SMJ // December 1977, Volume 70 - Issue 12
Editorial
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
Announcement
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Commentary
RUNNER'S HEMATURIA A NEW START
Commentary
Grossly Bloody Urine of Runners
ABSTRACTA study of 13 men with grossly bloody urine induced by running incriminated the urinary bladder neck or posterior urethra as the site of blood loss. Our evidence also showed that diet lacking in animal protein can play a causative role. The ailment seems to have no long-term sequelae and…
Commentary
Influence of Dosage and Duration of Therapy on the Rate of Response to Methyclothiazide in Essential Hypertension
ABSTRACTOne hundred twenty patients with essential hypertension were studied to determine whether patients who had not responded to the usual dose of a thiazide (methyclothiazide, 5 mg daily during a six-week drug trial) would respond to a higher dose (10 mg daily). The 14-week study was divided into three periods:…
Commentary
Surgical Treatment of Urethral Stricture
ABSTRACTWe reviewed 59 cases of urethral stricture disease treated at Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans from 1965 to 1975 to determine whether surgery was a feasible alternative to repeated urethral dilatations. Five different surgical procedures were done: internal urethrotomy, Johanson-Leadbetter, patch-graft, Turner-Warwick, and dismembered technics. Results of internal…
Commentary
Reconsideration of Orchiectomy in the Treatment of Advanced Prostatic Carcinoma
ABSTRACTThe results of a large randomized prospective clinical trial conducted by the Veterans Administration Cooperative Urological Research Group (VACURG) in 1968 are updated and reevaluated. In this study, placebo, diethylstilbestrol (DES, 5 mg/day), orchiectomy plus placebo, and orchiectomy plus DES were compared in patients whose conditions were initially diagnosed as…
Commentary
I mmunofluorescent Staining Technics in the Diagnosis of Alopecia
ABSTRACTA retrospective clinicopathologic and immunopathologic review of 50 cases of scalp alopecia was done to assess the diagnostic value of the immunofluorescent staining technic. Discoid lupus erythematosus and lichen planus almost always produce different patterns of immunoglobulin and complement deposition. However, in occasional cases of discoid lupus erythematosus the characteristic…
Commentary
Canine Kidney Preservation Comparison of “Intracellular,” “Extracellula,” and High Molecular Weight Dextran Flushing Solutions
ABSTRACTThe effects of modified Collins-2 solution, adjusted lactated Ringer's solution, and a solution containing dextran 70 on kidney preservation and red blood cell (RBC) washout in dogs were evaluated. Excised kidneys were stored on ice for 24 hours and then reimplanted, at which time the contralateral kidney was removed. RBC…
Commentary
Hemangiomas of the Striated Muscle
ABSTRACTPresented are three cases of hemangiomas of skeletal muscle in which the presenting symptom was pain. Examination revealed almost spot tenderness at the site of the tumor, but no masses were palpable. Treatment was excision. Results of surgery usually are good, although local recurrence can follow incomplete resection, as it…
Commentary
Interpretation of the Diagnostic Biochemical Profile
ABSTRACTInterpretation of the diagnostic biochemical profile has been assisted in some laboratories by simply listing on the chart paper the most common conditions causing increased and decreased concentrations of the substances measured, or by computer print-outs of a list of the most likely conditions causing the observed pattern. These are…
Commentary
Diagnostic Implications of Markedly Elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate A Reevaluation
ABSTRACTTo reevaluate the diagnostic significance of a markedly elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), the clinical diagnosis associated with an ESR of 100 mm/hr or greater was retrospectively analyzed in 200 patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In contrast to previously reported experiences in the American literature suggesting a high frequency…
Commentary
Home Dialysis Program of the Nashville VA Hospital
ABSTRACTSince 1965, 330 patients have received chronic dialysis treatment at the Nashville VA Hospital. Home hemodialysis training was established in 1968, and a unique class format has been used since 1970. Despite the national trend of fewer patients beginning home dialysis each year, more than 50% of our patients have…
Commentary
Failure of Single‐Session Dietary Counseling to Reduce Salt Intake in Hypertensive Patients
ABSTRACTTwelve ambulatory, stable, hypertensive patients were studied to determine the effect of a single, structured session of dietary counseling on daily sodium intake. The patients understood the material presented to them, as measured by testing six weeks after the original session, and they perceived themselves as having substantially reduced their…
Commentary
Salvage of Bovine Graft Arteriovenous Fistula for Hemodialysis
ABSTRACTThis report describes three patients with complications of bovine graft implanted for chronic dialysis. The three complications were surgically corrected so that each graft could be used again for hemodialysis access.
Commentary
Severe Adverse Reactions to Contrast Media A Simplified Means of Recognition and Treatment
ABSTRACTSevere adverse reactions to contrast media appear to fall into two major categories: (1) histamine response and (2) vagus response. Treatment of these major reactions is simplified once the cause is recognized. Pulse rate is a simple means of determining which effect is being observed, and appropriate treatment can be…
Commentary
Plasma Osmotic Changes During Major Abdominal Surgery
ABSTRACTFluid balance across the capillary membrane is maintained normally by a balance of hydrostatic and colloid osmotic pressures (COP). In 12 patients having major intraabdominal procedures, the COP was followed during the operative and immediate postoperative periods. The patients' intraoperative fluid management consisted of replacing shed blood with blood and…
Commentary
Nelson's Syndrome Case Report and Review of the Literature
ABSTRACTA patient who developed a pituitary tumor after adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease (Nelson's syndrome) is presented. The literature reviewed shows less than a 10% incidence of this disorder for which extremely elevated plasma ACTH levels are diagnostic. Special radiologic technics may be required to detect small pituitary tumors, but pituitary…
Commentary
Vessel Tortuosity as a Cause of Posterior Fossa Cranial Nerve Syndromes
ABSTRACTNeurologic syndromes may be caused by mechanical vascular compression of cranial nerves in the posterior fossa. The clinical expression is variable and can be divided into two main groups. Isolated cranial nerve involvement is most frequently associated with tortuous, elongated vertebral and basilar arteries as well as redundant loops of…
Current Concepts
Renal Medulla An Endocrine Organ Involved in Blood Pressure Regulation
ABSTRACTThe renal medulla is not often considered an endocrine organ, but recent evidence suggests that this part of the kidney may have important antihypertensive, endocrine functions. The antihypertensive factor (s) of the medulla have been localized to the interstitial cells and characterized as neutral and acidic lipids. The acidic lipids,…
