Serum vanadium levels in chronic hemodialysis patients

Serum vanadium, aluminum, silicon and beta 2-microglobulin levels as well as the red cell count, hemoglobin and systolic blood pressure were simultaneously measured in 80 chronic hemodialysis patients. The serum vanadium level was positively correlated with the serum levels of aluminum, silicon and beta 2-microglobulin as well as the systolic blood pressure, and was inversely correlated with the red cell count and hemoglobin. The mean serum vanadium level was 18.4 +/- 7.6 ng/ml before hemodialysis and decreased to 13.0 +/- 5.30 ng/ml at the completion of dialysis. The dialysate vanadium level increased from 0.4 +/- 0.2 (inflow) to 1.0 +/- 0.4 ng/ml (outflow). It was concluded that vanadium was transferred from blood to dialysate when purified water was used in the preparation of the dialysate.     

Effect of postoperative mydriatics on the iris

PURPOSE: To assess the role postoperative mydriatics play after extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in causing iris modifications and in controlling inflammation. SETTING: Outpatients Department, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, Scotland. METHODS: The prospective study comprised 136 patients who had standardized ECCE. Half the patients used a mydriatic for 2 weeks postoperatively. Anterior chamber activity, pain, and eye redness were evaluated at 2 weeks postoperatively; pupil shape, peripheral anterior synechias, IOL position, and iris adhesions, at 6 weeks. RESULTS: Iris-lens adhesions were significantly more common in the group using a mydriatic. There was no difference between the two groups in postoperative inflammation. CONCLUSION: Mydriatics should not be used routinely after ECCE with posterior chamber IOL implantation.     

Two methods of determining the ultimate long-term shear strength of clayey soils

A comparison is made between different alternate schemes for determination of the strength of soils possessing rheological properties on the basis of our own experimental data. An original method is proposed for determination of the ultimate long-term strength from tests on the conditionally instantaneous failure of soil after preliminary deformation in a creep regime, as well as from tests in a controlled-deformation regime. Translated from Osnovaniya, Fundamenty i Mekhanika Gruntov, No. 1, pp. 14–18, January–February, 1996.     

Increasing the service properties of weld joints by electrohydroimpulse treatment

Known examples of the positive influence of electrohydroimpulse treatment on the quality of weld joints of various steels, particularly including an increase in their long-term and cyclic strength and also corrosion resistance, are analyzed. It is shown that in this case there is a reduction in residual macro- and micro-stresses and also a change in the parameters of the dislocation structure of the joint metal in the direction of stabilization of it.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 4, pp. 119–123, April, 1996.     

The electrostatic problem for the SAW interdigital transducers inan external electric field. II. Periodic structures

For pt.I see ibid., vol.43, no.6, pp.1150-9 (1996). An exact solution of the electrostatic problem for calculating the surface charge and electric field distributions in an arbitrary periodic interdigital transducer (IDT) is given using the results of our companion paper. An arbitrary external electric field may be specified along the electrode structure with the unit cell containing one electrode, or several electrodes, of different widths. The potentials of the electrodes that may be specified are also arbitrary. It is shown that in the case without an external field, the solution includes all the known results as special cases. The case of shorted electrodes in the external electric field is investigated in detail. The surface charge and electric field distributions are calculated for a spatially harmonic external field with an arbitrary wavenumber. The results of the calculations are represented graphically for various ratios between the period of the electrode structure and the wavelength of the external field for the case of a unit cell containing one or two electrodes of different widths     

Importance of proximal femoral fractures in elderly patients. Results of a prospective study of 61 patients

In a prospective study we found good results concerning postoperative complications (21%), perioperative lethality (3.2%) and lethality during hospital stay (6.5%) after implantation of dynamic hip screws (DHS) in patients with per- and subtrochanteric fractures of the femur. The ability to walk, as well as housing and social care postoperatively and follow-up for at least six months after dismissal demonstrates the importance of these fractures for the elderly. One of three patients needs professional care, 21% at home, 13% in nursing homes. Six months after operation the lethality is nearly 20%, i.e. three times higher than in hospital. These are the essential data for all techniques of osteosynthesis used in patients with these fractures, which could only be documented in prospective studies.     

Quantitative analysis of ephedrines in urine by HPLC

Simultaneous determination of six ephedrines in urine sample has been achieved by high performance liquid chromatography on a Lichrospher RP-18 column, using methylamphetamine as internal standard. The 6 ephedrines are well separated in 25 minutes with resolution better than 1.8. This method has high recovery, selectivity and reproducibility, and the linearity is satisfactory from 1.5 micrograms/ml to 25 micrograms/ml with correlation coefficients better than 0.999.     

Alteration of Sertoli cell differentiation in the presence of carcinoma in situ in human testes

PURPOSE: We investigated Sertoli cells in testicular biopsies with carcinoma in situ (CIS) in respect to cytokeratin expression to elucidate the status of Sertoli cell differentiation adjacent to CIS in human testes. Cytokeratin 18 intermediate filaments indicate a state of undifferentiation usually observed in Sertoli cells of prepubertal testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 29 testicular biopsies presenting CIS were investigated by means of immunohistochemistry, using a polyclonal antibody against placental-alkaline phosphatase to detect CIS cells and a monoclonal antibody against human cytokeratin 18 to show expression of cytokeratin 18 intermediate filaments in Sertoli cells. RESULTS: All tubules bearing CIS showed positive cytokeratin expression of Sertoli cells if tubules were devoid of normal germ cells. However, a total of 13 specimen revealed CIS cells together with normal germ cells. In the presence of CIS cells together with round or elongated spermatids, adjacent Sertoli cells did not express cytokeratin immunoreactivity. In the case of combined presence of CIS and spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes, Sertoli cells could be found either immunopositive or immunonegative, and were positive in tubules with CIS and spermatogonia only. CONCLUSIONS: Sertoli cells associated with CIS cells undergo a process of dedifferentiation, seen by the re-expression of cytokeratin intermediate filaments. We suggest that this dedifferentiation results in a loss of Sertoli cell function and leads to a cessation of spermatogenic activity.