Computed tomography of primary aortocaval fistula.

Spontaneous aortocaval fistula is a rare but documented complication of arteriosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm. Most cases reported have presented clinically with a palpable aneurysm, abdominal bruit, and high output congestive heart failure. A diagnosis in such cases requires active demonstration of findings secondary to arteriovenous shunting, which can be optimized utilizing proper CT bolus technique and dynamic scanning. We describe several CT findings--all of which may be typical for and support the diagnosis of this potentially lethal complication of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Keyboard interface of a speech synthesiser for the physically handicapped.

This paper presents an evaluation of different keyboard display coding schemes for the operation of a speech synthesizer by children with cerebral palsy. The synthesizer uses 128 function keys to access 393 words and 45 phonemes. Most keys activate four different words or phrases, requiring the user to search for the desired word and to select the correct positional level prior to pressing the key. This process was quite slow with the existing machine due to the design of the keyboard display. A study was conducted in which five cerebral palsied subjects operated the device using four additional keyboard overlays representing different combinations of colour coding and lettering case. The time was measured for subjects to key in 10-word sequences. It was determined that one overlay using a colour and position redundant coding scheme with upper-case lettering resulted in a saving of more than 20 s/word compared with the original display.

Multiple lung cavities in a 12-year-old girl with bubonic plague, sepsis, and secondary pneumonia.

After one week of nonspecific symptoms, pneumonia and an extremely tender and enlarged cervical lymph node developed in a 12-year-old girl who lived in an area of New Mexico known to have plague-infected rodents. Cultures from an aspirate of the node, her sputum, and blood all showed growth of Yersinia pestis. She was treated successfully with aminoglycosides and tetracycline. As the pneumonia resolved, areas of consolidation were replaced by cavitary lesions.

Tc-99m PYP scanning following low voltage electrical injury.

An adolescent boy sustained low voltage electrical injury to his extremities when he inadvertently touched a low tension (440 volts) wire with a metal tube. Early in his hospital course, he was evaluated with Tc-99m pyrophosphate whole body scanning for the extent of his injuries. The scintigraphic findings correlated well with his subsequent clinical course.

Dissection of gas into an intraspinal synovial cyst from contiguous vacuum facet.

Intraspinal synovial cysts probably originate from herniation of synovium through a weakened facet joint capsule. The computed tomographic (CT) findings of such lesions were recently reported. An additional characteristic is gas within the cyst as demonstrated by CT. We postulate the source to be an adjacent diseased facet joint with a vacuum cleft with consequent dissection of gas into the cyst.

Relationship between (8-14C)adenosine transport and growth inhibition in Neurospora crassa strain ad-8.

The kinetic parameters of [8-(14)C]adenosine transport by a general nucleoside uptake system were studied in germinated conidia of the ad 8 strain of Neurospora crassa. The apparent K(m) for adenosine uptake by this system was found to be 6.2 muM. The apparent K(i) values for other nucleosides competing with adenosine for uptake were measured by using Dixon plots. Nucleosides which were efficient competitive inhibitors of adenosine transport were found to inhibit severely the rate of growth of strain ad-8 on adenosine-supplemented medium. Xanthosine and thymidine did not inhibit [8-(14)C]adenosine uptake as severely as other nucleosides, nor did they cause significant inhibition of ad-8 growth rate on adenosine.

Trichobezoar: An Unusual Case of Perforated Gastric Ulcer.

A brief review of the medical literature on trichobezoar is presented, followed by a case report of the successful surgical management of a case of trichobezoar of the stomach presenting as a perforated gastric ulcer.