Overt malignancy in long-term hemodialysis patients.

We studied all 39 patients who were on maintenance hemodialysis for 10 years or more (range, 10 to 24 years) in three free-standing, not-for-profit hemodialysis units to determine the prevalence of malignancy. The three dialysis units have a total patient population of 470, all of whom are cared for by the same group of physicians. From the same dialysis units, we selected a control cohort of 37 patients matched for age, gender, race, and renal diagnosis who were on hemodialysis for 3 years or less (short-term patients).

Presubicular and parasubicular cortical neurons of the rat: electrophysiological and morphological properties.

Intracellular recordings and Neurobiotin-injection were used to examine the electrophysiology and morphology of presubicular and parasubicular cortical neurons in horizontal slices from rat brains. Evoked responses were obtained by stimulation of subicular and entorhinal cortices. Stellate cells were recorded in layers II and V of presubiculum and parasubiculum.

Diagnosis of chlamydial infection in the pediatric population.

The genus Chlamydia now contains 4 species, 2 of which, Chlamydia trachomatis and C. pneumoniae are important human pathogens. Both organisms cause infections in children and adults, but infection in children pose a unique set of problems.

Isoflurane and halothane increase adenosine triphosphate preservation, but do not provide additive recovery of function after ischemia, in preconditioned rat hearts.

Background: Brief ischemic periods render the myocardium resistant to infarction from subsequent ischemic insults by a process called ischemic preconditioning. Volatile anesthetics have also been shown to be cardioprotective if administered before ischemia. The effect of preconditioning alone and combined with halothane or isoflurane on hemodynamic recovery and preservation of adenosine triphosphate content in isolated rat hearts was evaluated.

Luminescence optical tomography of dense scattering media.

Using a set of coupled radiation transport equations, we derive image operators for luminescence optical tomography with which it is possible to reconstruct concentration and mean lifetime distribution from information obtained from dc and time-harmonic optical sources. Weight functions and detector readings were computed from analytic solutions of the diffusion equation and from numerical solutions of the transport equation by Monte Carlo methods. Detector readings were also obtained from experiments on vessels containing a balloon filled with dye embedded in an Intralipid suspension with dye in the background.

Comparison of topical timolol gel to oral acetazolamide in the prophylaxis of viscoelastic-induced ocular hypertension after penetrating keratoplasty.

Purpose: Viscoelastic-induced ocular hypertension following penetrating keratoplasty (PK) may result in endothelial cell loss and optic nerve damage.

Methods: In a prospective, randomized, masked trial, two doses of oral sustained-release acetazolamide were compared to a single dose of topical 0.5% timolol gel after 40 PKs.

Translational machinery in dendrites of hippocampal neurons in culture.

In neurons, several mRNAs are selectively delivered to dendritic domains where they are presumably translated by local protein synthetic machinery. Although electron microscopy has identified polyribosomes in dendrites, in particular in postsynaptic dendritic compartments, the functional composition of the local protein synthetic apparatus and the scope of its translational capacity have not been analyzed. To ascertain the translational competence of dendrites, we have probed hippocampal neurons in primary culture for various integral and associated factors of the translational apparatus.

Activation of human platelets by protein kinase C antibody: role for surface phosphorylation in homeostasis.

A monoclonal antibody that inhibits protein kinase C (PKC) activity, as well as PKC pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptides, was found to cause aggregation of human platelets followed by granular secretion. Binding of this antibody to the platelet surface was demonstrated directly by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. Assays of ecto-protein kinase activity revealed that this antibody inhibits the phosphorylation of five proteins on the platelet surface.

Negative regulation of the rat Na-K-ATPase alpha 3-subunit gene promoter by thyroid hormone.

Na-K-ATPase alpha 3-subunit mRNA levels are both positively and negatively controlled by thyroid hormone [3,5,3'triiodothyronine (T3)] in primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. In this study, transient transfection analysis indicated that two regions of the rat alpha 3 gene between nucleotides -116 and -6 and -6 and +80 conferred T3-mediated inhibition of reporter gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed specific binding of T3 receptor monomers and T3 receptor-retinoid X receptor heterodimers at each alpha 3 gene negative T3-response region.

Effect of hydrocortisone succinate on growth of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vitro.

We examined the effect of hydrocortisone succinate on the growth of three isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vitro. There was a significant increase in the number of inclusions seen in two of the C. pneumoniae strains in the presence of hydrocortisone.

Transient cutaneous vesicles in a teenager: the final piece to a puzzle.

Cicatricial pemphigoid is a chronic blistering disease that predominantly affects the mucous membranes. It has a peak occurrence in the seventh decade. Pediatric cicatricial pemphigoid is a rare entity, with fewer than 20 cases reported.

Is intravenous urography indicated in a young adult with hematuria?

Objectives: Published reports are devoid of U.S. studies investigating the role of the intravenous urogram (IVU) in adult patients of differing ages with hematuria.

Neural influence on protein kinase C isoform expression in skeletal muscle.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of enzymes involved in synapse formation and signal transduction at the neuromuscular junction. Two PKC isoforms, classical PKC alpha and novel PKC theta, have been shown to be enriched in skeletal muscle or localized to the endplate. We examined the role of nerve in regulating the expression of these PKC isoforms in rat skeletal muscle by denervating diaphragm muscle and measuring PKC protein expression at various postoperative times.

Actions and expression of RAB-GDP dissociation inhibitor in dispersed chief cells from guinea pig stomach.

Rab proteins are a family of ras-like proteins that are involved in intracellular membrane trafficking. Rab-GDP dissociation inhibitor prevents dissociation of GDP from Rab proteins and extracts Rab proteins from cell membranes in vitro. In the present study, we examined the effects of recombinant rab-GDI on Rab proteins in gastric chief cells.

Testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases: implications for risk behavior in women.

A sample of 808 nonpregnant women residing in an area of high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) was studied with respect to sexual risk behaviors in the 4-month period before and after testing for a series of STDs. All women were tested for both Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis and were given the option of also taking a test for the HIV antibody. Neither the experience of receiving a negative HIV test result nor that of receiving a positive versus a negative diagnosis for STDs resulted in significant mean changes in self-reports of STD or HIV susceptibility, condom use consistency, or number of sexual partners during the 4 months following testing.

Intraoperative improvement of somatosensory evoked potentials and local spinal cord blood flow in patients with syringomyelia.

This report is the first to correlate data concerning intraoperative somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and local spinal cord blood flow (ISCBF) in patients with syringomyelia. In a consecutive study, bilateral median nerve SSEPs were recorded intraoperatively in 13 patients undergoing a syrinx shunt to the posterior fossa cisterns (syringocisternostomy). ISCBF was measured in five of these patients using laser doppler flowmetry (LDF) calibrated in arbitrary units (AU).

The gastrointestinal manifestations of pediatric AIDS.

The manifestations of AIDS in the gastrointestinal tract in children are mainly secondary to opportunistic infections and AIDS-related neoplasms. This article reviews the radiologic and pathologic findings seen throughout the gastrointestinal tract and within the abdomen in children afflicted with AIDS. Although many radiologic findings are not specific for a particular infection or neoplasm, the radiologist can narrow the differential diagnosis with a good knowledge of the imaging findings and pathologies specific for children with AIDS.

Twenty-four of twenty-seven studies show a greater incidence of emesis associated with nitrous oxide than with alternative anesthetics.

All obtainable investigations that have compared the incidence of vomiting in groups of patients who received nitrous oxide (N2O) and in patients who received anesthetics or analgesics without N2O were examined for a single, dichotomous variable: whether patients who received N2O experienced an absolutely higher incidence, as distinct from a statistically significantly higher incidence, of vomiting. The null hypothesis is that N2O has no effect on emesis, such that an increased incidence of vomiting should occur in about half of the studies examined. However, patients receiving N2O experienced an absolutely higher incidence of emesis in 24 of 27 investigations.

Obstetrical factors and the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from mother to child. The Women and Infants Transmission Study.

Background: A substantial proportion of perinatally acquired infections with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) occur at or near delivery, which suggests that obstetrical factors may have an important influence on transmission. We evaluated the relation of such factors and other variables to the perinatal transmission of HIV-1.

Methods: The Women and Infants Transmission Study is a prospective, observational study of HIV-1-infected women who were enrolled during pregnancy and followed with their infants for three years after delivery.