In vivo validation of a thermodilution system designed to measure peripheral blood flow

A 5F triple-lumen thermodilution catheter was evaluated in a canine vena cava model to determine whether this catheter and the thermodilution technique provide valid in vivo determinations of blood flow. Our ultimate goal is to develop methods for studying limb blood flow in humans. Seven dogs were studied. Blood flow was provided and regulated by a calibrated roller pump. Flow rate determinations by thermodilution were made over a range of 0.5 to 5.01 1/minute. Excellent correlation (r = 0.98, r2 = 0.96, P less than 0.01) was found between actual flow and flow measured by thermodilution. The mean (+/- SD) coefficient of variation for the thermodilution method was 9.97 +/- 5.72 per cent over the flow range tested. The coefficient of variation tended to be higher at low flow rates. The thermodilution technique with this catheter provides valid in vivo determinations of blood flow through large vessels. This technology can be rationally applied to the study of limb blood flow in humans.     

Eruption times of third molars in young rural Nigerians

The mechanical stability of proximal femoral osteotomies fixed by the tension band wire technique was studied in flexion-compression and torsion tests. The fixation consisted in crossing the section with two Kirschner wires and with a wire cerclage applied to the tension surface. The study was conducted in three steps. First, cyclinders of wood were cut either transversely or at 30 degrees of inclination in relation to the long axis of the specimen, and fixed with two Kirschner wires and a wire cerclage. We concluded that the inclination of the plane of section significantly increased the stability of fixation. No significant difference was observed when oblique sections were made in the reverse orientation. Second, 30 degrees subtrochanteric varus osteotomies were performed in dog femurs, so that the section plane was transverse in one group and oblique in another, after closing the osteotomy. In both groups the fixation was achieved by two Kirschner wires that crossed the osteotomy and a wire cerclage placed on the lateral cortex (tension surface). We concluded that inclination of the osteotomy plane increased the stability of osteosynthesis in bone specimens, as already seen with the wood pieces. Third, the stability of tension band wire fixation was compared with that provided by the AO/ASIF paediatric angled plate. Varus osteotomies (30 degrees) were created at the subtrochanteric level of paired dog femurs. On one side, the femur was fixed with Kirschner wires and a wire cerclage as described previously. For the other femur, the osteotomy was fixed with the angled plate. We found that both types of fixation presented the same stability in flexion-compression tests. However, under torsion the tension band wire fixation was 30%-50% less stable than the plate fixation.     

A human homologue of the Drosophila Toll protein signals activation of adaptive immunity

Induction of the adaptive immune response depends on the expression of co-stimulatory molecules and cytokines by antigen-presenting cells. The mechanisms that control the initial induction of these signals upon infection are poorly understood. It has been proposed that their expression is controlled by the non-clonal, or innate, component of immunity that preceded in evolution the development of an adaptive immune system in vertebrates. We report here the cloning and characterization of a human homologue of the Drosophila toll protein (Toll) which has been shown to induce the innate immune response in adult Drosophila. Like Drosophila Toll, human Toll is a type I transmembrane protein with an extracellular domain consisting of a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain, and a cytoplasmic domain homologous to the cytoplasmic domain of the human interleukin (IL)-1 receptor. Both Drosophila Toll and the IL-1 receptor are known to signal through the NF-kappaB pathway. We show that a constitutively active mutant of human Toll transfected into human cell lines can induce the activation of NF-kappaB and the expression of NF-kappaB-controlled genes for the inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and IL-8, as well as the expression of the co-stimulatory molecule B7.1, which is required for the activation of naive T cells.     

Evaluating the solar resource: a review of problems resulting from temporal, spatial and angular variations

Accurate assessment of the availability of solar energy at the Earth's surface is hampered by difficulties associated with the variability of solar radiation in space and time and with the angular position in the sky hemisphere. This paper assesses each of these problem areas by highlighting the difficulties and the attempts to offset them. Major emphasis is placed on extrapolation and interpolation procedures, the sensitivity of inclined surfaces to variations in the solar input, numerical models for calculating the irradiance of inclined surfaces and the time scales for which these computations are valid.Finally, the reader is urged to consider the significance of these difficulties in light of both radiation measurement errors and the sensitivity of the application to imprecise determinations of the radiation environment.     

Respiratory symptoms and bronchial responsiveness are related to dietary salt intake and urinary potassium excretion in male children

Six men were accidentally exposed to NO2 when they were changing a propeller using a gas burner in the poorly ventilated hold of a ship. All of them were admitted to hospital with shortness of breath and cough. Chest X-ray on admission revealed diffuse, patchy and infiltrative shadows, leading to the diagnosis of pulmonary edema in all five patients. Steroid therapy was effective and followed by a quick recovery in all patients. None developed third phase manifestations characterized pathologically by bronchiolitis obliterans.     

US-guided pseudoaneurysm repair with a compression device

A simple commercially available compression device allowed intermittent ultrasound scanning of the compression site during compression repair of a femoral artery pseudoaneurysm in six patients. All six of the pseudoaneurysms (five superficial femoral and one common femoral) were compressed without compression of the underlying vessels. The procedure was successful in four of the six patients, without complications. Use of this device may decrease operator fatigue during compression repair of pseudoaneurysm.     

Human cholesterol synthesis measurement using deuterated water. Theoretical and procedural considerations

Creation of a dynamic levator aponeurosis fold or double eye adds to the beauty of the East Asian. The eyes are larger and less puffy, and the eyelashes appear longer and curve up and out instead of down. The distance from the ciliary border to the eyebrow is decreased and more in proportion. The Mongolian trait is preserved.     

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland in a six-year-old girl

A 6-year-old white female was found to have an adenoid cystic carcinoma originating in a lacrimal gland. Eighteen months following diagnosis, the tumor recurred. Conservative surgery has been the sole mode of therapy. To date, after four operations and quadrimenstral imaging surveillance, there is no sign of disease progression. Our purpose is to record the unusual occurrence of an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland in a child. An interim report, 32 months after diagnosis, is presented.