Colon perforation following percutaneous nephrostomy and renal calculus removal

Two patients had colonic perforation as a result of percutaneous nephrostomy placement followed by track dilatation and renal calculus removal. We present the technical aspects of nephrostomy placement and stone removal, as well as the clinical diagnosis and management of these cases. Both patients recovered well with conservative therapy and required no surgical intervention. This report reviews the anatomic considerations for percutaneous nephrostomy in patients undergoing renal stone removal.     

Quality control of the private veterinary profession in The Netherlands

It was as early as the 19th Century when attempts were first made to organise the veterinary profession in The Netherlands into a professional association. Since then, the Royal Veterinary Association of The Netherlands has developed into an organisation which fully promotes the interests of the profession. From the beginning, the issues of professional standards and veterinary legislation were given high priority, and codes of conduct were established with the aim of improving the quality of professional veterinary practice. Having some form of independent regulatory body has always been important for maintaining these professional standards, even if history has taught us that establishing such independent testing and sanctioning facilities is a laborious process that requires perseverance and patience. By organising the control of animal diseases and promoting public health (e.g. meat inspection), the veterinary profession has always had a key role to play in the food production industry, and quality control programmes that monitor the food production chain now make use of veterinary surgeons tested by external organisations. To avoid any semblance of a conflict of interest, a new organisational structure has been developed recently: the Veterinary Quality Organisation (VKO: Veterinair Kwaliteits Orgaan). The VKO maintains the register of qualified veterinarians, upholds standards and organises the independent quality control of the profession.     

Arginine deficiency affects early B cell maturation and lymphoid organ development in transgenic mice

Apart from its role in the synthesis of protein and nitric oxide (NO), and in ammonia detoxification, the amino acid arginine exerts an immunosupportive function. We have studied the role of arginine in immune defense mechanisms in the developing postnatal immune system. In suckling mice, arginine is produced in the small intestine. In F/A-2(+/+) transgenic mice, which overexpress arginase in their enterocytes, circulating and tissue arginine concentrations are reduced to 30-35% of controls. In these mice, the development and composition of the T cell compartment did not reveal abnormalities. However, in peripheral lymphoid organs and the small intestine, B cell cellularity and the number and size of Peyer's patches were drastically reduced, and serum IgM levels were significantly decreased. These phenotypes could be traced to an impaired transition from the pro- to pre-B cell stage in the bone marrow. Cytokine receptor levels in the bone marrow were normal. The development of the few peripheral B cells and their proliferative response after in vitro stimulation was normal. The disturbance in B cell maturation was dependent on decreased arginine levels, as this phenotype disappeared upon arginine supplementation and was not seen in NO synthase- or ornithine transcarbamoylase-deficient mice. We conclude that arginine deficiency impairs early B cell maturation.     

Allelic imbalance in hereditary and sporadic prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: In this study, we evaluate the pattern of allelic imbalance (AI) in both sporadic prostate cancer (SPC) and hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) at loci that frequently show allelic imbalance in sporadic prostate cancer, or are believed to have a putative role in the disease. METHODS: DNA obtained from 35 sporadic tumors and 46 hereditary tumors were tested for AI, by using a panel of 35 microsatellite markers. RESULTS: Chromosomal regions that display high frequencies of AI (>or=30%) in HPC include 1q, 5q, 7q, 8p, 13q, 16q, 17q, 18q, and 20q. In SPC, high frequencies of AI were found at 5q, 7q, 8p, 10q, 13q. Main differences (delta >or= 20%) in AI between HPC and SPC were at 1q, 10q, 17q, 18q, and 20q. CONCLUSION: AI at the prostate cancer susceptibility loci HPC1, PCaP, and HPC20 was seen more often in HPC compared with SPC. It appears that there are marked differences in the pattern of AI between sporadic and hereditary PCa.     

Image processing and analysis program for measurement of bone density changes in reference and follow-up standardized extraoral oblique lateral cephalometric radiographs of the mandible

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop an image processing and analysis program for peri-implant bone density measurements of the mandible using extraoral radiographs, which includes a correction for the variable projection of the soft tissues of the face. METHODS: The measurement procedure is based on pairs of reference and follow-up extraoral oblique lateral cephalometric radiographs (OLCRs) of patients with endosseous implants in the anterior part of the atrophic edentulous mandible. The procedure consists of image acquisition, correction for radiographic variation using an aluminium wedge (i.e. film exposure and development) and transformation of the grey values into aluminium-equivalent values. After correction for variation in the projection of the soft tissues of the face using internal calibration fields, the actual peri-implant bone density measurements are performed. RESULTS: The soft tissue projection correction significantly reduces the variation between radiographs owing to the position of the soft tissues. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the described image processing and analysis program, in combination with extraorally made OLCRs, is a valuable technique for measurement of peri-implant bone density changes of the mandible. With minor adaptations, the program can be used for other semi-edentulous patients.     

Overexpression of arginase alters circulating and tissue amino acids and guanidino compounds and affects neuromotor behavior in mice

Arginine is an intermediate of the ornithine cycle and serves as a precursor for the synthesis of nitric oxide, creatine, agmatine and proteins. It is considered to be a conditionally essential amino acid because endogenous synthesis only barely meets daily requirements. In rapidly growing suckling neonates, endogenous arginine biosynthesis is crucial to compensate for the insufficient supply of arginine via the milk. Evidence is accumulating that the intestine rather than the kidney plays a major role in arginine synthesis in this period. Accordingly, ectopic expression of hepatic arginase in murine enterocytes by genetic modification induces a selective arginine deficiency. The ensuing phenotype, whose severity correlates with the level of transgene expression in the enterocytes, could be reversed with arginine supplementation. We analyzed the effect of arginine deficiency on guanidine metabolism and neuromotor behavior. Arginine-deficient transgenic mice continued to suffer from an arginine deficiency after the arginine biosynthetic enzymes had disappeared from the enterocytes. Postweaning catch-up growth in arginine-deficient mice was characterized by increased levels of all measured amino acids except arginine. Furthermore, plasma total amino acid concentration, including arginine, was significantly lower in adult male than in adult female transgenic mice. Decreases in the concentration of plasma and tissue arginine led to significant decreases in most metabolites of arginine. However, the accumulation of the toxic guanidino compounds, guanidinosuccinic acid and methylguanidine, corresponded inversely with circulating arginine concentration, possibly reflecting a higher oxidative stress under hypoargininemic conditions. In addition, hypoargininemia was associated with disturbed neuromotor behavior, although brain levels of toxic guanidino compounds and ammonia were normal.     

肾康片质量标准的研究

目的：研究肾康片的质量标准并控制该制剂的质量。方法：用薄层色谱法鉴别了肾康片中的黄芪,山茱萸,桑寄生及丹参,用薄层色谱法限量检查屯该制剂中的乌头碱,用双波长薄层扫描法测定了该制剂中黄芪甲苷的含量。结果：乌头碱限量符合中国药典测定,黄芪甲苷的平均回收率为９７．５％,其ＲＳＤ为１．４３％。结论：本文的结果显示出这些方法可用于控制该制剂的质量,方法灵敏,简便,专属,准确。     

The effect of unfiltered coffee on potential biomarkers for colonic cancer risk in healthy volunteers: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies suggest that coffee use might protect against colorectal cancer. Inconsistencies as to the effect of coffee use and colorectal cancer between epidemiologic studies might be related to the type of coffee brew. OBJECTIVE: We studied the effect of unfiltered coffee consumption on putative biomarkers for colonic cancer risk. DESIGN: A total of 64 healthy volunteers (31 men and 33 women), with a mean age of 43 +/- 11 years were randomly assigned to two groups in a crossover design, with two intervention periods of 2 weeks separated by a washout period of 8 weeks. Treatments were 1 L of cafetière (French press) coffee daily or no coffee. At the end of each intervention period, fasting blood samples, colorectal biopsies and 48 h faeces were collected. RESULTS: No effect of coffee on colorectal cell proliferation, assayed by estimating the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen labelling index, was seen. Additionally, no effects were seen on the concentrations of faecal soluble bile acids and colorectal mucosal glutathione S-transferase activity. However, unfiltered coffee significantly increased the glutathione content in the colorectal mucosa by 8% and in plasma by 15%. Other aminothiols in plasma also increased on coffee. CONCLUSION: Unfiltered coffee does not influence the colorectal mucosal proliferation rate, but might increase the detoxification capacity and anti-mutagenic properties in the colorectal mucosa through an increase in glutathione concentration. Whether this effect indeed contributes to a lower colon cancer risk remains to be established.