Zum 150. Geburtstag von César Roux (1857–1918)

César Roux was one of the few universal surgeons at the end of the 19th century who dominated all fields of surgery and influenced current surgery with his innovative spirit. Pioneering spirit and the story of the success of modern surgery are linked with his name. On the occasion of his 150th birthday, we recall the memory of this great surgeon. The personality and the history of Professor César Roux form a part of our medical and surgical heritage.     

Impact of mass media on knowledge about tuberculosis control among homemakers in Delhi.

SETTING: Homes in Delhi, India. OBJECTIVE: To study the reach of mass media campaigns and their impact on awareness about tuberculosis (TB) control among homemakers/housewives. DESIGN: A community-based cross-sectional survey among homemakers residing in Delhi for more than 6 months. RESULTS: Of a total of 920 women interviewed, about 74.2% had seen specific TB-related health messages in one or more of the mass media. The maximum number of subjects could recall having seen billboards or television campaigns. The percentage of respondents who had correct information about various aspects of the disease was higher among those who had seen TB campaigns on any of the mass media. The effectiveness of radio and newsprint in communicating TB messages was found to be more limited than that of television and billboards. CONCLUSION: The mass media can be effective in getting messages about TB across to the community of women who are homemakers, especially in developing countries. In view of our findings, it may be recommended that television and billboards be used as tools for reaching out to them with specific campaigns regarding TB control, and that the use of these media should be strengthened further.     

Selective hypersensitivity to boiled razor shell.

Many types of seafood require cooking before ingestion and it has been demonstrated that this cooking process may affect the antigenicity and allergenicity of the food. We describe a case of anaphylaxis caused by selective sensitization to razor shell, a mollusc. In vivo and in vitro studies confirmed sensitization to boiled razor shell. Analysis of the nature of the allergen yielded results that were consistent with the findings of other authors and suggested that allergens involved in seafood allergy are commonly high molecular weight proteins that, in most cases, are heat stable.     

Blood biochemical parameters of tilted primates periodically subjected to gravitational stimuli]

Head-down tilting of primates (HOT) is a universal method of studying the hypokinetic syndrome effects on functionality of various body systems. Clinical biochemical blood assay was performed in a 25-day HDT experiment (-5 degrees) with 11 Macaca rhesus. One group of animals was kept tilted all the time through, whereas the other was periodically returned into the orthostatic position for 30 to 120 minutes 4-5 times a week. Dry chemistry was employed in biochemical analysis of blood serum and enzyme immunodetection (EID) in measuring blood hormones. As a rule, the biochemical parameters of primates' serum were within the physiological norm range. Shifts in protein, carbohydrate and mineral metabolism were sought for and enzymic activity in blood serum and hormone concentrations were determined. HDT did not produce noteworthy changes in blood concentrations of somatotropic hormone, thyrotrophic hormone (TTH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) or cortisol. Animals of both groups showed statistically reliable decrease in blood osteocalcine. The preventive complex did not contribute materially to the control of metabolic homeostasis and endocrine function of the primates adapting to the 25-day HDT.     

Effect of chronic exposure to low doses of ionized radiation on embryonal development of the Japanese quail

Experiments on Japanese quail embryogenesis on a background of chronic exposure to gamma- and neutron doses comparable with the doses of ionized radiation inside the orbital space stations Mir and ISS, and exploration vehicles gave evidence that permanent absorption of low gamma-doses (0,15 cgy/d) did not impact development of the Japanese quail embryos. On the contrary, the neutron dose of 200 microgy/d imparted by the neutron flux of 30 particles/cm2s was hazardous to embryos as it caused morphological disorders in 12% of embryos.     

Genetic analysis of host responses in sepsis

During much of the past century, the microbe itself stood at the heart of microbial pathogenesis. Little thought was devoted to the host per se, though it was granted that differences in susceptibility to certain infections did exist between individuals, and between different ethnic groups. During the past 20 years, extraordinary strides in our grasp of mammalian genetics have made the host side of the equation far more approachable. A restricted collection of genes now presents itself as the likely repository for genetic differences that foretell susceptibility to infectious disease. The Toll-like receptors, of which 10 are presently known to exist in humans, offer an excellent example of this genetic reductionism, in that they embody the afferent component of the innate immune system, and strongly influence the containment of an infection from its earliest stages. The Toll-like receptors were identified as the culmination of a long and relentless inquiry into the yet-unsolved clinical problem of sepsis.     

Severe hypoglycaemia in a person with insulin autoimmune syndrome accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly type B.

AIMS: A rare case of the insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly is reported. METHODS: Antibodies to insulin and insulin receptor were determined in the patient with severe hypoglycaemia before and after the treatment with prednisolone. RESULTS: Titers of antibody to insulin and insulin receptors were 73.0% and 41.5%, respectively. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation tests were all negative for the suspicious drugs. Her HLA-DR was DRB1*0403/04051. Following steroid therapy, the formation of antibodies was suppressed and alleviated her symptoms. Scatchard analysis yielded findings specific to polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in autoantibodies resulted in alleviation of the hypoglycemic symptoms as a result of steroid therapy.