Focus cleaning using mini-thoracotomy for cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis or pulmonary tuberculoma: case study of 18 human subjects

Zusammenfassung GRUNDLAGEN: Das Ziel dieser Untersuchung war, die Machbarkeit und Wirksamkeit der Fokus-Sanierung via Mini-Thorakotomie zur Therapie einer kavernösen Lungentuberkulose zu prüfen. METHODIK: Der Mini-Thorakotomie-Zugang wurde in 18 Patienten angewendet (Alter, 25–75 Jahre; median, 47,5 Jahre). Die Patienten hatten eine kavernöse Lungentuberkulose oder ein Lungentuberkulom nach tuberkulostatischer Therapie oder waren Patienten, die auf diese Therapie nicht angesprochen haben. 8 Patienten mit chronischer kavernöser Lungentuberkulose und 10 Patienten mit Tuberkulom haben sich der Fokus-Sanierung, Spülung und Faltnaht unterzogen. ERGEBNISSE: Es gab keine operative Mortalität. Alle Patienten waren klinisch saniert, hatten keinen Nachweis für Bakterien im Sputum, im Röntgen hatten die Lungenschatten abgenommen. Die Dauer der Operation betrug 30–120 min (median, 75 min), der intraoperative Blutverlust war 100–200 ml (median, 153 ml). Der postoperative Spitalsaufenthalt betrug 21–42 Tage (median, 30 Tage). Das Follow-up nach 1–4 Jahren (median, 2,5 Jahre) zeigte keine Komplikation und kein Rezidiv der Grunderkrankung. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNGEN: MTFC ist eine sichere und technisch machbare Methode zur Therapie der Lungentuberkulose oder des Tuberkuloms bei Schonung der Lungenfunktion.     

The effect of metoclopramide on gastric emptying in traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric paresis in traumatic brain injury (TBI) hinders the effectiveness of enteral support in this patient group. In this study we have investigated the effect of metoclopramide on gastric emptying in TBI patients. METHOD: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study, 19 TBI patients with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 3-11 were included. In all patients, enteral nutrition was commenced with a nasogastric feeding tube within 48 hours of trauma. Patients were randomized into two groups. In the metoclopramide (M) group, 10 mg metoclopramide was delivered intravenously three times daily for 5 days. In the control (C) group, an equal volume of saline was administered. Besides demographics, gastric emptying according to a paracetamol absorption test at days 0 and 5, time to reach target nutritional requirements, gastric residues, intolerance to feeding, nutritional complications, and clinical outcomes were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: The gastric residue rates were 2.7+/-7.4 mL and 8.1+/-17.7 mL per 100 patient days for groups C and M respectively (p=0.408). Similarly, feeding intolerance and complication rates did not significantly differ between groups C and M, (respectively p=0.543 and 0.930). Gastric emptying parameters also were similar between the study groups. CONCLUSION: We were unable to document any advantage to using metoclopramide in TBI patients. Simple intragastric enteral feeding with close monitoring of the possible complications seems to be sufficient with acceptable morbidity rates.     

Acetylcholine Synthesis in a Primary Culture of Porcine Intermediate Lobe Cells

Previous pharmacological studies with the pituitary gland have suggested that acetylcholine (ACh) might be involved in the regulation of intermediate lobe (IL) function. Whether ACh is endogenous to the IL cells or provided from an extrinsic source is unclear. The present experiments tested the possibility that the endocrine cells of the IL may be a source of ACh by measuring certain cholinergic markers in a primary culture of dissociated porcine cells. The endogenous ACh content was readily measurable in both the freshly dissociated IL cells and in 2- or 4-day primary cultures. Choline acetyltransferase activity was also measurable in the freshly dissociated and cultured IL cells and was reduced by 53% in the presence of a specific inhibitor, napthylvinylpyridine (50 μM). IL cells incubated in the presence of [¹⁴C]choline (1 μM) were able to synthesize [¹⁴C]ACh and the accumulation of the new ACh was inhibited by hemicholinium-3 (30 μM), a competitive inhibitor of high affinity choline uptake at cholinergic nerve terminals. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the endocrine cells of the IL are capable of synthesizing and storing ACh.