Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia and frontal lobe tumor

We describe a patient who experienced repeated episodes of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. He was found to have an epileptogenic focus within the right frontal lobe adjacent to a frontal lobe glioma. Subsequent to excision of the tumor, no further attacks have occurred.     

Effect of ascorbic acid on tumour growth

The growth of tumours in guinea-pigs was observed for 20 weeks after placing them on various doses of vitamin C. Complete tumour regression occurred in 55% of those animals receiving 0-3 mg/kg/day ascorbic acid, whereas animals given 10 mg/kg/day showed tumour inhibition but no regression. In contrast, tumours in animals maintained on 1 g/kg/day ascorbic acid grew without sign of retardation. When increased amounts of ascorbic acid were restored to the diet of scorbutic tumour-bearing animals, tumours which had not regressed responded with enhanced growth. Likewise, animals previously maintained on 10 mg/kg ascorbic acid responded in turn to the additional vitamin with enhanced tumour growth. In contrast, all tumour-bearing animals maintained on 1 g/kh ascorbic acid died within 3 weeks when this dose was replaced with 0-3 mg/kg.     

Lateralisation of speech dominance by spectral analysis of evoked potentials

The case of a 72-yr-old woman with osteoarthritis of the shoulder, is described. A mixture of crystals of hydroxyapatite and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate was identified in the joint tissues using analytical electron microscopy and infra-red spectroscopy.     

Age-related variations in hepatic regeneration and erythropoietin production in the rat

Two hundred and thirty-five entrants into the MRC trial for mild to moderate hypertension were matched with control subjects in order to assess the psychological effects of a screening programme and recruitment into a clinical trial. The prevalence and incidence of psychiatric morbidity among the trial participants were compared with those of the controls by means of responses to a self-administered questionnaire and diagnostic psychiatric interviews. No differences among the groups were shown between screening and entry into the trial, but after entry the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among the trial participants fell. This was due to a greater improvement of those with psychiatric symptoms at entry in this group, the incidence of new morbidity being similar among the groups.     

Socially undesirable sex-correlated characteristics: implications for androgyny and adjustment

Since current measures of sex-role style, such as the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, assess only positive, socially desirable attributes, a set of socially undesirable but sex-typed characteristics was developed and examined in relation to the Bem categories. Data from 100 male and 100 female undergraduates show that androgynous males endorsed the fewest and undifferentiated males endorsed the most numbers of these undesirable characteristics. Feminine-typed females were least likely to use undesirable masculine self-attributes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of agitation on size distribution of particulate matter in large-volume parenterals

The particle-size distributions of six types of large-volume parenterals subjected to different degrees of agitation were determined using an automatic particle counter. Data acquired from each solution, which had been maintained in a stored condition, subjected to agitation by inverting 20 times, and then mechanically shaken for 30 min, produced a linear relationship between log N greater than D and log D. Both the slope (K) and the number of particles per milliliter exceeding 1 micrometer in diameter (N greater than 1) exhibited a dependence on the degree of agitation. Their combined effect indicates that agitation by 20 hand inversions removed particulate matter from the surface of the container, which increased the total number of particles in solution (greater than 1 micrometer) but did not significantly alter the relative size distribution. Agitation for 30 min, however, disintegrated agglomerates and produced a particle-size distribution with a greatly increased number of particles whose diameters were less than 1 micrometer and a corresponding decrease in the number of particles exceeding 1 micrometer in diameter. The particle-size distribution of a parenteral solution determined by this in situ instrumental method was, therefore, dependent upon the degree of agitation to which the parenteral was subjected prior to examination.     

The artificial heart. Progress and promise

A multidisciplinary group has designed, fabricated, and evaluated an artificial heart. The heart consists of two smooth-surfaced sac-type pumps, two pneumatic power units, and an electronic control system. The artificial heart has been employed in 22 calves. A variety of problems have been encountered and overcome and a significant improvement in pump design has been made. As a result, a gradual increase in survival times has occurred. The last two calves in which the heart was tested lived for 60 and 42 days respectively. These animals ate well and gained weight. The ability of the control system to balance the output of the two pumps over long periods of time and to automatically increase cardiac output with treadmill exercise has been confirmed. No insurmountable problems in the development of the artificial heart have been identified. The date that an artificial heart will be available for clinical use depends on the availability of funds and on the tenacity of the investigators.     

Selective inhibition of the monosynaptic spinal reflex by a series of hydroxylated alkylaminoindans

5-Hydroxy-2-piperidino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindan (5) and a number of related tetrahydro and dihydro compounds were prepared by selective mono- and dihydroxylation of the dihydro products from the Birch reduction of various alkylaminoalkylindans, tetralins, benzenes, and isoindolines. Some of these compounds showed a remarkably selective inhibition of monosynatpic spinal reflex in the segmental cat preparation.     

The clinical assessment of cancer tests: a statistical approach to the prediction of "false positive" rates from controls

As the sensitivity of the new in vitro cancer detection techniques increases, a larger number of "false positive" results can be expected from control populations apparently free from malignant disease at the time of the test. An attempt is made to predict the number of unexplained positives, together with the expected age and sex distribution, using published cancer registration statistics. The predicted numbers are compared with the observed numbers of unexplained positives in two clinical trials of the MEM test.     

Fatal systemic mycotic infections in the burned child

Two cases of systemic phycomycotic burn wound infection occurred in severely burned children. Both patients, although treated aggressively, died after systemic colonization through the burn wound by fungi. Modern burn therapy has increased survival of many severely burned children but opportunistic fungal infection remains as an ominous threat. Early recognition, wide excision or amputation, and systemic antifungal agents comprise the current clinical armamentarium against systemic fungal invasion of burn wounds.