Glaucoma as a disease of whole body

The authors correlated the aeroions variations in January, February and March 1963 with urinary 17-KS variations in 5 adult subjects. The results revealed that the excess of positive aeroions induced an increase of the urinary 17-KS eliminations, whereas the excess of negative aeroions induced a decrease.     

Visceral anatomy of the Amphisbaenia

Study of the visceral anatomy of 41 specimens of amphisbaenians representing 13 genera shows that they share a very distinct structure which differs from that found in either snakes or typical lizards. The left lung is large while the right is rudimentary or absent (unique); the kidneys are freely suspended in the coelom by a mesentery (unique); the spleen is usually embedded in the anterior end of the pancreas (as in snakes); the gall bladder lies in a notch in the liver, and the kidneys lie opposite each other (as in lizards). The distinctness of this pattern supports the recognition of the Amphisbaenia as a separate suborder of the Squamata.     

Effectiveness of collagen-gentamicin implant for treatment of "dirty" abdominal wounds

The purpose of this work was to compare the efficacy and safety of the collagen-gentamicin sponge with conventional treatment (wound open, maintaining a close observation, and cleaning it daily with antiseptics) for the prophylaxis of infection in "dirty" abdominal wounds. Seventy-three patients with dirty abdominal wounds caused by gastrointestinal tract surgery were studied. The patients were randomized in two groups: group A, open wounds, treated with local cleansing, metronidazole 20 to 40 mg/kg/day IV and gentamicin 5 mg/kg/day IV for 7 days. Group B, primary closure with collagen-gentamicin implant plus metronidazole 20 to 40 mg/kg/day IV for 7 days. Surgical wound infections were significantly reduced by the collagen-gentamicin implant. Polymicrobial infections were observed in group A, whereas the infections were caused only by a single organism in group B. In conclusion, the collagen-gentamicin implant is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of "dirty" surgical abdominal wounds because it significantly reduces the wound infection rate (p < 0.01) and shortens healing time (p < 0.001) and the period of disability.