Risk of malignancy in resected pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms.

Background: Pancreatic mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are rare mucin-producing cystic tumours defined by the presence of ovarian-type stroma. MCNs have a malignant potential and thus surgery is frequently performed. The aim of this cohort study was to define better the criteria for surgical resection in patients with MCN.

Presentations of endometrial activity after curative radiotherapy for cervical cancer.

Objectives: The treatment of choice for patients with advanced stage cervical cancer is (chemo)radiotherapy. Gynaecologic side effects consist of loss of ovarian function and destruction of the endometrium, resulting in infertility and premature ovarian failure. In premenopausal patients estrogens are prescribed to prevent climacteric symptoms.

Treatment strategy, disease activity, and outcome in four cohorts of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To compare four different inception cohorts of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with respect to treatment strategies, disease activity, and outcome during a five year follow up period.

Method: Data from cohorts of patients with early RA, with a standardised assessment at least every six months for five years from four different centres, were included in one database. Owing to slight differences in the individual study designs, linearly interpolated values were calculated to complete the standard follow up schedule.

Serial analysis of gene expression in differentiated cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes.

Keratinocyte gene expression was surveyed more comprehensively than before, by means of serial analysis of gene expression. A total of 25,694 tags derived from expressed mRNA, were analyzed in a model for normal differentiation and in a model where cultured keratinocytes were stimulated for a prolonged period of time with tumor necrosis factor-alpha, thus mimicking aberrant differentiation in the context of cutaneous inflammation. Serial analysis of gene expression revealed many transcripts derived from unknown genes and a large number of genes that are not known to be expressed in keratinocytes; furthermore, these data provide quantitative information about the relative abundance of transcripts, allowing the identification of differentially expressed genes.

A rare case of enthesopathy of the bicipital tuberositas of the radius.

We present a case of a patient with complaints in both elbows, due to a prominent bicipital tuberosity with an enlarged bursa, in which operative resection was successful.

Clinical efficacy of a new 30-min algorithm for transurethral microwave thermotherapy: initial results.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a new 30-min algorithm for high-energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT, Prostasoft 3.5) in the treatment of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Patients And Methods: A total of 108 men (mean age 66 years) with bothersome LUTS were treated with the new TUMT protocol.

Hyperhomocysteinemia and other thrombotic risk factors in women with placental vasculopathy.

Objective: To investigate coagulation inhibitors and abnormalities of the homocysteine metabolism, which are related to an increased thrombotic risk, as risk factors for placental vasculopathy.

Design: A case-control study comparing nonpregnant women with an obstetric history of placental vasculopathy (study group) with nonpregnant women (control group) matched for age and occupation.

Setting: Obstetric outpatient clinic in the University Hospital Nijmegen.

A common mutation in the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene as a new risk factor for placental vasculopathy.

Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate whether the cytosine-to-thymine substitution at nucleotide 677 (C677T) in the 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene is a risk factor for placental vasculopathy (abruptio placentae or placental infarction with fetal growth restriction).

Study Design: This case-control study enrolled 165 women with placental vasculopathy and 139 matched control women with normal pregnancy outcomes. Measurements included fasting total plasma homocysteine concentration, serum and red blood cell folate concentrations, serum vitamin B(12) concentration, whole-blood vitamin B(6) concentration, and analysis of the 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T mutation.

Function and complications after ablative and limb-salvage therapy in lower extremity sarcoma of bone.

Background And Objectives: The functional results and the complications after several limb-saving and ablative treatments because of lower extremity bone sarcoma were evaluated.

Methods: Seventy-seven surviving patients were evaluated according to the MSTS (American Musculoskeletal Tumor Society) functional rating system. Fifty-two patients had limb-saving and 25 had ablative therapy.

The saddle prosthesis in pelvic primary and secondary musculoskeletal tumors: functional results at several postoperative intervals.

The first purpose of this study was to evaluate the saddle prosthesis in patients with periacetabular tumors in terms of the functional results obtained after several postoperative intervals. The second purpose was to evaluate the complications and how they might be prevented in the future. Functional results according to the MSTS functional rating system were evaluated at several postoperative intervals in 15 patients treated with internal hemipelvectomy and reconstruction with the saddle prosthesis because of periacetabular primary (n = 9) or secondary (n = 6) malignancies.

Diffuse and localized pigmented villonodular synovitis: evaluation of treatment of 38 patients.

We performed a retrospective study of 38 patients with pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) to evaluate the treatment and functional results. The mean age of the patients was 32 (range 12-72) years at the time of treatment. Three types of PVNS have been identified: localized nodules in 9 patients, diffuse PVNS of the entire synovial membrane in 26, a combination of a diffuse involvement of the synovial membrane and an extra-articular presentation in 1, and extra-articular lesions in 2.

Osteosarcoma: oncologic and functional results. A single institutional report covering 22 years.

Background And Objectives: The oncologic and functional results in patients treated because of osteosarcoma (OS) were evaluated.

Methods: Fifty-one patients with high-grade OS were treated between 1974 and 1996 at our hospital. All patient records were studied, and the surviving patients were evaluated according to the American Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional rating system.

Short- and long-term results with implantable transcutaneous and percutaneous bone-conduction devices.

Objectives: To compare the percutaneous bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA; type NBC-HC-200, Nobel Biocare, Gothenburg, Sweden) and the transcutaneous temporal bone stimulator (TBS; Xomed-Treace, Jacksonville, Fla) with conventional hearing aids and to evaluate long-term results.

Design: In a prospective clinical study, the new implantable bone-conduction devices were compared with the patients' previous conventional hearing aids. Speech perception in quiet and in noise were studied, and a questionnaire concerning the actual use of the device and speech recognition was administered.

Revisions of endoprosthetic reconstructions after limb salvage in musculoskeletal oncology.

Of 91 limb-salvage procedures using prosthetic reconstructions because of primary or metastatic bone and soft-tissue tumors 26 revisions were performed in 16 patients. Revision was due to polyethylene wear (9 cases), aseptic loosening (8 cases), recurrent hip dislocation (3 cases), prosthetic stem fracture (2 cases), infection (2 cases), leg length discrepancy (1 case), and traumatic dislocation of a saddle prosthesis (1 case). The follow-up period for tumor control varied from 1.

The effect of ethyldeshydroxy-sparsomycin and cisplatin on the intracellular glutathione level and glutathione S-transferase activity.

Ethyldeshydroxy-sparsomycin (EdSm) is a ribosomal protein synthesis inhibitor which synergistically enhances the antitumor activity of cisplatin against L1210 leukemia in vivo. Because cellular glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferases (GST) are reported to interfere with the antitumor activity of cisplatin, we analyzed the effect of EdSm and cisplatin on GSH and GST activity in selected tumor cells. For this purpose we used three murine leukemia tumors with different sensitivities towards EdSm and cisplatin: L1210-WT, sensitive to both drugs, L1210-Sm, resistant to EdSm, and L1210-CDDP, resistant to cisplatin.

Three-year followup of patients treated with lower energy microwave thermotherapy.

Purpose: A retrospective study was done to investigate the long-term outcome of patients treated with lower energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy.

Materials And Methods: A total of 305 patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic hypertrophy underwent transurethral microwave thermotherapy according to a similar protocol at 2 centers.

Results: After 3 years of followup 133 patients who had undergone transurethral microwave thermotherapy alone were available for study.

Pressure-flow study analyses in patients treated with high energy thermotherapy.

Purpose: We evaluated the urodynamic changes after high energy microwave thermotherapy in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic enlargement.

Materials And Methods: A total of 120 patients was available for analysis with urodynamic investigation and pressure-flow studies before and 6 months after treatment. Several obstruction parameters were used to evaluate treatment outcome.

Correlation between uroflowmetry, prostate volume, postvoid residue, and lower urinary tract symptoms as measured by the International Prostate Symptom Score.

Objectives: To evaluate the relation between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as measured by the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and noninvasive objective parameters of lower urinary tract dysfunction.

Methods: Eight hundred three consecutive patients with LUTS and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia were evaluated with IPSS, uroflowmetry, prostate volume estimation, and postvoiding residue measurement. The relations between these parameters were quantified by means of Spearman correlation coefficients.

The correlation between bladder outlet obstruction and lower urinary tract symptoms as measured by the international prostate symptom score.

Purpose: We studied the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms as measured by the international prostate symptom score (I-PSS) and urodynamic findings in elderly men.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated 803 consecutive patients with lower urinary tract symptoms via the I-PSS and urodynamics with pressure-flow studies.

Results: A statistically significant correlation was found between all I-PSS questions (except intermittency) and objective parameters of obstruction.

High energy thermotherapy in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: results of the European Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Study Group.

Purpose: We documented the results of high energy transurethral microwave thermotherapy in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated 116 patients following transurethral microwave thermotherapy according to symptom scores, transrectal ultrasound, free voiding and pressure-flow study parameters.

Results: Significant improvement was noted in all objective and subjective parameters.

Reliability of the International Prostate Symptom Score in the assessment of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Purpose: The reliability of the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) was tested in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and/or benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Materials And Methods: A total of 71 consecutive men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and/or lower urinary tract symptoms was asked to complete the I-PSS at baseline and 8 weeks later. At the second visit the physician also completed the I-PSS according to the complaints of the patient.

The predictive value of microscopic haematuria in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective: To determine the additional value of the presence of microscopic haematuria in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods: In 750 consecutive patients with BPH urinalysis was performed and the grade of microhaematuria was correlated with other clinical findings.

Results: Microscopic haematuria was found in one third of the patients.

MAOA deficiency and abnormal behaviour: perspectives on an association.

We have recently described an association between abnormal behaviour and monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) deficiency in several males from a single large Dutch kindred. Affected males differed from unaffected males by borderline mental retardation and increased impulsive behaviour (aggressive behaviour, abnormal sexual behaviour and arson). Nevertheless, a specific psychiatric diagnosis was not made in four affected males who had psychiatric examination.

The outcome of renal ultrasound in the assessment of 556 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Purpose: We determined the additional value of renal ultrasonography in the assessment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Materials And Methods: Renal ultrasound was performed in 556 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and the results were correlated with other clinical parameters.

Results: Of the patients 14 (2.