[Letters to the Editor].

Letter about JEWISH MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM BRITISH MANDATE PALESTINE/ERETZ ISRAEL -THEIR FINAL MD EXAMINATION IN BERLIN DURING THE THIRD REICH, by Uri Freund Letter about JEWISH MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM BRITISH MANDATE PALESTINE/ERETZ ISRAEL -THEIR FINAL MD EXAMINATION IN BERLIN DURING THE THIRD REICH, by Gideon Eshel Letter about THE UNACCEPTED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EDUCATIONAL MEDICAL SYSTEM IN GERMANY AND THE JEWISH PHYSICIANS DURING THE NAZI REGIME, by Gideon Eshel.

Spontaneous detachment of the spiral overtube from the endoscope in the upper esophagus: a case report and literature review of a rare complication during motorized spiral enteroscopy.

Background: Motorized spiral enteroscopy (MSE) is a recent modality for diagnostic and therapeutic examination of the small bowel using a spiral-shaped overtube with an integrated electric motor attached to an endoscope. With growing evidence of its efficacy, MSE is increasingly being used by endoscopic facilities. We herein present an uncommon case of the detachment of the spiral overtube from the endoscope during MSE.

Sex-related risks of trauma in medieval to early modern Denmark, and its relationship to change in interpersonal violence over time.

Skeletons from three Danish cemeteries, Sortebrødre, Tirup, and St. Mikkel, that collectively held 822 adults (>15 years) and spanned the medieval to early modern periods (ca. AD 1100-1610) show that men, in general, experienced more bone fractures than women.

[EUS-FNA: how to improve biopsy results? An evidence based review].

Endosonography with fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) has become a widespreadly available clinical tool to diagnose numerous different lesions in humans. EUS-FNA is frequently used for tissue-based diagnoses such as lymphatic diseases (ranging from tuberculosis / sarcoidosis to malignant lymphoma) or solid tumors (such as pancreatic carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, sub-epithelial gastrointestinal tumors and others). Outcomes of EUS-FNA results, however, vary which is caused by several different factors ranging from experience of the endoscopist over technical factors such as use of stylet or suction for puncture through the skills of the cyto-pathologist who takes care of the specimen obtained by EUS-FNA.

Radiation recall dermatitis after docetaxel chemotherapy. Treatment by antioxidant ointment.

Radiation recall dermatitis (RRD) is an acute skin toxicity caused by different anticancer or antibiotic drugs within a former completely healed irradiation field. Predictive factors for RRD are not known and its mechanisms are not completely understood. A case of RRD induced by docetaxel and successfully treated by an antioxidant ointment (Mapisal(®)) is presented here.

Cardiotoxicity and cancer therapy: treatment-related cardiac morbidity in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of heart or lung disease.

Objectives: Cardiac injury is one of the complications of cancer treatment. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the types of radiotherapy of the chest (RT), chemotherapy (CT), cancer surgery (CS) and endocrine therapy (ET), and the presence of heart disease, and their associations with the serum level of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP).

Methods: A consecutive series of 374 patients with cancer who were referred because of symptoms suggestive of heart or lung disease prospectively underwent a diagnostic workup.

Multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing the performance of 22 gauge versus 25 gauge EUS-FNA needles in solid masses.

Background And Aims: Few randomized studies have assessed the clinical performance of 25-gauge (25G) needles compared with 22-gauge (22G) needles during endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) biopsy of intra-abdominal lesions. We aimed to compare the diagnostic yield, as well as performance characteristics of 22G versus 25G EUS biopsy needles by determining their diagnostic capabilities, the number of needle passes as well as cellularity of aspirated tissue specimen.

Methods: The study is a prospective, randomized, multicenter study.

[Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction].

Colonic Pseudo-obstruction is a poorly understood syndrome. It was first described by Ogilvie in 1948 and is characterized by signs of large bowel obstruction with a non-mechanical etiology. The suggested cause of this pathophysiology is an imbalance in the autonomic nerve supply to the colon.

[Laparoscopic cholecystectomy--1,000 procedures in a surgical department].

The first 1,000 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed in our department were reviewed. There was no operative mortality; conversion to open cholecystectomy was necessary in 2%. In the last 600 cases the rate of conversion had decreased to 0.

Octreotide treatment in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

We investigated the effect of octreotide in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis in a case-control study. Experimental and clinical studies on the effect of octreotide in the treatment of acute pancreatitis have shown controversial results. Since January 1992, we have been conducting a prospective randomized study on the effect of octreotide in severe acute pancreatitis, in three hospitals in Israel.

Experimental acute necrotising pancreatitis: evaluation and characterisation of a model of intraparenchymal injection of sodium taurocholate in rats.

Objectives: To evaluate a simple model that produces progressive dose dependent pancreatitis, by intraparenchymal injection of sodium taurocholate.

Design: Open laboratory study.

Setting: Teaching hospital, Israel.

Treatment of acute colonic pseudo-obstruction with neostigmine.

Background: Colonic pseudo-obstruction is a poorly understood syndrome, described by Ogilvie, and characterized by signs of large-bowel obstruction, without a mechanical cause. An imbalance in the autonomic nerve supply to the colon has been suggested as the pathophysiology. Recently, promising results with pharmacologic manipulation with neostigmine have been described.

Enema-induced perforation of the rectum in chronically constipated patients.

Introduction: The use of retrograde irrigation enemas is common in the treatment of chronic constipation, especially in the elderly. Perforation of the rectum and sigmoid colon caused by cleansing enemas, used by chronically constipated patients, has not been previously described.

Methods: We reviewed all patients with colorectal perforations caused by irrigation enemas admitted to our service in the three-year period between January 1995 and December 1997.

[Histamine plasma concentration and cardiovascular effects of non-depolarizing muscle relaxants: comparison of atracurium, vecuronium, pancuronium and pipecuronium in coronary surgical patients at risk].

Objective: Cardiovascular effects of four commonly used non-depolarising muscle relaxants and their ability to increase histamine plasma concentrations were studied in patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: 40 patients were included in the study after informed consent. After premedication with Flunitrazepam (2 mg p.

Effect of the somatostatin analogue octreotide on experimental pancreatitis in rats.

Somatostatin and its analogue octreotide have a profound inhibitory effect on the endocrine and exocrine secretions of the pancreas, stomach, and small intestine. Previous studies have been inconclusive about the possible therapeutic effect of somatostatin and its analogues in the treatment of pancreatitis. This study assessed the effect of the long acting somatostatin analogue, octreotide, in two models of experimental pancreatitis in rats.

[Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis].

We performed 417 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, including 58 for acute cholecystitis, between September 1991 and April 1995,. All operations were successful, with no mortality or complications. In about 10%, the laparoscopic approach failed and we converted to open cholecystectomy.

Perforation of the terminal ileum induced by blast injury: delayed diagnosis or delayed perforation?

Blast injuries are rare, and although blast-induced perforations of the bowel have been described in the past, the entity of a delayed perforation caused by an evolving injury has not been reported. We report three men injured by the explosion of a terrorist bombing in open air. They suffered primary blast injuries, which resulted in isolated perforations of the terminal ileum.

[Does chronic oral treatment with beta-receptor blockers have an effect on positive inotropic therapy of coronary patients with adrenaline after extracorporeal circulation?].

Unlabelled: For the prebypass period various authors have shown that patients on oral or intravenous beta blocking therapy respond to catecholamine treatment with marked increase in afterload and no change in cardiac index. Since positive inotropic therapy is usually not necessary until, but after termination of cardiopulmonary bypass, the question arises as to whether beta-blocking agents administered orally on the morning of the operation, can still have negative effects during this phase of the procedure.

Patients And Methods: 20 patients (NYHA classification II to III) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, half of them having been on chronic beta-adrenoceptor blocking therapy, were treated with 0.

Preliminary report of a prospective randomized study of octreotide in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis.

Background: Experimental and clinical studies on the effect of octreotide in the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis have presented controversial results. Since January 1992, we have been conducting a prospective randomized study on the clinical effect of octreotide in severe acute pancreatitis, at three hospitals in Israel.

Study Design: The entering criteria included three or more of the Ranson's prognostic signs and computed tomographic findings of severe pancreatitis.

The efficacy of amrinone or adrenaline on low cardiac output following cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing preoperative beta-blockade.

We examined 20 patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting for coronary artery disease with NYHA classifications of II and III who had been treated with beta-blocking agents. Patients were randomised for administration of either adrenaline (0.1 microgram/kg/min) or amrinone (bolus 1 mg/kg, continuous infusion of 5-10 micrograms/kg/min), if following cardiopulmonary bypass their cardiac index was < 2.