The term "normal values" is seriously afflicted by sylleptic ambiguities and conceptual problems, and it is gradually being discarded from the lexicon of clinical chemistry. The neutral term "reference values" preferable on semantic and scientific grounds, and its use in clinical chemistry is rapidly gaining acceptance. The term "discrimination value" has been added to the lexicon of clinical c...

To the Editor:—We read with great scientific interest the study of Vuyk et al. reporting three cases in which volunteers receiving combinations of propofol and midazolam remained responsive to verbal command although the Bispectral Index (BIS) values were at, or just above, 40, the area considered to be associated with adequate hypnosis for surgery (BIS, 40–60). Vuyk et al. note that the electr...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP, i.e., blue-yellow) in normal volunteers and to review the current normal values provided by the manufacturer. METHODS 28 eyes of 28 normal subjects (age range 21-48 years, mean age 36.5 years) had SWAP (Octopus 101, two phases of program G2, Interzeag AG, Schlieren, Switzerland). All subjects had ...