Long-Term, Multicenter Results With the First Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Implant.

Objective: Investigation of long-term safety and performance of an active, transcutaneous bone conduction implant in adults and children up to 36 months post-implantation.

Study Design: Prospective, single-subject repeated-measures design.

Setting: Otolaryngology departments of eight German and Austrian hospitals.

Evaluation of implant esthetics using eight objective indices-Comparative analysis of reliability and validity.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to give a detailed analysis on eight proposed implant esthetic indices including a total of 48 parameters with respect to validity and reproducibility as well as its correlation to patients' perception of esthetics.

Material And Methods: Standardized intraoral photographs of 189 patients with 189 implant-supported crowns and adjacent peri-implant soft tissue in the esthetic zone (central and lateral incisors, canine, first premolar) served as basis for this evaluation. Eight indices (Papilla Index [PI], Pink Esthetic Score [PES], Implant Crown Aesthetic Index [ICAI], Pink and White Esthetic Score [PES/WES], Complex Esthetic Index [CEI], Implant Aesthetic Score [IAS], Subjective Esthetic Score [SES], and Rompen Index) with a total of 48 parameters were selected.

Retrospective Analysis of Hearing-Impaired Adult Patients Treated With an Active Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Implant.

Objective: To determine the therapeutic success and safety of an active transcutaneous bone conduction implant (tBCI) in adult patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss.

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Five university hospitals in Frankfurt, Hannover, Dresden, Würzburg, and Vienna.

A New Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Implant: Short-term Safety and Efficacy in Children.

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of a new bone conduction hearing implant in children, during a 3-month follow-up period.

Study Design: Prospective, single-subject repeated-measures design in which each subject serves as his/her own control.

Setting: Otolaryngology departments of four Austrian hospitals.

Quality standards for bone conduction implants.

Conclusion: Bone conduction implants are useful in patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss for whom conventional surgery or hearing aids are no longer an option. They may also be used in patients affected by single-sided deafness.

Objectives: To establish a consensus on the quality standards required for centers willing to create a bone conduction implant program.

Integrative therapy in patients with intermittent claudication.

The generally accepted first-line treatment in patients with intermittent claudication is risk factor modification, medical treatment and exercise training. In an era of reduced resources, the benefit of any further invasive intervention must be weighted against best conservative therapy for patients with claudication. According to some recent trials an integrative therapeutic concept combining best conservative treatment - including (supervised) exercise therapy - with endovascular therapy gives the best midterm results concerning walking distance and health-related quality of life.

Dangerous or merely difficult? The new population of forensic mental hospitals.

Background: During recent decades, there has been a substantial increase in admissions to forensic mental hospitals in several European countries. It is not known if reforms implemented in mental health policies and practices are responsible for this development.

Objective: Our study examined the development of mental health care in Austria and the incidence and prevalence of mentally disordered offenders judged not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI).

Family and social influences on offending in men with schizophrenia.

Objective: Environmental influences have been reported to play a role in the genesis of both schizophrenia and violent behaviour.

Method: We studied the central features of the family and social influences of 103 healthy non-offenders, 103 non-schizophrenic offenders, 103 schizophrenic non-offenders, and 103 schizophrenic offenders, using a semistructured instrument.

Results: Lower social class of origin, offending behaviour in the parental generation, loss of the father, a new partnership of the remaining parent, growing up in blended families, larger sibships and stays in foster homes during childhood and adolescence, promoted the development of offending behaviour in general.

Azelastine nasal spray and desloratadine tablets in pollen-induced seasonal allergic rhinitis: a pharmacodynamic study of onset of action and efficacy.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and onset of action of azelastine nasal spray and desloratadine tablets in patients with allergen-induced seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).

Research Design And Methods: 46 adult patients with a history of SAR were exposed to a controlled grass pollen concentration for 6 h in the Vienna Challenge Chamber (VCC) in each treatment period according to a randomised, double-blind (double-dummy), three-period, three-sequence crossover design (wash-out period of 12 days). Single doses of study medication (one puff nasal spray into each nostril of azelastine, 0.

Efficacy and safety of an oral formulation of cetirizine and prolonged-release pseudoephedrine versus budesonide nasal spray in the management of nasal congestion in allergic rhinitis.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the decongestant properties and tolerability of oral cetirizine and pseudoephedrine in a prolonged release form with those of nasal (aqueous spray) budesonide.

Methods: Thirty-six individuals experiencing allergic rhinitis to house dustmites (HDM) participated in a study according to a randomized, crossover, two-period, two-treatment design with at least a 2-week washout period between treatments. In each period of 4 consecutive days, medications were taken twice daily.

A direct comparison of the efficacy of antihistamines in SAR and PAR: randomised, placebo-controlled studies with levocetirizine and loratadine using an environmental exposure unit - the Vienna Challenge Chamber (VCC).

Objective: The Vienna Challenge Chamber (VCC) is an established method for the controlled exposure of patients to specific allergens, used to make valid comparisons between antihistamines. The aim of the significantly more than loratadine at all time two placebo-controlled, randomised studies reported here was to compare the efficacy and safety of levocetirizine 5 mg od and loratadine 10 mg od in subjects suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) or perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR).

Subjects And Methods: During each study period, SAR and PAR subjects were exposed to grass pollen or house-dust mite allergens, respectively for 6 h on 2 consecutive days in the VCC.

Removal of T and B lymphocytes by in-line filtration: evaluation of the efficiency of a polyester filter type (Pall WBF-2) by flow cytometric counting.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether in-line filtration, using a polyester filter for the preparation of red cell concentrates (RCC) and plasma (PL), leads to an altered proportion of T and B lymphocytes in the fraction of residual white blood cells (WBC).

Materials And Methods: The capacity of Pall WBF-2 in-line filters to reduce the numbers of T and B lymphocytes from red blood cell concentrates (RCC) and plasma (PL) of 22 donations was investigated by three-colour flow cytometry (FC) using the Tritest-Trucount kit. T and B lymphocytes were identified using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against CD3, CD19 and CD45, conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate, phycoerythrin or peridinin chlorophyll protein-A, respectively.

Endovascular placement of a nitinol-ePTFE stent-graft for abdominal aortic aneurysms: initial and midterm results.

Purpose: Because first-generation stent-grafts did not meet initial expectations, a recently designed nitinol-expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) stent-graft was tested for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in a prospective clinical study. The primary study endpoints were technical success and safety.

Materials And Methods: A nitinol-ePTFE self-expandable stent-graft (Excluder) was used to treat 72 patients with AAAs.

The age of onset of schizophrenia and the theory of anticipation.

The clinical phenomenon called anticipation is usually defined as a decrease in age at onset and/or an increase in disease severity in successive generations of afflicted families. The purpose of this study was to examine variables that might influence anticipation in schizophrenia. A total of 380 Austrian patients, born between 1935 and 1964, met criteria for schizophrenia with ICD-8 or ICD-9, SADS-L and DSM-III-R criteria.

Endocarditis and aortal embolization caused by Aspergillus terreus in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in remission: diagnosis by peripheral-blood culture.

Disseminated infection with Aspergillus terreus is a rare disease that affects only the immunocompromised host. We report a case of systemic infection with A. terreus resulting in endocarditis, aortic embolization, and splenic infarction in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Brachytherapy for prophylaxis of restenosis after long-segment femoropopliteal angioplasty: pilot study.

Purpose: To evaluate in a pilot study the feasibility and efficacy of endovascular brachytherapy for prophylaxis of restenosis after femoropopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) without stent implantation in a group of patients with a high risk of restenosis.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients (six women, four men; mean age, 68 years) with long-segment (mean length, 16 cm; range, 9-22 cm) restenosis underwent PTA followed by endovascular irradiation with high-dose-rate afterloading of an iridium-192 rod. A dose of 12 Gy was targeted to the inner intimal layer of the vessel.

Effect of continuous allergen challenge on clinical symptoms and mediator release in dust-mite-allergic patients.

This study investigated the early, prolonged immediate, and late-phase reactions of dust-mite-sensitive subjects undergoing long-term challenge in the Vienna challenge chamber (VCC) in terms of clinical symptoms and inflammatory mediator level patterns in nasal lavage fluids. A concentration of 70 ng Der p 1/m3 of air (feces of Dermatophagoides) was maintained over 8 h in the VCC. To show the clinical impact of this challenge model, the effect of a histamine H1-receptor antagonist that also has some antiallergic properties (loratadine) was also investigated.

Sleep apnea and cognitive dysfunction in myasthenia gravis.

19 middle-aged patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 10 age, sex and education-matched controls underwent overnight polysomnography and neuropsychological testing, in order to test the hypothesis of whether cognitive dysfunction and REM-sleep disturbance in MG are related to nocturnal respiratory problems or caused by CNS-involvement. We observed in 60% of the myasthenics central type of sleep apneas and hypopneas with resulting oxygen desaturations occurring during REM-sleep, but no decrease of REM sleep. In neuropsychological testing, we found normal vigilance performance but decreased memory function in the myasthenics.

D2 receptor blockade by flunarizine and cinnarizine explains extrapyramidal side effects. A SPECT study.

Twenty-six patients under treatment with the calcium channel blockers flunarizine (Fz) or cinnarizine (Cz) were examined-with single-photon emission computed tomography using [123I]iodobenzamide as a ligand. The striatal dopamine D2 receptor-binding potential was determined and found to be reduced by 14 to 63% (39.5 +/- 15.

Comparison of effects of high-dose and low-dose aspirin on restenosis after femoropopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Background: Long-term treatment with aspirin is recommended in patients with large-vessel peripheral arterial disease since these patients have a high risk of death from cardiovascular causes. Recent studies have demonstrated the prophylactic effect of low-dose aspirin in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events. Since aspirin is also recommended for prevention of late recurrence after peripheral angioplasty, the present study was undertaken to compare the effects of high-dose (1000 mg/d) and low-dose (100 mg/d) aspirin on long-term patency after femoropopliteal angioplasty.

Predicting course and outcome in delusional psychoses.

Eighty-four of 90 patients with delusional syndromes of different nosological attribution underwent a 7-year follow-up. From 179 items covering the whole spectrum of psychiatric description of index examination, 20 were found to be statistically significant in predicting different aspects of course and outcome by stepwise discriminant analysis. Course and outcome were defined by 6 criteria (course of illness, course of delusion, development of deficiency, length of inpatient care, adequate activity and social adjustment) encompassing separate (but only partly independent) aspects of a disorder.

Electrophysiological correlates of movement initiation.

By averaging the electroencephalogram (EEG) or the magnetoencephalogram (MEG) of waking man in a manner time-locked to the onset of self-initiated volitional acts, movement-related potentials (or magnetic fields) can be recorded. In the preparation period, a slowly increasing cortical negatively called the Bereitschaftspotential (BP) or readiness potential, can be recorded. The BP precedes all our self-initiated (i.

Platelet deposition at angioplasty sites and its relation to restenosis in human iliac and femoropopliteal arteries.

The amount and time course of platelet accumulation at angioplasty sites and influence of these platelets on restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in peripheral arteries were determined in 92 patients, who received either a high or low dose of aspirin. Platelet deposition was quantitated by means of dual-radiotracer scintigraphy and calculation of a platelet accumulation index (PAI). The PAI was higher (P less than .

Stabilizing and destabilizing effects of vision and foot position on body sway of healthy young subjects: a posturographic study.

A total of 800 posturographic measurements--each characterized by four values (sway path, sway area, anteroposterior sway and lateral sway)--was carried out for this study. Eight different conditions (interfoot distances of 0, 4, 10 and 20 cm, each with eyes open and eyes closed) were compared by statistical means. All sway values were diminished by vision in small interfoot distances.

Hemodynamic effect of methylepoxyproscillaridin (P35) in patients with congestive myocardiopathy.

The hemodynamic effect of methylepoxyproscillaridin (3'-methyl-4'-5'-epoxy-proscillaridin) (P35) was studied according to the Swan Ganz thermodilution method in 6 patients with latent cardiac insufficiency. Both at rest and under ergometer exercise, the stroke volume and the systolic blood pressures increased under P35. Moreover, under physical exercise the heart rate decreased significantly, while cardiac output increased.