Sonographic measurement of renal transplant area compared with scintigraphy

A change in transplant size, which can easily be measured by ultrasound, is one indicator of acute or chronic rejection. We report here on 49 areal measurements of transplant size from a coronal section and compare the results with isotopically measured areas. The areas measured in the isotope examinations correlated well with those measured sonographically (r = 0.82) in the case of the 33 transplants with a normal perfusion index but poorly (r = 0.45) in those with an abnormal perfusion index. The sonographically measured transplant area was about 85 cm2 in cases of acute rejection, 54 cm2 in cases of chronic rejection and 62 cm2 in cases with normal or slightly impaired transplant function (creatinine level below 200 mumol). Sonography is more suitable than isotope examination for monitoring transplant size in cases with poor perfusion.     

Polymeric genes MEL8, MEL9 and MEL10 — new members of α-galactosidase gene family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Summary We used a combination of genetic hybridization analysis and electrokaryotyping with radioactively labelled MEL1 gene probe hybridization to isolate and identify seven polymeric genes for the fermentation of melibiose in strain CBS 5378 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (syn. norbensis). Four of the MEL genes, i.e. MEL3, MEL4, MEL6 and MEL7, were allelic to those found in S. cerevisiae strain CBS 4411 (syn. S. oleaginosus) whereas three genes, i.e. MEL8, MEL9 and MEL10 occupied new loci. Electrokaryotyping showed that all seven MEL genes in CBS 5378 were located on different chromosomes. The new MEL8, MEL9 and MEL10 genes were found on chromosomes XV, X/XIV and XII, respectively.     

Prognostic value of various staging and grading systems in proximal colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the ability of various methods of staging and grading to predict survival in proximal colon cancer. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital, Finland. SUBJECTS: 153 patients with primary proximal colon cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Staging by four classification systems, grading by two grading systems, and survival analysis based on Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS: In all staging systems the survival curves of different stages differed significantly from each other. The modified Dukes' classification was still the best predictor of survival. Grade of tumours had no significant effect on long term survival, but short term survival was affected adversely by the presence of anaplastic tissue. Tumours with no mucin had a worse prognosis than those that produced mucin. All staging methods were superior to either of the histological grading systems tested as prognosticators. Tumour depth correlated with the operator's clinical impression of radicality of operation, and also predicted survival. CONCLUSION: The clinicopathological modified Dukes' staging system was the most powerful prognosticator in proximal colonic cancer and its use in clinical practice should continue. Even a small amount of anaplastic tissue (> or = 5%) had an adverse effect on short term survival.     

全膝关节置换翻修术的Meta分析

目的 通过对已报道的全膝关节置换翻修术文献进行总结分析,讨探膝关节置换翻修术前后的膝关节功能、翻修的主要原因、主要并发症及不同假体的术后疗效.方法 按照以下标准收集和分析有关全膝关节置换翻修术的文献:①1990年至2002年间发表,②报告患者数大于10例,③采用通用的膝关节评分标准.一名骨科专科医生独立收集数据,一名医学统计学专家独立采用Meta统计方法分析数据.结果 共有33 篇符合条件的文献被收集.患者共1356 例,其中男429例,女611例(部分文献性别分类数据缺失),平均年龄67岁(45～49岁),加权平均随访时间57个月( 6～108 个月),加权平均术前膝关节功能总评分为49 分(15～94分),术后为84分( 58～109分),全膝关节置换翻修术前后的总评分、功能评分、活动范围等有显著性提高,差异有统计学意义(总评分t=12.507,P<0.01, 功能评分t=4.704,P<0.01,活动范围:t=5.346,P< 0.01).全膝关节置换翻修术的原因主要是假体松动(55%),其它包括聚乙烯磨损(11%)、假体不稳(10%)、感染(7%).翻修术后的主要并发症仍然为假体松动(18%),其它包括假体不稳(16% )、感染(16% )、髌骨问题( 15% )及不明原因的膝关节疼痛(13%).髌骨问题包括髌骨脱位、半脱位、髌韧带撕裂、髌股关节疼痛等.结论 可以认为膝关节置换后翻修术是一种安全有效的手术.假体松动是膝关节置换翻新的主要原因和并发症.     

Continuous pleural lavage may decrease postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing thoracotomy for stage 2 thoracic empyema.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of postoperative continuous pleural lavage (PCPL) after thoracotomy for the treatment of stage 2 pleural empyema in relation to postoperative length of stay and morbidity. METHODS: Stage 2 pleural empyema was diagnosed with computer tomography. Conservative treatment including antibiotics and pleural aspiration was introduced. 89 patients treated for stage 2 pleural empyema by thoracotomy, pleural discharge evacuation and irrigation after pleural decortication were identified after unsuccessful conservative treatment for 10 days. Whenever pleural discharge remained opaque after operation, PCPL was administered daily through the cranial chest tube and discharge evacuated through the caudal pleural suction (10-15 mmHg) tube. Risk factors related to pleural pus and patient outcome were sought for. RESULTS: Seventy-seven out of 89 patients (86.5%) had clear empyema discharge immediately after pleural decortication and irrigation. Pleural discharge remained opaque despite surgery in 12 out of 89 patients (13.5%) and PCPL was introduced. Presence of a combination of risk factors for pleural empyema, such as dental caries, alcohol abuse or previous inflammatory reaction, was predictive for persistence of opaque pleural discharge after operation (P<0.05). Need for re-thoracotomies (in 11 cases, P=ns) and postoperative deaths (P<0.05) were related with patients who did not have PCPL. The length of the hospital treatment was 20.1+/-3.1 (days+/-SEM) among patients with PCPL and 19.2+/-1.8 without PCPL before possible re-thoracotomy, respectively (P=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Early postoperative (1 day-11 months) mortality was statistically associated with patients having fibrinopurulent empyema but no PCPL. PCPL is a feasible method to clear pleural pus discharge without prolongation of hospitalization and may be recommended after thoracotomy for patients with fibrinopurulent stage 2 empyema.     

Screening of urinary tract abnormalities among day and nightwetting children

In order to detect possible urinary tract abnormalities among wetters, assessments of previous history completed by ultrasonography of the urinary tract and uroflowmetry were obtained for 145 wetting children and a random sample of 156 sex-matched non-wetting children drawn from a population of 3,375 seven-year-olds. Ultrasonography revealed abnormalities, including both morphological ones and cases with incomplete bladder emptying, in 5 out of 73 nightwetters (6.8%, 95% confidence limit, CL, 1.1-12.6), 10 out of 72 day and day and nightwetters (hereafter daywetters) (13.9%, CL 5.9-21.9) and 4 controls (2.6%, CL 0.1-5.0), the figure for the daywetters differing significantly from that for the controls (p less than 0.01). A fractioned voiding curve was recognized in 1 nightwetter (1.4%, CL -1.3-4.0), 7 daywetters (9.7%, CL 2.9-16.6) and 7 controls (4.5%, CL 1.2-7.7) the difference between the nightwetters and daywetters being significant (p less than 0.05). Depending on the previous history and abnormal findings in ultrasonography or uroflowmetry, examinations were continued with intravenous pyelography, voiding cystography, cystoscopy and/or by cystometry. Finally, marked structural or functional disorders of the urinary tract were detected in 11 out of 72 daywetters (15.3%, CL 7.0-23.6), 1 out of 73 pure nightwetters and 1 out of 156 control children. It is concluded that imaging of the urinary tract is not necessary for pure nightwetters, while ultrasonography or uroflowmetry and more sophisticated radiological or urological methods should be focused on those children with daytime wetting and clinical symptoms of voiding disturbances.     

Percutaneous aspiration and ethanol sclerotherapy of symptomatic hepatic cysts

Nineteen patients with 49 symptomatic non-neoplastic non-parasitic simple hepatic cysts were subjected to ultrasonographically guided percutaneous aspiration and temporary injection of 99% ethanol into the cyst. Small cysts were treated twice, the large ones three times at the same sitting. The volume of alcohol per injection varied from 20 to 100 ml, depending on the size of the cyst. A cure was usually achieved with one ethanol sclerotherapy treatment. Only minor side effects such as transient pain and temperature elevation occurred. Forty-seven of the 49 cysts could be treated adequately, and did not recur during a follow-up period af 12–40 months. The results indicate that aspiration an and ethanol sclerotherapy is the treatment of choice in patients with symptomatic non-neoplastic simple hepatic cysts or polycystic liver disease. Correspondence to: A. Leinonen     

Brain oscillatory responses to an auditory-verbal working memory task in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

We report preliminary findings on EEG oscillatory correlates of working memory in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) of the 1-20 Hz EEG frequencies were studied using wavelet transforms in elderly controls, MCI patients and mild probable AD patients performing an auditory-verbal Sternberg memory task. Behaviourally, the AD patients made more errors than the controls and the MCI group. Statistically significant differences during the encoding of the memory set were found between the controls and the MCI group, such that the latter group showed ERD in the approximately 10-20 Hz frequencies. The findings may reflect different, compensatory encoding strategies in MCI. During retrieval, the most obvious differences were observed between the controls and the AD group: the ERD in the approximately 7-17 Hz frequencies was absent in the AD group particularly in anterior and left temporal electrode locations. This finding might indicate that AD is associated with deficient lexical-semantic processing during the retrieval phase in working memory tasks. Future studies with larger patient groups are needed to establish the diagnostic value of ERD/ERS patterns in MCI and AD.     

Tacrine restores cholinergic nicotinic receptors and glucose metabolism in alzheimer patients as visualized by positron emission tomography

Three patients with Alzheimer's disease, a 68-year-old woman with mild dementia and 2 men (aged 64 and 72 years) with moderate dementia were treated orally with the cholinesterase inhibitor tacrine (tetrahydroaminoacridine), 80 mg daily, for several months. The patients were investigated using positron emission tomography (PET) prior to, and after 3 weeks and 3 months of treatment. The PET studies involved a multi-tracer system consisting of [¹⁸F]-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) (tracer for glucose metabolism); ¹¹C-butanol (cerebral blood flow) and (S)(−)- and (R)(+)-[N-¹¹C-methyl]-nicotine (nicotinic receptors; cholinergic neural activity). Tacrine treatment increased the uptake of ¹¹C-nicotine to the brain. Significant reduced difference in uptake between the two enantiomers (S)(−)- and (R)(+)¹¹C-nicotine was observed in the frontal and temporal cortices after tacrine treatment in all three patients. The kinetic analysis indicated increased binding of (S)(−)¹¹C-nicotine in brain compatible with a restoration of nicotinic cholinergic receptors. The most pronounced effect was observed after 3 weeks and 3 months treatment in the patient with mild dementia. An increase in cerebral glucose utilization was found in the 68-year-old patient with mild dementia but also slightly in the 64-year-old man with moderate dementia when treated with tacrine for 3 months. Tacrine administration did not affect cerebral blood flow. The PET data obtained after 3 weeks of tacrine treatment was paralleled by improvement in neuropsychological performance. This study shows in vivo by PET neurochemical effects induced in brain by treatment with tacrine to Alzheimer patients. Intervention with tacrine in the early course of the disease might be necessary for clinical improvement.