bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Politics and health: an emerging technology
Authors: Rosenzweig Robert M. 
Published: May 2009

✓ A political scientist examines the worlds of advanced medicine and the modern research university. Both elements are affected by the growth in the role of government. Central government had sharply limited powers early in this century, but by the middle third their powers were enlarged, particularly in the spheres of the economy and social welfare. The last third of the century will reveal what the governed want of the government. The scientific and technological aspects of World War II plunged the universities into the limelight as the main producers of vital knowledge and as objects of national policy. This power of knowledge expanded from national security to public health and welfare. Governmental patronage fostered basic medical research and revolution in biology. With advanced research there marched advanced training. America's leading research universities became stronger and flourished for a few decades, to be confronted suddenly by a shift in government priorities. Governmental fiscal support has dwindled while governmental regulation has increased.
The medical profession passed from an early position of opposing the role of government to a position in which it paid inadequate attention to the adverse consequences of the systems that were adopted. Physicians who practice in a variety of settings have a variety of interests which account for the division within the profession. In a political setting it is advantageous and more important to have a clear view of central common interests. The speaker's advice to his colleagues in education is applicable to medicine, to act now in a manner to serve as a model for a vision of a “plausible future.” The measure of success in the future depends upon the ability to preserve those values, practices, and habits of mind that account for our value to society. The primacy of scholarly judgments over political judgments is not always easy to achieve in dealings with governments.
Influence of stimulus location and limb position on motor responses in the comatose patient
Authors: Barolat-Romana Giancarlo , Larson Sanford J. 
Published: May 2009

✓ Motor responses to standardized stimuli were evaluated in 18 comatose patients with abnormal motor reactions. Painful stimuli were applied to three areas: the supraorbital, sternal, and medial aspects of the arm. Stimulations were carried out with the upper limbs first flexed and then extended. The initial position of the arm significantly influenced the posturing pattern. With the arm initially flexed there was a significantly higher percentage of abnormal flexor reactions, and the opposite occurred with the arm initially extended. Supraorbital stimulation yielded a significantly higher number of extensor responses. Arm stimulation, instead, caused a higher percentage of abnormal flexor reactions. When painful stimulation was applied to an arm initially flexed, the percentage of extensor responses was extremely low. Conversely, supraorbital stimulation with the arms extended yielded the highest percentage of extensor responses.
The study shows that, within the frame of abnormal motor responses, the same patient can exhibit different reactions according to the site of stimulation and initial position of the upper extremities. These patterns are fairly constant and should be borne in mind in the evaluation of comatose patients.
Human umbilical artery for microvascular grafting
Authors: Yeh Hwa-shain , Keller Jeffrey T. , Brackett Kim A. , Frank Edmund , Tew John M. 
Published: May 2009

✓ As microvascular surgery has developed, the necessity for smaller arterial prostheses of less than 2 mm in internal diameter (ID) has increased markedly. Glutaraldehyde-stabilized human umbilical arteries with 1.5 to 2.0 mm ID are smaller than any other graft material currently available. This study was designed to determine whether this graft material has potential clinical application for microanastomosis.
Twenty male albino rats, each weighing 400 to 500 gm, were used in this study. The abdominal aorta was exposed and a 3- to 4-mm segment was resected. A 10-mm interposition graft of glutaraldehyde-stabilized human umbilical artery was implanted by end-to-end anastomosis. The patency of the grafts was determined by repeated operative exploration at intervals of 1 week, and 1, 3, 9, and 12 months. Two grafts were found to be occluded each time at the 1-, 3-, and 9-month explorations. At each exploration time, five rats were sacrificed and histopathological studies conducted. All five remaining grafts were patent at 12 months.
There was no evidence of endothelial proliferation on the luminal surface of the patent grafts as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The luminal surface and underlying region consisted of an amorphous proteinaceous-like material. Significant degeneration of the vessel wall was noted in all grafts surviving over 9 months. Central necrosis surrounded by a chronic inflammatory process that extended to and included the adventitia was observed in the occluded grafts. While the patency demonstrated was good, the tissue changes noted in the walls of the grafts indicate that further study is necessary before this material can be used as a graft in humans.
Surgical reconstruction of the proximal vertebral artery
Authors: Diaz Fernando G. , Ausman James I. , de los Reyes Raul A. , Pearce Jeffrey , Shrontz Carl , Pak Hooshang , Turcotte Jean 
Published: May 2009

✓ The authors have reviewed their experience in the management of 55 patients admitted to Henry Ford Hospital with symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency and associated proximal vertebral artery stenosis or occlusion. In 48 patients, the symptoms occurred as multiple repeated events, five of which resulted in permanent deficits. The remaining seven patients had single events, four of which caused permanent deficit. These patients had been treated unsuccessfully with antiplatelet agents (37 cases) and with anticoagulant drugs (15 cases) before surgery. Most patients had multiple angiographic abnormalities, including bilateral vertebral stenosis in 19 cases, unilateral vertebral stenosis and contralateral occlusion in 18, unilateral vertebral hypoplasia and contralateral stenosis in 10, subclavian artery stenosis with steal in seven, and bilateral vertebral artery occlusion in one case. Posterior communicating arteries could not be demonstrated angiographically in 18 patients. Thirty-four patients had associated stenotic or occlusive lesions of the internal carotid artery. Forty-eight underwent a vertebral-to-carotid artery transposition. Of these, 18 had an associated carotid endarterectomy and seven had a vertebral artery endarterectomy immediately before the transposition. Two patients had saphenous vein grafts, one from the subclavian and one from the common carotid artery to the vertebral artery. Other surgical procedures included vertebral artery ligation in one case, transposition of the vertebral artery to the thyrocervical trunk in two cases and to the subclavian artery in one case, and endarterectomy of the origin of the vertebral artery in one case. All but two patients had complete resolution of their symptoms: one had persistent dizziness and the other had syncopal episodes. Complications included transient Horner's syndrome (30 cases) which became permanent in four cases, vocal cord paralysis (three cases), elevated hemidiaphragm without respiratory difficulty (two cases), and superficial wound infection (one case). There were no deaths.
Although the presentation of patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency is generally characteristic, we believe that a specific diagnosis can be established only by angiographic means. Anticoagulants have been used to alleviate symptoms in some cases but are ineffective in solving the primary hemodynamic problem. Surgical reconstruction of the affected area deserves further evaluation in the management of these patients.
Radiation-induced cerebral meningioma: a recognizable entity
Authors: Rubinstein Abraham B. , Shalit Mordechai N. , Cohen Mathias L. , Zandbank Uri , Reichenthal Eli 
Published: May 2009

✓ The authors retrospectively analyzed the clinical and histopathological findings in 201 patients with intracranial meningiomas operated on in the period 1978 to 1982. Forty-three of the patients (21.4%) had at some previous time received radiation treatment to their scalp, the majority for tinea capitis. The findings in these 43 irradiated patients were compared with those in the 158 non-irradiated patients. Several distinctive clinical and histological features were identified in the irradiated group, which suggest that radiation-induced meningiomas can be defined as a separate nosological subgroup.
The use of irradiation in large numbers of children with tinea capitis in the era prior to the availability of griseofulvin may be responsible for a significantly increased incidence of intracranial meningiomas.
Relationship between hemispheric cerebral blood flow, central conduction time, and clinical grade in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Rosenstein Jacob , Dah-Jium Wang Alexander , Symon Lindsay , Suzuki Mikio 
Published: May 2009

✓ The relationship between central conduction time (CCT) and hemispheric cerebral blood flow (CBF) has been examined in 20 patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage. A total of 63 combined CCT/CBF recordings were performed at various times throughout the hospital course of these patients, and the findings were correlated to clinical status. The initial-slope index of the CBF (CBFisi) was found to correlate well with clinical grade, and a gradation in flow was noted between the different neurological grades. Patients in Grades I and II (Hunt and Hess classification) had the highest flows (mean CBFisi = 47.2 ± 8.1); Grade III patients had intermediate flows (mean CBFisi = 39.6 ± 7.8); and Grade IV patients had the lowest flows (mean CBFisi = 32.0 ± 6.4).
While CCT tended to become increasingly prolonged with worsening grade, a significant difference could not be demonstrated between Grade I, II, and III patients. Only when Grade IV status was reached was the CCT significantly prolonged. When CBFisi and CCT were examined, a threshold relationship was noted between CBFisi and CCT prolongation. At flow values above 30, little change was noted in CCT, and CCT remained in the normal range. However, at flow values below 30, CCT became increasingly prolonged as blood flow diminished. The degree of CCT prolongation appeared to be directly proportional to the degree of blood flow diminution at flows below threshold.
Implications of nimodipine prophylaxis of cerebral vasospasm on anesthetic management during intracranial aneurysm clipping
Authors: Stullken Edward H. , Johnston William E. , Prough Donald S. , Balestrieri Francis J. , McWhorter Joe M. 
Published: May 2009

✓ Nimodipine, a calcium entry blocking agent similar in structure to nifedipine but with selective cerebrovascular dilating effects, has potential use in the therapy and prevention of cerebral vasospasm after intracranial hemorrhage. The authors summarize the effects of calcium entry blockers, review the pharmacology of nimodipine, and discuss both the known and possible interactions of oral nimodipine with physical and pharmacological interventions that neuroanesthesiologists employ for patients with cerebral vasospasm during craniotomy for aneurysm clipping.
In a series of 26 patients undergoing aneurysm clipping, the authors found that intraoperative blood pressure tended to be reduced by nimodipine. Although the number of patients was limited by the fact that they were enrolled in a multi-center nimodipine aneurysm study and thus had to meet the criteria for that study, it is concluded that prophylaxis of cerebral vasospasm with nimodipine in patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysm results only in a favorable tendency toward lower systemic blood pressure during craniotomy.
Clinical and histopathological characteristics of gonadotropin-producing pituitary adenomas
Authors: Miura Masaki , Matsukado Yasuhiko , Kodama Takafumi , Mihara Yohsuke 
Published: May 2009

✓ The clinical and histopathological characteristics in six cases of gonadotropin-producing adenoma are presented. Definitive diagnosis was made by the determination of gonadotropin levels in culture medium. Several authors have reported that gonadotropin-producing adenomas are very rare; however, hormonal assay of adenoma cell culture medium may indicate the real incidence of gonadotropin-producing adenomas to be greater than is thought. In reported cases, practically no endocrinological symptoms have been found suggesting increased gonadotropin levels, and basal values of plasma gonadotropins have been reported as only slightly over the normal range. Gonadotropin-producing adenomas may have been misdiagnosed as nonsecreting adenomas.
The clinical characteristics of gonadotropin-producing adenomas can be summarized as follows: 1) a tendency for more rapid growth than nonsecreting adenomas; 2) prominent suprasellar extension with marked enhancement on computerized tomography; and 3) diminished response of luteinizing hormone (LH) alone in response to LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) stimulation, and the ratio of peak follicle-stimulating hormone to peak LH in the LH-RH stimulation test is more frequently over 1:1 in cases of gonadotropin-producing adenoma than in cases of nonsecreting adenoma and craniopharyngioma. Immunoperoxidase staining revealed two kinds of adenoma cells, one intensely and the other faintly stained. Abundant mitochondria and few secretory granules were characteristic electron microscopic features. Oncocytic transformation of adenoma cells was suggested by immunoperoxidase staining and the electron microscopic appearance, and may suppress the elevation of circulating plasma gonadotropin levels. Thus, hormonal assay of adenoma cell culture medium and immunoperoxidase staining are essential for definitive diagnosis of gonadotropin-producing adenomas.
Electrical stimulation of the brain in treatment of chronic pain
Authors: Young Ronald F. , Kroening Richard , Fulton Wayne , Feldman Robert A. , Chambi Israel 
Published: May 2009

✓ Forty-eight patients underwent electrical stimulation of the brain for treatment of chronic pain between 1978 and 1983. Average pain duration prior to treatment was 4.5 years. Before selection for this procedure patients underwent pain treatment in a multidisciplinary pain center, intensive psychological and psychiatric evaluation, and assessment of pain responsiveness to intravenous administration of placebo, morphine, and naloxone. A total of 71 electrodes were placed in the 48 patients at a variety of stimulating targets, including the periaqueductal gray matter, periventricular gray matter, thalamus, and internal capsule.
Seventy-two percent of patients experienced complete or partial pain relief. In addition, 59% of patients were able to discontinue narcotic usage. Twenty-five percent of patients returned to normal physical activities and another 33% showed marked improvement in functional capacity. Follow-up periods ranged from 2 to 60 months; with a mean follow-up period of 20 months. A variety of relatively minor complications occurred, but no mortality or permanent sequelae were experienced. No patient's pain was made worse as a result of electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation of the brain offers a safe and relatively effective method for the treatment of chronic pain in appropriately selected patients, who are unresponsive to other forms of therapy.
Neurological manifestations of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): Experience at UCSF and review of the literature
Authors: Levy Robert M. , Bredesen Dale E. , Rosenblum Mark L. 
Published: May 2009

✓ In this review of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the authors have evaluated a total of 352 homosexual patients with AIDS or generalized lymphadenopathy managed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), between 1979 and 1984. Of an initial unselected group of 318 patients, 124 (39%) were neurologically symptomatic, and one-third already had their neurological complaints at the time of presentation. An additional 210 AIDS patients with neurological symptoms have been reported in the literature. Thus, a total of 366 neurologically symptomatic patients with AIDS or lymphadenopathy are reviewed.
Central nervous system (CNS) complications, encountered in 315 patients, included the following viral syndromes: subacute encephalitis (54), atypical aseptic meningitis (21), herpes simplex encephalitis (nine), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (six), viral myelitis (three), and varicella-zoster encephalitis (one). Non-viral infections were caused by Toxoplasma gondii (103), Cryptococcus neoformans (41), Candida albicans (six), Mycobacteria (six), Treponema pallidum (two), coccidioidomycosis (one), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (one), Aspergillus fumigatus (one), and Escherichia coli (one). Neoplasms included primary CNS lymphoma (15), systemic lymphoma with CNS involvement (12), and metastatic Kaposi's sarcoma (three). Cerebrovascular complications were seen in four patients with hemorrhage and five with infarction. Five patients in the UCSF series had multiple intracranial pathologies, including two cases of simultaneous Toxoplasma gondii infections and primary CNS lymphoma, two cases of coexistent Toxoplasma gondii and viral infections, and one case of combined Toxoplasma gondii and atypical mycobacterial infection.
Cranial or peripheral nerve complications, seen in 51 patients, included cranial nerve syndromes secondary to chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy (five), lymphoma (five), and Bell's palsy (five). Peripheral nerve syndromes included chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy (12), distal symmetrical neuropathy (13), herpes zoster radiculitis (six), persistent myalgias (two), myopathy (two), and polymyositis (one).
In light of the protean behavior of AIDS and the problems related to the clinical, radiological, and serological diagnosis of the unusual and varied associated nervous system diseases, patients with AIDS and neurological complaints require a rigorous and detailed evaluation. The authors' experience suggests that biopsy of all CNS space-occupying lesions should be performed for tissue diagnosis prior to the institution of other therapies.
Beagle puppy model of intraventricular hemorrhage
Authors: Ment Laura R. , Stewart William B. , Duncan Charles C. 
Published: May 2009

✓ Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) represents a major problem for preterm neonates and is thought to occur secondary to alterations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) to damaged germinal matrix tissues. Many investigators believe that both local CBF and changes in capillary morphology and permeability may be partially controlled by prostaglandins. To evaluate this hypothesis, the authors have studied the effects of superoxide dismutase (SOD), a known free-radical scavenger, on newborn beagle pups that were randomly assigned by computer to four groups consisting of either SOD- or saline-pretreated animals that underwent either insult by hemorrhagic hypotension/volume reexpansion or no insult. Prostaglandin levels were determined prior to and 60 minutes following the administration of the solutions, and carbon-14 iodoantipyrine autoradiography was performed for determination of CBF.
It was demonstrated that, although SOD significantly decreased the incidence of IVH in this model (p < 0.05), it caused no alterations in baseline CBF or prostaglandin levels. In addition, SOD did not prevent either the systemic blood pressure changes or the alterations in CBF found in response to a hemorrhagic hypotensive insult. The authors propose that neonatal IVH results from a combination of factors, one of which is prostaglandin-mediated alterations in CBF to a damaged capillary matrix.
Estrogen and progestin binding by cytosolic and nuclear fractions of human meningiomas
Authors: Martuza Robert L. , Miller Douglas C. , MacLaughlin David T. 
Published: May 2009

✓ Frozen tissue samples were obtained from meningiomas in 42 patients. Both cytosolic and nuclear fractions were tested for estradiol and progestin binding using equilibrium binding assays. The results were correlated with the age of the patient and the histological type and cellular density of the tumor.
Cytosolic estradiol binding was noted in 25 (60%) of 42 tumors, with eight (19%) of the 42 having levels over 10 femtomoles (fM)/mg protein. Nuclear estradiol binding was detected in 16 (57%) of 28 tumors, with six (21%) of the 28 having levels over 10 fM/mg protein. Cytosolic progestin binding was noted in 16 (73%) of 22 samples, with levels in nine (41%) of 22 being greater than 10 fM/mg protein. There was no correlation between the level of cytoplasmic progestin binding and either the level of cytoplasmic estradiol binding or the level of nuclear estradiol binding. In several specimens, levels of cytoplasmic progestin binding in excess of 100 fM/mg protein were found in tissues demonstrating little or no estradiol binding by either the nucleus or the cytosol. This discrepancy differs from the situation found in other hormonally responsive tissues such as breast or uterus, and suggests either a possible derangement of the normal cellular hormonal control mechanism or that the measured hormone binder is a molecule other than a classical hormone receptor.
Biomechanical and hydrodynamic characterization of the hydrocephalic infant
Authors: Shapiro Kenneth , Fried Arno , Marmarou Anthony 
Published: May 2009

✓ The pressure-volume index (PVI) technique of bolus manipulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was used to measure neural axis volume-buffering capacity and resistance to the absorption of CSF in 16 hydrocephalic infants prior to shunting.
The mean steady-state intracranial pressure (ICP) was 11.7 ± 5.7 mm Hg (± standard deviation (SD)), representing a modest elevation of ICP in infants. The mean measured PVI was 28.1 ± 1.5 ml (± standard error of the mean (SEM)) compared to the predicted normal level for these infants of 12.1 ± 2.7 ml (± SD) (p < 0.001). This resulted from an enhanced volume storage capacity in the hydrocephalic infants. The PVI was not related to ventricular size in these hydrocephalic infants. Although absorption of the additional bolus of fluid did not occur at steady-state ICP, it was readily absorbed once ICP was raised above a mean threshold pressure of 16.0 ± 5.0 mm Hg (± SD) in 13 of the 16 infants. Above this pressure, the mean CSF absorption resistance was 7.2 ± 1.3 mm Hg/ml/min (± SEM) which is twice the normal values as measured by the bolus injection technique.
The biomechanical profile of infantile hydrocephalus described in this study indicates that two factors are required for progression of ventricular volume. While an absorptive defect may initiate the hydrocephalic process, progressive volume storage requires an alteration in the mechanical properties of the intracranial compartment.