Hydroxyethyl starch does not improve pancreas preservation with HTK

The effect of hydroxyethyl starch on pancreas preservation with cardioplegic histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution (HTK) was investigated. The study was performed using an in vitro reperfusion system of the porcine pancreas. During organ preservation pancreatic weight, arterial pressure, volume flow, and washout of amylase and lactate were quantified. Addition of hydroxyethyl starch did not affect arteriovenous volume flow or washout of amylase and lactate during protective perfusion after pancreas preparation. However, hydroxyethyl starch in HTK prevented an increase in pancreatic weight at the end of the protective perfusion (102.2 ± 4.55% vs 127.8 ± 4.62% in controls; p < 0.005) and after 24 h cold ischemia (72.9 ± 3.91 % vs. 83.5 ± 3.49 % in controls; p < 0.05). Hydroxyethyl starch did not affect postischemic organ quality assessed during reperfusion in a perfusion chamber by pancreatic vascular resistance, amylase and lactate release, insulin secretion, and oxygen consumption. We conclude that hydroxyethyl starch does not bring about any further improvement in immediate postischemic organ quality assessed in an in vitro reperfusion system.

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Hydroxyäthylstärke bringt keine verbesserung der pankreaskonservierung mit HTK-Lösung

Zusammenfassung Der Effekt von Hydroxyäthylstärke auf die Pankreaskonservierung mit der kardioplegischen Histidin-Tryptophan-Ketoglutarat-Lösung (HTK) wurde untersucht. Die Studie wurde an einem Reperfusionssystem des in vitro perfundierten Pankreas vom Schwein durchgeführt. Während der Organprotektion wurden das Pankreasgewicht, der arterielle Perfusionsdruck, die Volumenstromstärke sowie Amylase und Laktat im Perfusat bestimmt. Der Zusatz von Hydroxyäthylstärke bewirkte keine Änderung der Volumenstromstärke oder der Amylase- und Laktatauswaschung aus dem Organ während der Protektion. Allerdings konnte eine Zunahme des Organgewichts am Ende der protektiven Perfusion (102,2 ± 4,55% vs. 127,8 ± 4,62%in Kontrollen; p < 0,005) und nach 24 h kalter Ischamie (72,9 ± 3,91 vs. 83,5 ± 3,49% in Kontrollen; p < 0,05) durch Hydroxyathylstärke in der HTK-Lösung verhindert werden. Hydroxyäthylstärke hatte keinen Einfluß auf die postischämische Organqualität, die während der Reperfusion in einer Perfusionskammer anhand von Gefäßwiderstand, Amylase- und Laktatfreisetzung, Insulinsekretion und Sauerstoffverbrauch abgeschätzt wurde. Wir schließen daraus, daß Hydroxyäthylstärke die sofort nach einer Ischämie in einem In-vitro-Reperfusionssystem bestimmte Pankreasfunktion nicht weiter verbessert.

     

Bone mineral density in patients with prostatic cancer treated with orchidectomy and with estrogens

Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured in the femoral neck area, trochanteric area and Wards triangle, and in the distal radius of the left forearm before and after 1 year of endocrine treatment in 27 patients with prostatic cancer. Eleven of the patients were treated with orchidectomy and 16 with combined oral and intramuscular estrogens. The patients were free from metastases during the entire observation period. In the orchidectomized patients, BMD and BMC of the distal radius decreased significantly following treatment, whereas no changes were observed in the estrogen-treated patients. These preliminary results demonstrate that estrogens may protect bone in male subjects also and may merit further investigations on larger groups of patients.     

The Impact on Reproduction of an Orally Administered Mixture of Selected PCBs in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were orally exposed to a mixture of 20 PCBs in three different dose levels (0.008, 0.08, and 0.4 μg of each congener per gram of freeze-dried chironomids). Generally, the PCBs accumulated in a dose-related manner. After 13 weeks of exposure body, liver, and ovary weights, as well as the liver and ovary somatic index, were significantly lower in exposed groups. In addition, the PCB mixture was an effective inducer of hepatic EROD activity. The reproduction study performed with exposed females and unexposed males after 9 weeks revealed that median survival time for larvae was only 7.7 days in the high-dose group as compared with 14 days in controls. Furthermore, egg production was reduced in all three groups exposed. No differences in hatching frequency or median hatching time were recorded. Histologically, females in both the intermediate and high-dose groups contained a reduced number of mature oocytes. The present study demonstrates that the potency of the mixture of selected PCBs induces hepatic EROD activity and has a clearly negative effect on zebrafish reproduction. Received: 7 May 1997/Accepted: 29 November 1997     

Antidepressant-associated maniform states in acute treatment of patients with bipolar-I depression

Medical records of 158 patients with bipolar depression were analysed for the incidence of a switch from depression to maniform states (mania and hypomania). Relation to psychopharmacological treatment was investigated. Thirty-nine (25%) patients of the total sample had switched to a maniform state during the treatment period in the hospital. Among that group the phenomenon occurred in 23 patients (15%) as a hypomania and in 16 patients (10%) as a mania. Patients with a switch were significantly more often treated with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) than patients without switch (79.5% vs 51.3%). Mood stabilising medication might reduce the risk for switching, especially in patients treated with TCA; however, it seems not totally sufficient, since 59% of the switched patients received mood stabilisers. The switch phenomenon was not associated with sociodemographic or clinical data. Received: 23 September 1998 / Accepted: 28 September 1998     

Bacterial colonization and infection in an intensive care unit

One hundred and one patients, nursed in an intensive care unit for at least 24h, were monitored for bacterial colonization and infection. The infection rates were similar to those in other reports. Patients were not generally colonized with common environmental strains in the unit. Bacterial dissemination between patients was uncommon. No gentamicin resistant gram negative or Staphylococcus aureus strains were observed, nor methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. the hypothesis that these favourable conditions are partly related to the excellent isolation and barrier nursing facilities in the unit cannot be fully substantiated.     

Isolated and combined effects of prolonged exposures to noise and whole-body vibration on hearing,vision and strain

Summary This study was carried out in order: (1) to examine the effects of isolated and combined prolonged exposures to noise and whole-body vibration on hearing, vision and subjectively experienced strain, and (2) to check the combined effects with repeated exposures. Six male subjects were exposed twice to noise (N) at 92 dBA, whole-body vibration (V) in the Z-axis at 4 Hz and 1.0 ms^–2 rms, and noise and vibration (NV) for 90 min with each condition. Temporary threshold shifts of hearing (TTS) and their integrals (ITTS) were measured at 4, 6, 10, and 12 kHz. Visual acuity was examined by means of a very sensitive test. Cross-modality matching (CMM) of the handgrip force was used to judge the subjectively experienced strain. NV induced a clear tendency of higher TTS and ITTS than N, with several significant differences most pronounced at 10 kHz. With repeated exposures, the effect of NV decreased, while the reactions to N and V remained unchanged. The individual reactions to NV differed. The influence of the duration of exposures on vision depended on the condition; N caused time-dependent changes, whereas V did not. CMM-data increased with the duration of the exposure during V and NV. N was generally judged to be more straining than V; NV caused higher strain than V during the first 30 min of exposure only. Correlations between different effects suggest certain links between them. Additionally, less motivation — daily obtained by a questionnaire — often correlated with higher ITTS during N and NV. The results also illustrate the combined effects on the individual susceptibility, repetition of exposure, the kind of response, and, possibly, the actual psychic state.Abbreviations CMM cross-modality matching - MVC maximum voluntary contraction force - N exposure condition: noise level 92dBA, no whole-body vibration - NV exposure condition: combined exposure to noise with a level of 92 dBA and wholebody vibration with 4 Hz, 1 ms^–2 rms - V exposure condition: whole-body vibration with 4 Hz, 1 ms^–2 rms - TTS temporary threshold shift - ITTS integral of temporary threshold shift - WBV whole-body vibration in the common sense This work was done in the Temporary International Research Team on Combined Effects of Noise and Vibration of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance of the Socialist Countries. The authors gratefully acknowledge the help and assistance of L.-M. Brumm, Y. Bening, M. Godau, G. Weber, and R. Vizcaino.     

Die operative Behandlung von Außenknöchelfrakturen mit der Krallenplatte

Ohne Zusammenfassung      

Improved section bonding using silanated glass slides —application protocol

Summary Silanated slides provide excellent tissue adhesion for routine histology, immunhistochemistry and in situ hybridization of frozen, paraffin embedded material or cell smears. An easy and inexpensive method of treating glass microscope slides with triethoxysilylpropylamine is reported.     

Demonstration of extrachromosmal DNA fromBabesia equi merozoites

An extrachromosomal nucleic acid element was detected in high-molecular-weight DNA preparations formBabesia equi merozoites. This extrachromosomal element was shown to be DNA rather than RNA and had an apparent fragment size of about 9 kilobasepairs (kb). Hybridization experiments using purified 9-kb DNA as a probe revealed sequence homologies with extrachromosomal DNA from two otherBabesia species.