Das Dilatationsverhalten von Polyesterprothesen

In a prospective, randomized multicenter trial, 175 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms were treated by conventional operation. Two types of polyester prostheses (Gelsoft Plus, Vascute Terumo Corp., Hamburg, Germany or Microvel, Boston Scientific, Ratingen, Germany) were selected randomly for implantation. Diameters ranged from 14 to 20 mm. The diameters of the grafts were measured by ultrasound postoperatively, as well as 6, 12, and 24 months after operation. Local and systemic complications were recorded. Dilation of the main body of the “Gelsoft plus” prosthesis was 19% within the first 12 months and 30% for the Microvel prosthesis. Extreme dilation was not observed. Thus, vascular prostheses must be chosen small enough and the dilation of 20–30% should be considered. The most frequent complication was incisional hernia (32%).     

Neurotransmitters and memory: role of cholinergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic systems

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), pathological changes are found in the basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS), serotonergic raphe (RA), and noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) systems. The present study was designed to determine the extent to which selective damage in each of these systems individually could produce an impairment of memory, one of the clinical symptoms of AD. Rats were given selective lesions by injecting ibotenic acid into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis and medial septal area (i.e., BFCS); 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine into the medial and dorsal RA; and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the LC or by ip injections of (2-chloroethyl)N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine HCl (DSP4). Levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), norepinephrine, and serotonin verified lesion effectiveness and selectivity. Chronic changes in serotonergic-2 and beta-adrenergic receptors were also determined. Rats were tested in a delayed spatial alternation in a T-maze. BFCS lesions impaired choice accuracy with intertrial delays of 5, 30, and 60 s. RA lesions or DSP4 injections impaired choice accuracy only when the intertrial delay was 60 s. LC lesions (by 6-OHDA) did not impair choice accuracy at any delay. The results suggest that the pathological changes in the BFCS and RA are sufficient to produce the types of memory impairments associated with dementia, but the quantitative effects of pathology in these two systems are different.     

Investigations of neurotoxicity and neuroprotection within the nucleus basalis of the rat

The present study investigated the specific ways by which cytotoxicity due to glutamate receptor stimulation could be attenuated by the administration of agonists and antagonists of the ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors within the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) of rats as measured by cortical choline acetyltransferase activity. The results of these studies suggest that (1) the cytotoxicity of ibotenate to NBM cholinergic cells is not dependent upon stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors, but results from activation of (NMDA) receptors, (2) the cytotoxicity of quisqualate to cholinergic cells within the NBM is not dependent upon stimulation of NMDA or metabotropic receptors, and (3) the cytotoxicity of NMDA was prevented by administration (i.p.) of the un-competitive NMDA antagonist memantine (30 mg/kg), resulting in plasma levels of 2.5 μg/ml, a concentration known to block efficiently NMDA receptors in vitro. Finally, performance of a food-motivated, delayed-alternation task on a T-maze was impaired by injections of NMDA into the NBM, but was prevented by co-administration of NMDA with memantine.     

A leg ulcer as manifestation of metastatic squamous cell vaginal carcinoma

Cutaneous metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is extremely rare. So far, the total number of reported skin metastasis of vaginal carcinoma is only one. We present another case with an unusual manifestation of vagina carcinoma metastasis: skin metastasis presenting as a leg ulcer on the lower leg.     

Localization of a gene for otosclerosis to chromosome 15q25-q26

Among white adults otosclerosis is the single most common cause of hearing impairment. Although the genetics of this disease are controversial, the majority of studies indicate autosomal dominant inheritance with reduced penetrance. We studied a large multi- generational family in which otosclerosis has been inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. Five of16 affected persons have surgically confirmed otosclerosis; the remaining nine have a conductive hearing loss but have not undergone corrective surgery. To locate the disease- causing gene we completed genetic linkage analysis using short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STRPs) distributed over the entire genome. Multipoint linkage analysis showed that only one genomic region, on chromosome 15q, generated a lod score >2.0. Additional STRPs were typed in this area, resulting in a lod score of 3.4. STRPs FES (centromeric) and D15S657 (telomeric) flank the 14. 5 cM region that contains an otosclerosis gene.      

Peritoneal fluid concentrations of interleukin-8 in women with endometriosis: relationship to stage of disease

There is increasing evidence that immunological mechanisms play a role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of endometriosis. It was therefore of interest to study interleukin-8 (IL-8), a chemokine, in the peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood of women undergoing laparoscopic procedures. The presence and concentrations of IL-8 in relation to endometriosis, infertility and abdominal pain were evaluated. Samples of peritoneal fluid (n = 49) and peripheral blood (n = 50) were obtained from 50 consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for various gynaecological indications (abdominal pain, infertility, sterilization). IL-8 was present in the peritoneal fluid of most women (87%). The concentration of IL-8 in the peritoneal fluid was higher in women with endometriosis compared to women without (P = 0.02). This difference was more pronounced in early (stage 1) endometriosis (P = 0.001). IL-8 concentrations in the peritoneal fluid were also higher in women with early endometriosis compared to women with later stages of the disease (P = 0.003). Peripheral blood concentrations did not correlate with peritoneal fluid concentrations of IL-8 and/or the presence of endometriosis. We conclude that IL-8 is an important factor that may contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis possibly by promoting neovascularization. This information can be a guide in the development of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of endometriosis.