Subject(s)
Agriculture/methods , Geographic Information Systems , Rain , Tropical Climate , Zea mays/growth & development , Seasons , Time Factors , ZimbabweABSTRACT
During a 3-day period, eight patients developed septicemia with Burkholderia cepacia. Heparin injection was found to be a risk factor. Heparin was diluted with dextrose solution, which was aspirated from a 1-L bag. B cepacia, genotypically identical to the blood isolates, was isolated from this bag.
Subject(s)
Bacteremia/microbiology , Burkholderia Infections/microbiology , Burkholderia cepacia , Cross Infection/microbiology , Disease Outbreaks , Cardiac Catheterization , Cardiology Service, Hospital , Drug Contamination , Glucose , Hospitals, University , Humans , Infection Control , Risk Factors , SolutionsABSTRACT
It is widely believed that preload does not influence isometric relaxation and left ventricular pressure fall. Preload, however, alters cross-bridge interaction and intracellular Ca2+ handling. We therefore evaluated the effects of preload reduction on peak length-tension relation and on physiologically sequences isometric force decline. 1) Acute preload reduction resulted in a shift to the left of the peak length-tension relation, an earlier onset of force decline, and an increased rate of initial force decline. 2) Prolonged preload reduction was compared with acute preload reduction and resulted in an unchanged peak length-tension relation, a delayed onset of force decline, and a decreased initial rate of force decline. 3) Prolonged preload reduction was compared with baseline and resulted in a shift to the left of the peak length-tension relation, without predictable effects on timing or rate of force decline. Our hypothesis is that the findings reflected both changes in troponin C affinity for Ca2+ and altered Ca2+ reuptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Contraction , Papillary Muscles/physiology , Animals , Cats , Electric Stimulation , In Vitro Techniques , Isometric Contraction , Systole , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Diagnosis of idiopathic isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism was made in a 22-year-old female patient referred for primary amenorrhoea. It was considered a separate entity from Kallmann's syndrome, because it was not accompanied by anosmia or other specific pleiotropic features. On the other hand, the patient showed severe hypodontia and an intermittent Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. To our knowledge, this association has never been reported before. This unusual phenotype points to a nonrandom association. However, no information in the literature is available to consider a new single gene defect or a contiguous gene syndrome.
Subject(s)
Anodontia/complications , Gonadotropins, Pituitary/deficiency , Hypogonadism/complications , Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome/complications , Adult , Female , Humans , Hypogonadism/physiopathologyABSTRACT
During a 1-year period, neuroleptic drug utilization was assessed in nonpsychiatric departments of a Dutch university hospital in defined daily doses (DDD), DDD per 100 patients and per 100 bed days. Substantial divergence was found among the nonpsychiatric departments with respect to the quantity as well as the types of neuroleptic used, but there was no relationship between psychiatric consultations and neuroleptic use. In semistructured interviews, the senior consultant at each department stated that neuroleptics were used not only for the treatment of behavior disorders but also for nonpsychiatric indications, such as pain, nausea, and hiccups. In addition, specific neuroleptics were considered to be appropriate for the treatment of specific indications, but the doses anticipated to be effective were in many cases well below the DDDs. It is concluded that substantial quantities of neuroleptics are prescribed for nonpsychiatric use. This is remarkable, because very little is known about nonpsychiatric indications and the effects of neuroleptics, including the unwanted side effects, in patients who are somatically ill.
Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Drug Prescriptions/statistics & numerical data , Patient Care Team/statistics & numerical data , Antipsychotic Agents/adverse effects , Drug Utilization/trends , Hospitals, University , Humans , Medicine/statistics & numerical data , Netherlands/epidemiology , SpecializationABSTRACT
A group of 14 patients with isolated visual hallucinations who met the criteria proposed by Gold and Rabins for Charles Bonnet syndrome (with the exception of the criterion "hallucinations are stereotyped") underwent psychiatric, neurologic, and ophthalmologic tests. Additional common characteristics of the hallucinations included the absence of personal meaning of the content of the hallucinations and the disappearance of the hallucinations when the patients closed their eyes. There was no evidence for a relationship of the syndrome to psychiatric disorders. In the majority of cases, ocular pathology and neurologic disturbances were diagnosed. There was also evidence that most patients were suffering from social isolation. From these data it is concluded that a combination of factors is probably responsible for the Charles Bonnet syndrome.
