Heart insufficiency in traumatic arteriovenous fistulas

Objective: To analyse the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcome of heart insufficiency in patients with chronic arteriovenous fistulas (AVF). Methodology: From 1991 to 2000 we treated 49 patients with traumatic AVF. The present study included 19 patients with AVF present for 6 months or longer, as it was presumed that these AVF will have an impact on cardiac overload. There were 16 male and three female patients with a mean age of 36 years (17–59). The time from injury to admission varied from 6 months to 33 years. Cardiological examination checked for dyspnoea and palpitation. ECG, chest X‐ray and ECHO‐cardiography were also performed. All AVF were deleted, magistral vessels reconstructed, non‐magistral obliterated, either surgically or by percutaneous embolization. Results: Mean follow up was 44.2 months (3–93). Serious heart insufficiency was seen in two patients only, with AVF in the subclavial vessels. Both suffered from serious heart disease prior to the therapeutic procedures that resulted in iatrogenic AVF, so it was difficult to connect heart insufficiency to the AVF alone. Despite surgical closure of AVF and intensive medical treatment, signs of heart insufficiency remained in both patients. Signs of cardiac overload were seen in six patients with long‐standing AVF in major vessels. Except for one patient who refused surgical closure of femoral AVF, the remaining five were symptom free for cardiac overload during the follow‐up period. Conclusion: In our series, heart insufficiency was an infrequent complication in long‐standing AVF, even when major vessels were involved.     

Transition from open to robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy is associated with a reduction of positive surgical margins amongst private-practice-based urologists

Several recent studies have suggested that thought leaders in radical prostatectomy have decreased their own positive margin rates by switching from open to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Theoretically, this improvement is largely attributed to enhanced visualization of the deep pelvis and precision of dissection afforded by the instrumentation. To date, it has not been determined if this phenomenon exists amongst non-fellowship-trained urologists in private practice. Herein, we describe the positive margin rates of two non-fellowship-trained private-practice urologists who converted from open radical retropubic prostatectomy to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. The margin positivity data from two non-fellowship-trained private-practice urologists (surgeon 1 and surgeon 2) were reviewed retrospectively. The last 50 cases of open radical retropubic prostatectomy from each surgeon were compared with the first 50 robotic prostatectomy cases of surgeons 1 and 2, respectively. A positive surgical margin was defined as tumor present at the inked margin of the prostate. There was a significant decrease in the overall and pT2 positive margin rates for both surgeons. The overall positive margin rate and pT2 positive margin rate for surgeon 1 dropped from 44 to 20% and from 37 to 5.7%, respectively, after changing from open to robotic prostatectomy. For surgeon 2, the overall positive margin rate changed from 26 to 18% and the pT2 positive margin rate changed from 27.5 to 7% after converting. Changing from open to robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy may improve the ability of urologists to obtain negative surgical margins. With proper training this phenomenon does seem to apply to non-fellowship-trained urologists in private practice and can be realized within the first 50 cases performed.     

Mucous Gland Adenoma Simulating Bronchial Asthma: Case Report and Literature Review

We report a case of mucous gland adenoma arising in the left main bronchus which was initially misdiagnosed as asthma and review the previous reported cases of this rare tumor published in the available literature.     

Decrease of elastic tissue fibres in stem villus blood vessels of the human placenta during IUGR and IUGR with concomitant pre-eclampsia

In a recent study we described an increase of elastic tissue fibres in blood vessel walls of placental stem villi during pre-eclampsia when compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. Furthermore, the thickness of these blood vessel walls was enhanced in pre-eclampsia. Since it is known that elastic tissue fibres increase in systemic hypertension, it may be assumed that the enhancement of elastic tissue fibres in placental stem villi during pre-eclampsia may be induced by the hypertension. To get further insight into this assumption, we examined the amount of elastic tissue fibres in stem villus blood vessels of placentae of pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (isolated IUGR, fourteen cases), a disease without hypertension of the mother and such with pre-eclampsia and concomitant IUGR (IUGR+PE, nine cases). Each study group was compared with uncomplicated pregnancies (twenty-six cases). Unfixed cryostat serial sections were processed for conventional orcein staining and for the demonstration of alpha-actin-immunoreactivity. The intensity of orcein staining of stem villus blood vessel walls was evaluated by a semiquantitative score method. Significant lower intensities of orcein staining were calculated for blood vessel walls of placentae of isolated IUGR (P=0.0007) and IUGR+PE (P=0.0039) when compared to uncomplicated pregnancies each. Additionally, the blood vessel wall thickness of stem villi of isolated IUGR (P=0.0081) and IUGR+PE (P=0.0007) was significantly reduced. In comparison to the above mentioned investigation, our results show that, in contrast to isolated pre-eclampsia, elastic tissue fibres are decreased during pregnancies complicated by IUGR, independently of the occurrence of concomitant pre-eclampsia when compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. From our studies it may be considered that the increase of elastic tissue fibres in placentae of patients with isolated pre-eclampsia may be induced by systemic hypertension. Furthermore, our study underline arguments that IUGR may be an independent disease of the fetus.     

Competitive reactions of L-methionine and 5'-GMP towards platinum (II) complexes

The complex-formation reactions of the platinum(II) complexes, [Pt(dien)H2O]2+, [PtCl(dien)]+ and [PtBr(dien)]+ (dien is diethylenetriamine) with some biologically relevant ligands such as inosine (INO), inosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-IMP), guanosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-GMP), glutathione (GSH) and L-methionine (S-meth), were studied by UV-Vis (UV-Visible) spectrophotometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Reactions of the [PtCl(dien)]+ with L-methionine were studied in the presence and absence of 5'-GMP. The rate constants clearly showed a kinetic preference toward L-methionine. However, competitive reactions of [PtCl(dien)]+ with L-methionine and 5'-GMP demonstrated initially rapid formation of [Pt(dien)(S-meth)]2+ followed by displacement of L-methionine by 5'-GMP. In the later stages the concentration of [Pt(dien)(N7-GMP )]2+ is predominant. The results are analyzed in reference to the anti-tumour activity of Pt(II) complexes.     

Complex modulation of human motor cortex excitability by the specific serotonin re-uptake inhibitor sertraline

Monoamines are powerful modulators of cortical function. Serotonin has complex excitatory and inhibitory effects on animal cortex. Here, the effects of a single oral dose (100mg) of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor sertraline on human motor cortex excitability were investigated in healthy subjects. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to test motor threshold, motor evoked potential intensity curve, cortical silent period, paired-pulse inhibition and facilitation and I-wave facilitation. Sertraline resulted in a steeper intensity curve and in depressed paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). All other measures and spinal and neuromuscular excitability remained unaffected. The steeper intensity curve points to an increased excitability of the cortico-spinal neurone, while the depressed PPF suggests an enhanced control of the cortico-spinal neurone by inhibitory interneurones. These features may improve the signal-to-noise ratio of output cells in human motor cortex.     

Coxsackievirus-mediated hyperglycemia is enhanced by reinfection and this occurs independent of T cells

The induction of autoimmunity by viruses has been hypothesized to occur by a number of mechanisms. Coxsackievirus B4 (CB4) induces hyperglycemia in SJL mice resembling diabetes in humans. While virus is effectively cleared within 2 weeks, hyperglycemia does not appear until about 8-12 weeks postinfection at a time when replicative virus is no longer detectable. In SJL mice, reinfection with CB4 enhanced the development of hyperglycemia. As predicted, the immune system responded more rapidly to the second infection and virus was cleared more swiftly. However, while infiltrating T cells were found within the pancreas, depletion of the CD4 T cell population prior to secondary infection or use of CD8 knock-out mice had no effect on the development of virus-mediated hyperglycemia. In conclusion, enhanced hyperglycemia induced by CB4 occurs independent of the T cell response.     

Hepatoprotective Effect of Mixture of Dipropyl Polysulfides in Concanavalin A-Induced Hepatitis

The main biologically active components of plants belonging to the genus Allium, responsible for their biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory, are organosulfur compounds. The aim of this study was to synthetize the mixture of dipropyl polysulfides (DPPS) and to test their biological activity in acute hepatitis. C57BL/6 mice were administered orally with DPPS 6 h before intravenous injection of Concanavalin A (ConA). Liver inflammation, necrosis and hepatocytes apoptosis were determined by histological analyses. Cytokines in liver tissue were determined by ELISA, expression of adhesive molecules and enzymes by RT PCR, while liver mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. DPPS pretreatment significantly attenuated liver inflammation and injury, as evidenced by biochemical and histopathological observations. In DPPS-pretreated mice, messenger RNA levels of adhesion molecules and NADPH oxidase complex were significantly reduced, while the expression of SOD enzymes was enhanced. DPPS pretreatment decreased protein level of inflammatory cytokines and increased percentage of T regulatory cells in the livers of ConA mice. DPPS showed hepatoprotective effects in ConA-induced hepatitis, characterized by attenuation of inflammation and affection of Th17/Treg balance in favor of T regulatory cells and implicating potential therapeutic usage of DPPS mixture in inflammatory liver diseases.