Control of cancer pain by epidural infusion of morphine.

Pain that cannot be controlled by traditional oral and parenteral methods in those patients with advanced cancer can be alleviated by spinal administration of narcotics. Epidural and intrathecal infusion with morphine causes analgesia by blocking spinal receptors without significant long-term central nervous, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary system effects. Of the total of 33 patients, epidural catheters inserted in 20 patients then connected by a subcutaneous tunnel to a continuous infusion system. Implanted pumps were used in each of these patients. Because of the cost and limitations of the implanted pumps, epidural catheters were connected, either directly or by subcutaneous reservoirs, to external ambulatory infusion pumps in the remaining 13 patients. Patient assessment by a linear analogue scale to measure pain levels determined that 23 of the 33 total patients (70%) had excellent or good relief of pain. The delivery of spinal administration of narcotics to treat intractable cancer pain in patients is safe. Most importantly, this method of delivery can be used in community hospitals, in outpatient settings, and in home health care programs.

A case report of malignant mesenchymoma with discussion of musculoskeletal tumor staging: the Enneking system.

A 54-year-old black man presented with a soft-tissue sarcoma of the left anterior thigh. Surgical staging studies and initial biopsy results identified the lesion as a grade IIB pleomorphic liposarcoma. After radical hip disarticulation, follow up pathologic studies of the disarticulated limb showed the tumor to be confined to the anterior compartment of the left thigh without extracompartmental extension. The post-excisional surgical pathology report identified at least four different malignant mesenchymal elements: liposarcoma, myosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and extraosseous osteogenic sarcoma. The sarcoma was therefore reclassified as a malignant mesenchymoma. The fact that the tumor was found to be intracompartmental at the time of surgery changed the staging of the tumor to stage IIA. A radical surgical margin, as recommended by Enneking, remained the treatment of choice. Three months postoperatively, the patient had chest pain and dyspnea. Chest films revealed multiple pulmonary nodules and the patient died of pneumonia 3 months later.

Melittin-silica, a high-pressure affinity chromatography resin for calmodulin.

Calmodulin binds the peptide melittin with nanomolar affinity in the presence of Ca2+ but not in its absence. Melittin was coupled to glycidyloxypropyl-silica and used for the high-performance affinity chromatography of calmodulin. Calmodulin was retained by the resin in Ca2+-containing buffers and eluted in Ca2+-free buffers. Columns prepared from resin coupled to melittin in a batch procedure gave superior performance to those prepared under flow. Column capacity was 1.6 mg calmodulin/g resin for resins containing 1.4 mg melittin/g. Melittin-silica selectivity bound calmodulin and did not bind similar proteins such as troponin C or parvalbumin, however, other results suggest that at least one non-calmodulin protein in brain may also bind to the resin. Chromatography of crude pea plant extracts yielded homogeneous calmodulin. By modifying the standard elution protocol and/or using post-column reaction with o-phthalaldehyde, detection of less than 50 ng calmodulin in 7 min total analysis time was demonstrated. The column was used to investigate hormone- and light-induced changes in the calmodulin levels in pea plants.

Isolated posterior shoulder dislocation in a child. A case report.

Posterior dislocations of the shoulder are rare, and even rarer in children. The outcome depends on early recognition and treatment if normal shoulder function is to be obtained.

Oyster herpes-type virus.

A herpes-type virus infection, the first to be found in an invertebrate animal, is reported in the oyster Crassostrea virginica. Intranuclear herpes-type viral inclusions were more prevalent in the oyster at elevated water temperatures of 28 degrees to 30 degrees C than at normal ambient temperatures of 18 degrees to 20 degrees C. The inclusions were associated with a lethal disease at the elevated temperatures.

Effects of cycle length on performance on a temporally defined avoidance schedule.

Three rats were trained on a temporally defined avoidance schedule logically similar to a fixed-interval, limited-hold positive reinforcement schedule. This avoidance schedule was composed of time periods during which responses had no scheduled consequences alternating with time periods during which a response precluded shock. As with fixed-interval length and response rate on positive reinforcement schedules, an inverse relationship was obtained between the length of the no-consequence interval and response rate during the no-consequence interval. An inverse relationship was also obtained between the length of the no-consequence interval and the per cent of shocks avoided. A rate increase within the no-consequence interval, similar to that typically produced by fixed-interval positive reinforcement procedures, was displayed by one of the rats where the no-consequence interval was at intermediate values and frequency of shock was relatively high. The introduction of a discriminative stimulus correlated with the avoidance interval produced typical discriminated avoidance behavior as well as alterations in temporal patterning of responses during the no-consequence interval in the two rats exposed to this procedure. These alterations in temporal patterning disappeared when the discriminative stimulus was removed. The results were consonant with those reported in the literature involving food reinforcement and fixed-interval, limited-hold schedules.