Renal artery aneurysm endovascular repair.

A 68-year-old woman with a left renal artery aneurysm underwent successful endovascular repair with the use of a commercial type self-expanding stent-graft. Complete aneurysm exclusion was achieved after stent-graft expansion. A side branch vessel was occluded after stent-placement, resulting in a small upper lobe renal perfusion defect. There were no other complications. The aneurysm remained excluded and its greatest diameter has been reduced from 2.6 cm to 1.95 cm, 10 months after treatment. Renal function remained normal.     

Zur Physiologie der Thränensecretion

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The HK/MBD Questionnaire: Replication and Validation of Distinct Factors in a Nonclinical Sample

Although Tarter et al.'s (1977) HK/MBD questionnaire has been found useful in subtyping populations of clinical alcoholics, its potential utility in nonclinical populations has yet to be determined. The current study examined the family history, personality, and substance use/abuse correlates of Tarter et al.'s HK/MBD questionnaire and factor analytically derived subscales (Alterman and McLellan, 1986) in a nonclinical sample of 580 young, adult males. In addition, a factor analysis of the HK/MBD questionnaire was undertaken to assess the extent to which the factor structure determined on a clinical alcoholic sample replicates in a nonclinical sample. Results indicated that each of the HK/MBD subscales showed relatively unique patterns of correlations with the various personality measures employed suggesting that they are measuring separate constructs. Perhaps of greatest importance, the HK/MBD items that appear to be of greatest relevance for understanding substance use/abuse are those related to antisocial behavior. Finally, the factor structure of the HK/MBD questionnaire in the nonclinical sample was found to be quite similar to the structure obtained in a clinical sample. These results demonstrate the multidimensional structure of the HK/MBD questionnaire and the utility of using the more homogeneous subscales in research with both clinical and nonclinical samples.     

Predictors of alcoholics' acquisition of treatment-related knowledge

Only modest relationships have been found between cognitive functioning and treatment outcome; there is some indication of better prediction of within-treatment progress. The current study attempted to determine whether either cognitive or sociodemographic/alcohol-related variables were predictive of learning in educational treatment. Eighty-seven male alcoholics were exposed to one hour of instruction on the medical effects of alcohol. Sociodemographic, alcohol-related, and cognitive functioning measures were obtained at the outset of treatment. Knowledge was assessed 24 hours prior to and 24 hours and three weeks after the intervention. Statistically significant increases in knowledge were found both 24 hours and three weeks following the educational intervention; retention of information declined significantly from 24 hours to three weeks post-intervention. Discriminant function analyses using either seven cognitive variables or six alcohol-related/sociodemographic variables significantly discriminated between learners and nonlearners 24 hours after the intervention. The weighted composite of measures in each of the analyses was able to successfully differentiate learners from nonlearners in over 70% of the cases. The findings suggest that the clinician may be able to employ a limited number of variables to differentiate between patients who will and will not be able to acquire knowledge from educational interventions.     

Dopamine transporters, D2 receptors, and glucose metabolism in corticobasal degeneration.

Alterations in presynaptic and postsynaptic dopaminergic system and cerebral glucose metabolism in corticobasal degeneration (CBD) were assessed to evaluate the potential usefulness of different imaging methods for CBD. (123)I-FP-CIT/(123)I-beta-CIT SPECT and (123)I-IBZM SPECT as well as (18)F-FDG PET were performed in eight CBD patients. Decreased presynaptic dopamine transporter binding was found in all CBD patients while D2 receptor binding was reduced in only one patient. (18)F-FDG PET displayed a contralateral hypometabolism in cortical and subcortical areas in seven out of eight patients. Our results demonstrate that glucose metabolism and DAT are reduced, while D2 receptors may be frequently preserved in CBD.     

Endoscopic diode laser welding of mucosal grafts on the larynx: A new technique

Epithelial coverage of a laryngotracheal wound is an important factor in preventing stenosis, and endoscopic transplantation of a free mucosal graft without stents or sutures would be a significant therapeutic advance. In vitro and in vivo canine studies were performed to explore the feasibility of transplantation with a low-power diode laser (400 mW) enhanced by indocyanine green dye-doped albumin. The tensile strength of graft adherence in 10 cadaver larynges was strong (35.25 ± 10.39 g). Survival studies in live canine models with a specially designed endoscopic instrument set showed excellent healing at 6, 14, and 28 days. Healing was documented with photography and by histologic examination. Successful endoscopic transplantation of a free mucosal graft should improve results of treatment for laryngotracheal stenosis and laryngeal reconstructive surgery.     

Frequency and species distribution of gliotoxin-producing Aspergillus isolates recovered from patients at a tertiary-care cancer center

Aspergillus isolates (n = 103) collected from cancer patients were screened to determine the taxonomic distribution and quantity of gliotoxin production. Gliotoxin was detected in 93% of Aspergillus fumigatus, 75% of A. niger, 25% of A. terreus, and 4% of A. flavus cultures. Gliotoxin concentrations were highest in cultures of A. fumigatus.     

Genetic linkage analysis identifies new proximal and distal flanking markers for the X-linked agammaglobulinemia gene locus, refining its localization in Xq22

Genetic linkage analysis has been instrumental in mapping thegene for X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) to the proximal longarm of the human X chromosome, to Xq22. Due to the relativerarity of this disease the localization of the gene within Xq22has remained imprecise. We have investigated twenty-nine familiesaffected by XLA and have found no recombinants with the DXS178locus in over 30 informative meioses. DXS178 is now the mostreliable and informative locus for use in pre-natal diagnosisand carrier detection of XLA. In addition, we have identifiednew closely linked proximal and distal flanking markers forXLA, DXS442 and DXS101, respectively. These loci are separatedby 2cM, considerably reducing the extent of DNA within whichthe XLA locus can be contained. This will open up the way formore directed positional cloning efforts for the isolation ofthe XLA gene.     

Generality of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised factors over prisoners and substance-dependent patients

The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991) is an often-used device for assessment of adult antisociality. This research examined generalizability by replicating the 2-factor model for a sample of 326 male prisoners and assessing its congruence and relative reliability and specificity among 620 substance-dependent patients. Generality was assessed also across addiction subtypes (opioid, cocaine, and alcohol), age, gender, and ethnicity. The 2-factor model was found inappropriate for the substance-dependent samples, whereas a unidimensional model represented by the PCL-R total score was found generalizable across prison and substance-dependent samples.