[Xenotransplantation from a Christian-ethical perspective].

Xenotransplantation is a question of "ethics between man and animal". Because those affected in different ways by xenotransplantation (patients, relatives, medical doctors, laypeople) have different perceptions, "foreign" perspectives must be consciously considered next to one's own perspective in the ethical judgement. As xenotransplantation is still at the stage of preclinical research, this special opportunity for an early public ethical discussion should be taken.

[Christian responsibility and experimental medicine. Experiments with and on humans, experiments on animals].

The Jewish-Christian convictions that man was created as the image of God founded the "ethics of unavailability" which contrast with the utilitarian "ethics of interests." As man s nature is imperfect according to biblical understanding, those responsible in the field of experimental medicine should counteract all tendencies in society which promote an utopian definition of health and an eugenic mentality (idea of the "perfection of mankind"). Consequently, scientists must reflect their own image of man and the effects of their actions on this image.

[Oxygen consumption by indirect calorimetry and Fick equation in swine: role of cardiac output].

Objectives: To compare O2 uptake values measured by indirect calorimetry (VO2R) with Fick-derived values (VO2Fick) over a wide range of VO2 in experimental conditions and to analyze the influence of cardiac output (QC) on the difference between VO2R and VO2Fick.

Study Design: Animal study.

Material: Nineteen 2.

Elevated levels of harman and norharman in cerebrospinal fluid of parkinsonian patients.

Death of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) may partially be caused by synthesis and accumulation of endogenous and exogenous toxins. Because of structural similarity to MPTP, beta-carbolines, like norharman and harman, have been proposed as putative neurotoxins. In vivo they may easily be formed by cyclization of indoleamines with e.

Plasma levels of the beta-carbolines harman and norharman in Parkinson's disease.

Several lines of evidence suggest that endogenous and exogenous toxins may play a major role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In vivo aromatic beta-carbolines, like harman or norharman, may easily be formed by cyclization of indoleamines with e.g.

Plasma harman and norharman in Parkinson's disease.

Several lines of evidence suggest that endogenous and exogenous toxins may play a major role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In the brain aromatic beta-carbolines, like harman or norharman, may be formed by cyclization of indoleamines. Because of the structural similarity to MPTP, beta-carbolines have been proposed as endogenous toxins.

[Risk of cancer following cholecystectomy, hysterectomy or appendectomy].

Patients with previous cholecystectomy, hysterectomy or appendectomy have an increased risk of developing cancer of other organs such as the bowel, breast kidney or ovary, particularly if they have undergone more than one operation. Previous nephrectomy, strumectomy, prostatectomy or gastric resection for gastroduodenal ulcer do not increase the risk of bowel cancer.

Hemostatic studies of ex situ hepatic surgery.

Ex situ hepatic surgery, in which a diseased liver is resected from outside the body, was first reported in 1988. This study investigates the hemostatic changes occurring during such surgery in two cases. During the anhepatic period of more than 5 hours, veno-venous bypass without heparin was performed.

The use of high dose aprotinin in liver transplantation: the influence on fibrinolysis and blood loss.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is frequently associated with systemic fibrinogenolysis and diffuse bleeding. At present antifibrinolytic treatment has not been initiated routinely in OLT. Therefore the influence of high dose aprotinin in OLT (2 million kallikrein inactivator units (KIU) given after induction of anesthesia followed by a 500,000 KIU/h infusion throughout the operation) on intraoperative blood loss and fibrinolysis was studied in 25 patients compared to 25 patients without aprotinin.

Management of severe hepatic trauma by two-stage total hepatectomy and subsequent liver transplantation.

Even today major hepatic trauma remains a formidable surgical challenge with considerable deaths from exsanguination. Apart from conservative operative techniques that allow successful management in most cases, liver transplantation may be indicated in a more severe injury. This is a report on a patient with massive, unsalvageable liver trauma on whom the first two-staged procedure was successfully performed.

Redox Transfer across the Inner Chloroplast Envelope Membrane.

In leaves of spinach plants (Spinacia oleracea L.) grown in ambient CO(2) the subcellular contents of adenylates, pyridine nucleotides, 3-phosphoglycerate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, malate, glutamate, 2-oxoglutarate, and aspartate were assayed in the light and in the dark by nonaqueous fractionation technique. From the concentrations of NADP and NADPH determined in the chloroplast fraction of illuminated leaves the stromal NADPH to NADP ratio is calculated to be 0.

Coagulation disorder during liver transplantation.

Detailed haemostatic changes were investigated during eight liver transplantations. The patients were divided into two groups; group 1 had minor operative bleeding (four cases) and group 2 had major bleeding (four cases). Group 2 had lower levels of platelets, fibrinogen, factor V (FV), and alpha 2-antiplasmin than group 1, and the thromboelastography showed fibrinolysis.

[Has the frequency of renal cell carcinoma increased in autopsies].

Earlier analyses of autopsy material may show no or only slight increase of renal cancer. However, in Scotland and Connecticut a significantly rise of male renal cell carcinoma was found. Since 1966 in the autopsy material of the area Rügen--Stralsund the frequency of female renal cell cancer have been significantly increased.

Anaesthetic problems in ex situ resection of the liver.

Ex-situ resection of the liver is a new surgical technique for treatment of liver tumours not amenable to conventional surgery. This paper describes the cardiovascular and metabolic changes that occurred in nine consecutive such patients. No severe haemodynamic or pulmonary complications occurred.

[Frequency, localization and associated disorders in urinary calculi. Analysis of 1671 autopsies in urolithiasis].

In the area of Rügen-Stralsund a maximum value of urolithiasis and cholelithiasis was found. In 27,133 autopsies the frequency of urolithiasis was 6%. Obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus may increase the tendency of cholelithiasis patients to develop additional urolithiasis.

[The importance of high-dose alpha-receptor blockade for blood volume and hemodynamics in pheochromocytoma].

This prospective clinical study evaluates the possible beneficial effects of increased phenoxybenzamine dosage in the preoperative treatment of patients with pheochromocytoma. For this purpose total blood volume (TBV) prior to and after treatment with phenoxybenzamine and hemodynamic changes during surgery were determined in two groups of patients: group I (n = 12) received a mean dosage of 140 mg, group II (n = 12) 270 mg/day. The mean TBV in group I showed no changes after treatment with phenoxybenzamine, while the TBV in group II increased by 5.

[Ex situ surgery of the liver--anesthesiologic management].

In a 40-year old patient multiple liver tumours that were otherwise regarded as irresectable were removed in an ex situ operation--according to the authors' knowledge for the first time in a human. After protective perfusion with a hypothermic HTK solution hepatectomy was performed. After extirpation of the tumours ex situ, the residual liver was re-implanted.

Entropy balances of microbial product formation.

Considering the approach of Bermudez and Wagensberg (1986) devoted to the entropy balance of growing microorganisms some equations were developed which describe particularly the entropy balance of microbial product formation. The formula allows to determine the coefficients of resistance R(mn) and of coupling L(mn) according to rates of growth, product formation, maintenance metabolism and heat evolution assuming a linear relationship between thermodynamic fluxes and forces. In order to check the usefulness of the derived model appropriate experimental data of two microbial batch processes concerning production of L-lysine and the antibiotic nourseothricine were taken into account.

Technique and preliminary results of extracorporeal liver surgery (bench procedure) and of surgery on the in situ perfused liver.

The clinical experience with 11 patients undergoing ex situ operation of the liver (nine operations) or surgery on an in situ hypothermic perfused liver after vascular isolation (three operations) is described. These methods have been confined to situations and tumour stages otherwise deemed untreatable, or to situations where resection would not have been sufficiently radical. In one patient the ex situ approach avoided the need to undertake liver grafting for a benign tumour.

HTK-solution (Bretschneider) for human liver transplantation. First clinical experiences.

The cardioplegic HTK-solution (Bretschneider) has not been used in human liver transplantation as yet. Herein the first results obtained from 14 patients with HTK-preserved liver grafts are presented. The suitability of HTK-solution could be shown.