Hereditary exostoses--presentation of a family case

In this article we present a Norwegian family with hereditary multiple exostoses and a review of relevant literature. 21 family members were examined; ten males and six females had multiple exostoses, the youngest from six months of age. The exostoses had led to compression of nerves, disturbance of bone growth with shortening and bowing of the forearm bones, and valgus deformity of the knee and ankle. Physical function and quality of life was generally well preserved. Contrary to most reports, nearly half of the patients had allegedly noticed growth or debut of exostoses in adulthood. Almost half of the patients had had the exostoses removed surgically twice, (median value). Malignant transformation of exostoses has not been observed in the family.     

Microalbuminuria in obesity

Albumin excretion rate, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and kidney volume in obese patients and normal-weight controls were compared with body mass index (weight (kg)/height2 (m)) in 17 subjects. Body mass index varied from 21.5 to 48.0, the albumin excretion rate from 2.8 to 17.8 micrograms/min, and the kidney volume from 238 to 468 ml. Body mass index correlated significantly with albumin excretion rate and with kidney volume (p < 0.01), but not with the GFR. Neither the body mass index nor the albumin excretion rate showed any correlation with blood pressure. Albumin excretion rate in obese subjects could be as good an early predictor of complications as it is in patients with diabetes mellitus, and in the elderly.     

Determination of extent of formaldehyde-induced crosslinking in hard gelatin capsules by near-infrared spectrophotometry

PURPOSE: To predict the degree of crosslinking from formaldehyde-stressed hard gelatin capsules (HGCs) using near-infrared spectrophotometry (NIR). METHODS: HGCs were exposed to a 150 ppb atmosphere of formaldehyde for 2.25, 4.60, 9.42, 16.0 and 24.0 hours. The capsules were filled with fresh amoxicillin, placed in a 90 degrees conical reflector cone, and scanned in a NIR spectrophotometer. Principal component regression (PCR) was employed to analyze the spectra of the intact capsules. Dissolution profiles were then obtained for each experimental group. RESULTS: The dissolution of amoxicillin from the capsules at pH 1.2 was found to decrease with increasing time of exposure to the formaldehyde atmosphere. A set of principal components (PCs) was formed by a linear combination of the absorbance values at each wavelength scanned. A good correlation was established (r2 = 0.963) when PC values from the NIR spectra of the HGCs were regressed against percentage of amoxicillin dissolved at 45 minutes, at pH 1.2. Water content of the capsules was found to be the largest determinant in the variation between HGC spectra at each exposure time. CONCLUSIONS: NIR spectrophotometry, combined with PCR, was successful at not only predicting dissolution of HGCs exposed to formaldehyde, but also at determining which wavelengths contributed most to spectral variation of these stressed HGCs.     

Fast generic selection of features for neural network classifiers

The authors describe experiments using a genetic algorithm for feature selection in the context of neural network classifiers, specifically, counterpropagation networks. They present the novel techniques used in the application of genetic algorithms. First, the genetic algorithm is configured to use an approximate evaluation in order to reduce significantly the computation required. In particular, though the desired classifiers are counterpropagation networks, they use a nearest-neighbor classifier to evaluate features sets and show that the features selected by this method are effective in the context of counterpropagation networks. Second, a method called the training set sampling in which only a portion of the training set is used on any given evaluation, is proposed. Computational savings can be made using this method, i.e., evaluations can be made over an order of magnitude faster. This method selects feature sets that are as good as and occasionally better for counterpropagation than those chosen by an evaluation that uses the entire training set.     

Illuminant invariance from a single reflected light

This article presents an algorithm for computing an illuminant‐invariant quantity inherent in a single pixel of an imaged object color. The invariance pertains for two different assumptions about the illuminant spectrum: the photoreceptor sensitivities and the reflectance spectrum of the object. For one regime the illuminant spectrum is exponential, the photoreceptor sensitivities are equal‐width Gaussians, and the reflectance is also Gaussian. For the other regime the illuminant is a Wien approximation to a blackbody radiator, the photoreceptor sensitivities are narrow band in wavelength, and the reflectance is unconstrained. The existence of two regimes for the invariant testifies to its robustness. Computing this invariant over all pixels in an image will assist object‐color recognition (machine‐vision color constancy) without resorting to the usual assumption that illuminant variation over a scene is gradual compared to reflectance variation over that scene. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 45–48, 2002     

Being a stroke patient: a review of the literature

The purpose of this paper is to review the research literature on the patient's experience of stroke. Four qualitative studies on how patients experience stroke were identified. The findings of these studies show that the stroke patient often has clear goals for himself in relation to functional abilities, against which he measures all success and forward progress in his rehabilitation. Even though the stroke patient accepts a lower level of functional ability, he is not willing to accept the rehabilitation professionals' prediction of his ultimate functional level if it is lower than his own goal. Furthermore, stroke patients see recovery as a return to the existence they had lived before the stroke, which is different from the health care providers' view. To the health care provider, recovery is measured in terms of isolated and discrete return of movement, whereas in the eyes of the patients, recovery is a return to previously valued activities. Further, studies on psychosocial function after stroke were reviewed. Recent studies show that the psychological impact of the stroke experience is immense and that stroke patients experience stress on a variety of levels. Also, depression exists in a large portion of the stroke population. The impact of stroke also influences the patient's social existence, as studies have shown that stroke patients do manifest diminished social function. However, the reviewed studies are not without limitations. Further studies, with a qualitative design, are needed to throw light on the patient's experience of being ill with stroke, and the process of his recovery.     

A new silver sulfadiazine water soluble gel

Silver sulfadiazine is the most commonly used topical antibacterial agent for the treatment of burn wounds. It has many clinical advantages, including a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, low toxicity, and minimal pain on application. The current formulation of silver sulfadiazine contains a lipid soluble carrier, polypropylene glycol, that has certain disadvantages, including pseudo-eschar formation and the need for twice daily application. The purpose of this investigation was to describe a new formulation of silver sulfadiazine in a water soluble gel, poloxamer 188. The antibacterial activity of this new gel has been compared to that of the commercially available silver sulfadiazine cream by in vitro and in vivo testing. The results of the in vitro antibacterial testing of these two different agents demonstrated the superiority of the new gel formulation. In experimental wounds, the antibacterial activity of the gel and the commercially available silver sulfadiazine cream were not significantly different when applied once a day. The antibacterial activity of the gel when applied once a day was comparable to that encountered by twice daily applications of the silver sulfadiazine cream by experimental wounds. The major advantage of this gel was its ease of application and removal that is attributed to its water solubility.     

Resolution of a left ureteral stone using electrohydraulic lithotripsy in a thoroughbred colt

A 3-year-old Thoroughbred colt was presented for evaluation of azotemia and anorexia. Physical examination revealed a ureterolith in the left ureter, approximately 10 cm from the bladder, which was thought to obstruct urine flow by approximately 90% when viewed cystoscopically. Ultrasonographic examination of both kidneys revealed indistinct corticomedullary junctions, and the right kidney was more hyperechoic. A percutaneous biopsy of the right kidney revealed chronic interstitial nephritis with marked interstitial medullary fibrosis. Medical therapy consisting of IV fluids, sodium chloride PO, and ammonium chloride PO was initiated. Ureteroscopic electrohydraulic lithotripsy via a perineal urethrostomy was used to successfully remove the stone. Klebsiella oxytoca, which responded to oral enrofloxacin therapy, was cultured from the urine after surgery. Azotemia resolved and the horse resumed training.     

Molecular beam epitaxial growth of Cd<Subscript>1−y</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>y</Subscript>Se<Subscript>x</Subscript>Te<Subscript>1−x</Subscript> on Si(211)

We report on the first successful growth of the quaternary alloy Cd_1−yZn_ySe_xTe_1−x(211) on 3-in. Si(211) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The growth of CdZnSeTe was performed using a compound CdTe effusion source, a compound ZnTe source, and an elemental Se effusion source. The alloy compositions (x and y) of the Cd_1−yZn_ySe_xTe_1−x quaternary compound were controlled through the Se/CdTe and ZnTe/CdTe flux ratios, respectively. Our results indicated that the surface morphology of CdZnSeTe improves as the Zn concentration decreases, which fits well with our previous observation that the surface morphology of CdZnTe/Si is poorer than that of CdSeTe/Si. Although the x-ray full-width at half-maximums (FWHMs) of CdZnSeTe/Si with 4% of Zn + Se remain relatively constant regardless of the individual Zn and Se concentrations, etched-pit density (EPD) measurements exhibit a higher dislocation count on CdZnSeTe/Si layers with about 2% Zn and Se incorporated. The enhancement of threading dislocations in these alloys might be due to an alloy disorder effect between ZnSe and CdTe phases. Our results indicate that the CdZnSeTe/Si quaternary material with low Zn or low Se concentration (less than 1.5%) while maintaining 4% total Zn + Se concentration can be used as lattice-matching composite substrates for long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe as an alternative for CdZnTe/Si or CdSeTe/Si.