SYMPTOMATIC COLITIS AS THE INITIAL PRESENTATION OF WEGENER'S GRANULOMATOSIS

SUMMARY Wegener's granulomatosis is a multisystem disorder which rarely presents with gastrointestinal involvement. We report a case in which colitis was the reason for hospital admission. Diagnosis may be difficult unless clinical, serological and histopathological features are all considered.     

alpha-Glucosidase inhibition by miglitol in NIDDM patients.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the efficacy of the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor miglitol (BAYm 1099) regarding the starch content of food. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Thirty-six non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects were studied in a double-blind randomized study comparing treatment with a single dosage of 100 mg miglitol or placebo and a single-blind crossover comparison of three test meals in which the carbohydrate contained either 30, 50, or 70% starch, and quantities of fat and protein were kept constant. RESULTS--Postprandial blood glucose excursions were reduced by approximately 50% with miglitol after all test meals. In contrast, after miglitol treatment, maximum postprandial serum C-peptide and insulin values reached the same levels as after placebo treatment, although the time to reach these maximum levels was delayed. Free fatty acid values decreased after both miglitol and placebo similarly. Twenty-eight untoward events in 15 patients were reported in the miglitol treatment group and 11 events in 7 patients in the placebo treatment group. CONCLUSIONS--Miglitol reduces postprandial blood glucose excursions independent of the starch content of the meal. Because no effects were found on incremental postprandial maximal levels of serum insulin and C-peptide, it may be that miglitol exerts, in addition to a delay of intestinal carbohydrate absorption, extraintestinal effects as well, particularly effects on disposition of glucose or anti-insulin counterregulatory factors.     

Dental Expression and Role in Palliative Treatment

World Health Organization defines palliative care as the active total care of patients whose disease is not responding to curative treatment. Palliative care for the terminally ill is based on a multidimensional approach to provide whole-person comfort care while maintaining optimal function; dental care plays an important role in this multidisciplinary approach. The aim of the present study is to review significance of dentist''s role to determine whether mouth care was effectively assessed and implemented in the palliative care setting. The oral problems experienced by the hospice head and neck patient clearly affect the quality of his or her remaining life. Dentist plays an essential role in palliative care by the maintenance of oral hygiene; dental examination may identify and cure opportunistic infections and dental disease like caries, periodontal disease, oral mucosal problems or prosthetic requirement. Oral care may reduce not only the microbial load of the mouth but the risk for pain and oral infection as well. This multidisciplinary approach to palliative care, including a dentist, may reduce the oral debilities that influence the patient''s ability to speak, eat or swallow. This review highlighted that without effective assessment of the mouth, the appropriate implementation of care will not be delivered. Palliative dental care has been fundamental in management of patients with active, progressive, far-advanced disease in which the oral cavity has been compromised either by the disease directly or by its treatment; the focus of care is quality of life.     

Serum uric acid and risk of cardiovascular mortality: a prospective long-term study of 83,683 Austrian men

BACKGROUND: The role of serum uric acid (SUA) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains controversial, and little is known about its prognostic importance for mortality from congestive heart failure (CHF) and stroke. Few large-scale epidemiologic studies with sufficient follow-up have addressed the association of SUA and CVD mortality in apparently healthy men across a wide age range. METHODS: A cohort of 83 683 Austrian men (mean age, 41.6 years) was prospectively followed for a median of 13.6 years. We used Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for established risk factors to evaluate SUA as an independent predictor for CVD mortality. RESULTS: The highest quintile of SUA concentration (>398.81 mumol/L) was significantly related to mortality from CHF (P = 0.03) and stroke (P <0.0001); adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for the highest vs lowest quintiles of SUA were 1.51 (1.03-2.22) and 1.59 (1.23-2.04), respectively. SUA was not associated, however, with mortality from acute, subacute, or chronic forms of coronary heart disease (CHD) after adjustment for potential confounding factors (P = 0.12). Age was a significant effect modifier for the relation of SUA to fatal CHF (P = 0.05), with markedly stronger associations found in younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates for the first time in a large prospective male cohort that SUA is independently related to mortality from CHF and stroke. Although increased SUA is not necessarily a causal risk factor, our results suggest the clinical importance of monitoring and intervention based on the presence of an increased SUA concentration, especially because SUA is routinely measured.     

Rare detection of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus genomes by polymerase chain reaction in seronegative donors with elevated alanine aminotransferase

BACKGROUND: Since screening for antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) was introduced in 1990, posttransfusion hepatitis has been reduced to nearly background levels. This has led to reconsideration of the value of testing donated blood for elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The contribution of ALT testing in detecting seronegative infection was evaluated by the performance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for hepatitis B virus (HBV) or HCV in plasma from ALT-elevated blood units. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Testing was performed on 375 units of plasma, derived from an equivalent of 47,500 blood donations, with a highly sensitive hemi-nested PCR procedure. Using a triplet of primers directed at the conserved regions of HBV DNA and 5'-noncoding regions of HCV RNA, the hemi-nested PCR assay can reliably amplify 10 viral molecules to levels detectable in ethidium bromide-stained agarose gels. Pools of plasma from groups of four donors were screened with hemi-nested PCR. For any reactive pools, the plasma from individual donors was retested twice on different aliquots. RESULTS: Two of 375 units, both with midrange ALT elevation, were repeatedly reactive in hemi-nested PCR (one each for HBV DNA and HCV RNA). However, samples from the two suspect donors tested 9 and 5 months later revealed no seroconversion, elevated ALT, or viral genomes in hemi-nested PCR. CONCLUSION: The lack of confirmed HBV or HCV infection in this study representing an estimated 47,500 voluntary blood donations suggests that routine ALT testing for further prevention of posttransfusion hepatitis after exclusion of HBV- and/or HCV-seropositive blood may be superfluous.     

S-100B concentration is not related to neurocognitive performance in the first month after mild traumatic brain injury

The serum concentration of S-100B is reported to reflect the severity of brain damage. The purpose of this study was to determine whether elevated serum S-100B concentrations were related to neuropsychological test performance of patients in the subacute phase of recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). S-100B concentrations were measured in blood samples taken within 6 h after TBI. Serum S-100B was estimated using an immunoluminometric assay. Cognitive speed and memory were assessed with neuropsychological tests at a median of 13 days (range 7-21 days) after injury. The two groups, formed on a median split of initial serum S-100B concentrations (>or<0.22 microg/l) did not differ in age or education. The neuropsychological performance of the TBI patients was also compared with that of a healthy control group. Cognitive speed and memory performance of mild TBI patients were inferior compared to those of healthy subjects. There were no significant differences within the TBI group when serum S-100B concentration was taken into consideration. The findings suggest that serum S-100B levels after mild TBI are not predictive of neuropsychological performance in the subacute stage of recovery.