Gestational choriocarcinoma metastatic to the brain treated successfully by stereotactic radiosurgery and chemotherapy

This report analyzes the intracorporal lengths of 236 consecutive organically impotent men who underwent insertion of a penile prosthesis. The average right or left intracorporal length in this series was 20.9 cm, with a standard deviation of 2.2 cm. Intracorporal length ranged from 14-27 cm. This data may be used as reference ranges for penile prosthesis manufacturers, and for Urologists who implant prostheses or perform penile lengthening procedures.     

Localization of atrial natriuretic peptide receptors in the rat tongue and hard palate

The effect of a naturally occurring plant phenolic constituent (the acylphloroglucinol derivative, jensenone, derived from Eucalyptus jensenii) on the food intake of two folivorous marsupials, the common ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) was studied. When fed diets containing varying concentrations of jensenone, both species regulated their intake of jensenone so as not to exceed a ceiling intake. This ceiling was about twice as high for common ringtails as for common brushtails from northern Australia. Southern populations of common ringtails showed greatly reduced capacities to tolerate jensenone. When common brushtails were injected (0.5 mg.kg-0.75 body mass) with ondansetron (a selective antagonist of serotonin 5HT3 receptors), they ate significantly more jensenone than animals injected with physiological saline. The same pattern was observed when common ringtails were fed diets containing both jensenone and ondansetron (0.0035 mg.g-1 wet mass of diet). Ondansetron injection had no effect on food intake when the food did not contain jensenone while the addition of higher doses of ondansetron to diets of common ringtails very slightly reduced food intakes of a non-jensenone diet. When common brushtails were given 50 mg of jensenone by gastric lavage, their average subsequent intake of dietary jensenone matched the difference between the daily threshold and the dose given, although the response of individuals was highly variable. Lavage with water alone had no effect on subsequent jensenone intake compared with the pre-dose period. We interpret these results as evidence that the antifeedant effects of jensenone and related compounds are partly mediated by serotonin action on 5HT3 receptors most likely via "nausea" to condition a food aversion.     

Ambulatory urodynamics: extramural testing of the lower and upper urinary tract by Holter monitoring of cystometrogram, uroflowmetry, and renal pelvic pressures

This article elucidates the clinical applicability and state of the art of ambulatory urodynamics. Ambulatory urodynamics have evolved into practical investigations like EAC, HFM, and EAC combined with renal pelvimetry. EAC has been shown to be the method of preference if detrusor overactivity is involved. Conventional filling cystometry has proved to be an unreliable way to exclude detrusor instability. De novo instability after suspension surgery often indicates that an existing detrusor overactivity was not identified preoperatively. EAC including flowmetry has shown considerable variance in obstructive and contractility parameters in males with LUTS indicative for BPH. This raises doubt whether the clinical flow analysis is the suitable "gold standard" as advocated by the ICS. For a real break through of EAC, less complex automatic analysis is necessary. HFM is a newer method within the range of ambulatory urodynamic tests. It has not yet been completely evaluated. But, because the technique is analogous to the office flowmetry, noninvasive and very well accepted by the patients, it is expected to be widely used. This expectation is strengthened by the fact that HFM seems to show individual therapeutic efficacy of drugs, such as alpha-blockers. As a research tool to evaluate efficacy, it is far more powerful than conventional methods because of the reduction of within-patient standard deviation to about 10%. Finally, EAC combined with pelvimetry offers a promising method for the clinical evaluation of a combined dysfunction of upper and lower urinary tract.     

Effect of prolactin suppression on gonadotrophic secretion in the puerperium

Serum levels of prolactin (PRL), FSH, LH and oestradiol-17 beta were determined by radioimmunoassay in 57 lactating women and in 20 women in whom lactation was inhibited by ergocryptine (CS-154). Women who breast fed their infants exhibited high PRL levels which abruptly declined within 48 h post-partum, and remained low for the duration of the study. Serum FSH was undetectable during the first week post-partum in lactating as well as in CB-154 treated women. Thereafter, lactating women showed increasing FSH levels which reached a maximum by the third week post-partum. These FSH values were higher in lactating women than in the CBS-154 treated group. In contrast, LH levels were higher in those women receiving CB-154. Serum oestradiol-17 beta remained in low levels throughout the study, and no difference was observed between the two groups of subjects. From these results it seems that: 1) inhibition of PRL secretion leads to a faster recovery of gonadotrophin secretion toward the "menstrual type", and 2) PRL suppression produces no effect on the ovarian oestrogen production.     

Detection and estimation of azomethane in expired air of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-treated rats

Azomethane (AM) gas was identified as a major metabolite of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (1,2-DMH) in the expired air of F344 rats. The compound was characterized by high-pressure liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and mass spectrometry, in comparison to a synthetic standard. At a dose of 21 mg 1,2-DMH/kg sc, approximately 14 and 11% of the dose were exhaled as AM and CO2, respectively, in 24 hours. At 200 mg 1,2-DMH/kg, 23 and 4% of the dose appeared as AM and CO2, respectively, in the respired air within the same period. Most AM was seen in the first 6 hours, but the CO2 evolution was more progressive, especially after the higher dose of 1,2-DMH.     

Survey of impaired drivers, fatally injured or surviving, who caused fatal highway accidents in Alberta in 1970-72

In 1970-72, 456 (53.4%) of 854 drivers responsible for a motor vehicle accident in which either they or other persons were killed had been drinking beforehand. Of surviving culpable drivers tested for blood alcohol concentration 81.7% were found to be legally impaired; however, only 24.8% of these drivers were tested. Because surviving culpable drivers pose a possible future hazard to highway safety it is important that data on this group be collected and analysed.     

Intellectual deficits after transient tyrosinemia in the term neonate

An analysis was made of the obstetric history of 1,360 patients who were delivered in 1971. It involved 3,185 pregnancies. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of spontaneous termination of the pregnancy, worked out from its demographic aspect. Several ideas are worthy of consideration. The risk of spontaneous intra-uterine death is cumulative, sharply increased by a repetition of such cessation of pregnancy. The same patients often undergo intentional abortion repeatedly. The respective risks of spontaneous and provoked interruption of pregnancy have been studied in greater detail as a function of parity.