Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background/aims: Insulin-like growth factor-I is an important anabolic polypeptide with various effects. The circulating insulin-like growth factor-I is mainly liver derived. The aim of this study was to determine insulin-like growth factor-I serum levels in patients with cirrhosis and to clarify their association with patients' clinical condition and the etiology of cirrhosis.

Cyclosporine and its metabolites before and 2 h post-dose: comparative measurements of a monoclonal and a polyclonal immunoassay.

The aim of the study was to investigate the better accuracy of the 2-h post-dose (C2) levels of cyclosporine (CyA), compared with the pre-dose (C0) levels and to evaluate the results measured by a monoclonal or a polyclonal immunoassay. The parent compound of CyA in C2 (monoclonal2) was measured in 53 kidney transplant patients by the monoclonal fluorescence polarization method, as well as the parent compound plus metabolites (polyclonal2) by the polyclonal fluorescence polarization method. Also, the parent compound was measured in 21 of the patients for the C0 (monoclonal0), whereas the parent compound plus metabolites in 36, for the C0 (polyclonal0).

Endodontic treatment in cases of allergic reaction to rubber dam.

The prevalence and severity of latex allergies have rapidly increased recently. This article presents two cases of patients with rubber latex allergy. The patient in case A was unaware of her sensitivity to latex and presented symptoms of contact dermatitis-stomatitis during endodontic treatment.

Management of bile duct injury during and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: Bile duct injury (BDI) is perhaps the most feared complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Proper management of iatrogenic BDI is mandatory to avoid immediate or later life-threatening sequelae. The results of surgery depend mainly on the type of injury, prompt detection of the injury, and timing of the surgery.

Dislocation of bipolar hemiarthroplasty following breakage of the polyethylene ring.

Dislocation after bipolar hemiarthroplasty is rare. In classical dislocations of bipolar prosthesis, the prosthetic femoral head escapes from the natural acetabular cavity. Two cases of a bipolar hip prosthesis are presented in which the dislocation occurred between the cup and the metallic ball head 4 and 12 months postoperatively.

An intraoral study of caries induced on enamel in contact with fluoride-releasing restorative materials.

The aim was to study the effect of three fluoride-releasing restorative materials on sound enamel of approximal teeth under cariogenic conditions intraorally. Bovine enamel slabs were paired with four hemispherical samples from each of three test materials (Ketac Molar, ESPE; Vitremer, F-2000, both from 3M) and one control material (Pertac II, ESPE). Their curved surface touched enamel at a contact point allowing space for plaque accumulation.

The relationship of parental attachment and psychological separation to the psychological functioning of young adults.

The authors explored the interrelations between attachment patterns and psychological separation from parents as well as the contribution of these variables to adaptive psychological functioning. Among 153 university students in Greece, there was a positive association between security of attachment and freedom from guilt, anxiety, and resentment toward one's parents (conflictual independence); in contrast, there was an inverse relation between security of attachment and independence from parents in relation to emotional, functional, and attitudinal independence. Compared with the insecurely attached students, the securely attached students also scored higher on measures of self-esteem and lower on measures of anxiety and loneliness.

Spontaneous pregnancy following therapeutic approach of an infertile man with aspermia/obstructive azoospermia.

The combination of aspermia and obstructive azoospermia in the same infertile man is a rather rare entity. In the case reported here, all diagnostic criteria as well as subsequent recovery following two operations are compatible with an inflammatory origin. In such cases assisted reproduction should be recommended.

Coronary vessel perforation during balloon angioplasty: a case report.

Coronary perforation can be managed with prolonged balloon inflations, covered stents, or embolization of the vessel. We report on a case of a balloon-induced perforation of the distal left anterior descending artery, that was sealed by injecting preclotted autologous blood through the balloon catheter lumen at the site of the perforation. The patency of the distal vessel was maintained.

Effect of early versus delayed postoperative injection of 5-fluorouracil plus interferon-alpha on colonic healing.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether delayed, postoperative, intraperitoneal treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus interferon-alpha-2a (IFN) has adverse effects on colonic healing, as does early treatment. Seventy male Wistar rats underwent colonic anastomoses. The rats were randomized to one of four groups.

Effects of intracerebroventricular administration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on blood pressure, heart rate and plasma ADH and corticosterone levels in normal and dehydrated rabbits.

In order to investigate the effects of centrally administered Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) on plasma ADH and corticosterone levels as well as on blood pressure and on heart rate, 20 male New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were used. Measurements were made on restrained conscious animals one week after the implantation of an indwelling intracerebroventricular (i.c.

Management of chemotherapy-related anaemia with low-dose recombinant human erythropoietin in patients with small cell lung cancer.

We examined the efficacy of low-dose erythropoietin in the management of chemotherapy-related anaemia in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We gave recombinant human erythropoietin A (rHuEPO) to 63 SCLC patients, 30 with limited disease (LD) and 33 with extensive disease (ED) who underwent chemotherapy with carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide and had previously received blood transfusions for chemotherapy-related anaemia. rHuEPO was given at a dose of 2000 IU subcutaneously three times per week for 2 weeks after every chemotherapy cycle, starting 48 h after the end of chemotherapy.

In vitro evaluation of the cytotoxicity of two glass-ionomer root canal sealers.

The cytotoxicity of two glass-ionomer root canal sealers (Ketac-Endo and Endion) was tested by using an established cell line, BHK21/C13. Under aseptic conditions, the sealers were prepared according to the manufacturers' directions, and 0.1 ml of each material was placed in petri dishes.

Burnout in nursing staff: a clinical syndrome rather than a psychological reaction?

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the development of burnout in the nursing staff and traits of personality, as well as sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Maslach Burnout Inventory and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were used to evaluate all the members of the nursing staff of General Hospital AHEPA. Data on sociodemographic and professional characteristics of the staff were gathered as well.

Endodontic treatment in three cases of dens invaginatus.

Three cases of dens invaginated teeth with periapical lesions are presented in this article. In the first case the maxillary canine was treated with conventional endodontic treatment. The second and third cases, in mandibular and maxillary central incisors respectively, were treated surgically.

Decreased sensitivity to insulin during treatment with danazol in women with endometriosis.

The aim of this study was to verify to what extent danazol alters insulin sensitivity. To this end, insulin tests were performed before the application of danazol and during the last 15 days of a six-month treatment with this agent on nine women, from 21 to 37 years of age, who had endometriosis. The same test was also performed on nine healthy women, 21 to 35 years of age, in whom laparoscopy did not reveal endometriosis or other pelvic pathology.

Effects of intracerebroventricular administration of atrial natriuretic peptide on subcortical EEG activity in conscious rabbits.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) influences the activity of rat hypothalamic neurons, modifies the membrane excitability of the rat forebrain neurons, and induces changes in membrane potentials in cultured rat glioma cells. In order to explore whether these effects are reflected in the electrical activity of larger subcortical brain areas, we investigated the electroenceophalographic activity (EEG) recorded from 20 male albino (New Zealand White) rabbits. Recordings of EEG were made on restrained, conscious animals 1 week after the implantation of an indwelling intracerebroventricular (i.

Waxes for functional impressions.

The aim of this study was to develop a wax suitable to serve as a functional impression material. Several binary mixtures of paraffin, beeswax and rosin were prepared. They were characterized by differential thermal analysis (DTA), and tested for plastic deformation, thermal expansion, detail reproduction and mechanical properties.

Crown pattern waxes: a study of their behavior on heating and cooling.

The values of the critical physical properties, flow and linear thermal expansion, of crown pattern waxes were determined and compared with those reported by previous investigators. The method is one proposed by the American Dental Association, and measurements were conducted in the temperature range of 27 to 52 degrees C. At temperatures higher than 37 degrees C most of the materials tested exhibited flow values that although rather low seem to be suitable for laboratory use.

Term pregnancy after vaginal transplantation in a case of vaginal agenesis with a functional uterus.

This is a report of a successful pregnancy on a patient that had congenital vaginal aplasia with a functioning uterus. Continuity of the reproductive tract was restored at 12 years of age with transplantation of vaginal wall from the mother. The patient had no problems after initiating intercourse 7 years later and conceived without treatment after 5 years of primary infertility.

Conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy with intramuscular administration of methotrexate (MTX/CV).

20 cases of unruptured ectopic pregnancies were studied from August 1990 till May 1991. They were treated according to the Sauers et al. (1987) protocol with Methotrexate and rescuvolin.

Severe neutropenia in a patient with large granular lymphocytosis: prolonged successful control with cyclosporin A.

A case of severe neutropenia associated with large granular lymphocytosis in a 40-year-old female is described. The patient, with no findings of an underlying systemic disorder, had suffered from recurrent life threatening, mainly pseudomonal, infections for about two years, despite the various regimes tried. During the last twelve months cyclosporin A treatment resulted in a significant increase in absolute neutrophil counts, concomitant with a remarkable decrease in bone marrow infiltration by GLs and almost normal counts of GLs in the peripheral blood.

Psittacosis and arthritis.

Recent findings justify the opinion that Chlamydia psittaci is the reappearance of a forgotten pathogen. The clinical manifestation and the course of psittacosis are extremely variable, whereas the clinical spectrum of the infection with the different strains of C. psittaci is not known.