Flexible versus rigid endoscopy for treatment of foreign body impaction in the esophagus.

Background: The use of either flexible endoscopy (FE) or rigid endoscopy (RE) for removal of ingested foreign bodies (FBs) impacted in the esophagus is still discussed controversially.

Methods: We report a consecutive series of 139 patients with FB impaction in the esophagus. During a 6-year period, 69 men and 70 women (median age, 64 [0.

Antiinflammatory effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated primary human monocytes.

There is evidence from both human and animal research that 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)3 receptor antagonists, particularly tropisetron, exert analgesic and antiinflammatory effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of these effects have not yet been investigated in detail. Therefore, the antiinflammatory effects of tropisetron and ondansetron were investigated in human monocytes.

Prostaglandin E2 synthesis in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is generated by the enzymatic activity of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1/2), plays a central role in the maturation process of dendritic cells (DC). Since regulation of COX-1/2 expression in human DC is only partially understood, we addressed the expression and activity of COX-1/2 in these cells. Here we show that lipopolysaccharide (lps) induces COX-2 mRNA and protein synthesis as well as the release of PGE2 in human interleukin-4 and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor-differentiated monocyte-derived DC cultivated in the presence of 1% human plasma.

Detecting the sentinel lymph node in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate sentinel lymph node mapping in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Nine patients with suspected thyroid carcinoma who were scheduled to undergo thyroidectomy underwent scintigraphic localization of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). On the day of surgery we injected 37 MBq technetium-99m nanocolloid intratumourally.