Rectal compliance as a routine measurement: extreme volumes have direct clinical impact and normal volumes exclude rectum as a problem.

Purpose: The clinical impact of rectal compliance and sensitivity measurement is not clear. The aim of this study was to measure the rectal compliance in different patient groups compared with controls and to establish the clinical effect of rectal compliance.

Methods: Anorectal function tests were performed in 974 consecutive patients (284 men).

Unopposed estrogen increases total plasma factor VII, but not active factor VII--a short-term placebo-controlled study in healthy postmenopausal women.

Estrogen therapy may increase the risk of arterial thromboembolism, at least in the short term. In a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study in 25 healthy postmenopausal women (52.5 +/- 2.

Risk and prognostic factors of postherpetic neuralgia and focal sensory denervation: a prospective evaluation in acute herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

Objectives: To determine the general risk and the prognostic factors of postherpetic neuralgia and focal sensory denervation in ophthalmic zoster disease.

Study Design: A prospective clinical study.

Setting: An ophthalmic practice participating in an eye-care network.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: US-guided fine-needle aspiration of sentinel lymph nodes for improved staging--initial experience.

Ultrasonography (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration with cytologic examination was combined with lymphoscintigraphy for the identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in 12 patients with a squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx. Dynamic lymphoscintigraphy and a hand-held gamma probe were used to depict the SLNs to be aspirated. Cytologic examination of the aspirated SLNs revealed neck lymph node status in patients who underwent neck dissection (n = 6).

Management of obstetric brachial plexus lesions: state of the art and future developments.

Despite improving perinatal care the incidence of obstetric brachial plexus lesions (OBPL) has not declined. Most babies recover spontaneously. In 10-20% recovery is incomplete.

Potent expansion of human natural killer T cells using alpha-galactosylceramide (KRN7000)-loaded monocyte-derived dendritic cells, cultured in the presence of IL-7 and IL-15.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells have an extremely restricted T-cell receptor repertoire, in man consisting of a Valpha24 chain preferentially paired with a Vbeta11 chain, and play crucial roles in various immune responses. Characterization of circulating Valpha24(+)Vbeta11(+)-T cells is hampered by their low frequencies. The alpha-galactosylceramide KRN7000 was reported to be presented by CD1d to NKT cells.

Is semi-closed endarterectomy of the superficial femoral artery combined with a short venous bypass in case of insufficient venous material an acceptable alternative for limb-threatening ischemia?

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the results of infragenual arterial revascularisation using semiclosed endarterectomy of the superficial femoral artery combined with a short venous bypass in patients with critical leg ischemia and insufficient venous material for a straightforward femorocrural reconstruction.

Methods: From December 1990 through December 1998 thirty patients were studied (22 males and 8 females; mean age 65 years, range 31-92 years). The mean follow-up was 26 months (range 1-96 months).

PCV chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

The authors evaluated response, time to progression (TTP), survival, prognostic factors, and toxicity in 63 patients with a recurrent glioblastoma multiforme treated with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy. Complete and partial response was observed in two (3%) and five patients (8%). In 16 patients (25%), stable disease was observed.

Loop electrosurgical excision procedure of the cervix and time of delivery in subsequent pregnancy.

Objective: To study the effect of the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) on gestational age at delivery in the subsequent pregnancy.

Method: Identification of women with LEEP. Chart analysis and inquiry into gestational age at the subsequent delivery.

Phase I therapy study of 186Re-labeled chimeric monoclonal antibody U36 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Unlabelled: A phase I therapy study was conducted to determine the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics, dosimetry, immunogenicity, and therapeutic potential of 186Re-labeled anti-CD44v6 chimeric monoclonal antibody (cMAb) U36 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). The potential of a diagnostic study with 99mTc-cMAb U36 to predict the biodistribution of 186Re-cMAb U36 was evaluated.

Methods: Thirteen patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC were given 750 MBq 99mTc-cMAb U36 (2 mg) followed 1 wk later by a single dose of 186Re-cMAb U36 (12 or 52 mg) in radiation dose-escalating steps of 0.

Identification of epidemic strains of Acinetobacter baumannii by integrase gene PCR.

Forty-eight clinical Acinetobacter isolates with different epidemic behavior were investigated for the presence of integrons and plasmids and for antibiotic susceptibility. Integrons were demonstrated in 50% of the strains by an integrase gene PCR. Epidemic strains of Acinetobacter baumannii were found to contain significantly more integrons than nonepidemic strains.

Familial ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer represents the fifth most significant cause of cancer-related death for women and is the most frequent cause of death from gynecological neoplasia in the Western world. The incidence of ovarian cancer in the United Kingdom (U.K.

Validation of a polymerase chain reaction aided transcript titration assay (PATTY) for topoisomerase II in lung cancer samples.

This report describes the validation of a polymerase chain reaction aided transcript titration assay (PATTY) for tumor samples. The results obtained with the PATTY were compared to those of RNase protection in a set of 7 human lung cancer cell lines and in 23 non-small cell lung cancer samples derived from resected patients. Whereas between PATTY and RNase protection assay a good correlation was observed in the cell lines (r = 0.

Team conferences in paediatric rehabilitation: organization, satisfaction and aspects eligible for improvement.

To assess current satisfaction with paediatric team conferences in the Netherlands and identify aspects eligible for future improvement, an open-response questionnaire was sent to a representative of each paediatric rehabilitation setting in the Netherlands. Questions were asked regarding the organization and effectiveness of current team conferences and aspects eligible for improvement. Furthermore, rehabilitation professionals of these settings were asked to fill in a structured questionnaire on their satisfaction with the team conferences (the satisfaction measure, SM).

The influence of postural control on motility and hand function in a group of 'high risk' preterm infants at 1 year of age.

The functional outcome of a group of 75 'high-risk' preterm infants was studied at the corrected age of 12 months. Only infants with high-risk for developmental deviance with gestational ages below 32 weeks and/or birthweights less than 1500 g were included in the study. Additionally the infants were categorised according to their medical history conforming with the 'Neonatal Medical Index' (NMI I to V), with category I describing infants with few medical problems and V characterizing those with the most serious complications.

A randomized trial of a Telephone Reassurance Programme for patients recently discharged from an ophthalmic unit.

Patients often experience problems after discharge, for instance with housekeeping or a general lack of information. The effect of a nurse-initiated Telephone Reassurance Programme (TRP) on ophthalmic patient outcomes was investigated. Patients in the intervention group were phoned by a nurse 3-6 days after being randomized and discharged home.

Ultrafast scan magnetic resonance in prenatal diagnosis.

Objective: To determine whether magnetic resonance (MR) can give additional information in prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies, when the ultrasound (US) analysis is not conclusive.

Methods: Ultrafast MR scanning examined 39 pregnant women with 41 fetuses in whom US was suspicious of fetal congenital abnormalities. Two techniques were used namely (1) HASTE inversion recovery sequence and (2) FISP 2D.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-stimulated endothelial cells promote adhesion and activation of platelets.

Coagulation abnormalities, including an increased platelet turnover, are frequently found in patients with cancer. Because platelets secrete angiogenic factors on activation, this study tested the hypothesis that platelets contribute to angiogenesis. Stimulation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, 25 ng/mL) of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) promoted adhesion of nonactivated platelets 2.

Biological concepts of prolonged neoadjuvant treatment plus GM-CSF in locally advanced tumors.

Local treatment with surgery and radiotherapy gives unsatisfactory results in patients with locally advanced cancer. In many cases distant metastases appear shortly after the removal of the primary tumor. Selecting breast cancer as a model for locally advanced disease, we are extrapolating our findings to other solid tumors.

Pharmacokinetics of intraventricularly administered teicoplanin in Staphylococci ventriculitis.

Following craniotomy for a medulloblastoma in the posterior cranial fossa, a 6-year old girl developed a ventriculitis with coagulase negative staphylococci associated with the use of a ventriculostomy. Treatment with intravenous (i.v.

Effects of intrauterine and early postnatal growth restriction on hypothalamic somatostatin gene expression in the rat.

In the human, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) can result in persistent postnatal growth failure, which may be attributable, in part, to abnormal GH secretion. Whether putative alterations in GH secretion are the result of abnormalities intrinsic to the pituitary or reflect changes in the production of GH-releasing hormone or somatostatin (SS) is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that growth failure associated with IUGR or early postnatal food restriction (FR) is caused by a central defect in hypothalamic SS gene expression.

The effects of intra-uterine growth retardation and postnatal undernutrition on onset of puberty in male and female rats.

The nutritional status, prenatally and early postnatally, plays a critical role in postnatal growth and development. Early malnutrition may change the original programming of organs, especially those in developmental phases, which can result in long-term changes in metabolism. The association between a low birth weight and the increased risk on type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease is well known.

Schedule-dependent pharmacodynamic effects of gemcitabine and cisplatin in mice bearing Lewis lung murine non-small cell lung tumours.

The combination of 2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine (gemcitabine, dFdC) and cis-diammine-dichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin, CDDP) is increasingly applied in clinical oncology. We studied the underlying mechanisms of the in vivo schedule dependency and supraadditive interaction between dFdC and CDDP in C57/B16 mice bearing Lewis lung (LL) tumours. Mice were treated with CDDP (6 mg/kg) and dFdC (60 mg/kg) either simultaneously or in a 4 or 24 h interval with dFdC preceding CDDP or vice versa.