[Microsurgical treatment of posterior capsule opacification].

Purpose: To evaluate irrigation/aspiration and posterior capsulectomy in the treatment of the posterior capsule opacification (PCO).

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Material And Methods: Between 1.

[Serum beta 2-microglobulin in multiple myeloma. II. Its significance in monitoring the disease].

In a group of 71 patients with multiple myeloma the importance of beta 2-microglobulin (S-B2M) serum levels was evaluated with regard to their importance for monitoring of the disease. No significant relationship was found between B2M levels and monoclonal serum immunoglobulin, only in one third of the patients parallel changes of the two proteins were observed. One third of the patients had permanently normal S-B2M values and thus could not be evaluated with regard to the therapeutic results, 9% of the patients had very low S-B2M values throughout the disease regardless of the high activity of the latter and the marked increase of myeloma mass (stage III A).

[Serum beta 2-microglobulin in multiple myeloma. I. Relation to selected indicators, clinical stage and disease prognosis].

The authors evaluated in a group of 89 patients with monoclonal gammapathy (18 patients with monoclonal gammapathy of undermined significance, 34 patients examined at the time of diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) and in a group of 71 patients with MM examined in different stages of the disease) the serum beta 2-microglobulin. It was revealed that the mentioned indicator is of no differential diagnostic value, it is not related to sex nor to the immunochemical type of monoclonal immunoglobulin. A relationship of serum beta 2-microglobulin to age, serum urea and serum creatinine, to the severity of anaemia, serum albumin, sedimentation rate of red cells, degree of infiltration of bone marrow by myeloma plasmocytes and the stage of the disease, evaluated by the systems of Durie-Salmon and Medical Research Council, was found.

Stratification of multiple myeloma according to serum beta 2-microglobulin and serum albumin levels.

In 71 patients with multiple myeloma the authors evaluated the clinical significance and the prognostic relevance of Bataille's stratification system based on serum beta 2-microglobulin and serum albumin levels. This staging system, which classified the patients to low, intermediate and poor risk groups (stages 1-3) showed a rather small prognostic significance, and it stratified our myeloma patients unsatisfactorily. On the basis of the results of our own analyses, we have developed our own modification of a pilot stratification system.

[Determination of beta 2 microglobulin in malignant tumors of the ovaries].

Beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG) is used as a tumour marker in some malignant diseases. The authors assessed the concentration of beta 2-MG in serum of 30 patients with malignant ovarian tumours and in 29 patients with other benign gynaecological diseases, in particular benign ovarian tumours. Although raised values of beta 2-MG were found in ovarian carcinomas, as compared with the control group of non-malignant gynaecological diseases, a statistically significant increase was recorded only in carcinomas grade III and IV.

Application of ELISA method to determine antigliadin antibodies in children with coeliac disease.

The application of the ELISA method to the detection of antigliadin antibodies (AGA), class IgG and IgA in children with coeliac disease (CD) is described. All the patients of the group of 17 with untreated CD and another group of 19 with CD formerly treated and now gluten exposed show elevated AGA values. The group of 14 CD patients permanently treated with gluten free diet show AGA increase in 42.

Increased serum beta-2-microglobulin level in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Beta-2-microglobulin (B2m) serum levels were measured by newly developed electroimmunoassay in a group of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Increased serum B2m concentrations were found in 66.7% out of 93 subjects with Crohn's disease and in 56.