Laparoscopic management of patent urachus in an adult man.

A 35-year-old man presented with recurrent urinary discharge from the umbilicus. A diagnosis of persistent patent urachus was established by magnetic resonance imaging. Radical excision of urachal remnant tissue was accomplished by laparoscopic surgery using four ports.

Renal actinomycosis mimicking renal carcinoma.

The case of a 52-year-old man is reported who presented with night sweats and slight debilitation. Upon CT scan a left-sided renal mass with centrally liquefied areas was detected. The patient underwent nephrectomy for suspected renal cancer with central necrosis.

Distribution of alpha-1-antitrypsin and haptoglobin phenotypes in bladder cancer patients.

Frequencies of the alpha 1-antitrypsin (Pi) alleles and haptoglobin phenotypes have been determined in a series of 264 North-German patients with bladder cancer. Compared to a healthy control population, we found a statistically significant decrease of Hp 2-2 phenotype in the patient series. A significant increase of the serum Pi Z allele, as previously shown for patient groups with certain other tumours, could also be confirmed for bladder cancer.

Association of N-acetyltransferase polymorphism and environmental factors with bladder carcinogenesis. Study in a north German population.

The N-acetyltransferase phenotype was determined in 105 German patients with bladder carcinoma and in a control group of 42 healthy subjects. The slow phenotype was significantly more frequent among the patients (61.9% compared to 42.