Ein neuer Score für die tägliche Schweregradklassifizierung auf herzchirurgischen Intensivstationen

Zusammenfassung Einleitung: Das Ziel dieser Studie war die Entwicklung eines spezifischen Schweregradklassifizierungssystems für die Beurteilung und Vorhersage von Organfunktionsstörungen und Überleben bei herzchirurgischen Intensivpatienten. Methoden: Hierzu wurden konsekutiv alle erwachsenen Patienten nach einem herzchirurgischen Eingriff unter Einsatz der Herzlungenmaschine über einen Zeitraum von 3 Jahren in die Studie aufgenommen. Im Konstruktionsset erfolgte die Auswahl der Variablen mit Hilfe der Patienten, die mindestens 24 Stunden auf der Intensivstation verbrachten. Die Ergebnisse wurden dann in zwei Validierungssets mit allen Intensivpatienten überprüft. Die Qualität des Scores wurde mit dem Hosmer-Lemeshow-Test (HL) sowie der ROC-Analyse beurteilt, und mit dem APACHE-II- und dem MODS-Score verglichen. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 3230 Patienten über einen Zeitraum von 3 Jahren auf unserer Intensivstation aufgenommen. Die HL-Werte für den neuen Score waren 5,8 (APACHE-II: 11,3; MODS: 9,7) für das Konstruktionsset, 7,2 (APACHE-II: 8,0; MODS: 4,5) für das Validierungsset I und 5,9 für das Validierungsset II. Die Fläche unter der ROC-Kurve war 0,91 (APACHE-II: 0,86; MODS: 0,84) für den neuen Score im Konstruktionsset, 0,88 (APACHE-II: 0,84; MODS: 0,84) in dem Validierungsset I, und 0,92 in dem Validierungsset II. Schlussfolgerung: Der neue CASUS (Cardiac Surgery Score) zeigt für herzchirurgische Intensivpatienten eine exzellente Kalibrierung und Diskriminierung bezüglich der 30-Tage-Letalität. Die Variablen des CASUS sind einfach, reproduzierbar und werden routinemäßig in herzchirurgischen Intensivstationen erfasst. Der CASUS könnte als Expertensystem für das Diagnostizieren von Organfunktionsstörungen, der Entscheidungsfindung, der Ressourcenauswertung und Vorhersage der Letalität für herzchirurgische Intensivpatienten dienen.     

Chronischer Pruritus

Chronic pruritus (starting from 6 weeks duration) is symptom of dermatological, internal, neurological or psychiatric disease. Identification and treatment of the underlying diseases is of great importance especially in the initial phase of chronic pruritus in order to prevent peripheral and central sensitization processes and thus chronification. Application of the redefined clinical classification, newly defined clinical algorithms and inquiry of clinical characteristics of pruritus is helpful in finding the underlying disease. In chronic pruritus existing for several years, clarifying the underlying origin is difficult and therapies are often ineffective. Next to conventional therapies such as antihistamines and corticosteroids, central effective substances can be applied preventing pruritus sensation on spinal or cerebral level.     

Schmerztherapie

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Wegener-Granulomatose im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) is a necrotising granulomatous small vessel vasculitis with a clinical predilection for the involvement of the upper airways, lungs and kidneys. It occurs at all ages. The pathogenesis of WG is determined by the pathological activation of phagocytes during transmigration through the vessel. Whereas most aspects of WG are similar at all ages, some features appear to be significantly different. WG in childhood is more frequently complicated by subglottic stenosis and nasal deformity, while treatment related morbidity is less common compared to adults. The introduction of combined treatment with cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids has resulted in a dramatic improvement in patient outcome; however, commonly occurring disease relapses and the risk of chronic organ damage at all ages make long-term follow-up of all patients necessary.     

Comparison of allergenicity and immunogenicity of an intact allergen vaccine and commercially available allergoid products for birch pollen immunotherapy

BACKGROUND: Specific immunotherapy with intact allergen vaccine is a well-documented treatment for allergic diseases. Different vaccine formulations are currently commercially available, the active ingredient either being intact allergens or chemically modified allergoids. The rationale behind allergoids is to decrease allergenicity while maintaining immunogenicity. However, data from the German health authorities based on reporting of adverse events over a 10-year period did not indicate increased safety of allergoids over intact allergens. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chemical modification on allergenicity and immunogenicity comparing four commercial allergoid products for birch pollen immunotherapy with an intact allergen vaccine. METHODS: Solid-phase IgE inhibition and histamine release assays were selected as model systems for allergenicity, and a combination of human T cell proliferation and IgG titres following mouse immunizations were used to address the immunogenicity of the intact allergen vaccine and the four allergoids. In all assays, the products were normalized with respect to the manufacturer's recommended maintenance dose. RESULTS: IgE inhibition experiments showed a change in epitope composition comparing intact allergen vaccine with allergoid. One allergoid product induced enhanced histamine release compared to the intact allergens, while the other three allergoids showed reduced release. Standard T cell stimulation assays using lines from allergic patients showed a reduced response for all allergoids compared with the intact allergen vaccine regardless of the cell type used for antigen presentation. All allergoids showed reduced capacity to induce allergen-specific IgG responses in mice. CONCLUSION: While some allergoids were associated with reduced allergenicity, a clear reduction in immunogenicity was observed for all allergoid products compared with the intact allergen vaccine, and the commercial allergoids tested therefore do not fulfil the allergoid concept.     

Magnetic resonance imaging - a method of studying the size and asymmetry of the planum temporale

The planum temporale is a triangular region on the upper surface of the temporal lobe. This area of the brain is important for language processing and shows a left-right asymmetry of size in most brains. Particular interest has been focused on the size and asymmetry of the planum temporale in brains of individuals with developmental dyslexia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a method that produces excellent morphological details of organic structures. We have developed an MRI method of studying the size and asymmetry of the planum temporale in human brains. Because of considerable variation of anatomical landmarks in this cortical region of the brain, an evaluation of asymmetry is not possible in all brains. Furthermore, our experience with this method indicates that any indirect imaging technique of studying asymmetry of the planum temporale must be evaluated with caution. With this in mind, however, MRI may give valuable anatomical information about the planum temporale in individuals with anomalous language function.     

Intraincisional antibiotic in addition to systemic antibiotic treatment fails to reduce wound infection rates in contaminated abdominal surgery

One hundred ninety patients with peritonitis at the time of abdominal surgery were allocated at random to systemic antibiotic treatment alone or systemic antibiotic treatment combined with topical application of antibiotics in the wound at the time of wound closure. The overall wound infection rate was 17 percent without significant difference between the two treatment groups (P>0.80).     

Computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction of the hippocampal region based on serial sections

A large series of rabbit hippocampal Neo-Timm stained sections were manually aligned, digitized, and by a modified median filtration noise reduced and reconstructed into a three-dimensional object. From the presented simulated grey tone cuts of this object, the reader may assemble a rabbit hippocampal model, that spatially illustrates its anatomy.     

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.