Urinary microbiome differences between lichen sclerosus induced and non-lichen sclerosus induced urethral stricture disease.

Objective: To describe differences in the urinary microbiome of patients with pathologically confirmed lichen sclerosus (LS) urethral stricture disease (USD) vs non-lichen sclerosus (non-LS) USD pre- and post-operatively.

Methods: Patients were pre-operatively identified and prospectively followed, all underwent surgical repair and had tissue samples obtained to make a pathological diagnosis of LS. Pre- and post-operative urine samples were collected.

Reduction in falling after a falls-assessment.

The aim of this single-center retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the effect of a multidisciplinary falls-assessment, consisting of identification and possible modification of risk factors for falls, on the frequency of falls among elderly individuals attending the geriatric outpatient department of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, the Netherlands. The characteristics of 70 elderly people who visited the outpatient department because of a fall in the period from May 2005 till February 2007 were evaluated. The effectiveness of the falls-assessment was evaluated by telephone interview of those individuals who had attended the falls-assessment.

Recombinant human endostatin administered as a 28-day continuous intravenous infusion, followed by daily subcutaneous injections: a phase I and pharmacokinetic study in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: Endostatin is an endogenous collagen XVIII-fragment with anti-angiogenic properties and remarkable antitumor activity in mice. Preclinical data suggest that continuous low dose administration of endostatin is much more potent than intermittent dosing. The feasibility of this approach is tested in a phase I study.

A patient with a VEGF and endostatin producing gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumour.

Tumour associated neovascularisation has been characterised as chaotic and insufficient. This report details the results of the analysis of angiogenic factors in tumour cyst fluid, pleural fluid, and blood from a patient with a gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumour. The tumour produced vascular endothelial growth factor and endostatin in large quantities, which may explain the dysfunctional angiogenesis and tendency to bleeding seen in this tumour type.

Effects of major liver resection, with or without recombinant bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (rBPI21), on the angiogenic profile of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Background: Surgery induces a process of wound healing, which has immunological and angiogenic aspects. Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is found in azurophilic granules of human neutrophils, which is bactericidal and neutralizes lipo-polysaccharide (LPS). This may reduce postoperative infectious complications.