shukoor65/lab-rag-model huggingface dataset:
Hydroxyethyl starch macromolecule and superoxide dismutase effects on myocardial reperfusion injury. Myocardial reperfusion injury may be due to biophysical changes (e.g., endothelial cell junctional separations), as well as biochemical mechanisms (e.g., oxygen free radical activity). Superoxide dismutase (SOD), a free radical scavenger, may be effective in reducing chemical injury. Fractions of hydroxyethyl starch (HES-Pz), a large macromolecule, have been shown to decrease microvascular permeability associated with reperfusion-induced biophysical alterations. A comparison of SOD to HES-Pz was performed using a canine model of 1-hour left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) clamping followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. Amounts of the test solution equal to 10% of the dog's blood volume were administered intraatrially to the animals just before release of the LAD clamp. Six dogs received Ringer's lactate, 7 were given 600,000 IU of SOD, 13 received 6% HES-Pz, and 9 were given SOD and HES-Pz. The ratio of infarct to area at risk was 20 +/- 3% in the control dogs receiving Ringer's lactate, 16 +/- 4% in animals receiving SOD alone (p = NS), 6 +/- 3% in dogs receiving HES-Pz alone (p less than 0.05), and 8 +/- 3% in dogs given a combination of SOD and HES-Pz (p less than 0.05). HES-Pz alone and with SOD significantly reduced reperfusion injury, although addition of SOD to HES-Pz did not have an additive effect. Appropriate-sized macromolecules may act by reducing ischemia-induced microvascular permeability.
Epidemiology of subarachnoid hemorrhage in Finland from 1983 to 1985. The age-standardized incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage was 33/100,000/yr among Finnish men and 25/100,000/yr among Finnish women. Subarachnoid hemorrhage represented 11% of all strokes detected during 1983-1985 in the community-based stroke register in three areas of Finland. Age-standardized mortality from subarachnoid hemorrhage was 18/100,000/yr among men and 12/100,000/yr among women aged 25-74 years, representing in men 22% and in women 23% of all deaths from stroke in the register. The case-fatality rate of subarachnoid hemorrhage was high: 35% among men and 33% among women within 2 days after the onset of the stroke attack and 48% in men and 46% in women at 1 month. Our findings suggest that the incidence and mortality of subarachnoid hemorrhage in Finland are among the highest worldwide, although differences in criteria, study methods, and classification procedures reduce the comparability of studies from different countries. The occurrence of subarachnoid hemorrhage in our present study is also higher than that previously reported in this country. We believe that this is more likely due to changes in diagnostic classification and improvements in detection of the disease than to a real increase in the morbidity and mortality of subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Neural network analysis of serial cardiac enzyme data. A clinical application of artificial machine intelligence. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the study and application of computerized neural networks within the broad field of artificial intelligence. These "intelligent machines" are modeled after biological nervous systems and are fundamentally different from the many computerized expert systems that previously have been introduced as clinical decision-making aids. The authors describe a neural network designed and trained to predict the probability of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on the analysis of paired sets of cardiac enzymes. The neural network predicted 24 of 24 (100%) AMIs and 27 of 29 (93%) No-AMIs when compared with a pathologist's interpretation of the patient's laboratory data (P less than 0.000001). The authors attempted to validate the network's diagnoses by two independent methods. When compared with echocardiogram and EKG for diagnosis of AMI, the neural network agreed with the cardiologist's interpretation in 12 of 14 (86%) AMIs and 1 of 3 (33%) No-AMIs, but the correlation was not statistically significant. Using autopsy outcome for validation, the neural network agreed with the anatomic evidence in 24 of 26 (92%) AMIs and 4 of 6 (67%) No-AMIs (P = 0.001). The authors conclude that neural networks can be successfully applied to the analysis of cardiac enzyme data and suggest that broader applications exist within the domain of clinical decision support.
Beneficial effects of isovolemic hemodilution using a perfluorocarbon emulsion in a stroke model. In a clinically applicable cat stroke model, 16 purpose-bred adult animals were used to evaluate the beneficial effects of two treatment regimens: isovolemic hemodilution with either a perfluorocarbon emulsion or dextran 40 (a glucose polymer). Animals that received these treatment regimens were then compared with a control group of untreated animals. Focal cerebral infarctions were produced by transorbital ligation of the left middle cerebral artery. The randomly allocated treatment arms of the study were instituted 3 hours after ligation of the middle cerebral artery, thereby simulating a human clinical situation. In vivo mitochondrial metabolic activity of the peri-infarct cerebral tissue was continually assessed by means of a multiwavelength near-infrared spectrophotometer. This allowed measurement of cellular oxygenation at the cytochrome aa3 level, the terminal member of the cytochrome chain. Sequential proton-based magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure intracerebral water in vivo. Cardiac output, oxygen consumption/delivery, chemical, histologic, and rheologic parameters were also assessed. The data collected were analyzed by group means and standard statistical analyses, which revealed that the group treated with the perfluorocarbon emulsion had both less brain edema in the early post-infarct period (p less than 0.05), as well as a higher level of oxidation of cytochrome aa3 (p less than or equal to 0.025). This evidence supports the premise that isovolemic hemodilution with an oxygen-carrying hemodiluent may be beneficial in the treatment of ischemic strokes.
Evolution of endoscopic urethropexy: seven-year experience with various techniques. The surgical techniques for correction of stress urinary incontinence continues to evolve particularly those utilizing the endoscopic approach. Various forms of endoscopic urethropexy have been performed in 142 women with a minimum of one-year follow-up. The cure rate for the entire series was 94 percent. In the last two years the no-incision technique was used whenever feasible (31 patients) with an identical cure rate of 94 percent. Varying degrees of urinary retention occurred in 58 percent and was even more prevalent following the no-incision technique (68%). Owing to the high incidence of urinary retention a punch suprapubic cystostomy is now used in most patients. We conclude that endoscopic urethropexy is an effective means of correcting stress urinary incontinence. The no-incision technique is associated with even less morbidity and a reduction in hospital stay without compromising the outcome.
Rasmussen encephalitis: epilepsia partialis continua secondary to chronic encephalitis. Rasmussen encephalitis is a disease consisting of chronic encephalitis with progressive neurologic deficits and focal intractable seizure activity. The etiology is unknown, but pathologic specimens revealed changes consistent with viral encephalitis. Even though neuro-imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, offer the prospect of specific, presurgical diagnostic criteria, the initial diagnosis usually is made on a clinical basis. Treatment modalities, including a wide variety of antiepileptic drug therapies and surgical interventions, may result in significant physical and mental impairments. We summarize the clinical presentation, diagnostic considerations, and different treatment protocols in a patient with this rare and debilitating disorder.
Chronic inflammation is associated with an increased proportion of goblet cells recovered by bronchial lavage. To evaluate the possibility that bronchoalveolar lavage could provide sufficient respiratory epithelial cells to quantify changes in epithelial cell types associated with chronic inflammation, we examined the epithelial cells obtained in the first infused (20 ml) aliquots that were processed separately from later aliquots, a process known to enrich for bronchial contents. Epithelial cells, including ciliated cells, goblet cells, and fragments of desquamated epithelium, were easily identified after preparation by cytocentrifugation and staining with a modified Giemsa stain. Quantification of the columnar cell types revealed that those with chronic bronchitis and asymptomatic smokers have increased goblet cells as a percentage of the total columnar epithelial cells (chronic bronchitics 36 +/- 2 percent, asymptomatic smokers 22 +/- 2 percent) compared with normal subjects (9 +/- 1 percent, p less than 0.001, ANOVA). Significantly, the goblet cell percentage was strongly correlated with other measures of bronchitis and measures of airflow obstruction such as the bronchitis index, a visually derived score at bronchoscopy of airway inflammation (r = 0.72, p less than 0.001), the percent neutrophils in the first infused aliquots (r = 0.44, p less than 0.05), and the FEV1 percent (r = -0.74, p less than 0.001). Thus, bronchoalveolar lavage is capable of providing sufficient bronchial epithelial cells for analysis, and the changes seen in the spectrum of columnar epithelial cells may reflect important underlying pathologic changes.
Oromandibular reconstruction using microvascular composite free flaps. Report of 71 cases and a new classification scheme for bony, soft-tissue, and neurologic defects. We describe 71 cases of oromandibular reconstruction using microvascular composite free flaps. There was an overall flap success rate of 94%, while 97% of the patients in this series had their mandibles reconstructed with free vascularized bone flaps. Fifteen patients were rehabilitated with implant-borne dental prostheses. Primary repair of discontinuity defects of the inferior-alveolar nerve using a variety of nerve grafts was performed in 16 patients. A new classification scheme for composite defects of the oral cavity involving bone, soft tissue, and neurologic defects is proposed and applied in the description of each of the patients in this series.
Osteomyelitis: characteristics and pitfalls of diagnosis with MR imaging. Prospective and retrospective magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (0.35-T) interpretations were compared with final diagnoses in 110 patients suspected to have osteomyelitis. Diagnostic criteria of dark marrow on T1-weighted images and bright marrow on short-tau inversion-recovery images yielded a prospective sensitivity of 98% and a prospective specificity of 75%. Sixty percent of uncomplicated septic joint effusions demonstrated abnormal marrow signal intensity that was mistaken for osteomyelitis. Retrospective review revealed that overall specificity could be improved to 82% without loss of sensitivity if increased marrow signal intensity on T2-weighted images were included as an additional criterion. Specificity may be further increased by use of knowledge of morphologic patterns that distinguish various forms of osteomyelitis. Ten patients (9%) had potential pitfall diagnoses (eg, fracture, infarction, healed infection) that mimic osteomyelitis. MR imaging can be sensitive and specific for osteomyelitis if characteristic appearances and pitfall diagnoses are incorporated into the diagnostic criteria.
Genetic linkage of autosomal recessive canine narcolepsy with a mu immunoglobulin heavy-chain switch-like segment. Identification of genes determining narcolepsy susceptibility is important not only for understanding that disorder but also for possible clues to general sleep-control mechanisms. Studies in humans reveal at least one such gene related to the major histocompatibility complex and in dog an as-yet-unmapped single, autosomal recessive gene canarc-1. Gene markers for canarc-1 were therefore sought by DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms in our colony of narcoleptic dogs. A human mu-switch immunoglobulin probe and the enzyme Hae III identified a gene cosegregating with canarc-1 in backcrossed animals (logarithm of odds scores: m = 24, Z max = 7.2 at theta = 0%). canarc-1 was also shown not to be tightly linked with the dog major histocompatibility complex (m = 40, Z less than -2 at theta less than 4.8%). These results represent the mapping of a non-major histocompatibility complex narcolepsy gene and strongly suggest involvement of the immune system in the pathophysiology of that disease.
Aortic-ventricular tunnel in a neonate: diagnosis and management based on cross sectional and colour Doppler ultrasonography. A five day old symptom free neonate was referred for assessment of a to and fro murmur associated with large volume pulses. Cross sectional echocardiography and colour flow mapping confirmed the diagnosis of an aortic-ventricular tunnel with forward flow into the aorta and regurgitant flow into the ventricle through both the tunnel and the dilated aortic valve ring. Surgical correction by patch closure of the aortic end of the tunnel was successfully undertaken two weeks later without any additional investigations. Postoperative echocardiography and colour flow imaging showed no aortic regurgitation and normal left ventricular dimensions and function.
Relationships between requests for psychiatric consultations and psychiatric diagnoses in long-term-care facilities. OBJECTIVE: The authors' objective was to investigate reasons for referral of elderly nursing home residents for psychiatric consultation and the relationship of these reasons for referral to psychiatric diagnoses. METHOD: They examined 197 nursing home residents consecutively referred to a consulting team in a university-affiliated mental health center. These patients represented all patients evaluated by the consulting team at six nursing homes over a 2-year period (Sept. 1, 1984, through Aug. 30, 1986). RESULTS: Reasons for referral were diverse but fell into seven broad clusters: behavioral problems; mood-related problems; consultations requested by involuntary treatment services, patients, physicians, or other referring agencies; psychotic features; physical signs; impaired activities of daily living; and other. Behavioral problems were most commonly cited and tended to be associated with dementia diagnoses. Mood-related reasons for referral were most strongly associated with diagnoses of affective disorders, and diagnoses of schizophrenia and adjustment disorder were each associated with two or more reasons for referral. However, reasons for referral were distributed widely across diagnostic groups and were relatively weak predictors of diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrate the variety of problems for which nursing home staff are willing to seek psychiatric consultation but emphasize the need for professional psychiatric evaluation to establish a diagnostic base on which treatment interventions can be built.
A simple sore throat? Retropharyngeal emphysema secondary to free-basing cocaine. A case of retropharyngeal emphysema associated with drug abuse is presented. Although chest symptoms of pneumomediastinum have been widely reported with substance abuse, pain localized to the neck is rarely described. In the present case, localized dysphagia was the only complaint, and no free air could be demonstrated within the thorax. For uncomplicated cervical emphysema or pneumomediastinum due to substance abuse, extensive workup may be unnecessary, and conservative therapy, including administration of 100% oxygen and observation is recommended if resolution is prompt.
Preliminary report: activation of the cerebellum in essential tremor [published erratum appears in Lancet 1990 Nov 24;336(8726):1330] Several images of cerebral blood flow were recorded during inhalation of carbon-15-labelled carbon dioxide by positron emission tomography in four patients with essential tremor and four normal controls. Unilateral involuntary postural tremor in essential tremor patients was associated with blood flow significantly greater than that at rest in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex, both lateral premotor regions, and both cerebellar hemispheres. Of these regions, only the cerebellum was not activated in normal controls holding a posture without tremor or in essential tremor patients undergoing passive wrist movement. The increased flow in the cerebellum therefore seems to represent neural activity involved in tremor generation. It is proposed that essential tremor is due to oscillation within cerebello-olivary pathways, relayed by way of the thalamus and motor cortex to the spinal cord.
Therapeutic administration of fibronectin: current uses and potential applications. Fibronectins are a class of multifunctional glycoproteins that exist in soluble and insoluble forms. These glycoproteins are found in nearly all body fluids and in tissue extracellular matrices. Alterations in the normal synthesis, release, and distribution of fibronectins are characteristic features of certain human pathophysiologic conditions. The therapeutic administration of plasma fibronectin to human patients with defects in corneal wound healing and critically ill adult patients with multisystem organ failure appears clinically beneficial, although confirmation is needed from additional trials in progress. In vitro data suggest a role for fibronectin in enhancing (directly and indirectly) the function of phagocytes isolated from the blood of newborn infants. Although as yet untested, it is possible that fibronectin administration to the immunologically immature human neonate may improve host defenses and reduce the risk of nosocomial infection. Additional research is needed to define the factors that regulate the synthesis, isoform expression, and clearance of endogenous fibronectins during normal fetal and neonatal development. Continued research to define the role of endogenous fibronectins in augmenting the inflammatory response of the neonatal host is also required before rational immunotherapeutic interventions can be initiated.
Organ doses received by atomic bomb survivors during radiological examinations at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. When evaluating the risks of oncogenesis and cancer mortality following exposure to the radiations of the atomic bombs (A-bombs), the medical X-ray doses received by the A-bomb survivors must also be estimated and considered. Using a human phantom, dosimetry was performed to estimate the X-ray doses received by A-bomb survivors during medical examinations at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) as part of the long-term follow-up on the Adult Health Study (AHS). These examinations have been estimated to represent nearly 45% of the survivors' cumulative medical irradiation dose. Doses to the salivary glands, thyroid gland, lung, breast, stomach and colon were measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters. The results, which are reported here, will aid in estimating organ doses received by individual AHS participants.
Platelet dysfunction in Noonan's syndrome. A case with a platelet cyclooxygenase-like deficiency and chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Individuals with Noonan's syndrome are likely to have one or more coagulation abnormalities: complex platelet function defects, partial Factor XI deficiency, or von Willebrand's disease. A distinctive platelet function defect has not been identified. The authors describe a 24-year-old women with Noonan's syndrome, chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), and a platelet function defect characterized by a greater than 15-minute bleeding time, failure of aggregation and release with 10 microM ADP, 10 microM epinephrine, 750 microM arachidonic acid or 0.019 g/L collagen. A mixture of aspirin-treated platelets with the patient's platelets failed to correct the defect. Addition of 2.5 microM U46619 (a PGG2 analogue) corrected the aggregation and release defect. An electron microscopic analysis failed to reveal structural abnormalities. Thus, the platelet function defect in this patient appears to be a functional deficiency of cyclooxygenase. The presence of autoantiplatelet antibodies in a clinical setting consistent with chronic ITP raises the possibility that the defect may be acquired.
Dehydration syndromes. Oral rehydration and fluid replacement. Dehydration caused by diarrhea remains a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Dehydration is a common clinical presentation seen by most physicians. Clinical diagnosis depends on the recognition of signs and symptoms as well as change in weight. Laboratory studies are helpful in categorizing the dehydration as isotonic, hyponatremic, or hypernatremic, which is necessary to plan appropriate therapy. In many situations, oral rehydration therapy is possible and desirable. Intravenous rehydration remains the standard of care for children with severe dehydration and shock.
Frequency of inflammatory bowel disease in offspring of couples both presenting with inflammatory bowel disease. A private practice was surveyed for prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in husband-wife partners and in their children. Among approximately 2500 patients with IBD in our files, 19 couples were identified. They were subdivided into group A (n = 5) in which both partners had symptoms of IBD before marriage; group B (n = 7) in which only one spouse had IBD before marriage and the other partner experienced symptoms afterwards; and group C (n = 7) in which neither spouse had symptoms before marriage but IBD subsequently developed in both. In group B, the disease developed in the second spouse 2-16 years after marriage (mean, 6.4 years). In group C, IBD developed in the first spouse 0.3-41 years after marriage and in the second spouse 1-14 years after the first spouse (mean, 6.8 years). Thirty-five children have been born to 16 of the couples. Two children died before age 20. Of the surviving 33 children, IBD has already developed in 12 (36%). Among the other 21 unaffected children, 1 had uveitis at age 9 and 10 are still under the age of 21, perhaps too young to have yet developed IBD. The frequency of IBD in children was slightly higher if both parents had already developed IBD at the time of conception (67%) compared with when only 1 parent (50%) or neither parent (50%) had developed IBD when conception occurred. Although these data do not distinguish genetic from environmental factors, they show a higher risk of IBD in children when both parents have this illness.
Use of aspiration cytology and frozen section examination for management of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Between January 1980 and December 1988, 161 patients underwent thyroidectomy with intraoperative frozen section consultation after fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of a thyroid nodule. The FNA were insufficient in 15 instances (9%) and in error in 39 (24%). In 15 cases, the incorrect aspiration diagnosis could have led to excessive surgery and in ten cases to delayed therapy if it had been the only guide for therapy. The diagnosis was deferred to permanent section analysis in 30 (19%) frozen sections. Twenty-two errors (14% of cases) were made in the interpretation of frozen section material, and in an additional 15 patients (9%), the diagnosis suggested (but deferred at frozen section) was in error. In one patient, this error could have led to more extensive surgery than necessary; in 21 patients, the frozen section error could have led to undertreatment. When frozen section results were combined with those of FNA, no therapeutically important false-positive diagnoses were made. In five patients, the combination of both FNA and frozen section results would not have identified a carcinoma which, in three cases, was a small occult papillary carcinoma not found in the index nodule.