Surgical treatment of the massively dilated ureter in children. Part II. Management by primary reconstruction

Bypass of the left ventricle was accomplished in dogs and the entire circulation was supported temporarily by only the right ventricle. The atrial septum was excised, and the atrium was repartitioned so that the pulmonary veins were in continuity with the right ventricle and the venae cavae were connected through the atrium. Anastomosis of the superior vena cava to the right pulmonary artery brought systemic venous return directly to the lungs. The main pulmonary artery was ligated proximal to the bifurcation, preserving distal confluence of right and left pulmonary arteries. A tubular prosthesis between the proximal pulmonary artery and the aorta connected the right ventricle to the systemic circuit. This procedure, or some modification of the principle, may have clinical feasibility in the treatment of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.     

Translocation of Escherichia coli from the gastrointestinal tract to the mesenteric lymph nodes in gnotobiotic mice receiving Escherichia coli vaccines before colonization

Germfree mice were immunized orally or intraperitoneally for 6 weeks with heat-killed vaccines of indigenous Escherichia coli or nonindigenous E. coli O 127: B8 before colonization with these strains. The mice exhibited increases in specific serum antibodies and intestinal immunoglobulin A reacting with the E coli antigens. Prior immunization did not reduce the gastrointestinal population levels of the E. coli strains attained 3 and 7 days after colonization. Neither oral nor intraperitoneal immunization with the E. coli strains before colonization decreased the incidence of bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes or reduced the number of viable E. coli cells per mesenteric lymph node. There also was no relation in individual mice between serum antibody titers and the numbers of viable E. coli cells translocating to the mesenteric lymph nodes. Thus, prior vaccination with E. coli in this study did not decrease the incidence or reduce the numbers of viable E. coli translocating to the mesenteric lymph nodes in gnotobiotic mice monoassociated with E. coli.     

Placental proteins and steroid hormones in the soluble fraction of human syncytiotrophoblast plasma membrane

Placental protein 5 (PP5), pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (SP1), pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein (SP3) and chorionic gonadotrophin could not be demonstrated in appreciable molar quantities in the soluble fraction from microvillous plasma membrane preparations isolated from the syncytiotrophoblast of full-term human placentae. However, progesterone, total oestriol and placental lactogen may have some association with this membrane.     

Shape deformations in rough-surface scattering: improved algorithms

We present new, stabilized shape-perturbation methods for calculations of scattering from rough surfaces. For practical purposes, we present new algorithms for both low- (first- and second-) and high-order implementations. The new schemes are designed with guidance from our previous results that uncovered the basic mechanism behind the instabilities that can arise in methods based on shape perturbations [D. P. Nicholls and F. Reitich, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 21, 590 (2004)]. As was shown there, these instabilities stem from significant cancellations that are inevitably present in the recursions underlying these methods. This clear identification of the source of instabilities resulted also in a collection of guiding principles, which we now test and confirm. As predicted, improved low-order algorithms can be attained from an explicit consideration of the recurrence. At high orders, on the other hand, the complexity of the formulas precludes an explicit account of cancellations. In this case, however, the theory suggests a number of alternatives to implicitly mollify them. We show that two such alternatives, based on a change of independent variables and on Dirichlet-to-interior-derivative operators, respectively, successfully resolve the cancellations and thus allow for very-high-order calculations that can significantly expand the domain of applicability of shape-perturbation approaches.     

Measurement of integrated sensory-motor function following brain damage by a computerized preview tracking task

A preview tracking task has been developed which has particular application to neurological assessment and rehabilitation. Generated and monitored by a graphic display computer, it permits accurate global quantification of the upper-limb sensory-motor system. The incorporation of 'preview' into the tracking task is considered to significantly increase its effectiveness and relevance in relation to normal daily activities. Applied to three groups of normal subjects, several features of normal psychomotor performance and learning were identified or verified: hand dominance is not significant in overall arm control; learning does not completely plateau; increase in age (15-59 years) results in only a minor overall decrement in performance; an initial wide performance distribution decreases dramatically in subsequent sessions. Applied to brain-damaged patients, particularly head injury or stroke, the preview tracking task allows assessment at regular intervals enabling sensory-motor recovery curves to be generated. The potential of this technique, to help determine the efficacy of therapeutic procedures on the recovery process, is illustrated with the presentation of results from three brain-damaged patients demonstrating zero, significant and disjointed recovery of sensory-motor function. The usefulness of the preview tracking task can be expanded by combination with a less frequently applied but more component specific neurological assessment battery.     

A new case of the unstable haemoglobin Genova (alpha 2 beta 2 28 (beta 10) leu leads to pro) in Canada: as a result of sporadic mutation and causing Heinz body haemolytic anaemia

The first case of the unstable Hb Genova as a result of sporadic mutation is described. It is found in a 3-year-old Canadian boy of East Indian extraction with chronic Heinz body haemolytic anaemia.