Human glomerular structure under normal conditions and in isolated glomerular disease.

Investigation of the human glomerulus in health and disease shows that the human glomerulus comprises seven lobule-like structures with numerous anastomoses. The total length of the capillaries in a single glomerulus is 0.95 cm, making a total of 19 km for all 2-million glomeruli.

Segmentation of microscopic cell scenes.

Different methods for the automated segmentation of microscopic cell scenes are presented with examples. The techniques discussed include edge detection by thresholding, "blob" detection by split-and-merge algorithm, global thresholding using gray-level histograms, hierarchic thresholding using color information, global thresholding using two-dimensional histograms and segmentation by "blob" labeling. Methods are more robust against insignificant changes in the scene and perform more reliably as more a priori knowledge about the scene is incorporated in the segmentation algorithm.

[Computed tomographic and sonographic detection of renal and perirenal changes following shockwave lithotripsy].

The finding of a major haemorrhage after lithotripsy induced us to look at 42 patients undergoing extracorporeal lithotripsy by CT and by sonography, both before and after the procedure, in order to determine the frequency of bleeding. In 37 patients, significant bleeding was found in the perirenal tract and in Gerota's capsule. There were six small sub-capsular haematomas which were not found by sonography and two extensive renal haematomas.

Intrascrotal metastases from renal cell carcinoma.

This is an up-to-date report about two patients suffering respectively from testicular and epididymal metastases of a renal adenocarcinoma in the condition following tumour nephrectomy in anamnesis. It is a survey on literature including the number of cases published.

Effective hydraulic permeability of the glomerular capillary wall in rats after uninephrectomy.

The effective hydraulic permeability (k) of glomerular capillaries was studied in 2-month-old Wistar rats 4 weeks after uninephrectomy in comparison to age-matched control rats. Isolated kidneys were perfused with a cell-free solution containing 5% albumin. In this preparation the rise of colloid osmotic pressure along the glomerular capillaries can be neglected because the filtration fraction is low (3%) due to high perfusion rates at normal filtration rates.

Initial experience with local anesthesia in extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

The report concerns initial experience with local anesthesia in the treatment of urolithiasis by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. This form of anesthesia is well tolerated for stones of limited size and hardness, though the patients must be carefully selected.

Influence of cyclosporine A on adaptive hypertrophy after unilateral nephrectomy in the rat.

The functional challenge to a transplanted kidney is comparable to that of a single kidney after unilateral nephrectomy. The single kidney model was used in rats to study the influence of the immunosuppressant CyA. Using this model interference with immunological or preservation/transplantation problems can be excluded.

[Catheter peridural anesthesia with bupivacaine-HCl and bupivacaine-CO2 during extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy].

The effects of 0.5% bupivacaine-CO2 and bupivacaine-HCl were tested in a prospective randomised trial on 16 patients who underwent extracorporal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) with epidural analgesia. A shorter time of onset of analgesia (3.

[In vitro sensitivity testing of human kidney tumors to cytostatic drugs with a rapid in vitro test].

We present a new modified in vitro culture assay for primary human renal cell carcinoma similar to the 'soft agar clonogenic assay'. However, the carrying out and expense of metrology are more simplified, allowing tumor-specific chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity testing under easier conditions. Twelve different samples of human renal carcinoma and one sample of a transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis were tested for in vitro chemotherapy sensitivity using this modified colony-forming assay.

[Possibilities and departure points for quantitative cytologic evaluation of urothelial cells for cancer diagnosis using microscopic procedures and digital image processing].

Examination of exfoliated urothelial cells present in the urine has been shown to be useful by cytologists, but urinary cytology is not yet widely accepted for routine diagnostic purposes. The accuracy of urinary cytology is almost limited to high-grade transitional carcinoma (grade II-III), but is of limited value in the diagnosis of benign papilloma and low-grade tumors (grade I). The sensitivity of cytology would be increased from 50% to 80% by using a computer-based cytophotometric microscope, especially in differentiating grade I tumors.

[Measuring of urine cells by a high resolution microscope cytophotometric system (author's transl)].

Especially bladder tumors of low malignancy (grade I) reveal minor abnormalities and therefore these tumors are often overlooked using cytological methods. Therefore, it appeared useful to examine the applicability of microscopic scanning cytophotometry to discriminate urothelial cells by objective parameters. A special combination of a Leitz MPV 2 microscope Cytophotometer and a digitizer has been built for reasons of interactive segmentation of the cell into nucleus, plasma and background.

Investigation about the penetration depth in the normal bladder wall and tumor by local instillation of mitomycin into the urinary bladder.

The penetration depth of mitomycin into the normal urinary bladder wall and tumor was determined in 21 bladder tumor patients. Either 20 mg mitomycin/20 ml distilled water or 40 mg/40 ml distilled water was locally instilled into the bladder with a catheter after emptying it and was left for about 25-l20 min. The individual concentrations of mitomycin within the various bladder layers (epithelial, lamina propria, up to the middle of the musculature) were determined with a thin-layer cup method specially modified for these investigations.

[Morphometry on the juxtaglomerular apparatus and the glomerulus of the rat (author's transl)].

The area of contact between the macula densa and the terminal vascular components, the vas afferens, the vas efferens and the mesangium (Goormaghtigh cells) of five glomeruli of the rat has been determined morphometrically using serial sections. The surface, the filtration area, the volume and the total length of the capillaries of each glomeruli has been estimated, and these data have been correlated. There is evidence, that a contact between the macula densa and the mesangium always exists, a contact to the vas afferens is not obligatory.

[Computer-based measurements of bladder cancer urothelial cells by high-resolution microscopic-cytophotometric system (author's transl)].

Examination of exfoliated urothelial cells present in the urine has been shown to be diagnostic by many researchers, but cytology is not yet widely accepted for routine diagnostic purposes. Cytology is highly efficient in the primary diagnosis of high grade transitional carcinoma (grade II-III) but of limited value in the diagnosis of benign papilloma and low grade tumors. The sensitivity of cytology would be increased by improving the techniques of collecting cells out of urine, using highly sensitive staining techniques and by objective cytologic measuring methods.

[Histochemical investigations on human bladder cancer (author's transl)].

The histochemical enzyme activity of alkaline phosphatase, nonspecific esterase, 5-nucleotidase, beta-glucuronidase, glucose-6-phosphatase, succinate dehydrogenase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in human bladder cancer was investigated. Tumors of 84 patients, classified into grades I-III according to the WHO classification, were compared with 12 normal and 16 inflamed bladder epithelia. As a rule, loss of alkaline phosphatase activity and a decrease of nonspecific esterase activity was found in most of these tumors.

[Studies of the morphological and morphometrical changes in the rat nephron after unilateral ureteral ligation (author's transl)].

The influence of unilateral ureteral ligation in the rat nephron has been morphometrically analysed. The glomeruli show no significant differences compared with the control groups. The lumen of the tubulus rectus I increases significantly, but irregularly, after the 6th day of ureter ligation.

[Caryometry for testing the effectiveness of hormone treatment of carcinoma of the prostate gland (author's transl)].

Control aspiration biopsy should be performed on patients with carcinoma of the prostate gland, because the tumour cells show morphological signs of regression if estrogen therapy is successful: the nuclei of the tumor cells shrink. This can be measured by caryometry. In tumors refractory to estrogen primarily, the nuclei fail to shrink, whereas in tumors refractory to estrogen secondarily, the nuclei reexpand.

[The influence of completely ligated ureters on the regeneration of tubulus cells after diversion of the urine by ureterocystoneostomy (author's transl)].

After a complete destruction of the ureter, renal function recovers more completely after diversion of the urine by splints than by ureterocystoneostomy. After a longer period of obstruction and successive restoration of urinary diversion by ureterocystoneostomy a relative increase in pressure of the ureter continues. This is the result of a functional obstruction, caused by disintegration of the muscle cells by connective tissue.

[A cytophotometric study of urothelcells with a combination of MPV and A.S.M. (auther's transl)].

The frequency of bladder carcinoma is increasing all over the world. In civilized countries the cause of the increasing frequency is depending on environmental factors of different kinds. The cytologic examination of the urine has proved itself as a screening test for papillomas and carcinomas.

[The segmentation of urinary cells--a first step in the automated processing in urine cytology (author's transl)].

By segmentation of cell images we understand the automated decomposition of microscopic cell scenes into nucleus, plasma and background. A segmentation is achieved by using information from the microscope image and prior knowledge about the content of the scene. Different algorithms have been investigated and applied to samples of urothelial cells.

[Chances of an automated prescreening test based on cytology of the urinary tract. Preliminary report based on a high-resolution system (author's transl)].

The incidence of bladder tumors has increased in the last years. Often, at the time of diagnosis the tumor has reached a stage in which a curative radical therapy is no longer possible. With the help of urinary cytology it is often possible to obtain evidence of tumors at an early stage, before clinical symptoms become evident.