Remission rates in breast cancer treated with preoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Purpose: Evaluation of remission rates after neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone or followed by preoperative radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: 194 women with 198 biopsy-proven breast tumors were evaluated in this retrospective study. Of the 198 cases evaluated, 64 received neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant irradiation (CT group).

[Prevalence and clinical significance of computerized tomography verified idiopathic calcinosis of the basal ganglia].

With increasing CT examinations of the cerebrum, the discovery of basal ganglia calcification becomes more frequent. In order to correlate these calcifications to the symptoms believed to be accompanied with Fahr's disease 2318 cranial CT scans were examined. There was an overall incidence of basal ganglia calcification of 12.

Remission rates following preoperative chemotherapy and radiation therapy in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate remission and breast-conservation rates after preoperative chemotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy (CT-RT).

Patients And Methods: Seventy-three patients with 74 biopsy-proven invasive breast cancers prospectively entered the protocol. Eighteen patients were treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant irradiation (chemotherapy group).

[Acute mitral insufficiency in osteogenesis imperfecta].

A 56-year-old woman with known osteogenesis imperfecta tarda but no obvious sign of cardiac disease developed increasing dyspnoea, eventually even at rest, with blood-streaked sputum over a period of 10 days. The chest radiograph demonstrated intraalveolar pulmonary oedema. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed as the likely cause of these signs chordal rupture of the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve with mitral regurgitation.

[Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura].

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is an uncommon disorder which usually occurs in young adults. It is characterized by a pentad of clinical findings: fever, neurological abnormalities, renal dysfunction, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. The histological hallmark is the presence of platelet thrombi occluding the microcirculation of multiple organs.

[Differential therapy of thrombotic-thrombopenic purpura. Administration of fresh plasma versus plasma separation].

In a 29-year-old man with primary thrombotic-thrombocytopenic purpura a significantly increased plasma concentration of platelet-specific proteins was demonstrated as an expression of increased intravascular platelet activation and destruction during the acute phase of the disease. There was also abnormally elevated IgG loading of platelets. During administration of fresh plasma alone (total of six litres over one week) the clinical state deteriorated further into coma and failure of spontaneous ventilation.

Secondary hypothyroidism in severe non thyroidal illness?

In severely ill patients of an intensive care unit overt peripheral thyroid hormone deficiency was noted in 22 of 33 subjects. The TRH-test was performed in 7 of these 22 patients and was negative in all. Thus, the laboratory data suggest secondary hypothyroidism.

[Diagnosis and current antibiotic therapy of urinary tract infections (author's transl)].

The problems caused by urinary tract infections confront the urologist with multiple specific tasks and call for cooperation with other specialists. In addition to basic and urological diagnostic acts recommendations are made for succeeding in diagnosis by means of bacteriology and nephrology. Considering the clinical degrees of urinary tract infections and the associated spectrum of causative bacterial agents the principles of current antibiotic treatment are presented

[CSF lactate and EEG changes in comatose patients with various medical conditions (author's transl)].

EEGs were recorded and initial CSF and blood lactate measurements (135) made in 104 patients who were in coma of differing severity from a variety of medical conditions. There were two patterns: in one, the CSF lactate alone was due to cerebral tissue hypoxia; and in the other factors, such as cerebral haemorrhage, meningitis or lactacidosis were predominantly present. In those with cerebral hypoxia there was a connection between the severity of the disease picture and the level of CSF lactate.