Extracorporeal piezoelectric lithotripsy by ultra-short waves using the EDAP LT01 device

Three hundred and sixty one extracorporeal lithotripsies for renal, ureteric and bladder stones have been performed by means of a system of ultrasonographic detection and piezoelectric destruction (EDAP LT01). The localisation of the stone is achieved by a 5 MHz real time sectorial transducer situated in the centre of a small dish containing 320 piezoelectric elements concentrated in a source 5 mm wide by 15 mm high. The pressure recorded in vitro is 900 bars. The stone is easily detected in 87.2% of cases, difficult to detect in 10% of cases and impossible to detect in 28% of cases. By using a frequency of 1.25 to 5 per second, extracorporeal lithotripsy can be performed without any local, regional or general anaesthesia and without premedication in the 120 patients with a renal stone, reviewed between 1 and 3 months, 88 (73%) were considered to be complete successes. Ten (8%) were considered to be failures and 19 (21%) were considered to be partial successes. The best results were obtained in stones of the renal pelvis less than 20 mm in diameter. These results relate to a mean series which must take into account the successive improvements made to the lithotripter. Today, stone fragmentation is obtained in 93% of cases. Thirty six stones of the lumber and pelvic ureter were treated with success rates of 93% and 50%, respectively. Six bladder calculi were treated with a 50% success rate. Forty two patients were treated without being admitted to hospital.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Germination of seeds from an irradiated forest: implications for waste disposal.

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) retain their seeds from year to year, so that in an irradiated forest, each tree receives a specific dose rate but has seeds that have accumulated a range of total doses. The Field Irradiator-Gamma facility in Pinawa, Manitoba, contains jack pine that have been irradiated longer and at lower dose rates than previously reported. Seed germination and germination rate were examined on seeds irradiated on the parent tree for up to 5 years. Germination rate was most sensitive and showed deleterious effects at 1.1 mGy hr-1. This is not much lower than results reported by others in shorter-term studies. Effects were related to dose rate rather than total dose. Hormesis, indicated by statistically significant increased germination rate, was evident at 0.6 mGy hr-1. To put these results into context, the concentrations of selected radionuclides that, through internal contamination, would deliver 1.1 mGy hr-1 to plants were estimated. For 99Tc and 129I, these concentrations are far above the chemical toxicity thresholds for plants. Clearly, as assessments of waste repositories begin to consider effects on organisms other than humans, such as plants, chemical toxicity will be an important feature.     

Neuronal projections to the medial preoptic area of the sheep,with special reference to monoaminergic afferents: Immunohistochemical and retrograde tract tracing studies

The preoptic area contains most of the luteinizing hormone releasing hormone immunoreactive neurons and numerous monoaminergic afferents whose cell origins are unknown in sheep. Using tract tracing methods with a specific retrograde fluorescent tracer, fluorogold, we examined the cells of origin of afferents to the medial preoptic area in sheep. Among the retrogradely labeled neurons, immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine-β-hydroxylase, phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase, and serotonin was used to characterize catecholamine and serotonin fluorogold labeled neurons. Most of the afferents came from the ipsilateral side to the injection site. It was observed that the medial preoptic area received major inputs from the diagonal band of Broca, the lateral septum, the thalamic paraventricular nucleus, the lateral hypothalamus, the area dorsolateral to the third ventricle, the perimamillary area, the amygdala, and the ventral part of the hippocampus. Other numerous, scattered, retrogradely labeled neurons were observed in the ventral part of the preoptic area, the vascular organ of the lamina terminalis, the ventromedial part of the hypothalamus, the periventricular area, the area lateral to the interpeduncular nucleus, and the dorsal vagal complex. Noradrenergic afferents came from the complex of the locus coeruleus (A6/A7 groups) and from the ventro-lateral medulla (group A1). However, dopaminergic and adrenergic neuronal groups retrogradely labeled with fluorogold were not observed. Serotoninergic fluorogold labeled neurons belonged to the medial raphe nucleus (B8, B5) and to the serotoninergic group situated lateral to the interpeduncular nucleus (S4). In the light of these anatomical data we hypothesize that these afferents have a role in the regulation of several functions of the preoptic area, particularly those related to reproduction. Accordingly these afferents could be involved in the control of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) pulsatility or of preovulatory LHRH surge.     

Lessons from a multicentre study of the detectability of viral genomes based on a two-round quality control of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) polymerase chain reaction assay

The aim of this study was to determine whether multicentre quality controls for the detectability of viral genomes could contribute to the improvement of diagnostic performance in the participating laboratories. The study was carried out during two successive rounds, during which 18 laboratories specialized in nucleic acid testing analyzed, through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, a common panel of GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA-positive and -negative samples. During the first round, the laboratories used either an 'in-house' PCR procedure or a partly standardized commercial test. After decoding the results of the first round, the procedures of the participating laboratories were compared in order to establish a consensus procedure deduced from those of the laboratories which provided the best results. During the second round, each participating laboratory could use the resulting consensus procedure, or its own procedure, or both. The results of this quality control study indicated that, whatever method used, even specialized and trained laboratories may give false-negative or false-positive results. The commercial assay did not guarantee a systematic high quality level of results. The striking heterogeneity of results observed among laboratories using the same commercial assay confirm that molecular biology methods need skilled technicians. The results of this quality control study suggest that full standardization of viral genome detection, including all steps of the procedure, is necessary and that the laboratories performing PCR should participate in repeated quality control studies, whatever technique is being used.     

Behavioral and psychological symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. Relation between apathy and regional cerebral perfusion

Fundamental and therapeutic research in Alzheimer's disease (AD) focused for a long time exclusively on cognitive aspects. However, AD also frequently involves complex disorders of affect and behavior, which are currently grouped under the heading 'behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia' (BPSSD). Several rating tools have been developed over the years on the basis of a variety of source data. Some are derived from psychiatric practise or have specifically been developed for dementia, such as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). In this study we prospectively used the NPI to examine BPSSD. Sixty-three French patients (mean age 74.7 years, SD 7.9) with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score higher than 10 were examined. BPPSD were detected by NPI in 95. 2% of the patients. Anxiety was the most common abnormality (65.1%), followed by apathy and dysphoria (58.7%). The highest frequency x severity NPI score was observed for apathy. In order to identify the relationship between regional cerebral perfusion and apathy, 20 of these AD patients underwent a technetium-99m-bicisate SPECT protocol within the same week as the NPI evaluation. The mean age of this population was 74.4 years (SD 5.3) and the mean MMSE score was 21 (SD 4.1). The apathy NPI score was correlated with right cingulate deficit whereas the highest correlation for the MMSE was with the left temporoparietal area. This stresses the interest to focus on SPECT imaging of AD patients not only in the posterior areas. CopyrightCopyright 1999S.KargerAG,Basel