Patient survival and local recurrence rate following radical prostatectomy for prostatic carcinoma

From 1970 to 1980, 153 patients with stages A2, B1 and B2 prostatic cancer and proved negative pelvic lymph nodes underwent radical prostatectomy (84 underwent radical perineal and 69 underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy). Seventeen patients were lost to followup. Of 136 patients who were followed for 5 years or until death 128 (94 per cent) were alive at 5 years, including 118 (87 per cent) who were without evidence of recurrence. Patients with microscopic invasion of the prostatic capsule have a better outcome at 5 years than those with microscopic involvement of the seminal vesicles. Only 46 of the patients could be assessed at 10 years or had died 6 to 10 years postoperatively. Results at 10 years are considered preliminary, since many more patients will reach the 10-year milestone within the next few years.     

Adrenergic and dopaminergic control of the canine paw microcirculation

Basal isolated canine paw blood flow was equally distributed between arteriovenous anastomosis (AVA) and capillary circulations. Norepinephrine decreased AVA flow by 92% and capillary flow by 41%. Dopamine significantly reduced AVA flow by 94% compared to baseline with a 37% reduction in capillary flow. However, with alpha-adrenergic blockade dopamine decreased AVA flow 66% while capillary flow increased 42%. Isoproterenol increased capillary flow almost twofold and appeared to decrease AVA flow, although the latter was statistically insignificant. Differential effects of adrenergic and dopaminergic agonists on canine paw AVA and capillary blood flow suggest the existence of independent regulation of these components of the microcirculation.     

Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. Case report and review of Italian literature

A case of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis, as presented by a hypertensive hydrocephalus, is described. To our knowledge, this is the 24th case described in Italy since 1953. The diagnosis was made with ventricular fluid examination: the patient was successfully treated with amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine, thus avoiding the risks of surgical treatment of hydrocephalus. Early diagnosis and proper therapy are necessary in order to decrease the high lethality of cryptococcosis.     

Priapism: a refined approach to diagnosis and treatment

The recent introduction of intracorporeal injections of papaverine and phentolamine for the diagnosis and treatment of impotence has resulted in an increased incidence of iatrogenic priapism. Based on our research into penile hemodynamics we propose a refined approach to all types of priapism. Intracorporeal blood gas and pressure monitoring should be used to differentiate ischemic (low flow) from nonischemic (high flow) types. Most cases of papaverine-induced or phentolamine-induced priapism will respond to aspiration alone or in combination with intracorporeal instillation of a diluted alpha-adrenergic agent. In spontaneous priapism alpha-adrenergic agents can be tried first if patients have only mild or no ischemia. In patients with severe ischemia stagnant blood should be evacuated and a shunt procedure should be performed to allow metabolic replenishment of tissue. Intracorporeal pressure monitoring will help to determine the size and number of shunts needed to re-establish corporeal circulation.     

1-Methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (2'-CH3-MPTP) is a more potent dopaminergic neurotoxin than MPTP in mice

The administration to mice of 1-methyl-4-(2'-methylphenyl)-1,2,3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (2'-CH3-MPTP), a substituted analog of the dopaminergic neurotoxin MPTP caused even more dopaminergic toxicity than MPTP itself. Under conditions in which MPTP was relatively ineffective (i.e. two injections per day of 0.113 mmol/kg at an interval of 6 h for one or two days), 2'-CH3-MPTP caused a very large decrement in the neostriatal content of dopamine and its metabolites and a corresponding decrement in the capacity of a neostriatal synaptosomal preparation to take up [3H]dopamine. Moreover, 2'-CH3-MPTP administration (as few as four injections) caused a virtually complete loss of nerve cells in the zona compacta of the substantia nigra. This compound, like MPTP, may prove to be a valuable research tool.     

Educational interventions to reduce use of unsafe abbreviations.

PURPOSE: Educational interventions to reduce the use of abbreviations and dosage designations that were deemed unsafe at a level 1 trauma center are described. SUMMARY: Strategies to reduce the use of unsafe abbreviations at Detroit Receiving Hospital were studied. Six abbreviations and dosage designations were deemed as unsafe by the site's medication-use and patient medical safety committees: (1) U for units, (2) microg for microgram, (3) TIW for three times a week, (4) the degree symbol for hour, (5) trailing zeros after a decimal point, and (6) the lack of leading zeros before a decimal point. Data on abbreviation use was collected starting in September 2003 by examining copies of patients' order sheets, which are sent from nursing units to the pharmacy for processing. Data were collected during three 24-hour periods each month, with 7-10 days between each period. A data collection sheet was developed to assist in documenting the number of opportunities for each unsafe abbreviation and the actual incidence of each. Educational strategies were developed and implemented starting in October 2003 to decrease the use of the unsafe abbreviations. These strategies included inservice education programs for the medical, pharmacy, and nursing staffs; laminated pocket cards; patient chart dividers; stickers; and interventions by pharmacists and nurses during medication prescribing. During the eight-month evaluation period, 20,160 orders were reviewed, representing 27,663 opportunities to use a designated unsafe abbreviation. Educational interventions successfully reduced the overall incidence of unsafe abbreviations from 19.69% to 3.31%. CONCLUSION: Educational interventions markedly reduced the use of unsafe abbreviations in medication orders over an eight-month evaluation period.     

Immunity against the opportunistic fungal pathogen Pneumocystis.

Species of the genus Pneumocystis exist as opportunistic fungal pathogens and are associated with severe pneumonia and pulmonary complications in immunocompromised individuals. Although prophylactic therapy for Pneumocystis has significantly decreased the overall incidence of infection, more than 80% of cases in current patient populations are considered breakthrough cases. In the HIV-infected population, in the years following the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), significant reductions in the incidence of Pneumocystis infection were observed, although trends over the last several years suggest that the incidence of Pneumocystis has plateaued rather than decreased. Furthermore, with the more prominent usage of immunosuppressive therapies, the frequency of Pneumocystis infection in the HIV-negative population, such as those with hematologic malignancies and those who have undergone transplantation, has risen significantly. Investigating host defense mechanisms against P. carinii has historically been problematic due to the difficulty in achieving continuous in vitro propagation of proliferating Pneumocytis organisms. Nevertheless, clinical and experimental studies have documented that host defense against Pneumocystis involves a concerted effort between innate, cell-mediated (T lymphocyte) and humoral (B lymphocyte) responses. However, the pulmonary environment is a tissue site where heightened inflammatory responses can often lead to inflammation-mediated injury, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of Pneumocystis infection. Accordingly, clearance of Pneumocystis from the pulmonary environment is dependent on a delicate equilibrium between the inflammatory response and immune-mediated clearance of the organism. Furthermore, innate and adaptive responses against Pneumocystis are strikingly similar to those against other medically-important fungi, thus providing additional evidence that Pneumocystis exists as a fungal organism.