Home management of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Home oxygen was utilized in six infants with BPD with no complications. This program allowed for early discharge of the infants, resulting in a mean financial savings of $18,000 per infant and a more normal family environment for the babies.     

Rhett Butler and the superior physician

We describe post-splenectomy lymphocytosis (PSL) in 23 patients, a majority (20/23) of whom have undergone splenectomy as a staging procedure for Hodgkin's disease. The absolute lymphocyte count ranged from 4.0 to 8.7 x 10(9)/l. The lymphocytosis was noted 4-242 (median 70) months after splenectomy and persisted almost unchanged in most patients on prolonged follow up (median 50 months). Immunophenotyping of the lymphocytes revealed no monoclonal B cell population.     

Radionuclide imaging of airway obstruction following assisted ventilation

Radioaerosol lung scintigraphy was performed in five infants in whom obstructive airway complications developed following assisted ventilation. These studies suggest that a primary functional defect was obstruction to airflow at the level of the major airways, which occurred during expiration. Perfusion lung scintigraphy showed areas of diminished or redistributed pulmonary blood flow, which, like the results of the radioaerosol scintigraphic studies, are findings often associated with adult chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.     

Cholinergic innervation of vessels of the base of the brain

Distribution and activity of acetylcholinesterase in the intramural nerve apparatus of vessels of the base of the bran have been studied with the histochemical method of Koelle-Gomori. On the whole, 268 arteries have been examined. The activity of the ferment is detected in the effector nerve fibers in the wall of all cerebral vessels constituting the system of the circle of Willis. The periarterial nerve apparatus of cerebral arteries of the anterior and posterior regions of the circle of Willis consists of two cholinergic plexuses - superficial and deep plexus forming a multilayered neural cover. The terminal parts of cholinergic nerve fibres at the border with the muscular coat show a granular structure. Moreover, nerve cells rich in active ferment are found in the cholinergic plexuses. Difference in the character of cholinergic innervation of vessels of the internal carotid and the vertebrobasilar region has been shown. The obtained data indicate that the vessels of the circle of Willis possess a reliable cholinergic system of nerve regulation which along with other systems, such as that of adrenergic nerve fibers, maintains the homeostasis of the cerebral blood flow.     

Platelet antiserum inhibits hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in the dog

Six cases of posterior cervical fusion with rib grafts in children are reported. Four of the children had sustained cervical spine injuries in accidents, and two had congenital absence of the odontoid. Three-level fusions (C1-3) were done in four children, and four-level fusions (C1-4) in two. One child died of unrelated causes 3 months after the operation. The other five children have been followed for 5 to 13 years. All are doing well and each has a remarkably supple, stable neck and no neurological deficit.