Obstructive Uropathy Secondary to Ureteral Herniation in a Pediatric En Bloc Renal Graft

Ureteral herniation is a rare entity. We report the first case of extraperitoneal ureteral herniation in a pediatric en bloc renal graft causing obstructive uropathy. A 70-year-old, obese patient with an en bloc renal transplant was found to have ureterohydronephrosis in the right renal graft on magnetic resonance imaging. Nephrostomy with insertion of a double-J catheter confirmed the presence of a ureteral loop within the inguinal tract. Surgery confirmed herniation of the ureter through the internal inguinal ring, crossing over the spermatic cord. We performed release, resection, ureteral reimplantation and hernioplasty. Four months later, renal function was normal and urinary tract dilation had diminished. This case illustrates an unusual cause of obstructive uropathy in a transplanted kidney. Apart from obesity, two other factors may have contributed to its development: presence of a redundant ureter, and the fact that the ureter had been placed over, rather than under, the spermatic cord.     

Conventional viral cultures and shell vial assay for diagnosis of apparently culture-negativeCoxiella burnetii endocarditis

A patient with culture-negative endocarditis was diagnosed with Q fever endocarditis based on the results of serological tests and positive leukocyte cultures obtained using conventional viral cultures and the shell vial technique. This case report suggests that isolation ofCoxiella burnetii from blood may allow better diagnostic and therapeutical evaluation of patients with Q fever endocarditis. The use of both conventional and shell vial viral cultures is recommended for the isolation ofCoxiella burnetii from the blood of patients with apparently culture-negative endocarditis.     

Noise in the workplace and audiometric examinations in workers of a ceramic factory.

732 workers from several loudest production departments in a pottery plant were examined. The noise level measurements were carried out at a regular course of work. Auditory sensitivity threshold was determined via air conduction, at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz. Functioning of the organ of hearing under conditions of noise at the workplace was analysed. The influence of several noise levels--up to 85 dB/A/ and higher, and the relation between the length of service and hearing sensitivity threshold were investigated. The largest exposures were recorded in the batching and milling plant, sorting and kilns departments.     

A recognition site on synthetic helical oligonucleotides for monoclonal anti-native DNA autoantibody.

The binding site in native DNA for a murine monoclonal anti-DNA autoantibody was investigated by measurements of competitive binding of a series of synthetic helical oligonucleotides. The antibody bound to a (dG-dC)3 or (dG-dC)4 core in the center of a base-paired octadecanucleotide. Reactions of analogues containing modifications or substitutions at specific sites indicated that the antibody bound to portions of cytosine and guanine in the major groove, a limited region of the backbone, and the 2-amino group of one guanine in the minor groove. For these interactions to occur, the antibody combining site would straddle the backbone of one of the helical strands of DNA.     

Application of bidimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis of ventricular septal defect]

Between 1985-1990 we studied by means of two-dimensional echocardiography 286 patients with isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD). A hundred and sixty three being male and 123 female, as a mean age of 5 +/- 3 months. Sixty two cases (22.3%) reveales associated anomalies and in other 63 (22.4%) there was in the evolution an aneurysm of the septum membranous. The projections used were apical 4-chamber, with or without aortic root; parasternal long-short axis of great arterias or at ventricular level; subcostal 4-chamber; right oblique outlet right outflow tract and left oblique outlet left and right outflow tracts. Patients with VSD smaller than 3 mm were excluded. Perimembranous defects, 189 cases (66%), were more frequent than muscular, 91 31.8%), and subarterial defects, 6 (2.1%). Only 19 (9 apical muscular, 6 perimembranous outlet and 4 perimembranous trabecular) were initially misclassified. The diameter of the VSD was large in subarterial (0.85 +/- 0.1 cm) and perimembranous outlet VSD (0.75 +/- 0.5 cm) compared with the rest. Each group of defects was more easily shown by one particular projection except trabecular muscular defect. In conclusion, we are able to state that two-dimensional echocardiography enables us to discover the size and situation of isolated ventricular defects.