Effect of intraocular irrigating solutions on the viability of cultured retinal vascular endothelial cells.

PURPOSE: To compare the abilities of balanced salt solution, BSS Plus and Hartmann's lactated Ringer's (HLR) solution to maintain the viability of retinal vascular endothelial cells (RVEC) in vitro. METHODS: Cultured retinal vascular endothelial cells were suspended in each irrigating solution for four hours. Viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion at 30 minute intervals. Regression analysis was used to determine the rate of viability loss. Additional studies were performed to determine the effectiveness of lactate in maintaining cell viability. RESULTS: Retinal vascular endothelial cells lost viability at a greater rate (p < 0.001) in BSS (8.7%/hr) compared with BSS Plus (3.3%/hr). Cells in Hartmann's lactated Ringer's lost viability at a significantly lower rate (4.4%/hr) than retinal vascular endothelial cells in lactate-free Hartmann's lactated Ringer's solution (8.4%/hr). Lactate was as effective as glucose in preserving RVEC viability. By comparison, the viability of corneal endothelial cells was not effectively maintained by lactate. For these cells, BSS Plus was clearly superior to Hartmann's lactated Ringer's solution in maintaining viability. CONCLUSIONS: BSS Plus and Hartmann's lactated Ringer's solution are both superior to balanced salt solution in maintaining retinal vascular endothelial cell viability. For retinal vascular endothelial cells, Hartmann's lactated Ringer's solution preserves cell viability as well as BSS Plus, since the retinal vascular endothelial cells, unlike corneal endothelial cells, can apparently utilize lactate as an energy source.

Lactation curves for first lactation Egyptian buffalo.

First lactation records of 1538 buffalo maintained at the Animal Production Research Institute farms in 1967 to 1990 were used to determine lactation curves for three lactation lengths: > 28 and < 150 d, > 149 d, and > or = 308 d, as well as all records. Daily milk yields were summed by 14-d intervals for analyses. Yields peaked at the first, fifth, sixth, and seventh periods for > 28 and < 150 d, > 149 d, > or = 308 d, and all records. Herd-year-season significantly affected milk yield in all periods. Persistency for all records and three groupings (> 28 d, > 149 d, and > or = 308 d in milk) was highest for the > or = 308-d group (1.02 vs. .85 for > 149 d, .57 for > 28 d, and .47 for all records). Herd-year-season of calving significantly affected persistency in all records and the three subset groupings. Persistency was higher for buffalo calving in spring and summer for all records, records > 28 d, and records > 149 d but in summer and autumn for the > or = 308 d, the correlation coefficient between persistency and milk yield (r = .06) was not significant but was negative with season of calving (r =-.11).

[Jejunogastric intussusception. Apropos of a case]. / L'invagination jéjuno-gastrique. A propos d'un cas.

Jejunogastric intussusception is a rare complication after gastric surgery. The authors report a case of acute jejunogastric intussusception diagnosed in a 57-year-old woman, 22 years after vagotomy and gastroenterostomy for duodenal ulcer. There are three types of jejunogastric intussusception: 1) the acute type, presenting as a surgical emergency, and characterized by a sudden onset of cramp-like epigastric pain, followed by nausea and vomiting, with a palpable epigastric mass. 2) the chronic recurrent type, which may progress to the acute type of may result in severe disability, and may require corrective surgery depending on the severity of the symptoms. 3) the acute post-operative type, presenting on the 4th or 5th post-operative day, and usually improving with conservative treatment.

Coronary arteriography in a district general hospital: feasibility, safety, and diagnostic accuracy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility, safety, and diagnostic accuracy of coronary arteriography in the radiology department of a district general hospital using conventional fluoroscopy and videotape recording. DESIGN: Observational study of the feasibility and safety of coronary arteriography in a district general hospital and analysis of its diagnostic accuracy by prospective within patient comparison of the video recordings with cinearteriograms obtained in a catheter laboratory. SETTING: Radiology department of a district general hospital and the catheter laboratory of a cardiological referral centre. SUBJECTS: 50 Patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with streptokinase who underwent coronary arteriography in a district general hospital three (two to five) days after admission. 45 Of these patients had repeat coronary arteriography after four (three to seven) days in the catheter laboratory of a cardiological referral centre. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of complications associated with catheterisation and the sensitivity and specificity of video recordings in the district general hospital (judged by two experienced observers) for identifying the location and severity of coronary stenoses. RESULTS: Coronary arteriograms recorded on videotape in the district general hospital were obtained in 47 cases and apart from one episode of ventricular fibrilation (treated successfully by cardioversion) there were no complications of the procedure. 45 Patients were transferred for investigation in the catheter laboratory, providing 45 paired coronary arteriograms recorded on videotape and cine film. The specificity of the video recordings for identifying the location and severity of coronary stenoses was over 90%. Sensitivity, however, was lower and for one observer fell below 40% for lesions in the circumflex artery. A cardiothoracic surgeon judged that only nine of the 47 video recordings were adequate for assessing revascularisation requirements. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary arteriography in the radiology department of a district general hospital is safe and feasible. Nevertheless, the quality of image with conventional fluoroscopy and video film is inadequate and will need to be improved before coronary arteriography in this setting can be recommended.

Lesions of the patellar ligament.

We report 18 cases of pain and tenderness in the mid-part of the patellar ligament in athletes. The condition may be disabling, but it responds to surgery. Ultrasound and CT scans were positive in all 17 confirmed cases, but ultrasound gave a better distinction between the cysts, granulation tissue, metaplasia, mucoid degeneration and congenital defects found at operation.

[Jejunogastric intussusception. Apropos of a case]. / L'invagination jéjuno-gastrique. A propos d'un cas.

Jejunogastric intussusception is a rare complication after gastric surgery. The authors report a case of acute jejunogastric intussusception diagnosed in a 57-year-old woman, 22 years after vagotomy and gastroenterostomy for duodenal ulcer. There are three types of jejunogastric intussusception: 1) the acute type, presenting as a surgical emergency, and characterized by a sudden onset of cramp-like epigastric pain, followed by nausea and vomiting, with a palpable epigastric mass. 2) the chronic recurrent type, which may progress to the acute type of may result in severe disability, and may require corrective surgery depending on the severity of the symptoms. 3) the acute post-operative type, presenting on the 4th or 5th post-operative day, and usually improving with conservative treatment.

Computed tomography and ultrasound imaging of jumper's knee-patellar tendinitis.

We present nine cases of this relatively unreported condition affecting the patellar ligament in athletes. A comparison between ultrasound and computed tomography of this lesion, shows that whilst neither modality gives false positives, ultrasound is capable of greater distinction between the histological abnormalities confirmed at surgery.

Serum 5-nucleotidase in some rachitic and jaundiced Egyptian children.

5-Nucleotidase (5-Nase) was determined in the serum of 67 Egyptian Children: 15 cases as a control group, 10 cases with infantile rickets, 8 cases with the so-called physiological jaundice of the newborn, 4 cases with rhesus incompatibility, and 30 cases with infective hepatits. In rachitic cases and in cases with icterus neonatorum, 5-Nase was not increased, while in cases with infective hepatitis it showed a statistically significant elevation when compared with the control group.

Histopathology and histochemistry of the kidney in marasmic Egyptian children.

Percutaneous renal biopsy was done in 15 infants and children with third degree marasmus and in five normal controls. All the cases were free from infection. Histopathological changes as shown in sections stained with hematoxylin and cosin include patchy areas of colloid degeneration and thickening of the walls of some blood vessels in 10 out of 15 marasmic cases. Some proximal convoluted tubules appeared small or atrophic, others are somewhat dilated with decreased thickness of their walls, while others showed necrotic changes. The distal convoluted tubules in the medulla appeared vacuolated and distorted. The activity of the enzyme succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) is markedly inhibited especially in the distal convoluted tubules in all the patients studied.