The orthopaedic implications of peripheral limb ischaemia in infants and children

Peripheral limb ischaemia is rare in children. We have treated only 12 infants and children with this condition in the past 15 years at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. There were nine neonates and three older children. Most were suffering from life-threatening illnesses or severe infection. Two were born with ischaemic arms with no apparent cause. We have analysed the factors leading to ischaemia, the outcome of the initial treatment and the later orthopaedic problems. Two required amputation of both legs, one of an arm, two of feet and one of toes. Two had skin grafts. All surgery was performed after demarcation was well established and delayed closure was used after amputation. Five children developed limb-length discrepancy or an angular deformity. To date two have required additional corrective surgery.     

Morphological changes in a hyperfunctioning thyroid adenoma after percutaneous ethanol injection: histological, enzymatic and sub-microscopical alterations

Autonomic nervous dysfunction has recently been considered to be an etiological factor in syncope and sudden death in cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. However, the precise mechanism is still unknown. A 73-year-old woman with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was hospitalized with complaints of impaired consciousness; faintness 3 to 4 h after meals, lightheadedness while walking, and syncope during and after defecation and micturition. Faintness was induced by alimentary hypoglycemia related to gastrectomy performed 5 years previously. Lightheadedness and syncope were accounted for by autonomic nervous failure combined with an impairment of alpha 1-adrenoceptor in vasoconstriction and the carotid sinus hypersensitivity which accompanied preceding events such as abdominal pain, defecation and micturition, which could enhance the vagally-mediated baroreceptor reflex.     

Serotonin and serotonin receptors in the central auditory system

Single channel currents were activated by GABA (0.5 to 5 microM) in cell-attached and inside-out patches from cells in the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices. The currents reversed at the chloride equilibrium potential and were blocked by bicuculline (100 microM). Several different kinds of channel were seen: high conductance and low conductance, rectifying and "nonrectifying." Channels had multiple conductance states. The open probability (Po) of channels was greater at depolarized than at hyperpolarized potentials and the relationship between Po and potential could be fitted with a Boltzmann equation with equivalent valency (z) of 1. The combination of outward rectification and potential-dependent open probability gave very little chloride current at hyperpolarized potentials but steeply increasing current with depolarization, useful properties for a tonic inhibitory mechanism.     

Significance of local extradural cooling on cervical spinal cord (experimental study)

The PQ-interval was measured while resting supine before exercise testing, in the erect position on the bicycle before starting exercise, and resting supine after exercise in 68 men 6--8 weeks after acute myocardial infarction. During a 6-year follow-up period the death was non-sudden (greater than 1 hour) in 25 of these patients. In this group the PQ-time was significantly shorter (p less than 0.001) during somatomotor activation on the bicycle before exercise than resting supine. The same directional change (p less than 0.01) was seen in the sudden death (less than 1 hour) group (N = 21), but not in the patients who survived. PQ-time at supine rest before exercise testing, however, was significantly shorter (p less than 0.02) in surviving patients than in the non-sudden death group. The possible mechanisms of these, and of previously reported changes in the R-wave amplitudes and QT-times, are discussed.     

''Oncocheck'': an international external quality assessment scheme for immunoassays of tumor markers

Coccidia were isolated from 122 Belgian broiler farms without clinical coccidiosis. Shuttle programs including robenidin or nicarbazine in the starter (7-14 days) followed by an ionophore or diclazuril in the grower ration were most commonly used. Out of 215 coccidiosis-positive groups, 146 Eimeria acervulina, 65 E. maxima, and 88 E. tenella isolates were tested without further laboratory propagation in 17 sensitivity profiles. For each profile, oocytes were pooled from 9 +/- 4 farms (mean +/- SD) that used the same anticoccidial program and that belonged to the same integrated broiler operation. Each suspension contained an equal number of isolates and oocyst numbers from each farm tested. Each profile included an unmedicated uninfected group, an unmedicated infected group, and 11 medicated infected groups, consisting each of three replicates of three Ross chicks. Medication started at 8 days of age, and each inoculated bird received 50,000 sporulated oocysts at 10 days. Results were related to the anticoccidial program that had been in use. Chemical drugs showed the highest activity against Eimeria, whereas ionophores were less efficacious. Of the latter, monensin (110 ppm) was least active; narasin (70 ppm), salinomycin (60 ppm), and maduramicin (5 ppm) took an intermediate position, and lasalocid (90 ppm) was most active. A 50% improvement in weight gain was obtained in 7 to 10 out of 17 profiles with 100 + 8.35 ppm clopidol/methylbenzoquate (10), 125 ppm nicarbazin (9), 3 ppm halofuginone (8), and 1 ppm diclazuril (7). A 50% improvement in feed conversion was obtained in 7 to 11 profiles with nicarbazin (11), halofuginone (10), diclazuril (9), 33 ppm robenidine (9), clopidol/methylbenzoquate (7), and lasalocid (7). Based on relative oocyst output, the highest activity against E. acervulina was obtained with clopidol/methylbenzoquate (8/16); the highest activity against E. maxima was obtained with lasalocid (6/6), diclazuril (5/6), and halofuginone (5/6); and the highest activity against E. tenella was obtained with diclazuril (8/8), amprolium/ethopabate (5/8), halofuginone (4/8), maduramicin (4/8), and nicarbazin (4/8).     

beta-Amyloid precursor protein isoforms show correlations with neurones but not with glia of demented subjects

Post-mortem cerebral cortex from 15 demented patients was specially collected to minimise autolysis and two membrane fractions and one soluble fraction were quantitatively examined for the major species of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP) of high apparent molecular mass (> or = 80 kDa) together with the major mRNA species encoding APP isoforms. The number of pyramidal neurones and astrocytes, putative biochemical indices of interneurones and pyramidal neurones, and choline acetyl transferase activity were also determined. Multiple regression analysis has been used to investigate intercorrelations of APP species with biochemical and morphometric measures, free of any effects of confounding demographic variables. Subjects with Alzheimer's disease showed a loss of cholinergic activity and D-aspartate uptake compared with patients with other causes of dementia. The major finding of the study is that measures of neurones rather than astrocytes most closely correlate with the concentration of APP. Pyramidal cell numbers were positively correlated with mRNA for APP695. APP in the soluble fraction showed a negative correlation with pyramidal cell numbers and cholinergic activity. These results indicate that neurones within the cerebral cortex are the major source of APP, and that secretion of APP is dependent upon cortical pyramidal neuronal activity and cholinergic activity.     

Vancomycin penetration into biofilm covering infected prostheses and effect on bacteria

To evaluate the adequacy of penetration of antibiotics into biofilm, a novel in vitro model for prosthesis-related infection was developed. Sterile stainless steel orthopedic nuts were incubated with slime-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis. Biofilm-covered nuts were exposed to varying concentrations of vancomycin; then biofilms were harvested. Vancomycin levels in biofilm, as measured by fluorescent polarization immunoassay, far exceeded the MIC and MBC of vancomycin for the organism. Bacterial growth in biofilm was inversely related to vancomycin concentration in biofilm, but even extremely high drug concentrations did not eradicate bacteria embedded in biofilm. The MICs and MBCs for bacteria recovered from biofilm did not differ from those for incubating organisms. Thus, failure of glycopeptide antibiotics to cure prosthesis-related infection is not due to poor penetration of drugs into biofilm but likely due to diminished antimicrobial effect on bacteria in the biofilm environment.     

Investigation of the Possibility of Using UNK Superconducting Dipole Magnets for Producing Rapid-Cycling Magnetic Fields

The superconducting dipoles developed as part of the UNK project have reached a magnetic field 6 T at a rate of up to 0.8 T/sec. Experimental data are presented on the conditioning, rate dependences, and dynamic losses for magnets with two types of superconducting cable (zebra and oxide). Possible ways to decrease the heat release in a dipole operating in rapid-cycling magnetic fields are examined. The results of an analysis of heat release and temperature conditions are presented for a dipole with a winding made of improved current-carrying components.     

Effects of traditional storage practices of small‐scale organic farmers on potato quality

A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of traditional storage practices of small‐scale organic farmers in rural KwaZulu–Natal on the quality of potatoes. Changes in sugar and starch content were monitored. A preference ranking test was used to investigate preference for organically produced potatoes left in situ, stored under ambient conditions in a farmer's house and under controlled conditions (7 °C and 90% relative humidity) for 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The lowest and highest sugar levels were observed in potatoes stored in situ and under controlled conditions, respectively. Potatoes stored in situ were significantly preferred by sensory panellists (P < 0.05) over those stored in both the farmer's house and in controlled storage. Preference rank scores were negatively correlated to total sugar content and positively correlated to starch content although not all correlations were statistically significant. This gives an indication that other factors not investigated in this study, like glycoalkaloid content, may have contributed to the acceptability of potatoes from different modes of storage and requires further investigation. However, the study clearly shows that leaving potatoes in situ as a method of storage maintains desirable sensory properties of potatoes by maintaining low sugar levels and higher starch content. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry