Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S A LeBolt.
Enteroliths are an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction. We report two patients in whom this occurred. Conditions causing stasis predispose formation of enteroliths, which may be either radiopaque or radiolucent. They have a characteristic appearance on plain radiographs and on contrast examinations. Early recognition is helpful in preventing complications.
A retrospective study of the efficacy of local low-dose intraarterial streptokinase for the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusion was performed in 60 cases. The results of treatment of occlusion of native arterial and arterial graft occlusions were compared. Twenty-two (73%) of 30 cases of arterial occlusion showed complete or partial angiographic resolution, compared with 16 (53%) of 30 cases of arterial graft occlusion. Ten (71%) of 14 patients with venous arterial grafts were successfully treated vs only six (38%) of 16 patients with prosthetic arterial grafts. These results suggest that streptokinase is an effective fibrinolytic agent for the treatment of arterial occlusion and arterial graft occlusion. Its effectiveness in arterial graft obstruction is comparatively low, although patients with venous grafts respond much more favorably than those with synthetic conduits.
Dilatation of stenotic esophageal lesions containing diverticula has not been previously addressed in the literature. We report a case of successful dilatation. With increased intraluminal pressures, there is an increased risk of esophageal rupture in this situation. We suggest that dilatation can be safely done in this situation, and we recommend the use of a Gruntzig balloon catheter because of its unique properties.
Systemic lupus erythematosus characteristically afflicts women of reproductive age, yet the explanation for this feature is unknown. This hospital-based, case-control study of 109 incident cases of systemic lupus erythematosus and 109 randomly selected controls was conducted to search for risk factors related to reproduction. Women who were 34 years of age and younger had a crude risk of systemic lupus erythematosus 3.6 times that of older women, and women who were of minority races had a crude risk 4.8 times that of white women (P less than 0.001). Prior hysterectomy or tubal sterilization had a significant protective effect (odds ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.31 to 0.99). Endometriosis was associated with a twofold increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus, although this was not statistically significant. The latter two findings are consistent with the hypothesis that retrograde menstruation may be an inciting factor for systemic lupus erythematosus in susceptible women.
Radiological and serological tests are valuable tools commonly used in diagnosing amebic liver abscess. The limitations in sensitivity and specificity of the various imaging procedures should be recognized in order to avoid misinterpretation of test results. Serodiagnostic methods present potential pitfalls primarily because of their frequent inability to differentiate previous disease from active infection, and must therefore be interpreted carefully.
Critics have challenged previous comparisons of mortality from legal abortion and childbirth for contrasting population groups with different clinical characteristics. They allege that most women dying from abortion were young, white, and healthy, while those dying from childbirth had serious underlying conditions. To address this question, we calculated standardized abortion and childbirth mortality rates between 1972 and 1978. We also adjusted independently for preexisting medical conditions. These adjustments for demographic and health differences between the two populations actually widened the difference in the mortality risk between abortion and childbirth. Thus, between 1972 and 1978, women were about seven times more likely to die from childbirth than from legal abortion, with the gap increasing in the more recent years.
Six-week-old, 6-month-old, and 2-year-old female rats of the Wistar strain were implanted with decalcified bone powder prepared from rats of the same strain. An encapsulated deposit of cartilage and bone formed. The deposits were removed at intervals and studied histologically and after administration of 45Ca. Intramembranous bone formed in 14 days in the 6-week-old animals, but was not seen until the 23rd day in the 2-year-old rats. This implant system may provide a model for the study of the mechanisms for the decline of osteogenesis, or the low bone formation rate which occurs with aging.