Hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies: two distinct clinical, electrophysiologic, and genetic entities

Fistulas secondary to Crohn's disease occur in about 33% of patients. A colobronchial fistula complicating Crohn's disease is very rare, having been reported only twice previously. We present an unusual fistula secondary to Crohn's colitis that originated from the splenic flexure and crossed the diaphragm to involve the bronchial tree.     

8-OH-DPAT induces a selective increase in protein intake in ageing overweight animals

We have examined the effects of a 5-HT1A receptor agonist (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin, 8-OH-DPAT) on food preference in ageing rats that had been given a 'palatable' meal 15 min before administration of the drug. Ageing rats consumed a greater amount of the 'palatable' pre-meal than the young rats. In young rats lipids were the predominant source of calories, but in old animals lipid and protein consumption was similar. Administration of 8-OH-DPAT resulted in an increase in total caloric intake in both groups. Concomitant with this there was a significant increase in protein intake in both groups, which was most important in ageing rats, where proteins became the predominant source of calories.     

QDA-a method for systematic informal program analysis

Formal verification of program properties may be infeasible or impractical, and informal analysis may be sufficient. Informal analysis involves the informal acceptance, by inspection, of the validity of program properties or steps in an analysis. Informal analysis may also involve abstraction. Abstraction can be used to eliminate details and concentrate on more general properties. Abstraction will result in informal analysis if it includes the use of undefined properties. A systematic, informal method for analysis called QDA (Quick Defect Analysis) is described. QDA is a comments analysis process based on facts and hypotheses. Facts are used to create an abstract program model, and hypotheses are selected, nonobvious program properties which are identified as needing verification. Hypotheses are proved from the facts that define an abstraction. QDA is hypothesis-driven in the sense that only those parts of an abstraction that are needed to prove hypotheses are created. The QDA approach was applied to a previously well tested operational flight program (OFP). The QDA method and the results of the OFP experiment are presented. The problems of incomplete or unsound informal analysis are analyzed, the relationship of QDA to other analysis methods is discussed, and suggested improvements to the QDA method are described     

Studies on the action of interleukin-1 on term human fetal membranes and decidua

The present study describes the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay capable of quantifying serum antibody of all four canine IgG subclasses. A panel of subclass-restricted and subclass-specific monoclonal antibodies was used to measure IgG subclasses in the serum of healthy dogs, as well as in dogs with a range of clinical diseases. The subclasses have been redefined as IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 based on a comparison with the relative concentration and electrophoretic mobilities of human IgG subclasses. In serum samples from healthy dogs, the concentration of IgG1 (mean, 8.17 +/- 0.95 mg ml-1) and IgG2 (mean, 8.15 +/- 3.16 mg ml-1) were very similar and considerably higher than the levels of IgG3 (mean, 0.36 +/- 0.43 mg ml-1) and IgG4 (mean, 0.95 +/- 0.45 mg ml-1). There was no apparent difference in the level of subclasses between the different breeds comprising this normal population. Sera from dogs with a range of immune-mediated or inflammatory diseases all had markedly elevated levels of IgG2 (more than 13 mg ml-1), but IgG1 decreased (less than 4 mg ml-1) to levels below the normal range.     

Interobserver variation in the assessment of the sampling quality of cervical smears

The present study was carried out to investigate the biochemical and morphological changes in the liver after ligation of the hepatic artery (HA) in the presence and in the absence of extrahepatic cholestasis (EHC). The study was conducted on 100 rats divided into four groups of 25 animals each: group 1, sham operation; group 2, hepatic artery ligation (HAL); group 3, bile duct ligation (BDL); and group 4, HAL plus BDL. All animals were sacrificed 7 days after surgery when total bilirubin and fractions, alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured in serum and on the inner hepatocyte mitochondrial membrane (IHMM); the incidence of necrosis and the volume fractions of vessels, bile ducts and hepatocytes in the liver were also determined. HAL reduces the relative volumes of bile ducts, with no changes in levels of bilirubin and fractions, AP, ALT, AST and IHMM, but HAL associated with EHC reduces duct proliferation and the liver becomes more vulnerable to necrosis. In conclusion, the normal liver depends on HA flow and this dependence is more evident in the presence of EHC.     

Zooplankton population in the river tigris: Effects of samarra impoundment

The influences of the Samarra impoundment on the ecology of the downstream sector of the river Tigris are investigated. Zooplankton were collected monthly from July 1987 to July 1988. It was found that zooplankton were most abundant during high river discharges in March. During the month of low river discharge, September, the zooplankton population was greatly reduced immediately below the barrage and remained so to the last downstream station. Several factors seem to explain such differences. The high discharge from the impoundment was found to be the dominating factor and may flush the small backwaters in which zooplankton were abundant, thus increasing the population in the river. Zooplankton species vary in their ability to sustain populations in the river, variations which are due mainly to species-specific characteristics.     

微米级冷轧带钢厚度控制系统

分析、讨论了冷轧应用的各种厚度控制的优缺点，介绍质量流量厚度控制原理和控制精度极高的微米级带钢厚控（μＡＧＣ）系统及其可能产生的经济效益。     

Peculiarities of erosion-corrosion processes

Investigations have been carried out on an erosion-corrosion apparatus to investigate the behaviour of corrosion-resistant highalloy iron-base materials containing hard phases. These materials had been optimized for increased wear resistance under complex stress conditions. As expected, in dry erosion tests, very low mass losses were established; there was little difference between the materials. Also, in corrosive environments (NaCl, H₂SO₄), the materials showed good stability; however, the duplex structures were superior to the martensitic ones. The combination of erosion and corrosion produced large differences and, in some cases, markedly reduced resistance to damage. These results confirmed observations that it is impossible to deduce the environmentally influenced mechanical behaviour of an alloy from its behaviour in separate corrosion and erosion experiments. The basic mechanisms underlying these processes have been investigated only tentatively.     

Surgical release for intubation purposes in postburn contractures of the neck

One hundred and twenty-four patients over the age of 75 years were assessed for the cause of their macrocytosis (MCV > 95 fl). A definitive diagnosis was reached in 75/124 (60%) by non-invasive techniques. The remainder underwent a bone marrow biopsy yielding a definitive diagnosis in a further six patients who had an identifiable myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A high proportion of the remainder had morphological abnormalities which fitted with no recognized pathological entity. It is suggested that these may represent MDS in evolution.