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A 33-year-old alcoholic man presented with acute abdominal pain and hemorrhagic, high serum-ascitic albumin gradient ascites following an alcoholic binge, accompanied by hyperkalemia and azotemia. Spontaneous rupture of urinary bladder was diagnosed. The patient recovered uneventfully with conservative management.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell transplantation represents potential treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Because delivery of isolated cells can cause serious complications, it is necessary to develop a suitable transplant membrane that could support an intact functioning RPE monolayer. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) possesses the physical properties required for a transplanting device and is widely used clinically. We have investigated the use of PDMS as a potential surface for the growth of healthy RPE monolayers. PDMS discs were surface modified by air and ammonia gas plasma treatments. Dynamic contact angles were measured to determine the changes in wettability. Human ARPE-19 cells were seeded onto untreated and treated samples. Cell number, morphology and monolayer formation, cytotoxicity, and phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) were assessed at set time-points. Air plasma treatment increased the wettability of PDMS. This significantly enhanced cell growth, reaching confluence by day 7. Immunofluorescence revealed well-defined actin staining, monolayer formation, and high cell viability on air plasma treated and untreated surfaces, and to a lesser extent, on ammonia plasma treated. Furthermore, RPE monolayers were able to demonstrate phagocytosis of POS in a time-dependent manner similar to control. PDMS can support an intact functional monolayer of healthy differentiated RPE cells.

A case of Limb body wall complex is reported in a preterm, Low birth weight and stillborn neonate. The proposita had abdominal wall defect with evisceration of the organs into an amnio-peritonial sac, a short body stalk, torsion of spine with scoliosis and limb defects. Unusual associations present in this case were absent thymus, interstitial calcification in kidney and a history of exposure to birth control pills during first two months post-conception.

A vaccination coverage assessment survey regarding the U.I.P. vaccines, among 210 children aged 12-23 months and 210 mothers of infants was undertaken in Mangalore (urban) in February--March 1991, with the specific objectives of assessing the extent of achievement here of the U.I.P. objectives for the vaccine coverages, and identifying the reasons for immunization failures as well the sources of immunization. The sample population was selected by the standard WHO. 30 cluster sampling technique. A door-to-door survey was undertaken in the study population and the data was elicited by interview of mothers (and confirmed from vaccination cards or registers if available). The investigator inquired about DPT 3, OPV 3, one dose each of BCG and Measles vaccine and TT2/B for mothers. The coverages for the individual vaccines were observed as follows (and indicated in parentheses) DPT 3 (91.9%) OPV 3 (92.3%), BCG (91%), Measles vaccine (69.5%) and TT2/B for mothers (94.7%). The drop-out rates from first to third dose of both DPT and OPV were observed to be 2.5%. The major reasons for immunization failures were reported to be unawareness of need, illness of child, and fear of side reaction. Hospitals were availed of more than private sources for immunization services. The universal immunization coverage in Mangalore (urban) was found to be highly satisfactory.

The thermotropic phase behaviour and chain dynamics of the dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/myristic acid (1:2, mol/mol) mixture at pH 4.0 have been studied with 31P-NMR and spin-label ESR. Broadline proton-dipolar decoupled 31P-NMR spectra show that the system undergoes a transition from a lamellar phase to a non-lamellar phase at 47 degrees C. The 31P-NMR spectrum collapses, from a lamellar powder pattern with apparent chemical shift anisotropy delta sigma = -38 ppm below 47 degrees C, to an isotropic spectrum with superimposed hexagonal powder pattern of delta sigma = +13 ppm above 47 degrees C. With increasing temperature, the hexagonal component grows at the expense of the isotropic component, finally transforming to a single hexagonal phase at approximately 70 degrees C. The ESR spectra from both fatty acid and phosphatidylcholine probes spin-labelled in the hydrocarbon chain have been used to study the ordering and mobility of the lipid chains through the lamellar-non lamellar transition. An abrupt increase in the chain mobility observed at approx. 47 degrees C demonstrates that the lamellar-non lamellar phase transition coincides with chain melting. The apparent order parameter and polarity profiles, deduced from the ESR spectra of 11 different chain-labelled positional isomers, demonstrate flexibility and polarity gradients characteristic of a lyotropic liquid crystalline phase. The temperature dependence of the order parameters does not show any changes in the fluid phase, indicating that the conversion from the isotropic (cubic) phase to the inverted hexagonal phase is not accompanied by large changes in chain order. A comparison of the apparent order parameters and polarity profiles of the phosphatidylcholine and fatty acid spin labels indicates that the fatty acid spin labels are intercalated approximately one CH2 unit more deeply in the hydrocarbon region than are the positionally isomeric phosphatidylcholine spin labels.

Electron spin echo envelope modulation studies are performed on human hemoglobin cyanide, hemoglobin nitroxide and hemoglobin nitroxide + inositol hexaphosphate at neutral pH. The modulation data are Fourier transformed and are analyzed in the frequency domain. The frequency components observed from hemoglobin cyanide indicate modulation from the coordinated nitrogen N-1 of the proximal imidazole (His-F8). In the case of hemoglobin nitroxide, the binding of inositol hexaphosphate causes the nitrogen N-3 of the proximal imidazole to be protonated in some of the subunits. From a comparison with other studies on these derivatives of hemoglobin, these subunits are identified as the alpha-subunits.