Chamber-angle photos with the Zeiss fundus camera (author's transl)]

A new device for holding a Zeiss Fundus Camera (Bed-Statif) is described. This device overcomes earlier difficulties, through which too much distance between the patient and the photo resulted. This appliance allows perfect goniophotos to be taken -- as shown by the numerous illustrations.     

93. Sekundäre Rekonstruktion der Darmkontinuität nach Colektomie wegen Colitis ulcerosa

Zusammenfassung Bei 37 Patienten mit gesicherter Colitis ulcerosa wurde nach subtotaler (n=29) oder linksseitiger (n = 8) Colektomie der Rectumstumpf primär belassen. In 25 von 37 Fällen mußte das Rectum sekundär nach 1,6 Jahren exstirpiert werden, bei 9 dieser Patienten wurde ileoanal ohne Reservoir anastomosiert, in 4 Jahren sind bei 4 von 8 Überlebenden die Anastomosen entfernt worden. Bei 12 von 37 Patienten wurde das Rectum über 10,8 Jahre erhalten, nur 4mal konnte nach abgeklungener Proktitis ileorectal anastomosiert werden.     

Renovascular and tubular effects of neuropeptide Y are discriminated by PP56 (D-myo-inositol 1,2,6-triphosphate) in anaesthetized rats

 Systemic infusion of neuropeptide Y (NPY; 1 μg kg^–1 min^–1) for 120 min rapidly reduced renal blood flow and increased mean arterial pressure and renovascular resistance and, at later time points (> 30 min), enhanced diuresis, natriuresis and calciuresis in anaesthetized rats. Infusion of the reported NPY antagonist PP56 (D-myo-inositol 1,2,6-triphosphate, 333 mg kg^–1 min^–1) slightly but significantly enhanced renal blood flow and reduced renovascular resistance over the course of the infusion period. Infusion of PP56 together with NPY (starting 30 min prior to the NPY infusion) significantly inhibited NPY-induced alterations of mean arterial pressure, renal blood flow and renovascular resistance. Coinfusion of PP56 also attenuated the renovascular effects of bolus injections of NPY (0.1–10 μg/kg) but at the highest NPY dose the antagonistic effect of PP56 could partially be overcome. In contrast to the antagonism of the vascular NPY effects, infusion of PP56 did not significantly affect NPY-induced enhancements of diuresis, natriuresis and calciuresis. Thus, PP56 is a surmountable antagonist of vascular but not tubular NPY effects. We conclude that tubular NPY effects occur largely independently of alterations of renal haemodynamics. Received: 9 July 1996 / Received after revision: 9 December 1996/ Accepted: 7 January 1997     

Histology and platinum content of sensory ganglia and sural nerves in patients treated with cisplatin and carboplatin: an autopsy study

Cisplatin is a valuable antineoplastic drug which as a dose-limiting side-effect causes sensory neuropathy, and which therefore is often combined with less neurotoxic carboplatin. It has not been possible to reproduce cisplatin neuropathy in experimental animals, and the neurotoxic mechanism in man is disputed. We investigated post-mortem material from 12 patients and 15 control subjects. Half of the fibres with diameters of > or = 9 microns, or more than 15% of all fibres (P < 0.02), had disappeared in the sural nerves of patients. Signs of axonal regeneration were lacking. The dorsal root ganglia D12 and L2 of some but not of all patients contained necrotic neurons and nodules of Nageotte. The mean volume of the somata was reduced by 18% (P < 0.03). A relation between cumulated doses, treatment free interval and changes in nerve or ganglia was not found. The platinum content was high in all tissues except in the spinal cord when the patient had died shortly after treatment, and it decreased with increasing interval, least so in liver, sensory ganglia and sural nerves. The results support the hypothesis that cisplatin neuropathy is a neuroneopathy rather than a dying-back axonopathy.     

The significance of the nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in β cell function

Bile acids (BAs) are important signaling molecules that are involved in the regulation of their own metabolism, lipid metabolism, energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis. The nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and the G-protein-coupled TGR-5 are the most prominent BA receptors. FXR is highly expressed in liver and activation of liver FXR profoundly affects glucose homeostasis. Strikingly, the effect of FXR activation on glucose metabolism seems to depend on the nutritional status of the organism, i.e., slimness or obesity. Recently, it became evident that FXR is present in pancreatic β cells and that activation of β cell FXR contributes to the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Interestingly, FXR activation increases glucose-induced insulin secretion by non-genomic effects on stimulus-secretion coupling. The first chapter of this review shortly introduces the role of liver FXR in glucose metabolism, the second part focuses on the impact of FXR in lean and obese animals, and the third chapter highlights the significance of FXR in β cells.