Injection characteristics and downstream contrast material distribution of flush aortography catheters: in vitro study.

Performance of 11 commercially available 4- and 5-F aortic flush catheters was evaluated with respect to the extent of upstream injection, catheter motion, and downstream homogeneity of a 10-, 15-, and 20-mL/sec bolus of 76% meglumine sodium diatrizoate at room temperature. Tests were made in a pulsatile aortic flow model containing circulating fluid isoviscous to blood. The injection process was recorded on videotape. Homogeneity of the contrast material bolus was determined spectrophotometrically from samples collected from the center and each of the four quadrants of the vessel lumen. Upstream contrast material injection between 1.5 and 7 cm in length emerged from all catheters; it was lowest with one of the "tennis racket" designs from one and a new spiral end-loop design (Halo) from another manufacturer. All catheters, except the most rigid and largest-caliber catheter (5.8 F) showed considerable shaft motion at the higher injection rates. Downstream contrast material mixing homogeneity was always best at the highest injection rate but altogether was better for the Halo catheter than for any other catheter tested. It is concluded that all tested 4- and 5-F aortic flush catheters show some undesirable features, but certain design modifications improve performance and comparative testing is helpful to distinguish such features.     

Silent cerebral ischemia detected by diffusion-weighted MRI after carotid endarterectomy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Small emboli arising from a friable plaque during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) constitute an important risk of perioperative ischemic complications. To evaluate the incidence and significance of silent cerebral ischemic lesions of embolic origin after CEA, we prospectively examined a series of surgical patients with high-grade carotid stenosis by using diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI). We also tried to correlate postoperative ischemic lesions with the occurrence of sonographic cerebral embolic signals, the presence of plaque ulcerations, and the use of intraoperative shunting. METHODS: Of a consecutive series of 53 patients undergoing elective CEA for high-grade carotid stenosis, 48 patients with unchanged postoperative neurological status were prospectively studied with DWI of the brain the day before and the day after the operation. The magnetic resonance images were analyzed by 2 neuroradiologists blinded to the clinical result of the operation. Any new hyperintense signal was interpreted as a postoperative ischemic lesion. RESULTS: Forty-six (95.8%) of 48 patients had unchanged postoperative brain DWI. In 2 patients (4.2%), a new single asymptomatic hyperintense signal was observed on the side of the operation. Both lesions were small and presumably of embolic origin. They were not related to sonographic embolic signals, plaque ulcerations, or intraoperative shunting. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the incidence of silent ischemic brain lesions of embolic origin after CEA is low and does not correlate with the occurrence of intraoperative sonographic microemboli. They confirm that CEA is a safe procedure that carries a low risk of postoperative cerebral events.     

Befindlichkeitsstörungen ohne Befund—moderne Syndrome

Zusammenfassung Befindlichkeitsstörungen ohne pathologischen Befund stellen einen nicht unerheblichen Anteil des internen Krankengutes dar. Ein zunehmender Teil der Patienten führt diese Beschwerden auf Einflüsse aus dem Bereich der Arbeitswelt oder Umwelt zurück. Mangels vorliegender Pathologie neigt die Schulmedizin dazu, diese Syndrome eher dem psychiatrischen Formenkreis zuzuordnen oder psychologische Konzepte in die Kausalitätsüberlegungen einzubeziehen. Medien wie Alternativmedizin unterstützen in diesem Themenbereich meist nicht die Konzepte der faktenorientierten Schulmedizin, sie halten Organschäden durch Belastungen mit Umweltnoxen für durchaus möglich, selbst wenn diese in zulässiger Höhe liegen. Postuliert wird häufig eine gesteigerte Individualempfindlichkeit. Beispiele solcher modern interpretierter Syndrome sind das Sick Building Syndrome, das chronische Erschöpfungssyndrom oder die idiopathische Umweltunverträglichkeit. Infolge der Unspezifität dieser Beschwerden ähnelt sich die Symptomatik, wenngleich diesen Syndromen durchaus unterschiedliche Konzepte zugrunde gelegt werden. Deshalb ist die Überlegung, es handle sich immer um das selbe Krankheitsbild, unberechtigt. Eine breite differenzialdiagnostische Palette ist gefordert, da es sich meist um Ausschlussdiagnosen handelt. Zur realitätsnahen Beurteilung sind fallweise auch Verfahren des Biomonitorings oder Ambientmonitorings heranzuziehen.

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Treatment of localized prostate cancer using a combination of high dose rate Iridium‐192 brachytherapy and external beam irradiation: Initial Australian experience

Combination high dose rate brachytherapy (HDRB) and external beam radiation therapy is technically and clinically feasible as definitive treatment for localized prostate cancer. We report the first large Australian experience using this technique of radiation dose escalation in 82 patients with intermediate‐ and high‐risk disease. With a median follow up of 3 years (156 weeks), complications were low and overall prostate‐specific antigen progression‐free survival was 91% using the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology consensus definition. The delivery of hypofractionated radiation through the HDRB component shortens overall treatment time and is both biologically and logistically advantageous. As a radiation boost strategy, HDRB is easy to learn and could be introduced into most facilities with brachytherapy capability.     

Bacterial and mammalian DNA alkyltransferases sensitize Escherichia coli to the lethal and mutagenic effects of dibromoalkanes

Here we confirm and extend our previous studies demonstrating that the mutagenic potency of 1,2-dibromoethane (DBE) and dibromomethane (DBM) is markedly enhanced (not prevented) in bacteria expressing the O6- alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (ATase) encoded by the Escherichia coli ogt gene. We demonstrate that, in close parallel with mutagenesis, the Ogt ATase sensitizes the bacteria to the lethal effects of these carcinogens, suggesting that one or more of the potentially mutagenic lesions induced by DBE and DBM in the presence of Ogt has additional lethal capacity. We further demonstrate that the sensitization to both lethality and mutagenesis by DBE and DBM is a property shared by other DNA alkyltransferases. This objective was accomplished by quantifying the induction of mutations and lethal events in ogt- ada- E. coli expressing an exogenous bacterial or mammalian ATase from a multicopy plasmid. Mammalian recombinant ATases enhanced the lethal and mutagenic actions of DBE and suppressed the lack of sensitivity of the vector- transformed bacteria to DBM. In most cases the order of effectiveness of the ATases ranked: murine > human > Ogt > rat. Further comparisons included the full-length Ada ATase from E. coli and a truncated Ada version (T-ada) that retains the O6-methylguanine binding domain of the protein. The full-length Ada ATase was effective in enhancing the lethality but not the mutagenicity induced by DBE and DBM. The T-ada ATase provided less sensitization than Ada to lethality by DBE, but of the three bacterial ATases T-ada yielded the highest sensitization to mutagenesis by this compound. T-ada and Ada ATases were in general less effective than the mammalian versions, with the exception of the rat recombinant ATase. The effectiveness of the different mammalian and bacterial ATases in promoting the deleterious actions of dibromoalkanes was compared with the effectiveness of these proteins in suppressing the lethal and mutagenic effects induced by N-nitroso-N-methylurea. The ability to sensitize E. coli to the lethal and mutagenic effects of DBE and DBM seems restricted to DNA alkyltransferase, since overexpression of thioredoxin (Trx) or glutaredoxin (Grx1) in ogt- ada- cells showed no effect, in spite of the reported potential of bioactive dihaloethane- derived species to alkylate Trx.      

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene-induced DNA adduction, tumorigenicity, and Ki-ras oncogene mutations in strain A/J mouse lung

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P), an environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, is the most potent carcinogen ever tested in mouse skin and rat mammary gland. In this study, DB[a,l]P was examined for DNA adduction, tumorigenicity, and induction of Ki-ras oncogene mutations in tumor DNA in strain A/J mouse lung. Groups of mice received a single i.p. injection of 0.3, 1.5, 3.0, or 6.0 mg/kg DB[a,l]P in tricaprylin. Following treatment, DNA adducts were measured at times between 1 and 28 days, while tumors were counted at 250 days and analyzed for the occurrence of point mutations in codons 12 and 61 of the Ki-ras oncogene. DB[a,l]P in strain A/J mouse lung induced six major and four minor DNA adducts. Maximal levels of adduction occurred between 5 and 10 days after injection followed by a gradual decrease. DB[a,l]P-DNA adducts in lung tissue were derived from both anti- and syn-11,12- dihydroxy-13,14-epoxy- 11,12,13,14-tetrahydrodibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]PDE) and both deoxyadenosine (dAdo) and deoxyguanosine (dGuo) residues in DNA as revealed by cochromatography. The major adduct was identified as a product of the reaction of an anti-DB[a,l]PDE with dAdo in DNA. DB[a,l]P induced significant numbers of lung adenomas in a dose- dependent manner, with the highest dose (6.0 mg/kg) yielding 16.1 adenomas/mouse. In tricaprylin-treated control animals, there were 0.67 adenomas/mouse. Based on the administered dose, DB[a,l]P was more active than other environmental carcinogens including benzo[a]pyrene. As a function of time-integrated DNA adduct levels, DB[a,l]P induced lung adenomas with about the same potency as other PAHs, suggesting that the adducts formed by DB[a,l]P are similar in carcinogenic potency to other PAHs in the strain A/J mouse lung model. Analysis of the Ki- ras mutation spectrum in DB[a,l]P-induced lung tumors revealed the predominant mutations to be G-->T transversions in the first base of codon 12, A-->G transitions in the second base of codon 12, and A-->T transversions in the second or third base of codon 61, concordant with the DNA adduct profile.      

Otoacoustic emissions as a screening test for hearing impairment in children recovering from acute bacterial meningitis

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) as a screening test for hearing impairment in children with acute bacterial meningitis. Hearing tests were performed before discharge from the hospital in an attempt to improve coverage and avoid delays in the diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss. METHODS: Children with bacterial meningitis were recruited from 21 centers. In the 48 hours before discharge from the hospital, all patients underwent a thorough audiologic assessment consisting of transient evoked OAEs, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), otoscopy, and tympanometry. Hearing loss was defined as ABR threshold >/=30 dB. The results of OAE screening were compared with the gold standard of ABR threshold. RESULTS: Of 124 children recruited, we were able to perform both OAEs and ABRs on 110 children. Seven (6.3%) of the 110 children had ABR threshold >/=30 dB; 2 had sensorineural hearing loss and 5 had conductive hearing loss. At follow-up, hearing loss persisted in both cases of sensorineural hearing loss and no new cases were identified. All 7 children with hearing loss failed the OAE screening test. Ninety-four children with normal hearing thresholds passed the test, and 9 failed. Thus, the screening test had a sensitivity of 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.00), a specificity of 0.91 (0.85 to 0.97), a positive predictive value of 0. 44 (0.20 to 0.70), and a negative predictive value of 1.00 (0.96 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: OAE screening in children recovering from meningitis was found to be feasible and effective. The test was highly sensitive and reasonably specific. Inpatient OAE screening should allow early diagnosis of postmeningitic hearing loss and prompt auditory rehabilitation.