Economic evaluation of "pulse dose" radiofrequency in the treatment of occipital neuralgia headache.

Headache occipital neuralgia is an example of pain-disease for which treatment both pharmacological protocols and invasive methods are used. Among the latter, the RF (Radiofrequency) pulse-dose has been of interest for the prospects of analgesic efficacy, safety and patient compliance, although at the moment only data concerning the pulsed RF and not the RF pulse-dose, that represents its evolution, are discussed in scientific literature. The purpose of this study is a "simple" economic evaluation of this method in headache occipital neuralgia.

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis: report of a case with small bowel obstruction managed by long-term home parenteral hyperalimentation, and a review of the literature.

Sclerosing peritonitis has recently emerged as a complication of peritoneal dialysis associated with a high morbidity and mortality. These patients experience the characteristic syndrome of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, partial small bowel obstruction, and impaired ultrafiltration. A pathologic finding is the replacement of mesothelial cells with a thick layer of nondistensible fibroconnective tissue.

Soluble immune complexes in sera from head and neck cancer patients: a preliminary report.

With the recent demonstration of circulating immune complexes in a variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases, we have examined the sera of head and neck cancer patients for evidence of soluble immune compleses. Using the Raji, cell test, we have shown that immune complexes are present in over 80% of the cancer sera examined as compared to less than 10% of normal control sera, and that these complexes persist following treatment of the patients by surgery or radiation therapy. These complexes may be acting as blocking factors which would account for the anergic state of these patients.

Chronic serous otitis media: an immune complex disease.

In characterizing the immunochemical and biochemical nature of middle ear effusions (MEE) of chronic serous otitis media (SOM), we have previously shown that MEE contain all major immunoglobulin classes, increased levels of several lysosomal enzymes, decreased total complement, but increased levels of C3. This report extends these observations by showing that MEE also contains C3 proactivator (C3PA) that can be activated by those organisms involved in acute otitis media, which confirms a functional alternate complement pathway. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the presence of soluble immune complexes in MEE using the Raji cell test.