Nitrosamine excretion in patients with continent ileal reservoirs for urinary diversion.

Adenocarcinomas are a recognized complication following ureterosigmoidostomy for which the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds may be a risk factor. As an alternative means of urinary diversion, the continent ileal reservoir has recently been developed. Microbiological and chemical investigations on the urine of patients with an ileal reservoir showed the presence of bacteria, nitrate, nitrite and N-nitrosamines formed endogenously in the ileal pouch. The role of nitrosamines in carcinogenesis in these patients as a late stage complication resulting from the use of a continent ileal reservoir is discussed.     

Aktuelles medizinrechtliches Schrifttum, Richtlinien und Empfehlungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Incidence of multiple sclerosis in Hordaland, western Norway: a fluctuating pattern

The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) was studied in the county of Hordaland, western Norway. A significant increase in incidence in the period 1958-1987, a decline followed by a gradual increase in mean age at onset, geographic differences in time trends and a biphasic pattern revealed by a birth cohort analysis support the theory of real time-space fluctuations in the incidence of MS over time.     

Simultaneous en-bloc allotransplantation of pancreas and kidney in the animal model. Comparison of separate organ and en-bloc pancreas/kidney transplantation in swine]

The high technical complication rate of pancreas transplantation requires large animal models to improve clinical transplant survival rates. The pig is a very suitable animal due to its anatomy, physiology and immunology which are similar to humans. In this study a model of en-bloc simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation was established which--in contrast to separate transplantation of both organs--decreases preservation time, operation time, and clamp time. Furthermore, the rates of intra- and postoperative complications were reduced compared with separate transplantation. The donor aorta (encompassing celiac axis, superior mesenteric artery, and left renal artery) is anastomosed en-bloc to the recipients aorta in a an oblique-to-side fashion. The portal vein is anastomosed end-to-side to the left common iliac vein. The exocrine pancreatic secretions are drained via duodenocystostomy to allow for monitoring of urinary amylase for rejection. The en-bloc technique is an alternative for pediatric donor organs since the risk of vascular complications is lower compared with separate implantation of the donor vessels. Based on our results in a large animal model the en-bloc technique could be used in adult uremic diabetic patients who receive a combined pancreas-kidney transplant from a pediatric cadaver donor.     

Staphylococcus epidermidis as a cause of postoperative wound infection after cardiac surgery: assessment of pathogenicity by a wound-scoring method

Wound infection after clean surgery prolongs hospital stay but the organism most commonly isolated from wound discharge, Staphylococcus epidermidis, is often dismissed as a contaminant or commensal. The wounds of 517 patients were assessed, after cardiac surgery, by a wound-scoring method ('ASEPSIS') and a close comparison was made of the appearance and clinical outcome of 89 wounds, from which bacteria were isolated. There was no significant difference in the scores of 49 wounds, where S. epidermidis was the sole isolate (9.5 per cent of all wounds, 95 per cent CI 6.9-12.0 per cent), and 13 wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus (2.5 per cent, 95 per cent CI 1.2-3.9 per cent). Repeat cultures were obtained from 21 of the 49 wounds and, in 16 of these, the second isolate showed the same biochemical reactions and antibiotic resistance pattern as the first. Infection of sternal wounds is commoner with coagulase-negative staphylococci than with S. aureus and, clinically, is just as severe.     

Internal medicine treatment of pleural empyema

We made a retrospective analysis with regard to the bacteriology and to the therapy of all patients with pleural empyema who were treated in the district lung hospital from 1. 1. 1982-31. 12. 1986. 92 patients had a non-specific empyema, only 3 patients had a specific empyema. All patients were aspirated repeatedly with physiological saline solution instillation and antimicrobic drug instillation in the pleural cavity. This daily aspiration and lavage was successfully in 65 patients. This method was ineffective in 30 patients. We treated 7 patients of this group by the closed drainage (rubber-tube drain), in 4 patients successfully. 3 patients had to be treated by a surgical operation. An insufficient obliteration of the cavity of empyema occurred also in 23 patients of this group. A systematic daily aspiration for a longer time led to regression of the cavity in 4 cases, whereas a surgical operation was necessary in 19 patients. We consider the daily aspiration and lavage as an effective method in patients in early acute stages of empyema.     

Assistierte Reproduktion

Assisted reproduction (IVF/ICSI) is an established method for the treatment of infertility, though it entails a number of risks and limiting factors for the children and their families that really have to be considered and resolved. They also must be part of informative consultations before applying the selected (methods)/techniques. The following risks are of prime importance: 1. The increasing number of multiple pregnancies. Every multiple pregnancy has to be regarded as a complication of reproductive medicine: the rate of neonatal morbidity and mortality is higher compared to single pregnancies, and the emotional, logistic, and financial factors are significant for the concerned families. To limit these risks, it is preferable to perform only a single embryo transfer even though a lower rate of resulting pregnancies is to be expected. Of course it must be simultaneously provided that methods are developed and applied to transfer an embryo with high implantation potency. Based on existing/present results, the highest priority should not be given to pregnancy rates as high (as possible) but to the lowest possible complication rate for the infant with an acceptable pregnancy rate comparable to that achieved in fertile couples. 2. In assisted reproduction, the risk of fetal abnormalities seems to be elevated, but in some studies, according to the German IVF register, the selected method (ICSI) and other factors such as family abnormalities and environmental factors are relevant. Additional studies are required to clarify this subject and develop possible preventive strategies. 3. The children's psychomotoric development is normal as a rule. The risk of handicaps (retarded development spastic cerebral palsy) increases in accordance with the reduction of gestational period/age and the decrease of birth weight. This in turn is of particular significance in multiple pregnancies.     

Subtraction radiography of interradicular bone lesions.

Subtraction and conventional radiography were evaluated for their diagnostic potential to assess interradicular bone lesions in the mandibular premolar region. Both conventional radiographs and subtraction images were interpreted by 10 observers. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) technique was used to compare the two techniques. The diagnostic validity was higher for the subtraction technique, both for lesions confined to cancellous bone and for lesions including the cortical bone, than for the conventional technique. For bone defects confined to cancellous bone the diagnostic accuracy was lower than those reported from periapical bone lesions irrespective of whether subtraction or conventional radiography was used. We conclude that subtraction radiography improves the detectability of bone lesions, shallow ones in particular. Lesions in the interradicular bone are more difficult to detect than those in the periapical bone.