Reversible hepatic veno-occlusive disease in an infant after consumption of pyrrolizidine-containing herbal tea

Veno-occlusive disease was diagnosed in an 18-month-old boy who had regularly consumed a herbal tea mixture since the 3rd month of life. The boy developed portal hypertension with severe ascites. Histology of the liver showed centrilobular sinusoidal congestion with perivenular bleeding and parenchymal necrosis without cirrhosis. The tea contained peppermint and what the mother thought was coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara). The parents believed the tea aided the healthy development of their child. Pharmacological analysis of the tea compounds revealed high amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Seneciphylline and the corresponding N-oxide were identified as the major components by thin-layer chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. We calculated that the child had consumed at least 60 g/kg body weight per day of the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid mixture over 15 months. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the leaf material indicated thatAdenostyles alliariae (Alpendost) had been erroneously gathered by the parents in place of coltsfoot. The two plants can easily be confused especially after the flowering period. The child was given conservative treatment only and recovered completely within 2 months.     

Graduate education in health services administration. Integrating business with clinical perspectives

Health services administration continues to evolve in response to environmental changes in reimbursement, technology, demographics, and health care reform. These changes encourage further integration of business skills in health services, an emphasis which often conflicts with the perspectives of clinicians. The balance between business and clinical perspectives must be developed such that administrators and clinicians foster the survival and growth of their organizations while assuring comprehensive and quality health services to patients and the community. This paper describes education in health services administration, and uses a survey of one program's graduates to assess the usefulness of the current educational model in balancing business and clinical perspectives.     

Borna disease virus-induced hippocampal dentate gyrus damage is associated with spatial learning and memory deficits

In neonatally inoculated rats, Borna disease virus (BDV) leads to a persistent infection of the brain in the absence of an inflammatory response and is associated with neuroanatomic, developmental, physiologic, and behavioral abnormalities. One of the most dramatic sites of BDV-associated damage in the neonatal rat brain is the dentate gyrus, a neuroanatomic region believed to play a major role in spatial learning and memory. The absence of a generalized inflammatory response to neonatal BDV infection permits direct effects of viral damage to the dentate gyrus to be examined. In this report, neonatally BDV-infected rats at various stages of dentate gyrus degeneration were evaluated in the Morris water maze, a swimming test that assesses the rats' capacity to navigate by visual cues. Our data demonstrate progressive spatial learning and memory deficits in BDV-infected rats that coincided with a gradual decline in the estimated hippocampal dentate gyrus neuron density.     

Phototherapeutic keratoectomy (PTK) after keratoconjunctivitis epidemica

Background: Persistent and recurrent nummuli after epidemic keratokonjunktivitis (EKC) often lead to reduced visual acuity and increased glare. In spite of long-term topical steroid therapy nummuli often recur. We tried to treat persistent nummuli with phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK). Patients: PTK with an excimer laser (193 nm) was performed in 13 eyes of 9 patients with nummuli. The nummuli were observed over 3–72 months (mean: 36 months). Preoperatively, the visual acuity was 0.1–0.9 (mean: 0.39 ± 0.22) and the brightness acuity test (BAT) was 0.05–0.5 (mean: 0.25 ± 0.15). Prior to PTK all eyes had been treated with local steroids several times for recurrent nummuli. Results: During the follow-up from 15 to 56 months (mean: 33 ± 11.5 ms), 11 eyes had an increase in visual acuity: 0.3–1.0 (mean: 0.63 ± 0.26). The reduction of glare was especially beneficial for the patients: 0.3–0,9 (mean: 0.55 ± 0.21). One patient had a recurrence of nummuli in both eyes 6 weeks after PTK. The subjective-induced spheric refractive change was − 2.5 D to + 2.0 D. The astigmatic error changed between − 2.0 D to + 1.5 D. Conclusion: PTK seems to be an effective method of treating persistent, recurrent nummuli after EKC. The low rate of recurrence of nummuli after PTK is remarkable.      

Limb preservation for reimplantation. a review

Although reimplantation of severed limbs and other parts of the body has become prevalent in recent years, the questions of how best to preserve limbs for reimplantation and how to determine if a transected part is viable have not been fully answered. The problem of preservation involves combating direct anoxic damage to tissue as well as combating the changes in the vascular system that lead to the "no reflow phenomenon." Current information concerning kidney preservation as well as experimental and clinical reports on limb preservation are reviewed in this article, and suggestions are made for further investigations.     

Survival after first recurrence of breast cancer. The Miami experience.

BACKGROUND. Four hundred thirty-three patients with recurrent breast cancer were treated by the authors at a large medical breast oncology facility from 1976-1982. The median survival time from first relapse (MSFR) for the 193 patients whose survival experience was not confounded by lead-time bias was 26 months. This MSFR is similar to that of most series published in the 1970s and 1980s and is approximately double that of series published in the 1960s. METHODS. In this series, regression analysis identified disease-free interval (DFI), estrogen receptor (ER) status, and dominant disease site as significant prognostic variables, similar to other published series. RESULTS. In 113 patients with known ER values, DFI, and dominant metastatic sites, a prognostic spectrum of MSFR patterns was identified among combinations of these three variables. The MSFR ranged from 15 months for poor risk patients with negative ER values, visceral dominant sites, and DFI of less than 24 months, to more than 90 months for good risk patients with positive ER values, soft tissue dominant sites, and DFI of more than 24 months. Although menopausal status alone was not a significant prognostic variable in regression analysis, 66% of premenopausal patients had a constellation of "poor" prognostic variables. CONCLUSIONS. This type of prognostic factor analysis at first relapse could help identify subsets of patients who might be considered for aggressive investigational therapies such as high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow reconstitution.     

Side effects during continuous epidural infusion of morphine and fentanyl

Respiratory effects, nausea, somnolence, and pruritus were compared during a 48-hr period of continuous epidural morphine (n = 34) and fentanyl (n = 32) infusion in 66 patients following elective total replacement of the hip or knee joint. Respiratory effects were assessed by PaCO2. Side effects were assessed by visual analogue scale and considered to be present when the score was above 30. Assessment was made at preoperative visits then 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hr after the epidural injection. The bolus dose and subsequent infusion rate were 3,900 +/- 1,300 micrograms and 427 +/- 213 micrograms.hr-1 for morphine, and 85 +/- 46 micrograms and 56 +/- 27 micrograms.hr-1 for fentanyl. Pain relief was similar in both groups. In the morphine group, PaCO2 elevation and nausea occurred over a period of more than 12 hr (P less than 0.05). In the fentanyl group, there was no PaCO2 change, and nausea was confined to the first few hours. Nausea was more severe (P less than 0.01 at six hours and more frequent (24 hr cumulative incidence, 53 vs 28%, P less than 0.05) in the morphine group. Somnolence was prominent within several hours in two-thirds of patients in both groups. Somnolence continued to decline thereafter in the morphine group, but it was demonstrable in approximately half of the patients throughout the second day in the fentanyl group. The incidence was higher in the fentanyl group at the 48th hr (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Unsere Erfahrungen mit der Infektionsprophylaxe und -therapie nach 53 Lebertransplantationen

Summary An attempt was made to reduce the risk of infection following liver transplantation by means of selective bowel decontamination with tobramycin, polymyxin E and amphotericin B, as well as short-term systemic antibiotics with cephotaxim and tobramycin. After 53 consecutive orthotopec hepatic transplants performed in 51 patients between 1985 and 1987, a total of eight pneumonias occurred as the clinically most significant infection. Two pneumonias were caused by cytomegalovirus, one by Pneumocystis carinii, one by Candida and the remaining four by various bacteria. In 6 patients, bacteria were cultured from the blood, but only in one case was an indwelling catheter identified as the source of the septicemia. Taking all samples together, Streptococcus faecalis was the bacterium most frequently cultured, which was not covered by the prophylactic antimicrobial regime applied. Pseudomonas, however, and gram-negative bacteria were demonstrated much less frequently. Vaginal and oral Candida infections, as well as oral and genital herpes simplex infections, responded well to topical therapy with fungicide and aciclovir, respectively. Three patients developed cytomegalovirus (CMV) hepatitis. All five CMV infections were successfully treated with ganciclovir and hyperimmunoglobulin, as well as reduction of prophylactic immunosuppression. Out of 15 patients transplanted for posthepatitic cirrhosis, 7 developed a recurrence of the infection (5 hepatitis B virus) 2 hepatitis C virus) in the graft. Two died of the cirrhosis, three are still alive with cirrhosis but sufficient graft function, and one patient is suffering from chronic active hepatitis. One patient grafted for acute hepatic failure was able to clear the delta virus within 1 year post-transplant. During the perioperative phase, however, we never lost a single patient to infectious complications. Therefore, bowel decontamination and antibiotic prophylaxis, including Streptococcus faecalis, are recommended.

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Unsere Erfahrungen mit der Infektionsprophylaxe und -therapie nach 53 Lebertransplantationen

Zusammenfassung Durch selektive Darmdekontamination mit Tobramycin, Polymyxin E and Amphotericin B über 8 Tage and kurzzeitige Antibiotikatherapie mit Cefotaxim und Tobramycin wurde versucht, die hohe Infektionsrate nach Lebertransplantation zu reduzieren. Nach 53 konsekutiven orthotopen Leberverpflanzungen bei 51 Patienten zwischen 1985 and 1987 traten als klinisch bedeutsamste Infekte 8 Pneumonien auf. Bei 4 Patienten waren these bakterieller Natur, 2 durch Cytomegalovirus verursacht, 1 durch Pneumocystis carnii and 1 durch Candida. 6 Patienten hatten eine Septikämie, wobei nur in 1 Fall ein Venenkatheter als Ausgangspunkt identifiziert werden konnte. Alle Proben zusammengenommen wurde am häufigsten Streptokokkus faecalis kultiviert, ein Keim, der durch das angewendete antimikrobielle Regime nicht erfaßt wird. Pseudomonaden hingegen und gramnegative Stäbchen wurden in einem wesentlich geringeren Prozentsatz nachgewiesen. Vaginale and orale Candidainfektionen erlangten ebenso wie orale and genitale Herpes simplex-Infektionen kaum Krankheitswert und wurden jeweils topisch mit einem Antimykotikum bzw. Acyclovir behandelt. Neben den 2 CMV-Pneumonien wurden auch 3 durch CMV verursachte Hepatitiden beobachtet. Alle CMV-Infekte konnten mit Gancyclovir und Hyperimmunglobulin bei gleichzeitiger Reduktion der Basisimmunosuppression beherrscht werden. Von 15 Patienten, die wegen posthepatitischer Zirrhose transplantiert wurden waren, entwickelten 7 eine Reinfektion des Transplantates (5 HBV, 2 HCV), wovon 2 an der Zirrhose verstarben, 3 mit einer Zirrhose and noch ausreichender Transplantatfunktion leben, wie auch der Patient, der eine chronisch aktive Hepatitis entwickelt hatte. Eine im akuten Leberversagen transplantierte Patientin hat das Deltavirus innerhalb eines Jahres eliminiert. In der perioperativen Phase wurde jedoch kein einziger Patient an einer infektiösen Komplikation verloren, so da auch bei fehlender Kontrollgruppe die Darmdekontamination sowie die antibiotische Kurzzeitprophylaxe empfohlen werden können.