Neurofibromatosis 2 in the pediatric age group

Cataract surgeons frequently face the challenge of treating an open-angle glaucoma patient presenting for cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation. It seems logical to treat both problems during the same surgical procedure if it can be done without jeopardizing the results of either. We present a short historic overview of the trabeculotomy procedure in adults, together with our technique using the new Fukasaku modification of the instrumentation (probes and forceps) and report 50 consecutive cases with a 100% three-month follow-up. The mean preoperative intraocular pressure was 19.3 mm Hg (range 16.0 to 37.0 mm Hg); three months after surgery it was 14.2 mm Hg (range 6.0 to 24.0 mm Hg). The mean preoperative pressure-reducing medications were 2.3 drugs per patient, and the postoperative mean was 0.7. Except for three cases of small postoperative hyphemas, no other complications were encountered during the study.     

The comparative characteristics of preparations of Yersinia pestis capsular antigen F1 obtained from producer strains with different lipopolysaccharide structures

The main protective antigen of the causative agent of plague is capsular antigen F1. The preparations of this antigen isolated from Y.pestis strain EV are characterized by a high content of polysaccharide chains of endotoxins. This can be avoided by using R-variants of bacteria as producers. In this work the comparative study of the preparations of antigen F1 obtained from Y.pestis strain EV, Escherichia coli producer strain HB101 pFS1 with the complete structure of LPS and Salmonella minnesota producer strain Re595 pFS1 with maximally reduced LPS has been made. As revealed in this study, the physico-chemical properties of these preparations (the isoelectric point, electrophoretic mobility, the molecular weight of subunits) are identical. The preparation of antigen F1 obtained from S.minnesota has been found to give the highest yield and to have the lowest content of polysaccharide admixtures. This preparation has proved to possess the maximal protective potency, which may be linked with the adjuvant and immunogenic activity of microadmixtures of glycolipid Re, contained in F1.     

Femoro-femoral crossover bypass in monolateral obstructions of the iliac artery

The Authors report the result of their ten-years experience with femoro-femoral crossover bypass in 26 patients affected with unilateral occlusion of the iliac artery. This bypass is an easy and quick procedure, useful in both short and long term. The patency rate after 58 months is 84.6%. Thus, its use indicated in a high number of patients, not only for a limb salvage treatment of a disabling claudication. The indications for this bypass can be extended to low surgical risk subjects, and it does not have to be considered only for the high-risk patients, instead of major surgery procedure on the aorto-iliac axis. The minimal necessary conditions of the limbs for performing the femoro-femoral crossover bypass are a pressure gradient of 35 mmHg and the angiographical demonstration of the unilateral occlusion. If the contralateral axis appears patent, but there are also multiple atherosclerotic sites, we consider other bypasses as therapeutical choices: aorto-bifemoral, ilio-femoral and the femoro-femoral cross-over itself; in the latter case we previously perform a transluminal angioplasty or an endarterectomy of the donor iliac artery. In these situations is essential to evaluate of the benefit/risk rate for every single patient.     

The validity of basal blood glucose in the control of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients

BACKGROUND: To validate basal glucemia as a control method for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and to determine the cut-off point that best characterizes good control. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A transversal, observational study of 256 patients who participated in a diabetes mellitus follow-up program during 1993. In the study, glucemia validity indicators were evaluated after making 2 X 2 tables and ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves for the different values. Control values of glycated hemoglobin was used as to define a good (< 6.5%) and moderate (< 8%). RESULTS: The values of glucemia considered to be "good" as regards control (from 80 to 110 mg/dl, 4.4-6.05 mmol/dl) have good sensitivity (from 97.3% to 100%) and negative predictive values (from 85.7% to 100%) but extremely bad specificity (from 3.8% to 22.7%) and only moderate positive predictive values (from 59.5% to 64.1%) in reference to values of glycated hemoglobin of 6.5%. The same occurs for 8% as regards sensitivity (from 98.6% to 100%), negative predictive value (from 96.4% to 100%) and specificity from 2.1% to 14.5%). Positive predictive value worsens (from 27.8% to 30.3%). The most effective and most accurate values of glucemia in the ROC curves are 150 mg/dl (8.25 mmol/l) if the control of glycated hemoglobin is good, and 170 mg/dl (9.35 mmol/l) if it is moderate. CONCLUSIONS: The glucemia control figures recommended by consensus produce false positives when they are compared to glycated hemoglobin. In the analysis of effectiveness and ROC curves greater accuracy is obtained with glucemia values that are slightly higher than those recommended.     

分享求变创新——Mido2014展会报道

正3月1～3日,第44届Mido(米兰国际眼镜展)在意大利米兰Fiera Milano展馆如期举行。本届米兰展依然是6个展馆,但是为了更利于买家参观,组委会将传统的双展馆设计合为一个馆:空气流通性更好,展馆功能性更强,展览场地的利用也更充分。其中,汇聚了世界知名眼镜品牌的     

Fuzzy-trace theory and children's false memories

Fuzzy-trace theory's concepts of identity judgment, nonidentity judgment, and similarity judgment provide a unified account of the false-memory phenomena that have been most commonly studied in children: false-recognition effects and misinformation effects. False-recognition effects (elevated false-alarm rates for unpresented distractors that preserve the meanings of presented targets) are due to increased rates of similarity or false identity judgment about distractors or to decreased rates of nonidentity judgment. Misinformation effects (erroneous acceptance of misleading postevent information and erroneous rejection of actual events) are also due to variability in rates of similarity, identity, and nonidentity judgment. Two experimental paradigms are presented, one for false recognition (conjoint recognition) and one for misinformation (conjoint misinformation), that allow investigators to tease apart the contributions of these processes to children's false-memory reports. Each paradigm is implemented in a mathematical model that provides numerical estimates of the processes.     

p-Chlorotetrafluorophenyl esters of N-protected amino acids

p-Chlorotetrafluorophenyl (Tfc) esters of protected amino acids and peptides are more reactive than are the well known pentafluorophenyl (Pfp) esters. Two reagents, p-chlorotetrafluorophenyltrifluoroacetate (Tfc-OTfa) and di-(p-chlorotetrafluorophenyl)carbonate (di-Tfc-carbonate), can be used for their syntheses, thereby avoiding use of the allergic dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. This is especially important for bulk preparations. Many Fmoc- and Boc-amino acid-OTfc esters have been synthesized and characterized. The hexadecameric tandem repeat H-(AlaAlaLysPro)4-OH was synthesized using di-Tfc-carbonate for the preparation of Tfc-esters.     

The indications for operations on the penile veins in venogenic erectile impotence

Unsatisfactory results of surgical management of venous erectile failure are attributed to difficult selection of relevant patients. The operation is to be performed in patients with isolated distal venous outflow. The diagnosis of occult proximal or mixed outflow may be made at dynamic cavernosography with loading test on the device for stimulation of erection. After obtaining the erection and removal of the constriction ring, distal venous outflow is blocked, thus creating the conditions for detection of occult proximal venous outflow. Surgical treatment (ligation of the dorsal vein or its insertion under tunica albuginea) is indicated only for patients free of mixed venous outflow.     

Immunobiological properties of phospholipid antigens of Rickettsia prowazekii incorporated into rickettsial liposomal preparations]

We have reviewed our delivery of highly sophisticated medical therapy, haemodialysis and renal transplantation in a Caribbean setting. The purpose has been to reflect local outcomes in relation to mortality and survival, but comparisons with a vastly larger database have been attempted. Such comparisons are extremely difficult due to methodological differences and the fact that facilities contributing to that database vary considerably with regard to patient age, gender, ethnicity and comorbidity. Nonetheless, the crude data available provide important justification for the existence of regular haemodialysis and its adjunctive therapy of renal transplantation in the Caribbean.