Arachnoid cysts associated with post-traumatic and spontaneous rupture into the subdural space

61 children were studied and treated between January 1986 and September 1993 for idiopathic varicocele. The aim of our study was to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques and to show the progression to a greater efficacy. The mean age at the time of therapy was 14 years, ranging from 7 to 16 years. All children presenting with pain or testicular asymmetry were treated. Four asymptomatic children were followed for 2 years before treatment. 36 children were treated by surgical ligature via the inguinal approach; 8 with a resection of the varicose veins as far as the tunica vaginalis. 14 children were treated by percutaneous sclerotherapy including 1 patient following unsuccessful classical surgical treatment. 12 children were treated by surgical inguinal ligature associated with peroperative phlebography and thrombosis. 56 children were reviewed postoperatively over a period which varied from 2 months to 4 years (5 lost to follow-up). For the 36 classical ligatures: 25 good results, but 9 hydroceles (5 out 8 varicose resections): 70% good results. 7 failures and 4 lost to follow-up. For the 14 percutaneous sclerotherapy: 4 technical failures (impossibility to catheterize the spermatic vein): 10 good results. For the 12 ligatures with peroperative phlebography and thrombosis: 11 good results and 1 lost to follow-up. All the above procedures were carried out at our out-patient clinic. The therapeutic choice will therefore have to take into consideration a procedure which produces the lowest morbidity rate and proves to be the most effective. The association of surgical ligature, phlebography and thrombosis meets these requirements.     

Procedures for mastitis diagnosis and control

Procedures for mastitis diagnosis and control include culturing individual cow and bulk tank milk samples, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and evaluation of somatic cell count reports and clinical mastitis treatment records. Integrated use of such procedures is necessary for effective mastitis diagnosis and control.     

Serological and immunogenetic markers of extraglandular primary Sj?gren's syndrome

The clinical course of 48 patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome (primary SS) was reviewed. Forty-three north European patients were typed for HLA class I and class II alloantigens. In this population with primary SS HLA B8, DR3 and DRw52 all occurred more frequently than in the control population (P < 0.009, P < 0.0035, P < 0.02 respectively). The subgroup of primary SS patients with antibodies to Ro and/or La antigen had the greatest prevalence of DR3 (relative risk 33.4). The primary SS patients fall into two distinct groups: those with extraglandular disease in whom lymphopaenia, hypergammaglobulinaemia, antibodies to Ro and/or La and HLA DR3 were all more frequent and those patients with either glandular disease alone or only one extraglandular feature. There was no difference in disease duration between the two groups, although on average the latter group were 10 years older.     

Modulation of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation by inhibition of calpain by a synthetic peptide derived from the thiol-protease inhibitory sequence of kininogens and S-(3-nitro-2-pyridinesulfenyl)-cysteine

Thrombin-induced platelet aggregation has been suggested to play an important role in reocclusion following thrombolytic therapy of angioplasty for treatment of myocardial infarction. We previously demonstrated that aggregation of washed platelets by thrombin is accompanied by cleavage of aggregin, a putative ADP receptor, and that these events are indirectly mediated by calpain, expressed on the surface of the external membrane. High-molecular-mass kininogen (HK) contains, in its heavy chain, domain 2, which is responsible for its action as a potent inhibitor of platelet calpain. Domain 3 of the heavy chain of HK directly inhibits binding of thrombin to platelets, confounding mechanistic studies using the entire molecule. Moreover, HK, a protease of 120 kDa, is unsuitable as a potential pharmacological agent. The highly conserved sequence Gln-Val-Val-Ala-Gly, present in HK and its evolutionary precursors, the cystatins, is thought to be involved in the binding of cysteine proteases but is, itself, not inhibitory. An affinity analog, Phe-Gln-Val-Val-Cys(Npys)-Gly-NH2(Npys, 3-nitro-2-sulfenylpyridine), P1, corresponding to the thiol-protease-binding sequence in HK and containing a ligand, Npys, that can react with the free sulfhydryl group in the active site of calpain, was synthesized. P1 was an irreversible inhibitor of platelet calpain. P1 selectively inhibited thrombin-induced aggregation of washed platelets and platelets in plasma, but did not inhibit the aggregatory effects of other platelet agonists. P1 did not inhibit the amidolytic activity and coagulant activity of thrombin. Unlike HK, P1 did not inhibit binding of thrombin to washed platelets. P1 did not inhibit thrombin-induced platelet-shape change. P1 neither raised intracellular levels of cAMP nor did it interfere with the ability of thrombin to antagonize the rise in intracellular levels of cAMP induced by iloprost, an analog of prostaglandin I2. The design and synthesis of P1 could leave to the development of a new class of inhibitors that selectively block thrombin-induced platelet aggregation while sparing other functions of this pathophysiological protease and without inhibiting the action of other platelet agonists.     

Transport of Oleic and Acetic Acids from Emulsions into Low Density Polyethylene; Effects on Adhesion with Aluminum Foil in Laminated Packaging

Three test emulsions were prepared by adding oleic acid and/or acetic acid to a fatty food simulant (oil-in-water emulsion) from rapeseed oil, using Tween-80 as emulsifier. These test emulsions and the blank were packed in laminated material and stored for 4 wk at room temperature (21°C). Sorption of oleic acid into LDPE and the rate of acetic acid permeation through LDPE were highest for emulsions containing both oleic and acetic acids. A complete delamination within 4–7 days occurred for all acid-containing test-emulsions, probably caused by formation of a weak boundary layer (WBL).     

Population dynamics of Fusarium spp. in pea rhizosphere as affected by soil amendments

In nonamended soil, vegetative growth and sporulation of Fusarium spp. were higher in the rhizosphere than in the soil. Sporulation was favoured by young plants and decreased with increasing plant age. Amendments with low C/N oil-cakes enhanced vegetative growth and sporulation in root-free soil. The extent of stimulation varied with the nature of organic matter used and the stage of its decomposition. Sporulation was suppressed by castor cake and sawdust with urea amendments. Rhizosphere cf pea altered the effect of different amendments.