LAPAROSCOPIC GASTROSTOMY: TOWARDS THE IDEAL TECHNIQUE

Background : Laparoscopic gastrostomy is the best option for long-term gastric intubation when percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is not possible. The ideal technique is yet to be defined. Methods : A technique of suturing the gastric wall to the posterior rectus sheath under direct vision has been developed. The method is simple and avoids the difficulties and potential complications described with other techniques. Results : The technique has been used in three cases with excellent results and no complications. Conclusion : The described technique is a further advance in defining the ‘ideal’ technique of laparoscopic gastrostomy.     

Alcohol as a Risk Factor for Brain Damage: Neurologic Aspects

Alcohol consumption in excess affects the brain negatively, both immediately and in the long-term. Brain lesions in alcohol abusers are multiple and are multifactorial in origin. The toxic effect of ethanol, withdrawal from alcohol, nutritional deficits, and electrolyte disturbances, as well as liver damage, may contribute to the ethiopathogenesis of brain injury. The susceptibility of the brain to the negative effects of alcohol may be influenced by sex and age. The role of genetic factors and interactions of several licit and illicit drugs with alcohol needs further investigation.     

An electrochemotherapy model for rat tongue carcinoma

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a new technique that enhances the antitumor effect of various anticancer agents by delivering high-voltage electrical impulses to the tumor. A rat squamous cell carcinoma and a hepatocellular carcinoma were transplanted into the tongues of rats and subjected to a) high-voltage electrical impulses 30 min after the injection of bleomycin, b) bleomycin treatment alone, and c) electrical treatment alone. A non-treated control group was also included. Following ECT, the tongue tumors were no longer visible from the 3rd day after treatment and histological examination revealed complete regression, whereas tumors that received either high-voltage impulses alone or bleomycin alone showed no detectable changes. The healing process following ECT progressed smoothly, including that of the normal tissue within the electrical field that was seriously damaged. ECT was shown to be an efficient therapy for treating tumors of the tongue, and it is expected to be suitable for the treatment of human oral cancers as soon as problems related to ECT damage of normal tissue are overcome.     

Effect of verapamil on renal haemodynamics in a portal hypertensive rat model

In order to investigate the effects of verapamil on renal haemodynamics in rats with portal hypertension, verapamil was given at either a low (0.2 mg/kg) or high (2 mg/kg) dose to rats after portal vein ligation. An approximate 12% decrease in mean arterial pressure followed administration of low dose verapamil, with a significant decrease in cardiac output and renal blood flow, as well as reduced portal pressure, observed; these signs were all indicative of a rise in renal vascular resistance. In contrast, the marked fall in both mean arterial pressure and cardiac output with high dose verapamil, accompanied by a significant decrease in portal pressure and no change in renal blood flow, suggests a reduction in renal vascular resistance. This study shows that the acute effects of verapamil on renal haemodynamics may vary with the dose used. Also, acute verapamil administration tends to decrease renal blood flow to alter the autoregulation of the kidney; thus, caution should be taken in the clinical use of verapamil in the treatment of cirrhosis with portal hypertension.     

Twin concordance for congenital and adult-onset psychosis: a preliminary study of the validity of a novel classification of schizophrenia

As a test of the hypothesis that the psychoses can be divided into congenital and adult-onset forms, we applied operational criteria for these two disorders to the case summaries of 24 monozygotic and 33 dizygotic schizophrenic twin pairs. Our results indicate that the reliability and validity of this novel classification are comparable with the best of the existing systems and support further investigation of the hypothesis.     

Length of Telomeric Repeats in Neuroblastoma: Correlation with Prognosis and Other Biological Characteristics

Telomeres are the physical ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. In view of reports of the reduction of telomeric repeats in human malignant tumors, we measured the lengths of telomeric repeats in 55 primary neuroblastomas. The average lengths of telomeric repeats in these tumors fell in a wide range (from 1.1 kb to more than 23 kb) relative to those in ganglioneuromas and normal peripheral mononuclear cells. The reduction of telomeric repeats was significantly correlated with advanced stages of tumor development, poor prognosis, and increased S-phase fractions in tumor cells. On the other hand, three cases of Stage IV-S tumors showed the reduction of telomeric repeats and low percentage of S-phase fractions. These Stage IV-S patients had a good prognosis with spontaneous regression of metastatic tumors.     

Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor Is Released from Receptor-bearing Cell Lines in vitro

Soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) was found to be spontaneously released from human myeloma cell line U266 cells into culture supernatant, and was quantitatively measured with a fluorescence sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employing antibodies specific to IL-6R. The supernatant IL-6R was generated only from IL-6R-positive cell lines; myeloma cell lines RPMI8226 and RPMI1788, and myelomonocytic cell lines U937, THP-1, and HL-60. In contrast, it was not released from the IL-6R-negative cells; T cell line MoIt-4 and Burkitt lympboma cell line Raji. SDS-PAGE analysis of the soluble IL-6R from U266 cells suggested a molecular weight of approximately 50-55 kDa, 25–30 kDa smaller than the mature cell surface receptor. These results suggest that the generation of soluble IL-6R may be a maker of myeloma cells and myelomonocytic cells.