Experience in health resort rehabilitation of patients in the early period after exacerbation of duodenal ulcer]

Forty-eight patients with duodenal ulcer were examined for the psychological status and that of autonomic nervous system before and after combined treatment. The group subjected to personality-oriented psychotherapy showed significantly higher potential of psychological defence and vegetative tonicity.     

A holiday break for adolescents provided by the Malcolm Sargent cancer fund for children

The paper describes a holiday for a group of adolescents with cancer (from the Young Oncology Unit at the Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK) at Malcolm Sargent House, Prestwick, Scotland. The aim was to provide an opportunity for young people with cancer to build and to develop therapeutic relationships away from the pressures of hospital, home and treatment. The nature and range of care given by the nurses and social worker who accompanied them is described and includes accounts of individual progress which are demonstrated by brief case studies.     

Pharmacokinetics of biliary excretion of N-nitrosodimethylamine in rats fed diets containing levels of protein

Albino Wistar rats (Rattus norvegius) fed semi-purified diets containing 3.5%, 8%, 27%, and 64% casein, respectively, as the protein source, were poisoned with an intraperitoneal dose of 20mg N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)/kg, following cannulation of the bile duct, in vitro, under urethane anaesthesia. Bile exudates was collected at designated time intervals and analysed for unchanged NDMA using thin layer chromatography and gas liquid chromatography methods. Rats on 64% high protein diet (HPD) were the highest excretors of NDMA, followed by rats on the 3.5% kwashiorkorigenic diet (KWD), 8% low protein diet (LPD) and 27% normal protein diet (NDP) as the least excretors, in that order. The corresponding values for culmulative excretions of NDMA were 4.38%, 2.74%, 2.96% and 4.11%, and for elimination rate contents they were 54.05Kh⁻¹, 23.01Kh⁻¹, 23.76Kh⁻¹ and 48.88Kh⁻¹, while the respective elimination half-life values were 0.013h, 0.031h, 0.029h and 0.014h. The toxicological and pharmacological implication of the pharmacokinetic findings are discussed.     

Increased trinucleotide repeat instability with advanced maternal age

Nucleotide repeat instability is associated with an increasing number of cancers and neurological disorders. The mechanisms that govern repeat instability in these biological disorders are not well understood. To examine genetic aspects of repeat instability we have introduced an expanded CAG trinucleotide repeat into transgenic mice. We have detected intergenerational CAG repeat instability in transgenic mice only when the transgene was maternally transmitted. These intergenerational instabilities increased in frequency and magnitude as the transgenic mother aged. Furthermore, triplet repeat variations were detected in unfertilized oocytes and were comparable with those in the offspring. These data show that maternal repeat instability in the transgenic mice occurs after meiotic DNA replication and prior to oocyte fertilization. Thus, these findings demonstrate that advanced maternal age is an important factor for instability of nucleotide repeats in mammalian DNA.      

Psychological health in patients with genital and oral erosive lichen planus

BACKGROUND: Erosive lichen planus is a severe, recurrent and recalcitrant disease that affects several mucosal areas, mostly the genital area and the mouth, but also, for example, the oesophagus and perianal area. The disease causes serious symptoms, because of the raw, de-epithelialized mucosa and healing with scars/adhesions, which affect the patient's life in many ways. It causes, for example, difficulties in eating, drinking and going to the bathroom. Treatment is complicated and, so far, few therapeutic drugs other than steroids have been reported. OBJECTIVES: As the disease has severe implications on the patient's life it is important to investigate the psychological health of the patients, as well as the influence of stress on their health and wellbeing, in order to improve treatment. STUDY DESIGN, SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-nine consecutive patients with erosive lichen planus were included during a 1-year period. The study was carried out as 'state-of-the-last-month', and stress, state anxiety, depression and 'erosive lichen planus factors', i.e. symptoms affecting daily life, were assessed. RESULTS: Eighty-seven per cent of the patients had symptoms, severely affecting daily life. Unexpectedly, oral symptoms seemed to be the most prominent. Our results showed that depression, anxiety and stress were more common in patients with erosive lichen planus than in a control group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Erosive lichen planus is a severe disease with symptoms and complications affecting the patient's life. Our results indicate that their psychological health is also affected and emphasize the need for close collaboration between physicians, dentists with special knowledge in oral medicine and counsellors/psychologists to optimize handling of these patients.     

Profound decrease of in vivo formation of thromboxane during oestrogen therapy

Oestrogen has been proposed to influence platelet activity and formation of the vasoactive eicosanoids thromboxane and prostacyclin. Previous studies have been based on ex vivo techniques with well-known artifacts during blood sampling and ex vivo conditions. The present study is the first to assess in vivo formation through gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of the major urinary metabolites 2,3-dinor-thromboxane B₂ and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF_1α. Ten consecutive male patients with prostatic carcinoma participating in a randomized study comparing the effects of parenteral oestrogen therapy ( n =5) with orchidectomy ( n =5) were included. Oestrogen was given as polyestradiol phosphate 240 mg i.m. every month. 2,3-dinor thromboxane B₂ and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF_1α were analysed with the help of tetradeuterated internal carriers/standards. We found a consistent decrease of in vivo formation of thromboxane by ≈40% during parenteral oestrogen therapy ( P =0.008) and a doubling after surgical castration. The ratio of prostacyclin to thromboxane increased by ≈50% ( P =0.023) during oestrogen therapy. In conclusion, oestrogen induced a marked decrease of in vivo formation of thromboxane and a marked increase in the ratio of prostacyclin to thromboxane formation in all patients. According to current knowledge this should be beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, thromboxane formation increased after surgical castration. The latter fact should direct attention to the influence of androgens on thromboxane synthesis. Our findings discloses a marked sex-hormone sensitivity of the thromboxane-forming system.     

Outpatient care of patients with ovarian cancer after primary treatment and the prevention of recurrence

According to the scheme worked out by the staff of the 1st oncogynecologic department of the Institute, all patients with ovarian cancer in whom primary treatment was effective should be followed up. Clinical and cytologic examination should be carried out every 2 months during the first 1.5-2 years when recurrence is most likely to develop. Thereafter, cytologic follow-up (every 3 to 4 months) should be continued. Second-look operations should be carried out on a wider scale in suspicious cases. Prevention of recurrence should be assured by adequate primary treatment of ovarian cancer, particularly, at early stage and regular posttreatment check-ups.     

The value of local registry data for describing cervical cancer management and outcomes over three decades in Australia

Registry data on invasive cervical cancers (n = 1,274) from four major hospitals (1984‐2012) were analysed to determine their value for informing local service delivery in Australia. The methodology comprised disease‐specific survival analyses using Kaplan‐Meier product‐limit estimates and Cox proportional hazards models and treatment analyses using logistic regression. Five‐ and 10‐year survivals were 72% and 68%, respectively, equating with relative survival estimates for Australia and the USA. Most common treatments were surgery and radiotherapy. Systemic therapies increased in recent years, generally with radiotherapy, but were less common for residents from less accessible areas. Surgery was more common for younger women and early‐stage disease, and radiotherapy for older women and regional and more advanced disease. The proportion of glandular cancers increased in‐step with national trends. Little evidence of variation in risk‐adjusted survival presented over time or by Local Health District. The study illustrates the value of local registry data for describing local treatment and outcomes. They show the lower use of systemic therapies among residents of less accessible areas which warrants further investigation. Risk‐adjusted treatment and outcomes did not vary by socio‐economic status, suggesting equity in service delivery. These data are important for local evaluation and were not available from other sources.     

Congenital chylothorax in siblings

We describe two cases of congenital chylothorax in siblings with important differences from previously described familial cases. Our findings support the likelihood of an autosomal recessive inheritance in some cases of this condition, rather than X-linked recessive inheritance, which has also been suggested. Autopsy findings from one of these cases and others previously described suggest that the pathophysiological mechanisms involved may be variable.     

Foremost tasks in the problem of trophoblastic disease

Among the most urgent problems of trophoblastic disease are: (1) timely diagnosis which may be assured by histological examination of material obtained by cutterage from uterine cavity whenever discharge is tinged with blood; (2) obligatory determination of the marker of the disease-chorionic gonadotropin in urine; and (3) chemotherapy with due account of "factors of risk". All these problems may be solved chiefly by organizational means and, first of all, by setting up endocrinological laboratories in city districts.