Treatment of a recurrent inguinal lymphocele in a penis cancer patient by lymphography and selective ligation of lymphatic vessels

We report a case of recurrent inguinal lymphocele formation after inguinal lymphadenectomy treated by lymphographic mapping and selective ligation of the lymphatic vessels. Lymphographic mapping was performed by puncturing a lymphatic vessel at the dorsum of the foot. After isolating the vessels that drained into the lymphocele, they were clipped and divided through a small skin incision. The described technique showed an instant and complete suspension of the lymph secretion with subsequent complete healing. Lymphatic mapping and selective ligation of afferent lymphatic vessels proved to be an effective treatment of a recurrent inguinal lymphocele.     

Study of return rate and return time of undeliverable postal letters

Postal questionnaires are widely used to collect data in health research and epidemiologic studies. One problem related to mail surveys is the availability of an up-to-date and accurate list of people in the population from which to draw the sample for the survey. For the identification of incorrect postal addresses it is important that all incorrectly addressed mails are returned as undeliverable. This study examines the proportion of unreturned postal letters that were sent to incorrect addresses. We sent 339 letters to existing addresses throughout Germany, but used fictional names name of persons. Three hundred and three letters (98.2%) were returned as undeliverable. The return rates only slightly differed by layout of the envelopes, region and deliverer.     

Comparison of antigen expression on normal urothelial cells in tissue section and tissue culture

Antigenic characterization of urothelial cells cultured from normal adult ureter was performed. These cells were cultured using a simplified isolation and culture technique and a commercially available serum-free medium. The cells growing in these cultures had epithelioid morphology and normal quantities of DNA. The antigen expression on these cultured normal urothelial cells was evaluated using a panel of monoclonal antibodies: 5G6.4, AN43, URO-5, anti-keratin and anti-blood group antibodies, and 425 (anti-epidermal growth factor receptor). Lower levels of anti-A and AN43 binding on cultured cells were observed than are seen on urothelial cells in sections of normal ureter, while the binding of anti-blood group H, 5G6.4, and URO-5 was unchanged. Binding of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody 425 was improved if the cells were grown in medium lacking epidermal growth factor. These results confirm the urothelial origin of these cultured urothelial cells but indicate that some antigenic differences between cultured normal urothelial cells and urothelial cells in situ in the normal ureter exist.     

Block copolymers with bipyridine containing segments: Synthesis and self-organization by Cu(I) complexation

The synthesis and properties of segmented ABA triblock and (AB)_n multiblock copolymer systems with 6,6′-disubstituted 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) building blocks B and poly(oxytetramethylene) soft segments A are described. The access to the disubstituted bipyridines in large scale quantities was achieved by modification of conventional synthetic routes. In the presence of copper(I) ions these polymers formed mononuclear [Cu(I)(bpy)₂] complexes in solution through self-assembly. The complexed copolymers were microphase separated systems in bulk with nano to mesoscopic superstructures consisting of copper-bpy complex aggregates in a polyether matrix. The thermal, mechanical and elastomer properties of the block copolymers varied with composition.     

Rare diseases mimicking acute vertebrobasilar artery thrombosis

Acute ischaemia of the vertebrobasilar circulation leads to a variety of clinical manifestation and is mostly due to cardiogenic or artery-to-artery embolism. We describe four neurological emergency situations involving vertebrobasilar artery aclusion of other origins: basilar migraine, extrinsic compression by rheumatoid inflammatory tissue, generalized vasculitis in subacute rheumatic fever and basilar artery dissection. The differential diagnosis of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion may have an important impact on patient management.     

Effects of enteral feedback inhibition on motility,luminal flow,and absorption of nutrients in proximal gut of minipigs

We wanted to clarify whether the postprandial intestinal feedback control activated by nutrients in the distal gut exerts different effects on motility, transit of digesta, and absorption of nutrients in the proximal gut. Additionally, interrelationships among motility, transit, and absorption were to be elucidated because these relationships have only been investigated in the fasted state. In five minipigs, a 150-cm segment of the proximal jejunum was isolated by two cannulas. Motility of the jejunal segment was recorded by multiple strain gauges and analyzed by computerized methods. Markers (Cr- and Cu-EDTA) were used for the measurement of the flow rate, transit time, and absorption of nutrients. After a meal, the test segment was perfused with 2 kcal/min of an elemental diet over a period of 90 min. A feedback inhibition was activated by infusion of nutrients into the midgut at rates of 1–4 kcal/min. Saline was infused as control. With increasing energy loads infused into the midgut, the motility index and the length of contraction waves decreased, whereas the incidence of stationary contractions increased, ie, the motility changed from a propulsive to a segmenting pattern. These modulations of motility were associated with a linear decrease in the flow rate and a linear increase in transit time. Flow and transit were linearly correlated with each other. Additionally, the reduction in flow rate and the delay in luminal transit were associated with a linear increase in the absorption of nutrients. However, the increase in absorption induced by the feedback mechanism was small (7.3–13.4%) compared to the marked inhibition of the motility parameters (54–64%), the flow rate (59%), and the delay of transit (5.8-fold). Feedback control primarily modulated motor patterns and luminal flow, whereas the small increase in absorption was only a side effect due to the longer contact time of the nutrients with the mucosa.The study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, grant Eh 64/6-3.     

Characterization of “plasma proteins” secreted by cultured rat macroglial cells

The brain is isolated behind a blood-tissue barrier that restricts the access of circulating proteins to neural cells. There is evidence that some of these proteins are synthesized within the central nervous system. The present study examines the synthesis and secretion of such proteins by cultured macroglial cells. Primary glial cultures were derived from cortical and subcortical regions of neonatal rat brains, and subsequent secondary cultures were enriched in type-1 astrocytes, type-2 astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes. Newly synthesized proteins were immunoprecipitated from the culture media using antisera directed against whole rat serum. All three types of glial cells secreted a range of plasma proteins. In general, type-1 astrocytes secreted more of these proteins than did type-2 astrocytes or oligodendrocytes, although the one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) profiles were specific for each cell type. Antisera directed against specific plasma proteins identified three of the most abundant proteins secreted by type-1 astrocytes as transferrin, α-2-macroglobulin, and ceruloplasmin. Northern blot analysis of cellular RNA confirmed that type-1 astrocytes contained transferrin mRNA, and that it was more abundant in cultures derived from subcortical regions than from cortical regions. In situ hybridization studies revealed that virtually all type-1 and type-2 astrocytes contained transferrin mRNA. Since the proteins identified in this study have been proposed to have a variety of neurotrophic roles in the central nervous system, these data further extend the range of possible functions that glial cells may serve in the CNS.     

Digital movement analysis,a new objective method of measuring tardive dyskinesia and drug-induced parkinsonian tremor: acceptability,reliability and validity

Digital movment analysis (DMA) is a new instrumental approach to assessing oral tardive dyskinesia (TD) by means of digital image processing of a video signal, tracking five paper dots placed around the patient's mouth. A total of 40 schizophrenic patients, 30 with and 10 without TD, were examined twice (with a 3-month interval) with this new device. The patients were further examined with two TD rating scales: the St. Hans Rating Scale for extrapyramidal syndromes (SHRS) and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS).The schizophrenic patients accepted the instrumental assessment without any anxiety or resistance. The internal relibility of the apparatus was high, with correlation coefficients of 0.80–0.99. The DMA TD values correlated with the SHRS and AIMS scores with correlation coefficients of 0.48–0.73 indicating an acceptable, although not strong, concurrent validity. Fluctuations occurred from the first to the second examination independent of medication. For these fluctuations no correlation was found between DMA values and rating scores. Finally, the DMA device was able to detect perioral tremor as a sign of parkinsonism.It has been concluded that DMA is a useful supplement to classical TD rating, although further validity evaluation is warranted.     

Metabolism of aniline and 3-chloroaniline in Pseudomonas acidovorans CA28: Evidence of isofunctional muconate cycloisomerases

Two distinct muconate cycloisomerases are involved in the degradation of aniline and 3-chloroaniline (3-CA) proceeding via the ortho-cleavage pathways in Pseudomonas acidovorans CA28. After partial purification of these two enzymes kinetic investigations resulted in a clear differentiation of aniline-derived muconate cycloisomerase (MC) and 3-CA-derived chloromuconate cycloisomerase (CMC). A further result of this study revealed the simultaneous coexistence of MC and CMC in strain CA28 when grown on a mixture of aniline and 3-CA.