Six patients underwent imaging studies to evaluate complications related to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In addition, computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis was performed on six patients 3-5 days after uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy in order to further clarify the normal postoperative CT appearance in these patients. Complications included ureteral laceration with periureteric hematoma and ureteroperitoneal fistula, hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm, hepatic laceration, retained common bile duct stone, bile leak, and biloma of the abdominal wall. At 3-5 days following uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy, typical CT findings include fluid density in the gallbladder fossa, a very small amount of pelvic fluid, and small densities within the subcutaneous fat at the expected sites of trocar insertion.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of mutagenic activity in human urine following fried pork or bacon meals.

Mutagenic activity has been demonstrated in urine of human subjects after ingestion of fried pork or bacon. Activity was detected with Salmonella strains TA1538 and TA98 particularly, in the presence of liver homogenate S9, and was not enhanced by prior incubation of urine with beta-glucuronidase. Chemical and biological characteristics of the urine activity closely resemble those found in extracts of fried pork and bacon which also increase the frequency of sex-linked recessive mutations in Drosophila melanogaster. Microwave-cooked meat neither contained extractable mutagenic activity, nor contributed to urinary mutagenicity, possible due to the paucity of browning reactions in meat cooked under these conditions. If the urine and meat factors are chemically identical, then approximately one-third of the food activity is recovered from the urine. These results show that mutagenic factors, generated during cooking of pork and bacon, are ingested and absorbed and are subject to urinary clearance in biologically detectable quantities. It is possible that the potential for genetic toxicity in humans of these and related factors has been underestimated.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Drug-like annotation and duplicate analysis of a 23-supplier chemical database totalling 2.7 million compounds.

We have implemented five drug-like filters, based on 1D and 2D molecular descriptors, and applied them to characterize the drug-like properties of commercially available chemical compounds. In addition to previously published filters (Lipinski and Veber), we implemented a filter for medicinal chemistry tractability based on lists of chemical features drawn up by a panel of medicinal chemists. A filter based on the modeling of aqueous solubility (>1 microM) was derived in-house, as well as another based on the modeling of Caco-2 passive membrane permeability (>10 nm/s). A library of 2.7 million compounds was collated from the 23 compound suppliers and analyzed with these filters, highlighting a tendency toward highly lipophilic compounds. The library contains 1.6 M unique structures, of which 37% (607,223) passed all five drug-like filters. None of the 23 suppliers provides all the members of the drug-like subset, emphasizing the benefit of considering compounds from various compound suppliers as a source of diversity for drug discovery.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation of Purkinje neuron depression and hypnotic effects of ethanol in inbred strains of rats.

The effect of locally applied ethanol on spontaneous discharge rates of cerebellar Purkinje neurons was compared in two inbred strains of rats which differ in their sensitivities to the acute hypnotic effects of this agent. Ethanol, applied locally to neurons by micropressure ejection with multibarrel micropipettes, was significantly more potent for reducing neuronal firing rates in Fischer 344 rats when compared to Brown Norway rats. The hypnotic effect of ethanol, measured by loss of righting reflex, lasted significantly longer in the Fischer 344 strain of rats. These results suggest that susceptibility to a behavioral effect of ethanol might correlate with an effect on firing rates of cerebellar Purkinje cells in rats. In mice, selective breeding has produced "long-sleep" and "short-sleep" strains of mice which differ not only in sensitivity to the hypnotic effect of ethanol, but also to the sensitivity of cerebellar Purkinje cells to depressant effects of this drug. Because electrophysiological investigations are in many ways easier to perform in rats than in mice, genetic differences in rats may provide an important means for analyzing central nervous system actions of acute ethanol administration.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Extrancranial occlusive vascular disease: does size matter?

A 47-year-old patient had lesser development of her left limbs and face, smaller left vascular structures, and severe occlusive disease of the left internal carotid, left subclavian, left vertebral and left iliac arteries. In 12 examples of occlusion of a carotid artery, 10/11 with unequal vascular luminal size had the occlusion on the smaller side. Of 20 patients with severe asymmetrical carotid stenosis, 13/17 with unequal size had more stenosis on the smaller side. These preliminary observations suggest that a small vessel may be more likely to occlude than its larger counterpart.

Angiography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fiber hypertrophy in rat extraocular muscle following lateral rectus resection.

Compensatory hypertrophy of muscle fibers occurs when tension on a skeletal muscle is increased. We looked for this phenomenon in response to strabismus surgery by performing a large right lateral rectus resection in 16 rats. Muscle fiber diameters of all horizontal rectus muscles were measured at 2-week postoperative intervals. Significant fiber hypertrophy occurred in both the antagonist right medial rectus and the resected right lateral rectus within 4 weeks. Fiber diameter subsequently returned to baseline in both muscles. We postulate that fiber hypertrophy in this setting may be a compensatory response to increased elastic load.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancing productivity with modular storage cabinets.

Several years before the advent of Medicare's prospective payment system and DRGs, which have caused many other hospitals to focus attention on cost reduction and central inventory control for the first time, St. Mary's had adopted central material management techniques. In recognizing that the cost of overhead materials cannot be passed along to the patients, the hospital took steps to keep these costs under control. Modular storage drawer cabinets are being used at the medical center to implement established policies because they proved to be more efficient than other material storage systems, including tote boxes, open shelving and wire-tray carts. As a capital equipment expenditure, the return-on-investment for these cabinets can be justified in terms of space savings estimated at 50% in the case of CSS. The flexibility, modularity and space efficiency of modular storage drawer cabinets meet St. Mary's desire to save time, energy and money.

Central Supply, Hospital↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Contracting for emergencies: the selling of emergency services in San Francisco.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

California↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The efficacy of professional ethics. The AMA code of ethics in historical and current perspective.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

American Medical Association↗