A microspectrophotometric study of Papanicolaou-stained cervical cells as an aid in computerized image processing

As part of a study of cytologic automation, microspectrophotometric investigation of Papanicolaou-stained cervical cells was performed, using a Leitz MPV-II scanning photometer connected to a PDP 8/F minicomputer. It was shown that the selection of one single wavelength may result in difficulties in detecting boundries between background and cytoplasm and/or between cytoplasm nucleus. A set of two wavelengths, 530 nm and 570 nm, were found to be optimal for the image processing of these cells.

Hearing loss as a sequel to chloramphenicol and ampicillin treatment of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis

20 patients with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis who had been treated with chloramphenicol over the period 1959-1970 and 23 patients who had been treated with ampicillin over the period 1968-1974 were re-examined by hearing tests in 1975. In all the cases the two agents had been given initially by the parenteral route, chloramphenicol in doses varying between 50 and 150 (averaging 101) mg/kg/day and ampicillin in doses varying between 125 and 350 (averaging 229) mg/kg/day. Five of the 20 patients in the chloramphenicol group were found to be deaf on one ear, whereas 1 of the 23 patients in the ampicillin group was completely deaf. A further 3 in the chloramphenicol group and 1 in the ampicillin group had slight sensorineural hearing loss on one ear. Only in 2 of the 6 deaf patients was the loss discovered during the time of hospital care. The present study has not provided any evidence supporting the recently reported observation (Gamstorp and Klockhoff, 1974) that the frequency of hearing loss might be higher after ampicillin than after chloramphenicol treatment for H. influenzae meningitis.

The effect of imidazole on the disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier in the rabbit eye

The aqueous flare (AF) of an intact rabbit eye was measured by a photoelectrical instrument and the intraocular pressure by vibration tonometry. Prior treatment with imidazole given intraperitoneally noticeably inhibited the disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier in rabbit eyes induced by topical prostaglandin E2 (PGE)2, topical arachidonic acid (AA), infrared irradiation of the iris, endotoxin of Proteus mirabilis given intravenously, and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) given subcutaneously. Prior treatment with imidazole given topically had no effect on the disruption of the blood aqueous barrier caused by topical PGE2, topical AA, infrared irradiation of the iris, or endotoxin of P. mirabilis given intravenously, but facilitated and potentiated strongly the response to alpha-MSH given subcutaneously. Prior treatment with topical imidazole did not affect the histological changes of the anterior ciliary processes induced by alpha-MSH given subcutaneously.

SCANCANS--an interactive scanning cell analysis system

This paper describes a computerized, general-purpose, interactive, scanning cell-analysis system developed at the Department of Clinical Cytology of the University Hospital in Uppsala. The system uses a Leitz MPV II scanning photometer, a PDP-8 computer with 24 k of core memory and a Tektronix 4010 graphic display terminal. A command interpreter and overlay structure which makes it simple to add new capabilities to the system is described. Some examples of command strings and the kind of operations the system can perform are included. Finally, the experience gained from using the system and some plans for future extensions are discussed.

Treatment of traumatic hyphaema

A series of 131 successive hospitalized cases of traumatic hyphaema after blunt injury of the eye were treated with complete bed-rest for 6 days and double eye-patching but without any topical medication. Seven patients (5.3%) had a secondary bleeding. The visual acuities of 115 patients were tested, and 105 regained their normal vision, i.e. 1.0 or over. These results are no better than those reported in series treated with moderate bed-rest for 3-4 days combined with topical administration of corticosteroids and mydriatics. The results indicate that our present treatment may be unnecessarily severe.

Facilitation by imidazole of the aqueous flare response to alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone

MSH, like traumata to the eye, cause a permeability disturbance in rabbits, with protein leakage into the aqueous. The MSH effect was enormously increased by instillation of imidazole or pilocarpine. The MSH effect seems to engage a different mechanism than the prostaglandin-dependent action of other agents.