Standardisierte Kontrastmittelsonographie (CEUS) in der klinischen Akut- und Notfallmedizin sowie Intensivmedizin (CEUS-Akut)

Die Anaesthesiologie -     

The case for a medication first approach to the treatment of opioid use disorder

Background: The opioid addiction and overdose crisis continues to ravage communities across the U.S. Maintenance pharmacotherapy using buprenorphine or methadone is the most effective intervention for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), yet few have immediate and sustained access to these medications. Objectives: To address lack of medication access for people with OUD, the Missouri Department of Mental Health began implementing a Medication First (Med First) treatment approach in its publicly-funded system of comprehensive substance use disorder treatment programs. Methods: This Perspective describes the four principles of Med First, which are based on evidence-based guidelines. It draws conceptual comparisons between the Housing First approach to chronic homelessness and the Med First approach to pharmacotherapy for OUD, and compares state certification standards for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment (the traditional approach) to Med First guidelines for OUD treatment. Finally, the Perspective details how Med First principles have been practically implemented. Results: Med First principles emphasize timely access to maintenance pharmacotherapy without requiring psychosocial services or discontinuation for any reason other than harm to the client. Early results regarding medication utilization and treatment retention are promising. Feedback from providers has been largely favorable, though clinical- and system-level obstacles to effective OUD treatment remain. Conclusion: Like the Housing First model, Medication First is designed to decrease human suffering and activate the strengths and capacities of people in need. It draws on decades of research and facilitates partnerships between psychosocial and medical treatment providers to offer effective and life-saving care to persons with OUD.     

Diastrophische Dysplasie

The case report presents a 25-year-old woman who got pregnant twice in 1 year. Both pregnancies were terminated after ultrasound examination demonstrated limb abnormalities. Radiological and pathological examinations showed diastrophic dysplasia, a rare form of an osteochondrodysplasia with autosomal recessive inheritance. Here the histopathological findings in the cartilage and prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound are discussed.     

Early alcoholic liver injury: Activation of lipocytes in acinar zone 3 and correlation to degree of collagen formation in the disse space

Acinar zone 3 areas in liver biopsy specimens from 23 alcoholics and 47 non-alcoholics were investigated by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to asses fibrosis in the perisinusoidal space and to evaluate the role of the lipocytes. Quantitative analysis by light microscopy on toluidine blue-stained sections showed a significant reduction in number of lipocytes--median values of 2.7 and 1.2 lipocytes per 100 hepatocytes in biopsies from chronic alcoholics showing no or varying degrees of zone 3 fibrosis, respectively, as compared to 3.6 lipocytes per 100 hepatocytes in non-alcoholic livers. By transmission electron microscopy, the reduction in number of lipocytes was related to a corresponding increase in number of cells rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum and microfilaments (activated lipocytes). The occurrence of activated cells was significantly correlated to fibrosis of the perisinusoidal space. Activation of lipocytes and collagenization of the perisinusoidal space appeared before light microscopic evidence of fibrosis and were topographically not related to Mallory bodies or alcoholic hepatitis.     

A Chinese adolescent girl with Fechtner-like syndrome

We describe a 15-y-old girl with Fechtner-like syndrome, who is the first Chinese reported to have this rare syndrome. She presented with left homonymous hemianopia and neuroimaging revealed haemorrhage in both parietal and occipital lobes. Peripheral blood smear showed macrothrombocytopenia and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies inside leucocytes. Thrombocytopenia and proteinuria responded to intravenous immunoglobulin and pulsed methylprednisolone. This case illustrates that life-threatening haemorrhage can occur in patients with Fechtner syndrome. Although there was no effective treatment reported in the literature, high dose steroid and immunoglobulin seemed to be useful in our patient. Our patient also had nephritic-nephrotic syndrome with renal insufficiency, which is unusual in adolescent female patients.     

The potential antipsychotic activity of the partial dopamine receptor agonist (+)N-0437

The (+) enantiomer of the very potent and selective dopamine D-2 agonist, 2-(N-propyl-N-2-thienylethylamino)-5-hydroxytetralin (N-0437), displays partial agonistic activity at dopamine D-2 receptors. In this study (+)N-0437 was investigated for its antagonistic activity at postsynaptic DA receptors in four behavioural tests which are commonly used to evaluate potential neuroleptic activity, i.e. d-amphetamine-induced stereotypy, passive avoidance responding, intracranial self-stimulation behaviour, and catalepsy. (+)N-0437 (25-50 mumol/kg) was active in the first three models, but did not cause catalepsy. Haloperidol, which was used as a reference compound for classical DA antagonists, showed clear activity in all four models at low doses (0.5-1.0 mumol/kg). (-)N-0437, a full D-2 agonist, displayed no activity in these behavioural models. These results suggest that (+)N-0437 could be used to examine the hypothesis that the use of partial agonists could provide a new treatment for schizophrenia.