Antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Recognized by Antibodies during Incipient, Subclinical Tuberculosis

Serum samples obtained from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected tuberculosis (TB) patients months prior to clinical TB were used to delineate the profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture filtrate proteins recognized during subclinical TB. A subset of ~12 antigens was recognized by antibodies in these serum samples. Antibodies to two of these antigens (81 [88]-kDa malate synthase [GlcB] and MPT51) were present in serum samples obtained during incipient subclinical TB in 19 (~90%) of the 21 HIV-infected TB patients tested. These antigens will be useful for devising diagnostic tests that can identify HIV-positive individuals who are at a high risk for developing clinical TB.     

Value of extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy in treatment of gallstone disease

Alternative techniques were introduced in the last 20 years for the treatment of gallstones. Among these the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy followed by a systemic litholytic therapy represents undoubtedly the most attractive one. A group of two surgeons and two gastroenterologists has started to evaluate this treatment in April 1988, using a piezoceramic lithotryptic system (Piezolith 2300). From April 1988 to May 1989 we have treated 32 patients who fulfilled the selection criteria-symptomatic gallstone disease, 1-3 radiolucent concrements of less than 30 mm of diameter, functioning gallbladder. We noted only one pancreatitis as a complication of this treatment. The overall stonefree rate is 16% after two months, 32% after four months and 56% after six months, depending on the size and number of stones. A definitive evaluation and final conclusion will only be possible when the rate of late recurrences after this treatment will be known.     

The dissection of the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap with complete preservation of the anterior rectus sheath.

Harvesting the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap results in defects in both the rectus abdominis muscle and the anterior rectus sheath, which may be circumvented by dissecting a perforator flap (DIEP flap) instead. However, the latter is associated with a reduction in the number of myocutaneous perforators nourishing the flap, which has been hypothesised to lead to an increased risk of partial flap failure. We present a technical modification that maintains all the feeding perforators within the flap while fully preserving the anterior rectus sheath. The anterior rectus sheath is incised along a line connecting the perforators. A muscle cuff including all the feeding perforators was raised with the flap. This technique was used in 20 consecutive patients. Nine patients underwent free TRAM flap transfers for breast reconstruction (10 flaps), and 11 patients underwent thoracic-wall reconstruction with a superiorly based pedicled flap. The median follow-up was 11 months. One patient with a pedicled flap developed a partial failure that required surgical revision; all other flaps healed spontaneously. One patient in each subset had preoperative abdominal-wall laxity that was partly corrected after surgery; no abdominal bulging or hernia occurred in the other patients. Our results suggest that the technical modification presented here may enable the surgeon to dissect a rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap with maximal perforator-related flap perfusion and minimal donor-site morbidity. An advantage over the DIEP flap is that this technique is applicable to both free and pedicled flaps.     

Diagnostic problems in local recurrence after breast saving treatment]

353 patients with stages pTis, pT1-2, pN0-1, cM0 breast cancer have been treated consecutively by breast conserving therapy in a prospective, nonrandomized study at the University Hospital Basel and the Women's Clinic Rheinfelden/Baden/Germany. The median age was 47 years, the median follow-up time 67 months, and 4% only of this collective were lost to follow-up after a median time of 42 months. In 79% of the cases the tumor was excised totally, while in 19% the resection margins were positive and in 2% only the margins were not available for histological judgement. The rate of local failure reached 8% with a median time interval of 53 months. 116 patients showed postactinic induration in the primary tumor region. 73 of these were given additional diagnostic examination: The postactinic induration was judget clinically suspicious in 51 cases and clinically nonsuspicious of local failure in 22 cases. All 73 patients received additional examination by mammography and biopsy. By comparison with the histological results the clinical results were correct in 59% and false in 41%, while the mammographic results were correct in 82% and false in 18% of the cases.     

Anxiety and hippocampus volume in the rat.

In depressed patients as well as healthy controls, a positive relationship between hippocampal volume and trait anxiety has been reported. This study sought to explore the possible inter-relation between hippocampal volume and trait anxiety further. Magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T was used to measure hippocampal volumes in a rat model of extremes in trait anxiety (experiment 1) and in a Wistar population with normal anxiety-related behavior (experiment 2). In addition to anxiety-related behavior, potentially confounding factors (depression-like, exploratory, and locomotor behavior) were assessed. Experiment 1 globally supported the hypothesis of a positive relationship between hippocampus volume and trait anxiety but did not allow for ruling out possible confounds arising from cosegregation of other behavioral traits. Experiment 2 yielded strong evidence for a negative relationship which was specific for trait anxiety. Thus, the relationship between hippocampal volume and anxiety may be more complex than expected. Interestingly, anxiety-related behavior in experiment 2 had a stronger influence on hippocampal volume than depression-like behavior. In the light of hippocampal volume loss in anxiety disorder and frequent comorbidity of anxiety and depression, this finding suggests that further research into the relationship between anxiety and hippocampal volume may be critical for understanding hippocampal contributions to normal and pathological behavior.     

The influence of local and systemic preconditioning on oxygenation, metabolism and survival in critically ischaemic skin flaps in pigs.

Stress proteins represent a group of highly conserved intracellular proteins that provide adaptation against cellular stress. The present study aims to elucidate the stress protein-mediated effects of local hyperthermia and systemic administration of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) on oxygenation, metabolism and survival in bilateral porcine random pattern buttock flaps. Preconditioning was achieved 24h prior to surgery by applying a heating blanket on the operative site (n = 5), by intravenous administration of MPL at a dosage of 35 microg/kg body weight (n = 5) or by combining the two (n = 5). The flaps were monitored with laser Doppler flowmetry, polarographic microprobes and microdialysis until 5h postoperatively. Semiquantitative immunohistochemistry was performed for heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), heat shock protein 32 (also termed haem oxygenase-1, HO-1), and inducible nitrc oxide synthase (iNOS). The administration of MPL increased the impaired microcirculatory blood flow in the proximal part of the flap and partial oxygen tension in the the distal part by approximately 100% each (both P<0.05), whereas both variables remained virtually unaffected by local heat preconditioning. Lactate/pyruvate (L/P) ratio and glycerol concentration (representing cell membrane disintegration) in the distal part of the flap gradually increased to values of approximately 500 mmol/l and approximately 350 micromol/l, respectively (both P<0.01), which was substantially attenuated by heat application (P<0.01 for L/P ratio and P<0.05 for glycerol) and combined preconditioning (P<0.01 for both variables), whereas the effect of MPL was less marked (not significant). Flap survival was increased from 56% (untreated animals) to 65% after MPL (not significant), 71% after heat application (P<0.05) and 78% after both methods of preconditioning (P<0.01). iNOS and HO-1 were upregulated after each method of preconditioning (P<0.05), whereas augmented HSP70 staining was only observed after heat application (P<0.05). We conclude that local hyperthermia is more effective in preventing flap necrosis than systemic MPL administration because of enhancing the cellular tolerance to hypoxic stress, which is possibly mediated by HSP70, whereas some benefit may be obtained with MPL due to iNOS and HO-1-mediated improvement in tissue oxygenation.