cloned three protegrins from porcine bone marrow mRNA by PCR, including one (PG-4) that was previously unknown. The 691 bp protegrin cDNAs were > 98.

Ligand-induced prostaglandin synthesis requires expression of the TIS10/PGS-2 prostaglandin synthase gene in murine fibroblasts and macrophages.

Phospholipase activation has been considered rate-limiting for ligand-stimulated prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. Constitutive prostaglandin synthase EC 1.14.

Sex-related differences in iodothyronine metabolism in the rat: evidence for differential regulation among various tissues.

Various aspects of thyroid hormone metabolism were examined in vitro in age-matched (experiment I) and weight-matched (experiment II) male and female Sprague-Dawley rats; unless specified otherwise, results were similar in both experiments. The activity and content of iodothyronine 5'-monodeiodinase (type I-MD) in the liver of the female rat were markedly reduced, but there was no sex-related difference in these parameters in the kidney. The activity of the brain type III-MD was also not significantly influenced by the sex of the rat.

Subcellular location and differential antibody specificity of arginase in tissue culture and whole animals.

Studies in man and other mammals have demonstrated the existence of two forms of arginase, a cytoplasmic form located primarily in liver and a mitochondrial form expressed in lesser amounts in a larger number of organs, but especially kidney. They appear to be encoded in different gene loci. Using a colloidal silica gradient separation technique, we have now located arginase in H4 cells, a rat hepatoma-derived line, to the cytoplasm and the arginase in human embryonic kidney-derived line, to the mitochondrion.