Classification of heart failure in population based research: an assessment of six heart failure scores.

Several scores based on symptoms and signs have been developed to assess the presence of heart failure. The goal of this study was to compare six heart failure scores in non-hospitalised subjects and to determine their usefulness in population based research. The scores were applied to 54 participants of a population based study.

A simplified grading method of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: reproducibility, clinical significance and comparison with other prognostic parameters.

Objective: To determine the extent to which the biological potential of transitional cell neoplasms can be predicted by histological grading of the primary tumour in a two grade system using simple histological criteria and to evaluate the additional value of grading when combined with other prognostic factors. The inter-observer variability of the World Health Organization grading and the two grade system was tested.

Patients And Methods: The study included 311 patients with newly diagnosed transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Skin thickness does not reflect bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

Skin and bone both contain primarily type I collagen in connective tissue matrices and are assumed to be related due to this common organic constituent. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether skin thickness measurements by ultrasound (US) could be used for screening for low bone mass. In 94 healthy, white, non-smoking women, 1-3 years postmenopause, the thickness of the skin of the left upper arm and forearm was measured by ultrasound (US).

Cytogenetic analysis in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

The potential use of numerical chromosomal abnormalities as predictive factors for the clinical behaviour of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) was investigated. The effects on survival and progression-free survival were measured in 91 patients with TCC treated by transurethral resection. The survival rate of patients having tumours with a diploid chromosomal modal number was significantly better than that of patients having tumours with a hyperdiploid chromosomal modal number.

Image cytometric DNA analysis in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Background: The current study was initiated to investigate measurable objective and reproducible characteristics that might have prognostic significance in bladder cancer.

Methods: Tumor samples from 91 patients with primary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder were studied by DNA image cytometry and cytogenetic analysis. Image cytometry is a more sensitive method of determining ploidy than flow cytometry, especially in tumors with a low number of aneuploid cells.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis in hysterectomies: a double-blind, randomized, comparative study of a single dose of piperacillin (2 g) versus a single dose of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (2.2 g).

A double-blind, randomized comparative study of piperacillin (2 g) versus amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (2.2 g) as a single dose 30 minutes before the initiation of hysterectomy was performed. A total of 595 patients (of which 307 were in the piperacillin group) were evaluable for efficacy.

Structural chromosome 1 aberrations in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: interphase cytogenetics combining a centromeric, telomeric, and library DNA probe.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to study numerical and structural chromosome 1 aberrations in interphase nuclei of transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs) of the urinary bladder. One of the characteristic numerical aberrations, as detected previously in low-grade noninvasive TCCs, included trisomy for chromosome 1 (A. H.

Numerical chromosome 1, 7, 9, and 11 aberrations in bladder cancer detected by in situ hybridization.

Forty transitional cell carcinomas of the human urinary bladder (TCCs) were examined for numerical aberrations of chromosomes 1, 7, 9, and 11 by in situ hybridization using chromosome-specific probes. Our interphase cytogenetic study of 24 low-grade, noninvasive TCCs, which were near-diploid by flow cytometry, showed a numerical aberration for at least 1 of these chromosomes in 14 of these cases. Most strikingly, a monosomy for chromosome 9 was found in 9 of 24 low-grade TCCs.

Prognostic significance of type IV collagen and laminin immunoreactivity in urothelial carcinomas of the bladder.

Invasion of a carcinoma involves the degradation and penetration of the subepithelial basement membrane (BM). This phenomenon might be used for histopathologic evaluation of neoplasms of the bladder. The authors studied the clinicopathologic data and tissue specimens of 125 cases of urothelial carcinomas collected prospectively.

Evaluation of abdominal lymph nodes by ultrasound.

To evaluate the significance of sonographically detected abdominal lymph nodes, the medical records of 100 consecutive patients with abdominal lymphadenopathy were reviewed. The number of lymph nodes, their localizations, dimensions, shape, and architecture were recorded. One hundred ninety-four lymph nodes were found in 63 patients known to have a malignancy; 68 lymph nodes were found in 37 patients with benign diseases.

Sonographically detected costo-chondral dislocation in an abused child. A new sonographic sign to the radiological spectrum of child abuse.

A case of an abused child with fractures of the skull, ribs and long bones is presented. Sonographically a costochondral dislocation of the left lower ribs was detected, which has not been reported in the literature.

Detection of numerical chromosome aberrations in bladder cancer by in situ hybridization.

The nuclear DNA content of 53 transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs) of the urinary bladder, as determined by flow cytometry (FCM), was compared with chromosome ploidy as detected by nonradioactive in situ hybridization (ISH). For this purpose, probes for repetitive DNA targets in the (peri) centromeric region of chromosomes 1 and 18 were used. Hybridization results with both probes of 35 TCCs, which had a DNA index of approximately 1.

Blood group isoantigen deletion and chromosomal abnormalities in bladder cancer.

The presence or absence of blood group isoantigens in 78 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder was correlated with tumor stage and grade, and results of chromosomal analysis. For blood group isoantigen detection the indirect immunoperoxidase method with monoclonal antibodies to A, B and H antigen was used. In 51 per cent of the 59 superficial tumors blood group isoantigens were demonstrable, whereas all deeper infiltrating and higher grade tumors were negative.

Grading in superficial bladder cancer. (2). Cytogenetic classification.

Cytogenic analysis was performed in 92 newly diagnosed transitional cell bladder carcinomas and the results were correlated with the clinical course in superficial tumours. Low grade tumours appeared to have hypodiploid or peridiploid chromosomal numbers. Intermediate grade tumours were characterised by chromosomal counts up to the hyperdiploid range but could have a peridiploid modal number.

Grading in superficial bladder cancer. (1). Morphological criteria.

In a prospective study on the grading of superficial papillary neoplasms of the bladder a distinction was made between tumours showing only increased cellularity without appreciable cellular and nuclear deviation (grade 1), tumours showing slight cellular variation (grade 2a), and tumours showing clear cytological deviation and a tendency to lose normal polarity (grade 2b). Ninety-one patients with a superficial tumour were followed up for a mean of 24 months. Grade 2a tumours recurred later and in fewer patients than grade 2b tumours.

Tissue-specific markers in flow cytometry of urological cancers. III. Comparing chromosomal and flow cytometric DNA analysis of bladder tumors.

Thirty-seven transitional-cell carcinomas (TCC) of the urinary bladder were analyzed by DNA flow cytometry (FCM). After labelling of the cell suspensions with antibodies to cytokeratin, the cytokeratin-positive cells and the non-epithelial cytokeratin-negative cells could be analyzed separately. After estimation of S- and G2M phase, 3/17 cases (18%) with a normal DNA index showed elevated proliferative levels, among cytokeratin-labelled suspensions only.

Comparison of tissue disaggregation techniques of transitional cell bladder carcinomas for flow cytometry and chromosomal analysis.

DNA index (DI) measurements and chromosomal analysis of 42 transitional cell carcinomas were done after mechanical and enzymatical disaggregation of the tumor specimens. The results obtained with these different disaggregation techniques were compared in the 33 cases (79%) that showed recognizable chromosomes. The enzymatically obtained cell suspensions could not be used for chromosomal analysis after short-term culture of 24 hours.

Giant diverticula of the male urethra: a surprising radiological finding.

A case of congenital urethral diverticula in a male is reported. The diverticula were well demonstrated by voiding cysto-urethrography and retrograde urethrography. A review of the relevant literature is given, emphasizing the radiodiagnostic procedures.

Tissue-specific markers in flow cytometry of urological cancers: cytokeratins in bladder carcinoma.

Thirty-eight transitional-cell carcinomas (TCC) were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) using propidium iodide for DNA analysis and antibodies to cytokeratin by indirect immunofluorescence. By means of two-dimensional FCM analysis, cytokeratin-positive tumor cells could be analysed separately from cytokeratin-negative stromal and inflammatory cells. This resulted in an 18% increase in sensitivity of FCM detection of aneuploidy (10/38 samples with one-parameter DNA analysis versus 15/38 samples with two-parameter DNA and cytokeratin analysis).