Ligation of oesophageal varices may increase formation of "deep" gastric collaterals.

Background/aims: Endosonography (EUS) is rarely used in the routine diagnostic of portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis even though it has significantly higher sensitivity for detection of varices than gastroduodenoscopy. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the features of portal hypertension identified with EUS and to analyze the effect of variceal ligation on the prevalence of "deep" varices in subjects with cirrhosis.

Methodology: A cohort of 121 patients was divided into 2 groups depending on whether they had a history of variceal bleeding treated with ligation or not.

Critical flicker frequency fails to disclose brain dysfunction in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background: Recent studies suggest that stage-independent symptoms of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) such as chronic fatigue are a consequence of structural and functional abnormalities of the brain. Critical flicker frequency (CFF) is a psychophysiological modality analysing function of cerebral cortex.

Aim: To analyse the usefulness of CFF in detection of brain dysfunction in patients with PBC.

Assessment of a modified Child-Pugh-Turcotte score to predict early mortality after liver transplantation.

Objective: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) predicts mortality on the transplant list; however, it has not been of much use to predict posttransplant outcomes. Several prognostic models have been tested among patients with cirrhosis; nevertheless, their predictive value has not been established in the posttransplant setting. We recently modified the Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) score by adding creatinine levels (CPT + Cr), which has proven useful for patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Liver transplantation in primary biliary cirrhosis.

The proportion of patients who undergo liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is steadily declining. This decline is partly from the increasing number of patients undergoing transplantation for other indications, but also perhaps because of the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the natural history of this condition. Nevertheless, patients who have PBC still constitute approximately 11% of all patients undergoing transplantation for cirrhosis.

Fatigue in chronic cholestasis.

Fatigue is probably the most intriguing symptom affecting patients with chronic cholestatic disorders, in particular those with primary biliary cirrhosis. It is postulated that fatigue in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis may be associated with morphological abnormalities of the central nervous system secondary to accumulation of manganese. However, we are still far from understanding this complex issue.

Hospital-treated infectious diseases in Western Pomeranian region in a 5-year surveillance: importance for travellers.

Retrospective analysis of the incidence of infectious diseases in the five-year period 1994-1998 as recorded by the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Pomeranian Medical School, has been presented. In this period contagious diseases were diagnosed in 3,863 adults with mean age of 42.8 +/- 33.

Atrial epicardial pacing with long stimulus to P wave interval in a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia complicated by right atrial thrombosis.

Atrial epicardial pacing with a long stimulus to P wave interval in a patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia complicated by right atrial thrombosis is discussed. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is associated with a high incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Most patients with ARVD need antiarrhythmic drugs, catheter ablation, or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Electrocardiographic changes after alcohol septal ablation in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Objective: To report acute and mid-term electrocardiographic changes in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) after alcohol ablation of the first large septal branch of the left anterior descending coronary artery; and to relate electrocardiographic data with the left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradients.

Patients: Nine consecutive symptomatic patients with HOCM (mean (SD) age 45 (12) years).

Methods: Analysis of baseline and post-procedure ECGs and 24 hour ambulatory monitoring (up to six months).

Proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). An immunohistochemical study.

We analyzed the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in ectocervical sections fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin using monoclonal antibody PC10, PAP and APAAP methods. A total of 156 cases was studied: 32 cases with normal epithelium, 33 cases with CIN I, 36 cases with CIN II, 55 cases with CIN III. We evaluated: 1.