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Acute Shunt Failure Due to Perforation of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Tubing during Percutaneous Gastrostomy.

The placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in a patient with a pre-existing ventriculoperitoneal shunt is generally regarded as safe. A critical but often overlooked technical consideration is confirmation of the course of the distal shunt tube prior to PEG insertion. We present the case of a 4-month-old male infant with shunted hydrocephalus who experienced shunt malfunction due to perforation of the distal shunt tubing after PEG placement.

Endotoxin-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in rabbits: contribution of neuropeptides.

Endotoxin (ET) contaminated dusts frequently can be found in the environment. Especially in agriculture, ETs represent one of the main factors in the development of respiratory diseases. In order to investigate the pathomechanisms of ET induced lung injury, the contribution of the NANC-system of vagal C-fibres to increased airway responsiveness (AR) to cholinergic agents was investigated in anesthetized rabbits.

Subchronic exposure to diisocyanates increases guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle responses to acetylcholine.

Objective: In order to study the threshold concentrations of isocyanates (IC) for induction of lung disorders, constrictive responses of tracheal smooth muscles to acetylcholine (ACH) in guinea pigs with and without diisocyanate [toluene diisocyanate (TDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI)] exposure were investigated.

Methods: An IC-induced increase in smooth muscle responsiveness was studied by measuring cumulative ACH dose responses (10(-10) to 10(-4) M ACH). Basal ACH dose-response curves, measured twice in intervals of 1 h using tracheal preparations of 11 guinea pigs previously not exposed to IC, were reproducible.