Microcysts of the permanent adrenal cortex in perinates and infants,

Microscopic cysts in the permanent cortices of adrenal glands were studied in a series of 274 infants, some of whom had been stillborn and none of whom were more than 12 months old. After correction for length of gestation, there were no significant relationships between the occurence and number of microcysts and various maternal, placental, and perinatal diseases. A significant direct correlation was demonstrated statistically with shorter gestational period and shorter survival time after birth. We concluded that the adrenal microcysts are either a developmental feature or the result of a greater susceptibility to stress in the fetus and newborn than in older infants.     

Complicated ulcer; prevention and therapy of upper gastrointestinal bleeding; indications for antacid therapy

Antacids reduce gastric acidity by neutralization, diminish peptic activity by increasing luminal pH above that optimal for proteolysis and provide thereby the rational for their use in ulcer disease. In clinical trials antacids fastened ulcer healing in patients with duodenal ulcer but not with gastric ulcer when compared to placebo. Furthermore, the prophylactic use of antacid medication can significantly reduce the frequency of acute bleeding when gastric content is titrated to a pH greater 3.5 on an hourly basis. Cimetidine does not adequately protect seriously ill patients from acute upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding. Antacids are better for this purpose. So far the efficacy of an antacid therapy has not been proven in controlled trials in patients with chronic ulcer disease, in patients with recurring ulcers following gastric surgery and in patients bleeding from acute or chronic gastroduodenal lesions.     

The influence of age at time of loading on basic and drying creep

The paper describes an experimental program designed to investigate the effect of age at time of loading on basic and drying concrete creep. The data indicate that both components of creep are significantly affected by age; drying creep as a decreasing function of age, while basic creep initially increases with age and then decreases. Functional relationships for both basic creep and drying creep are derived and compared to the experimental results.     

Buffer Behavior with Poisson Arrival and Geometric Output Processes

A discrete buffered system with infinite buffer size, Poisson arrival process, and the output channel available only periodically according to a geometric density function is analyzed. Under the assumption that a stochastic equilibrium is reached, theZtransform of the density function of the buffer occupancy is obtained as the result of this study.     

Polymerization of butadiene with tii4-Al(i-Bu)3 Catalyst: Part II: Kinetic model development

Expressions for conversions, Mn and Mw have been derived for the proposed kinetic scheme for the polymerization of butadiene using Til₄ — Al(i-Bu)₃ as catalyst. The rate constants k_p, k_ta and k_d and the active sites were estimated from experimental data of conversion and molecular weight averages. The logarithm of both k_p and k_ta are linearly related to Al/Ti ratio. On the other hand, k_d and C_o appear to be uncorrelated with the reaction variables studied in this investigation. The activation energy for propagation reaction was found to be 12.05 ± 1.31 which agrees well with those reported previously. The small difference in the activation energies for k_p and k_ta accounts for the independence of the molecular weight of the polymer on the reaction temperature.     

Solid phase radionuclide esophageal motility in polymyositis and dermatomyositis

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) may be associated with motor dysfunction of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Abnormal esophageal motor function is a well-recognized complication of these diseases. In this study, we used a solid phase esophageal study to evaluate the motor function in patients with PM or DM. Twenty-three patients and 36 age-matched normal volunteers were studied. Each subject was placed in a supine position above a gamma camera linked to a computer and was given a 4-ml bolus of solid gelatin containing 1 mCi of Tc-99m phytate. Data were acquired in the list mode. A computer method modified from Kelim and Wald and Russell et al. was used to calculate the following: A) total mean transit time (MTT); B) residual fraction after the first swallow (RF); and C) retrograde index (RI). All values are presented as mean +/- standard deviation (SD). The Student's t-test was used to test statistical significance. Our preliminary results suggest: 1) delayed esophageal emptying is common (17/23) in PM/DM, indicating frequent malfunction of the smooth muscle of the upper gastrointestinal tract in PM/DM and 2) measurement of esophageal motility may monitor disease activity in PM/DM.