BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals. Pages 49-52, v17n2, provided courtesy of Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center

Acoustic neurinomas: diagnosis and treatment

We present our experience with 83 patients with acoustic neurinomas (January 1988 to November 1996); 81 patients underwent surgery and 2 patients with intracanalicular neurinomas received conservative therapy due to their advanced age (1 case) and patient's option (1 case). The surgical approach was retrosigmoid/ trasmeatal and the goal was total removal in one procedure with preservation of facial and cochlear nerves. Radical removal of lesion was attempted in 79 cases and it was possible in 77 patients. Subtotal tumor resection was planned in 2 cases. Facial nerve function (grades 1 to III, House and Brackman) was preseved in 90% and hearing in 58% of those with preoperative hearing. Three patients died due to postoperative complications. Early diagnosis of acoustic neurinomas is the most important factor in the prognosis and is one of the most important conquest of neurophysiology and modern neuroimaging. The management of these patients still present many controversial points. This article presents the diagnostic procedures used for acoustic neurinomas, the advantages and disadvantages of the different surgical approaches and the alternative management of these lesions.Apresentamos nossa experiência no tratamento de 83 pacientes com neurinomas do acústico (Janeiro-1988 a Novembro-1996). Cirurgia foi realizada em 81 pacientes e tratamento conservador (idade avançada e escolha do paciente) em 2 casos de neurinomas intracanalicures. O objetivo da cirurgia foi ressecção radical com preservação dos nervos facial e coclear. Em 77 de 79 pacientes foi obtida remoção total. Em 2 casos foi proposta ressecção sub-total devido às más condições clínicas (1 paciente) e por tratar-se de neurofibromatose tipo 2 com lesão dos nervos facial e coclear do outro lado (1 paciente). Preservação do nervo facial (grau I a III, House e Brackman) foi possível em 90% dos casos com função facial pre-operatória normal. Dos 12 pacientes que apresentavam audição no pré-operatório, 7 mantiveram a audição. Ocorreram 3 óbitos no pós-operatório imediato. As vantagens e desvantagens dos acessos cirúrgicos mais utilizados na cirurgia do neurinoma do acústico são demonstradas. O fator mais importante no prognóstico desses pacientes é o diagnóstico precoce, possível com o desenvolvimento de novos métodos neurofisiológicos e neurorradiológicos. O tratamento no entanto pode apresentar algumas controvérsias, variando desde o simples acompanhamento clínico à remoção cirúrgica ou o uso de radiocirurgia

Whole Brain Size and General Mental Ability: A Review

We review the literature on the relation between whole brain size and general mental ability (GMA) both within and between species. Among humans, in 28 samples using brain imaging techniques, the mean brain size/GMA correlation is 0.40 (N = 1,389; p < 10−10); in 59 samples using external head size measures it is 0.20 (N = 63,405; p < 10−10). In 6 samples using the method of correlated vectors to distill g, the general factor of mental ability, the mean r is 0.63. We also describe the brain size/GMA correlations with age, socioeconomic position, sex, and ancestral population groups, which also provide information about brain–behavior relationships. Finally, we examine brain size and mental ability from an evolutionary and behavior genetic perspective

Expression of the protease gene HF as a marker in rejecting allogeneic murine heart transplants.

Phenotypic characterization of the inflammatory infiltrate often provides very little information about the fate of a transplant. Therefore we decided to look for functional markers, characteristic for activated effector cells involved in the rejection of primarily vascularized MHC-mismatched heart transplants in mice. Infiltrating cells in the interstitium of eventually rejected allogeneic heart transplants were found to express the gene for the serine esterase HF (granzyme A) in high numbers already on day 2 following transplantation, whereas HF mRNA positive cells were absent, or only rarely found, in syngeneic nonrejecting transplants throughout the entire observation period of 10 days after transplantation. These findings could also become of importance for the prediction of the outcome of organ transplants in humans

A high proportion of T lymphocytes that infiltrate H-2-incompatible heart allografts in vivo express genes encoding cytotoxic cell-specific serine proteases, but do not express the MEL-14-defined lymph node homing receptor.

The role of cytotoxic cells in in vivo immune functions such as allograft rejection is unknown. To begin to assess the function of cytolytic cells in vivo we have begun with cytolytic cell-specific functional molecules: we have isolated and characterized cytolytic cell-specific cDNA clones from cytolytic T cell clones, both encoding distinct serine esterases. The HF gene encodes a trypsin-like enzyme while the C11 gene encodes an enzyme with likely specificity for acidic residues. Here we demonstrate, using in situ hybridization with RNA probe, that both genes are expressed selectively in a subset of T lymphocytes that have infiltrated cardiac allografts. The phenotype of these cells is consistent with the most frequent phenotype of active CTL raised in vitro: they are predominantly CD4-, CD8+, MEL-14- T cell blasts. Thus the expression of these genes, each of which encodes serine esterase found in killer cell granules in vitro, is a valid marker for these cells in vivo as well. The kinetics of their accumulation is consistent with, but not proof of, a putative role in allograft rejection. It is likely that HF and C11 gene expression will be of diagnostic value

Advanced oxidation processes for degradation of pharmaceuticals used during COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted public health, the economy, and the environment worldwide. During the pandemic, high demand for prescribed pharmaceuticals to treat COVID-19 and other consequential illnesses was observed, including antiviral, corticosteroids, antidepressants, analgesics, and antibiotics. The excessive use of these pharmaceutical compounds provoked new concerns regarding their presence in water bodies. Although the concentrations of these compounds in water are in trace levels (e.g., ng L−1 in most cases), the scientific community has classified them as emerging contaminants of paramount importance. Wastewater and drinking water systems have been encouraged and, in some cases, required to remove these emerging contaminants. Among various treatment techniques, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are potential technologies to degrade and remove these contaminants. AOPs represents a broad group of treatment processes for oxidizing compounds that are typically resistant to conventional redox processes. In this chapter, the impact of COVID-19 on water systems is discussed to understand the current circumstances of associated pharmaceutical compounds. We explore the effectiveness of AOPs from the lens of removing these organic molecules. In addition, we provide an overview of the current methods for the detection and quantification of pharmaceutical compounds against COVID-19 in wastewater. The information presented in this chapter has the potential to help engineers, scientists, and public health professionals navigate how AOPs can be used for degradation of pharmaceuticals in water