Lateralisation of speech dominance by spectral analysis of evoked potentials

The case of a 72-yr-old woman with osteoarthritis of the shoulder, is described. A mixture of crystals of hydroxyapatite and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate was identified in the joint tissues using analytical electron microscopy and infra-red spectroscopy.     

Therapeutic comparison of thiol compounds in severe paracetamol poisoning

Twelve patients with toxic blood concentrations of paracetamol were treated with either cysteamine or amino-acid solution. None of the patients developed severe liver damage, although transient mild biochemical abnormalities developed in three. None of the patients treated with amino-acid solution had side effects due to therapy, whereas all those treated with cysteamine did. It is recommended that amino-acid solutions be used as a temporary measure in patients suspected of massive paracetamol overdose while awaiting estimation of blood paracetamol concentration.     

Ventricular aneurysmectomy for the treatment of intractable angina pectoris

Resection of a large postinfarctional ventricular aneurysm led to termination of intractable angina pectoris in one patient. The patient has been followed for 5 years and remains angina-free, even though aorto-coronary bypass surgery was not performed in this patient. The patient presented no evidence of congestive heart failure, arterial emboli, or cardiac arrhythmia before or after the surgery. Intractable angina alone in the absence of congestive heart failure, systemic embolism, and refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmia may constitute another indication for ventricular aneurysmectomy with or without concomitant aorto-coronary bypass surgery.     

Topical corticosteroid therapy complicating congenital glaucoma

A 4-month-old infant with congenital glaucoma had been treated with a topical antibiotic-corticosteroid for three months. This fact complicated initial management, delaying definitive diagnosis and therapy. Topical steroid therapy in infants can produce a condition simulating congenital glaucoma. Since there is little rationale for using topical steroids to treat most infantile external disease processes, they are best avoided. When steroids are used for a prolonged period, some strategy for detecting glaucoma should be adopted.     

Squamous cell carcinoma of the urachus

The third documented case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the urachus in the English literature is reported. The interesting coincidental occurrence of the dermoid cyst of the right ovary and a complete longitudinal septum of the vagina and uterine cervix is described.     

The Troms? Study: frequency and predicting factors of analgesic drug use in a free-living population (12-56 years)

In a cross-sectional survey carried out in Troms? in 1986-7, 19,137 men and women aged 12-56 years from the general population were asked about their use of drugs during the preceding 14 days. Use of analgesics was very common. On average 28% of the women and 13% of the men had used analgesics. Drug use due to menstruation discomfort contributed only partly to the gender difference. Drug use was independent of age from 20 years of age. Factors having an impact on analgesic drug use were analyzed by logistic regression. The most significant predictors of analgesic use were suffering from headache (OR = 14.2(women) OR = 24.4(men)) and infections (OR = 2.0(women) OR = 2.4(men)). Drug users also tended to suffer from symptoms of depression (women) and sleeplessness (men). Lifestyle and sociodemographic factors were also significant predictors, but were of marginal importance (OR < 1.5) compared with occurrence of pain and infections.     

Respiration and the generation of rhythmic outputs in insects

In insects gas exchange may be: 1) entirely passive, when metabolic rate is low; 2) enhanced automatically by muscle contractions that produce movements, e.g., wing movements in flight; or 3) produced by ventilatory movements, particularly of the abdomen. In terrestrial insects such as locusts and cockroaches ventilatory movements are governed by a dominant oscillator in the metathoracic or anterior abdominal ganglion. The dominant oscillator overrides local oscillators in the abdominal ganglia and thus sets the rhythm for the entire abdomen, and it also controls spiracle opening and closing in several thoracic and abdominal segments. This ventilatory control mechanism appears to be different from that generating metachronal rhythms such as occur in the ventilatory and locomotory movements of aquatic arthropods. There are now several examples of rhythms, both ventilatory and locomotory, that can be generated by the central nervous system in the absence of phasic sensory feedback, but the mechanism of rhythm production is not known. Studies of ganglionic output suggest that neuronal oscillators can produce a range of frequencies and that some oscillators may be employed in more than one function or behavior. The mechanisms by which central oscillators are coupled to the output motorneurons are also not known; large phase changes suggest that in some cases different coupling interneurons are active. Intracellular recordings from identified neurons have begun to clarify the important roles of interneurons in the production of motor patterns.