Spiral CT angiography in an infant with severe hypoplasia of a long segment of the descending aorta

Annuloaortic ectasia due to Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome (SGS) is reported. A 10-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of chest pain. On admission, he was diagnosed as SGS on the basis of his various anomalies. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a bicuspid aortic valve and marked annular dilatation, Doppler flow studies revealed severe aortic regurgitation, and retrograde aortography showed severe aortic regurgitation with annular dilatation. Successful aortic root replacement was performed; subsequent histologic examination of the ascending aorta demonstrated cystic medial necrosis. In conclusion, SGS is a generalized connective tissue dysplasia, with clinical manifestations of cardiovascular lesions similar to those in Marfan syndrome. Aortic root replacement was successfully performed; however, recurrence of aortic aneurysms outside of the ascending aorta should be carefully observed. Surgical treatment for cardiovascular disorders may be necessary to save the life of patients with SGS.     

In vitro studies on the use of clay, clay minerals and charcoal to adsorb bovine rotavirus and bovine coronavirus

Rotaviruses are the leading cause and coronaviruses are the major contributors of acute gastroenteritis in the young of various mammalian and avian species. Despite numerous trials and decades of research, vaccines have limited efficacy particularly for calves. As an alternative method of controlling infection, we have investigated broad spectrum antiviral agents that are not discriminatory among various viruses. This report involves testing a variety of adsorbent agents including charcoal, clay, and clay minerals to adsorb rotavirus and coronavirus in vitro. Results revealed that all the adsorbent agents had good to excellent capability of adsorbing rotavirus and excellent capability of adsorbing coronavirus. Percent adsorptions ranged from 78.74% to 99.89% for rotavirus and 99.99% for coronavirus; while sand (negative control) was < 0.01%. A high affinity binding was present as determined by a low percent desorption (0.06-3.09%). However, the adsorbent bound virus complex retained, and may have actually enhanced, infectivity.     

Whole-body kinetics and dosimetry of L-3--123I-iodo-alpha-methyltyrosine

BACKGROUND: Desflurane anesthesia can produce cerebral metabolic depression and increase cerebral blood flow. We evaluated the effect of desflurane on brain tissue oxygen pressure (PO2), carbon dioxide pressure (PCO2) and pH during neurosurgery. METHODS: Following a craniotomy, the dura was opened and a Paratrend 7 sensor, which measures PO2, PCO2, pH and temperature, was inserted into brain tissue. In 6 control patients in group 1, anesthesia was maintained constant with 3% end-tidal desflurane over 60 min, including a 30-min stabilization period. In group 2, 9 patients were ventilated with 3% desflurane under baseline conditions. After a 30-min stabilization period, baseline tissue gases and pH were measured and end-tidal desflurane was increased to 6% and then 9% for 15-min intervals. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was maintained with intravenous phenylephrine. RESULTS: Under baseline conditions, cardiovascular and brain tissue measures were similar between the 2 groups. Increasing end-tidal desflurane from 3% to 9% produced burst-suppression EEG in all patients and significantly increased tissue PO2 and pH and decreased PCO2. No parameters changed significantly in the control group during steady-state anesthesia. CONCLUSION: These results show that 9% desflurane can improve brain tissue metabolic status before temporary brain artery occlusion if cerebral perfusion pressure is maintained. This may be particularly important in patients with symptoms of ischemia before surgery.     

Mechanical consequences of core drilling and bone-grafting on osteonecrosis of the femoral head

We employed an anatomically realistic three-dimensional finite-element model to explore several biomechanical variables involved in coring or bone-grafting of a segmentally necrotic femoral head. The mechanical efficacy of several variants of these procedures was indexed in terms of their alteration of the stress:strength ratio in at-risk necrotic cancellous bone. For coring alone, the associated structural compromise was generally modest, provided that the tract did not extend near the subchondral plate. Cortical bone-grafting was potentially of great structural benefit for femoral heads in which the graft penetrated deeply into the superocentral or lateral aspect of the lesion, ideally with abutment against the subchondral plate. By contrast, central or lateral grafts that stopped well short of the subchondral plate were contraindicated biomechanically because they caused marked elevations in stress on the necrotic cancellous bone. Calculated levels of stress were relatively insensitive to variations in the diameter of the graft.     

Binding of human single chain urokinase to Chinese Hamster Ovary cells and cloning of hamster u-PAR

In the present study, we assessed oxidative stress in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy of ischemic or idiopathic etiology. For this reason we measured whole blood reduced glutathione, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, susceptibility of erythrocyte membranes and erythrocytes to peroxidation, and SH content of erythrocyte membranes in 12 patients (8 men and 4 women, ages 31 to 66 years) with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, in 11 patients (8 men and 3 women, ages 32 to 65 years) with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, and in 21 healthy volunteers (12 men and 9 women, ages 25 to 67 years). There was no statistically significant difference between the two patient groups for the indicators studied (P >0.05). Blood glutathione, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase, and membrane SH content of both groups of patients was decreased compared with controls (P <0.05), whereas erythrocyte and membrane susceptibility to peroxidation were increased (P <0.05). We conclude that patients with idiopathic or ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy exhibit abnormalities of a range of markers of increased oxidative stress. These abnormalities may contribute to contractile dysfunction, increased incidence of fatal arrhythmias, and sudden death.     

An Engineering Design Curriculum for the Elementary Grades

The United States has historically excelled in the design of products, processes and new technologies. Capitalizing on this historical strength to teach applied mathematics and science has many positive implications on education. First, engineering design can be used as a vehicle for addressing deficiencies in mathematics and science education. Second, as achievement in mathematics and science is enhanced, a greater number of students at an earlier age will be exposed to technical career opportunities. Third, enhancing elementary and secondary curricula with engineering design can attract underrepresented populations, such as minorities and females, to engineering as a profession. This paper describes a new and innovative engineering design curriculum, under development in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, TX. The philosophic goals upon which the curriculum is based include: integrating the design problem-solving process into elementary schools, demonstrating the relationship of technical concepts to daily life, availing teachers with instructional strategies for teaching applied (as opposed to purely theoretical) science and mathematics, and teaching teamwork skills that are so greatly needed in industry and everyday life. Based on these goals, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade engineering design lessons have been piloted in AISD, in conjunction with a University of Texas program for teacher enhancement and preparation.