Interlaboratory studies with a proposed patch test design to evaluate the irritation potential of surfactants.

Background: Development of cosmetic products and household detergents necessitates comparative study designs to assess the skin tolerance of products. In initial tests, the epicutaneous patch test for irritation is widely used.

Objectives: This study was conducted to develop a protocol that would facilitate a comparison of results obtained when tests are conducted by different laboratories.

Percutaneous closure of secundum atrial septal defect with a new self centering device ("angel wings").

Objective: To investigate the safety, efficacy, and clinical application of a new self centering device ("angel wings") for closure of secundum atrial septal defects (ASD II) and persistent foramen ovale in all age groups.

Design: Multicentre, prospective, nonrandomised study.

Inclusion Criteria: defects with an occlusive diameter of < or = 20 mm and a surrounding rim of > 4 mm; body weight > 10 kg; and an indication for surgical closure of secundum atrial septal defect.

Transvenous closure of patent ductus arteriosus with Ivalon plugs. Multicenter experience with a new technique.

Rationale And Objective: The authors assess the clinical efficacy of transvenous closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) with a new plug consisting of Ivalon foam and a platinum/iridium frame with four aortic and two pulmonary nitinol struts. The most widely used devices for transcatheter treatment of PDA (Porstmann plug, Rashkind umbrella, Botallo occluder, coils) have specific limitations inherent to their design (e.g.

[Anatomic and functional hypoplastic left heart syndrome and its surgical Norwood and Fontan treatment].

Unlabelled: The surgical therapy of newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is still regarded with some distrust. The complete heart conserving palliation includes not only the Norwood operation during the newborn period but also the complete separation of both circuits by the Fontan operation some time later. Our experiences with each surgical step are presented.

Stentless xenograft valve in a truncus arteriosus communis.

We report the use of a recently developed stentless porcine valve in a 2-year-old child with truncus arteriosus communis (type I). The child had received no previous surgical palliation. Despite a markedly increased pulmonary arteriolar resistance the right ventricle was connected to the pulmonary artery with a homograft.

Primary repair of complete atrioventricular septal defect in infancy.

Forty infants with complete atrioventricular septal defect have undergone primary repair within their 1st year of life. The mean age at time of surgery was 4 months (range 1-12 months) and the mean weight 4.2 kg (range 2.

[Significance of laundry detergent residues from a dermato-toxicological viewpoint].

Detergent residues are often accused to cause efflorescences of the skin. In the present studies different textiles were washed under standardized conditions and the residues analyzed. Textile probes were patch tested for 48 h on seborrheic and sebostatic volunteers.

Comparison of two in vitro and two in vivo methods for the measurement of irritancy.

A number of in vitro assays have recently been developed that need further validation in order to judge their value for local tolerance testing. For this purpose, results from the following experiments were compared: (A) cytotoxicity testing in cell culture (neutral red assay); (B) tests with the chorioallantoic membrane of fertilized chicken eggs; (C) rabbit eye mucous membrane tests; and (D) occluded epicutaneous testing in human volunteers. The data presented indicate that in vitro testing with the first two methods yields reliable results with respect to the eye and human skin irritation data within homologous substance classes.

Surgical repair and postoperative course of an infant with infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, cor triatriatum sinistrum and transposition of the great arteries.

The combination of a d-transposition of the great arteries, cor triatriatum sinistrum and a total anomalous pulmonary venous connection of the infracardiac type is a very rare condition. Up to now, one surgical repair in an adolescent with transposed great arteries and total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage of the supracardiac type has been reported. In this paper, an infant with the above mentioned cardiovascular malformation is presented.

[Changes in fatty acid metabolism in dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in childhood].

The aetiology and the pathomechanisms in both types of cardiomyopathy (CM) are still unknown. In vivo measurements of myocardial metabolism in CM may be useful, but there is hardly any information on this subject. Free fatty acids (FFA) are the main source of energy for the normal myocardium.

Ewing's sarcoma metastazing from the right pelvis via the inferior vena cava into the heart: diagnosis and successful surgical treatment.

A case of Ewing's sarcoma metastazing from the pelvis into the heart is presented. Fainting as a result of circulatory obstruction within the right heart was the leading symptom. Open-heart surgery was performed to excise the tumor from the right atrium and the inferior vena cava.

Left aortic arch, retro-esophageal aortic segment, right descending aorta and right patent ductus arteriosus--a very rare "vascular ring" malformation.

A vascular ring formed by a left aortic arch, a retro-esophageal segment, a right descending aorta and right-sided ductus or ligamentum arteriosum is a very rare anomaly up to now; only 16 cases have been reported in the literature. This report presents the case of an infant suffering from the symptoms of airway and esophageal compression, who was successfully operated on for this anomaly at the age of 5 months. The diagnosis was established by means of esophagogram and angiography.

[The clinical significance of the oxytocin challenge test (author's transl)].

In order to test the function of fetoplacental unit 398 oxytocin challenge tests were performed on 280 patients who had exceeded the calculated date of delivery or where factors of risk were involved. 8% of the tests performed showed a positive result, 1% was suspect and 91% were negative. The figure of 20% of false-positive test results was relatively high compared to only 1.