Isolated bilateral renal aspergillosis: an unusual presentation in an immunocompetent host

A 35 year old apparently immunocompetent farmer developed isolated bilateral renal aspergillosis. He presented with acute renal failure due to granulomatous interstitial nephritis and had bilateral renal abscesses on CT scan. Diagnosis came from renal histology and was confirmed on serology. The patient responded quite satisfactorily to single agent antifungal chemotherapy with IV amphotericin B.     

Reproductive performance and fertility testing in strain 13 and Hartley guinea pigs

A study to test the effects of certain experimental manipulation on the reproductive capacity of male guinea pigs required verifying the fertility of the male guinea pigs before and after manipulation. Methods of testing fertility were evaluated, and normal reproductive data from preexperimental and control groups were tabulated and analyzed. No data from the actual experiments were included. Virgin and proven fertile males were mated with 1 (1:1) or 2 (2:1) virgin or proven fertile females. Inbred (13/N Umm) and conventional (Mfi:CFDH-ML (DH) ) guinea pigs were used. Ninety-five percent of both groups of males were fertile. Eighty-four percent of both groups of females were fertile. Male guinea pigs previously proven fertile had the same subsequent fertility rate as virgin males. Over one-third of the conceptions did not take place during the first estrus cycle (16 da) during which the males and females were mated. Strain 13 and Hartley females had litters of approximately the same size (3.1 vs 3.0), but the neonatal mortality was statistically lower (P less than 0.001) in the Hartley stock (9.3%) than in the Strain 13 guinea pigs (28.4%).     

Electrical and optical properties of Se1−xTex films

Thin films of Se-Te were fabricated by co-evaporating the separate elements in a vacuum. Careful control was exercised over the deposition rates in order to obtain a wide range in film composition, i.e. Se, Se_0.9Te_0.1, Se_0.8Te_0.2,… Se_0.1Te_0.9, Te. Reflectance, transmittance and absorptance measurements were made in the spectral range 0.4–2.5 μm and the values of the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k were computed. The effect of increasing tellurium concentration in selenium films on the parameters n and k and on the absorption edge is discussed. The results for the electrical conductivity were also found to support those of the optical studies.     

Some observations on the electrical and thermal properties of the slag-skin region in the electroslag remelting process

An unsteady-state method has been used to determine the electrical resistivity and overall heat-transfer coefficient,U, of the interface region, liquid slag/slag-skin/copper wall, in an electroslag furnace. The value ofU is found to have a slight dependence on slag temperature, slag composition, and slag-skin thickness. It is postulated that the major resistance to the transfer of heat across this composite interface lies in the discontinuity between the slag-skin and the mold wall. The numerical value ofU is found to be approximately 10⁻² cal · cm⁻² s⁻¹ °C⁻¹ for the range of conditions. The electrical resistivity of the interface is found to be a sensitive function of mold wall face temperature. The application of these results to a small ESR furnace is discussed.     

The kinetics of photoinitiated polymerization of 1-vinyl-2-methylimidazole

The kinetics of isothermal, photoinitiated, solution polymerization of 1-vinyl-2-methylimidazole (MVI) was studied using the standard dilatometric technique. The photoinitiators used were aromatic carbonyl compounds. Most of the experiments were carried out using methanol as solvent, but other solvents were also used. The reaction follows the classical kinetic scheme for free radical polymerization. The activation energy for the polymerization is 3.9 kcal/mol. The polymerization is greatly accelerated by the presence of water in reaction medium. Among the three photoinitiators tried, 2,2′-diethoxyacetophenone (DEAP) has the highest quantum efficiency for the polymerization of MVI.     

Histomorphological and histochemical studies on the female genitalia of aging goat. I. Lipid histochemistry of ovary

Paraffin sections of ovaries from 24 goats stained by Acetone Sudan Black B method for bound lipids and Copper-Phthalocyanin method for phospholipids revealed at least two categories of interstitial cells containing sudanophilic lipids with phospholipids. First category were those which were assumed to be formed from theca interna cells of atretic follicles. Second category included those originating probably from the granulosa cells of primordial follicles and form a continuous zone under the tunica albuginea. Another zone of interstitial gland cells presumed to be originated from the germinal epithelium has also been recognized under the latter. Appearance of sudanophilic material in relation to atresia of follicles in goat ovary has been reported.     

Changes in the pituitary-testicular system with age

In order to provide a comprehensive account of pituitary-testicular function in man, 466 subjects, ranging in age from 2 to 101 years, were studied to examine blood levels of the pituitary gonadotrophins (LH and FSH), the sex steroids testosterone and oestradiol, the binding capacity of the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), the free testosterone and oestradiol fractions, and the transfer constant for the peripheral conversion of testosterone to oestradiol. The results were compared with clinical indices of testicular size, sexual function and secondary sex hair distribution. Serum LH and FSH were low before puberty, increased in pubertal adolescents to levels somewhat above those of adults and subsequently increased progressively over the age of 40 years. Testosterone levels fell slowly after the age of 40, while there was a slight rise in plasma oestradiol with increasing age. FSH and testosterone showed small seasonal variations in young adult men, the lowest values being seen in winter. SHBG binding capacity was high in two prepubertal boys, fell in adult men, but increased in old age. Free testosterone and oestradiol levels fell in old age. The metabolic clearance rates (MCR) of testosterone and oestradiol also fell in old age, while the conversion of testosterone to oestradiol was increased. Many correlations were observed between various hormonal and clincial measurements. The evidence is consistent with a primary decrease in testicular function over the age of 40 years.