Book Reviews

Counsel on Appeal Edited by Arthur A. Charpentier New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. Pp. xi, 223. reviewer: Richard G. Singer =================================== Law Without Sanctions By Michael Barkun New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1968. Pp. 175. $6.50 reviewer: Alfred H. Knight, II

Constitutional Law - Executive Powers - Use of Troops to Enforce Federal Laws

The recent use of federal troops in Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce the order of a federal district court requiring school integration has occasioned widespread controversy throughout the nation. It is the purpose of this comment to examine the constitutionality of such action and to consider its broader implications with respect to federal-state and congressional-executive relationships

Cancer Molecular Analysis Project: Weaving a rich cancer research tapestry

AbstractThe Cancer Molecular Analysis Project (CMAP) of the NCI is integrating diverse cancer research data to elucidate fundamental etiologic processes, enable development of novel therapeutic approaches, and facilitate the bridging of basic and clinical science

Hyperparathyroidism subsequent to radioactive iodine therapy for Graves\u27 disease

BACKGROUND: The development of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) after radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment for thyroid disease is poorly characterized. The current study is the largest reported cohort and assesses the disease characteristics of patients treated for PHPT with a history of RAI exposure. METHODS: A retrospective analysis comparing patients, with and without a history of RAI treatment, who underwent surgery for PHPT. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the 469 patients had a history of RAI treatment, all for Graves\u27 disease. Patients with a history of RAI exposure had similar disease characteristics compared to control; however, patients with a history of RAI treatment had a higher rate of recurrence (7.4% vs 1.2%, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: PHPT in patients with a history of RAI treatment can be approached in the same manner as RAI naive PHPT patients; however, the risk of recurrence of PHPT in RAI exposed patients may be higher

Studies on the spin-spin interaction between flavin and iron-sulfur cluster in an iron-sulfur flavoprotein

When the di- or trimethylamine dehydrogenases (trimethylamine:(acceptor) oxidoreductase (demethylating), EC 1.5.99.7) of certain methylotrophic bacteria are reduced by two electrons with substrate unusual EPR signals arise at g = 2 and g = 4 (Steenkamp, D.J. and Beinert, H. (1982) Biochem, J. 207, 233-239; 241-252) indicative of spin-spin interaction between the EMN and iron-sulfur compounds of these enzymes. An attempt is made to understand, describe and simulate these spectra in terms of a triplet state with possible contributions from both dipolar and anisotropic exchange (J) interactions. No direct measurement of J is available, but various approaches to setting limits to J are outlined. According to these, J [approximate] 0.4 to 3 cm-1 or 15 to 50 cm-1. The spectra show, in the g = 2 region, a pair of rather sharp inner and a pair of broad outer lines; the latter broaden as well as move out from the center with increasing time (after substrate addition) and substrate concentration, while there is little change of g = 4. The best fits to such a spectra were obtained by assuming distribution of D and E values, depending on substrate effects and arriving presumably from `g-strain'. The fact that both shapes and intensities at g = 2 and g = 4 could be reproduced simultaneously at two frequencies indicates that the assumptions underlying our approaches and interpretations are permissible and reasonable, although we cannot claim their uniqueness. The distance between the centers of the spin densities of the flavin radical and the Fe-S cluster is thought to lie between the limits 3 to 5 A if the asymmetries in the spin-spin interaction are magnetic dipole-dipole in origin. Because there is an indication that the interaction is anisotropic exchange, the upper limit is less stringent.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26294/1/0000379.pd

Intraoperative PTH Monitoring in Normohormonal Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Background: A subset of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism present with inappropriately normal PTH levels despite elevated serum calcium, called normohormonal primary hyperparathyroidism (NHPHP). This disease variant presents a clinical dilemma regarding intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) monitoring during parathyroidectomy when using the standard criteria of a ≥ 50% reduction in IOPTH from baseline to determine surgical success. This study aimed to determine what percent reduction in post-excision IOPTH from baseline in NHPHP patients would yield a high cure rate similar to that of classic primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods: This was a single surgeon, single institution retrospective cohort study of patients that underwent parathyroidectomy between July 2013 and February 2020. Demographic, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative metrics were collected. Patients with NHPHP were compared to those with classic primary hyperparathyroidism. Results: 496 patients were included in the study. 66 (13.3%) were of the normohormonal variant based on preoperative intact PTH levels and 28 (5.6%) based on baseline IOPTH levels. The cure rates in the normohormonal groups were not significantly different from their classic counterparts: 98.4% and 100.0% vs 97.1% and 97.1%, p = 1.000. The median percent decline in post-excision IOPTH from baseline that achieved cure in the normohormonal groups were 82.8% and 80.4% compared to their respective controls of 87.3% and 87.1%, p = 0.017 and p=0.001. Conclusion: A ≥ 75% decline in 15-minute post-excision IOPTH level from baseline can be used as a more stringent criterion for achieving high rates of cure in patients with NHPHP that undergo parathyroidectomy

Intra- and inter-pandemic variations of antiviral, antibiotics and decongestants in wastewater treatment plants and receiving rivers

The concentration of eleven antibiotics (trimethoprim, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, cefotaxime, doxycycline, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin), three decongestants (naphazoline, oxymetazoline, xylometazoline) and the antiviral drug oseltamivir’s active metabolite, oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), were measured weekly at 21 locations within the River Thames catchment in England during the month of November 2009, the autumnal peak of the influenza A[H1N1]pdm09 pandemic. The aim was to quantify the pharmaceutical response to the pandemic and compare this to drug use during the late pandemic (March 2010) and the inter-pandemic periods (May 2011). A large and small wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were sampled in November 2009 to understand the differential fate of the analytes in the two WWTPs prior to their entry in the receiving river and to estimate drug users using a wastewater epidemiology approach. Mean hourly OC concentrations in the small and large WWTP’s influent were 208 and 350 ng/L (max, 2070 and 550 ng/L, respectively). Erythromycin was the most concentrated antibiotic measured in Benson and Oxford WWTPs influent (max = 6,870 and 2,930 ng/L, respectively). Napthazoline and oxymetazoline were the most frequently detected and concentrated decongestant in the Benson WWTP influent (1650 and 67 ng/L) and effluent (696 and 307 ng/L), respectively, but were below detection in the Oxford WWTP. OC was found in 73% of November 2009’s weekly river samples (max = 193 ng/L), but only in 5% and 0% of the late- and inter-pandemic river samples, respectively. The mean river concentration of each antibiotic during the pandemic largely fell between 17–74 ng/L, with clarithromycin (max = 292 ng/L) and erythromycin (max = 448 ng/L) yielding the highest single measure. In general, the concentration and frequency of detecting antibiotics in the river increased during the pandemic. OC was uniquely well-suited for the wastewater epidemiology approach owing to its nature as a prodrug, recalcitrance and temporally- and spatially-resolved prescription statistics