Meningitis

The most frequent pathogens causing bacterial meningitis in Germany are Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Borrelia burgdorferi, Listeria monocytogenes and staphylococci. Since immunization against Haemophilus influenzae has become a routine vaccination procedure, this pathogen no longer plays a significant role in the etiology of bacterial meningitis. A number of pilot studies have indicated that selected PCR methods most probably represent the future etiological diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. The easiest and most rapid diagnostic method is, however, still a simple gram stain preparation. In fatal cases that ran a peracute course, especially in the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, only increased congestion of the surface of the brain is detectable at autopsy. In such cases, there is hardly any histological evidence of an inflammatory reaction of the leptomeninges. In cases of purulent meningitis, in addition to the typical infiltration of the subarachnoid space with abundant granulocytes, after some days of illness there is a wide-spread histomorphological picture of pathological alterations with fibrinoid vessel wall necroses, thromboses, ventriculitis, infarctions as well as venous and arterial vasculitis. The breakdown of the integrity of the blood-brain-barrier in bacterial meningitis is obviously due to a separation of intercellular tight junctions of the endothelium of the capillaries of the leptomeninges. The cause of death in meningitis, depending on the severity and duration of a concomitant sepsis, is an increase in intracranial pressure that leads to a circulus vitiosus (via a reduced central perfusion associated with metabolic acidosis) with cerebral vasodilatation. This is followed by an additional rise of intracranial pressure and finally a reduced cerebral blood supply and central dysregulation. The medico-legal expert is occasionally confronted with this topic against the background of a possible misjudgement of the disease due to insufficient diagnostics or delayed diagnosis and in the light of a posttraumatic or nosocomial origin of the illness.     

Clinical Application and Histological Examination of the FAMI Screw for Skeletal Anchorage—a Pilot Study*

Maximum anchorage often presents a problem that is difficult to solve during orthodontic tooth movement. Stationary, skeletal anchorage can be achieved in a simple, minimally-invasive manner, and unwanted tooth movements in opposite directions can be prevented by using transmucosally-inserted bone screws.Our initial experience using the FAMI screw as an orthodontic micro-implant proved to be clinically and histologically successful.     

Sonographische Messung der Fruchtwassermenge

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Intersexualität

Zusammenfassung Intersexualität bezeichnet eine seltene Störung der somatosexuellen Differenzierung mit einer Inzidenz von etwa 2 pro 10.000 Geburten pro Jahr in Deutschland. Dahinter verbergen sich verschiedene Diagnosen einer vermehrten Virilisierung bei 46,XX-Karyotyp oder deutlich verminderter Virilisierung bei 46,XY-Karyotyp. Manchmal werden diese Störungen erst während der Pubertätsentwicklung entdeckt. Dann ist eine rasche Diagnostik zur Prognosestellung notwendig. Bei allen Jugendlichen mit Intersexualität muss das Management während der Pubertät viele Aspekte von der psychosexuellen Begleitung bis hin zur medizinischen Behandlung mit Hormonsubstitution oder Therapie und der Beratung hinsichtlich chirurgischer Maßnahmen enthalten.     

Role of pylorus in mediating cholecystokinin-stimulated satiety in the Zucker rat

Obese Zucker rats are less responsive than their lean littermates to the effects of cholecystokinin-octapeptide on satiety and pancreatic growth and exocrine function. We hypothesized that the hyperphagia observed in obese Zucker rats may be caused by a decreased pyloric contractile response to cholecystokinin, resulting in an increased rate of gastric emptying, decreased postprandial gastric distention, and thus decreased satiety. Pyloric muscle strips from six obese Zucker rats and six lean littermates were mounted in separate tissue baths and isometric contraction was measured in response to acetylcholine and cholecystokinin-octapeptide. The dose-response curves for acetylcholine-and cholecystokinin-octapeptide-stimulated pyloric muscle contraction were similar for both the obese and the lean rats. (For cholecystokinin, D₅₀ obese=4.0±0.6 nM, D₅₀ lean=3.4±0.2 nM;P=0.16). We conclude that the decreased satiety response to cholecystokinin-octapeptide observed in obese Zucker rats is not secondary to a decreased pyloric responsiveness to cholecystokinin.This work was supported by NIH grant AM28303-03.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa als Erreger opportunistischer Infektionen

Zusammenfassung Pseudomonas aeruginosa ist ein ubiquitär vorkommender Mikroorganismus, der aber als Bestandteil der endogenen mikrobiellen Flora gesunder Individuen nur selten isoliert wird. Die Hospitalisierung, die Krankenhausverweildauer erhöhen die Kolonisationsrate insbesondere bei immunsupprimierten Patienten signifikant. Eine Antibiotikatherapie oder -prophylaxe wie auch invasive diagnostische Maßnahmen begünstigen ebenfalls eine Besiedlung und Infektion der Patienten mitP. aeruginosa. Immundefekte der Patienten sowie eine negative Interaktion vonP. aeruginosa mit dem Immunsystem wirken infektbahnend. Somit begünstigen eine Vielzahl exogener wie endogener Faktoren und deren Wechselwirkungen das Auftreten vonP. aeruginosa-Infektionen.

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Opportunistic infections caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa

Summary Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in spite of being an ubiquitous microorganism, rarely colonizes healthy individuals. Hospitalization, as well as the length of time spent in hospital, significantly increase the rate of colonization, especially in immunocompromized patients. Antibacterial chemotherapy or prophylaxis together with invasive diagnostic procedures favour colonization and infection withP. aeruginosa. Immune deficiencies and adverse interactions ofP. aeruginosa with the immune system facilitate infection. Thus, a number of exogenous as well as endogenous factors and their interactions favour infection of patients withP. aeruginosa.

     

Zum 150. Geburtstag von César Roux (1857–1918)

César Roux was one of the few universal surgeons at the end of the 19th century who dominated all fields of surgery and influenced current surgery with his innovative spirit. Pioneering spirit and the story of the success of modern surgery are linked with his name. On the occasion of his 150th birthday, we recall the memory of this great surgeon. The personality and the history of Professor César Roux form a part of our medical and surgical heritage.