Neonatal bladder rupture: an unusual complication of umbilical catheterization

Bladder injury in the neonatal period is an exceedingly rare phenomenon that is usually iatrogenic. Bladder rupture as a complication of umbilical catheterization in a newborn with urinary ascites, respiratory distress and hematuria is presented and discussed.     

Long-term follow-up of cranial bone graft in dorsal nasal augmentation

A follow-up of 363 cranial bone grafts for nasal reconstruction is presented. The main indications for the surgery were congenital, posttraumatic, or postrhinoplasty deformity. The results were satisfactory in the vast majority of cases. The complications associated with the grafts and with the donor site are discussed, as are the methods to treat and prevent these complications from occurring.     

Comparative study between corpus cavernosum-electromyography findings and electron microscopy of cavernosal muscle biopsies in erectile dysfunction patients

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The colonic response to obstruction is poorly understood. Thickening of the proximal bowel following colonic stricture may be due to increased protein synthesis. We have investigated the colonic morphology and collagen concentration during the development of left-sided colonic obstruction in an animal model. METHODS: Twelve male Wistar rats received either a silk ligature obstruction of the colon 2.5 cm above the peritoneal reflection (n = 6) or manipulation of the left colon (controls, n = 6). Twenty-four hours later, three colonic specimens from the ligature zone and from 1 cm proximal and distal to this site, or from equivalent regions in controls, were assayed for hydroxyproline concentration. RESULTS: In controls there was no difference in hydroxyproline concentration between colonic sites. In obstructed rats, the hydroxyproline concentration was greater both at the ligature and distally, when compared with the proximal region. The hydroxyproline concentration was higher (p < 0.05) than corresponding control values at the ligature site (14.95 +/- 2.76 vs. 10.97 +/- 1.95 microgram/mg of dry tissue mean +/- s.d.) but not on either side. CONCLUSION: The colonic collagen concentration is equivalent or raised near an obstruction, demonstrating that obstructed colon may possess an enhanced capacity to hold sutures.     

Molecular mechanisms involved in the inhibition of neutrophil locomotion by tumor cells

A chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line (K562) releases a factor of about 8 kD which we have named K562-inhibitory factor (K562-IF) because it inhibits neutrophil locomotion. This factor has potent anti-inflammatory activity in mice, associated with an inhibition of neutrophil function including not only random locomotion and fMetLeuPhe- or serum-induced locomotion but also adherence and zymosan-induced chemiluminescence and degranulation. In contrast, K562-IF does not affect the oxidative burst induced by soluble compounds such as fMetLeuPhe and phorbol esters. Analysis of the mechanism of action of K562-IF on neutrophils showed that it involves an adherence protein, mainly CR3 (the receptor of complement fraction iC3b). Neither, CR3 expression nor its up-regulation were altered, whereas the function of CR3 was depressed, i.e., it failed to cap upon neutrophil stimulation and did not bind iC3b. One unexplained finding is that K562-IF inhibits actin polymerization induced by fMetLeuPhe but not by activation of the Fc-gamma receptor III. Studies are underway to establish whether K562 cells are representative of other malignant cells with regard to the production of neutrophil inhibitors.     

Plastic-encapsulated microcircuit reliability andcost-effectiveness study

This study evaluates the reliability and cost-effectiveness of using commercial plastic-encapsulated microcircuits (PEM) in a typical military system, with a view to increasing their acceptability in military applications. The cost comparison indicates an average 6-fold decrease in cost when commercial devices are used. Assurance testing did not reveal any special problems with commercial parts. Thus, if commercial PEM were proven to be sufficiently reliable for an intended military application, large cost savings would be gained by using them instead of hermetic packages. The 4.5 sigma enhanced inspection program and the process-control methods suggested here would enhance the manufacturing yield of the PLGR (precision lightweight global positioning system receiver) by encouraging improvements in the manufacturing process while simultaneously cutting the cost of a 100% rescreen to qualify the final product. Neither the requirements assurance tests (including the step-stress test-analyze-and-fix test), nor the reliability demonstration test, nor the operational test, showed more failures than are typical for any new development, and no problems unique to PEM were observed. Thus, the use of PEM did not lead to any special problems that caused PLGR-use specifications to be violated. Complete failure analysis of the isolated parts is in progress, and the results will help to understand the specific reliability issues involved with the use of PEM in military systems. These issues can then be addressed to improve the acceptability of such devices in future military applications     

Regional activation of L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels in experimental thiamine deficiency

At present (putative) human carcinogens are identified via epidemiological studies and testing using the chronic 2-yr rodent bioassay. Both methods have severe limitations in that they are slow, insensitive, expensive, and are also hampered by many uncertainties. The development of methods to modify specific genes in the mammalian genome has provided promising new tools for use in identifying carcinogens and characterizing their (qualitative) risk. Several transgenic mouse lines are currently under study to test their possible use in short-term carcinogenicity testing. One such candidate alternative transgenic model is the XPA knock-out mouse. These mice have an almost complete deficiency in DNA nucleotide excision repair (NER). Nevertheless, XPA-deficient mice are viable and have a background of a low incidence of spontaneous development of cancers. Approximately 15% of the mice develop hepatocellular adenomas (only after 1.5 yr). After treatment with ultraviolet-B radiation or 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, the XPA-deficient mice developed squamous cell carcinomas and papillomas, respectively, on their skin. Oral treatment of XPA-deficient mice with benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF), and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]-pyridine (PhIP) resulted in lymphomas (B[a]P), liver and bladder tumors (2-AAF), and intestinal adenomas plus lymphomas (PhIP). These results look encouraging, but it should be noted that the compounds and agents tested thus far have all been substrate for nucleotide excision repair. Animal studies with different genotoxic or nongenotoxic compounds, as organized for instance within the framework of the International Life Sciences Institute/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute program, are needed to further evaluate the suitability of the XPA model for short-term carcinogenicity testing.     

Temperature-dependent studies on the electrical properties of pyrolytic ZnO thin film prepared from Zn(C2H3O2)2

Pyrolytically deposited transparent conducting zinc oxide thin films on glass substrates were successively subjected to a post-deposition heat treatment in air and in vacuum. The effects of heat treatment on the electrical transport properties were studied in detail. The films were polycrystalline in structure and the oxygen chemisorption-desorption process was found to play an important role in controlling the electronic properties. Various grain-boundary and energy-band parameters were calculated by taking conventional extrinsic semiconductor theory and grain-boundary trapping models into account. The samples were non-degenerative at room temperature and Hall mobility was found to be modulated by the grain-boundary potential barrier height via sample temperature.