Standardization of hepatitis B immunoglobulins (author''s transl)

Titer determinations of hepatitis B immunoglobulins, as performed for example with radioimmunoassays or with haemagglutination tests, always show wide deviations; if a reference preparation, on which the test results can be based, is not run simultaneously with the test, the results are not comparable. A simple and easily reproducible radioimmunological method is described: the regression line is calculated for the titer series of a reference preparation, whose end titer is established; the anti-HBs content of the preparations under test can then be compared.     

Eccrine-nevus (author''s transl)

The eccrine nevus is an exceptional entity, formed by well-differentiated adnexa which can be classified as hamartoma or organoid nevus. It is characterized by a high degree of structural maturation. The authors report a case of eccrine nevus observed in a 32-year-old woman and compare clinical and histological features of the lesion with literature data.     

Differential diagnosis and course of the idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis (author''s transl)

Acid hydrolysis of kanamycin A gives 5-aminomethylfurfural which can be determined quantitatively colorimetricaly by the colour complex with orcinol and FeCl3. This method gives results which correlate with the results of microbiological assay. Kanamycin B, tobramycin kasugamycin did not produce this colour reaction.     

Vesicorenal reflux (author''s transl)

Antireflux procedures show high efficiency and relatively few technical complications. A tabulated comparison between the intravesical procedure (Politano-Leadbetter) and the extravesical procedure (Lich-Grégoir) reveals an overall success rate of 80%. To simplify the nomenclature, the term primary refluxing ureter is suggested for cases with a freely draining IVP and primary obstructive ureter for a dye collumnating dilated ureter. The indication for antirefluxplasty is divided into urgent cases and those with secondary priority, with immunologic tests providing helpful criteria.     

Sacro-iliac osteochondritis (author''s transl)

Sacro-iliac osteochondritis is difficult to recognize, it is rather frequently a case of diagnosis by elimination, which can be only confirmed by the course. Its prognosis is excellent. The predominance of lesions on the iliac edge reflects the affinity of this epiphysitis for the accessory iliac ossification point.     

Bull''s-eye disease (author''s transl)

Thiamine deficiency was produced in young rats by feeding a thiamine deficient diet. At a time when neurological symptoms were severe, and cardiac and renal transketolase activities were decreased, the animals were sacrificed. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities, and flux through the pentose phosphate pathway were similar in pair-fed control and thiamine deficient rats. These data suggest that altered pentose phosphate pathway activity is not a vital feature of murine thiamine deficiency.     

Boston corset (author''s transl)

Nine cases of bilateral femoral shaft fractures were seen in a series of 126 patients treated from 1973--1977. Patients were multitrauma cases from automobile accidents. Treatment by traction followed by cast-bracing resulted in a high percentage of unsatisfactory results, lengthy recoveries, and the necessity of secondary surgical procedures to improve the results.     

Angiography in coxarthrosis (author''s transl)

The preparation of 125I-labelled tracer for digoxin radioimmunoassay (125I monoiodinated 3-succinyl digoxigenin-1-tyrosine) is described, and its performance in radioimmunoassay of plasma samples is compared with that obtained with tritiated digoxin. The accuracy levels were assessed through the evaluation of different potential sources of systematic errors, such as interference from digoxin-related molecules and plasma proteins and methodological artefacts possibly associated with the immunocomplex instability, and through a series of checks including the recovery and parallelism tests and the correspondence of results obtained with the two tracers. The slope and the repeatability with time of the calibration curves and the spread of replicate estimates were taken into consideration to assess the assay precision. An essential equivalence in terms of reliability of measurement was proved for the two methodological variants, so that practical aspects and economic factors remain the main criteria to evaluate the relative merits: from this point of view, the advantages of using 125I-labelled tracer, as an alternative to tritiated digoxin, are discussed.     

Hallucinantion and illusion (author''s transl)

The value of an anaesthetic attachment during the first two postgraduate years is considered under three major headings, the value to the recent graduate, the value to the specialty, and the value to the community. The anaesthetic attachment offers all recent graduates an opportunity to perfect practical skills which should from part of the armamentarium of all doctors, and for some there is the option to acquire the ability to administer a safe anaesthetic. Exposure to the specialty at this time is important for recruitment to the specialist ranks.     

Smell in human sexuality (author''s transl)

The authors present the results of family investigations carried out in a healthy man whose serum contained anti-IDBH alloantibodies. In the erythrocytes of the propositus and one of his brothers defects in ID and IS components were found. At the same time increased expression of IT component was observed in both these men and in their brother. In the erythrocytes of the remaining family members no abnormalities in the components of I complex was found. The authors stress the importance of detection of these defects in the practice of transfusiology in patients with autoimmunohaemolytic anaemia.     

Otitis externa trichophytica (author''s transl)

A comparison of the plasma levels of tetracycline obtained whilst taking standard therapeutic doses of Tetrabid-Organon was made in twelve healthy volunteers. Two standard production batches were used in the study which was conducted under double-blind conditions. Sampling 12 hours and 8 hours after dosing showed no significant differences in plasma levels, with each batch. Even at these lowest levels satisfactory concentrations were rapidly obtained following initial administration, and were maintained when the drug was given at 12-hourly intervals. No side-effects of the drug were noted.     

Hemihypertrophy with wiedemann-Beckwith-syndrome (author''s transl)

Immunosuppressive agents were used to determine the relative importance of T and B lymphocytes in conferring protection to mice vaccinated with a live gal E mutant of Salmonella typhimurium, strain G30D. Lymphocyte transformation and serum agglutination tests showed that while cyclophosphamide (CPA) suppressed B lymphocytes, antilymphocyte sea (ALS) suppressed both T and B cells. The humoral response of vaccinated animals treated with ALS was therefore supplemented by the i.v. injection of serum from untreated vaccinated mice. CPA-treated mice could not control multiplication of the vaccinal strain which eventually killed them. There was little multiplication of the vaccinal strain in the controls and ALS-treated mice, all of which survived to challenge. The vaccinated controls and vaccinated ALS treated groups each survived infection with the challenge strain which was gradually eliminated. It was concluded that humoral immunity was of greater importance than cellular immunity in mice vaccinated i.p. with strain G30D.     

Congenital arteriovenous shunts (author''s transl)

In 95 women taking reduced-level-oral contraceptives and in 24 same-aged women controls, the measure of erythrocyte and serum folate led to the following conclusions: 1) Folate levels in women consuming the pill were generally found to be of the same range as those of controls. 2) No significant difference could be shown between results for different kinds of contraceptives.     

Examinations of the verbal patient-doctor-communication (author''s transl)

Any impairment of audio-phonatory control by background noise is followed by an increase in both the intensity and pitch of the speaking voice (Lombard reflex, 1911), thus increasing vocal strain. As a consequence, it might be anticipated that persons reacting to noise with marked changes in voice might be more liable to develop dysphonia. 22 singers, 34 normal controls, and 22 patients with hyperfunctional dysphonia where studied. In all patients, both ears were gradually masked with white noise. The change of the mean intensity level and of the mean pitch level of the speaking voice were then measured objectively with a special fundamental frequency analyzer (Fedders and Schultz-Coulon, 1975). Results show that the increase of intensity is comparable in all subjects, whereas the elevation of the mean pitch level differs significantly: trained voices (singers) react with the least pitch increment whereas dysphonic patients react with the most. The following conclusions were made from the present investigation: 1. Extreme increments in pitch level can be considered to be a more significant etiological factor of dysphonia than intensity increments; 2. Vocal therapy and voice training may have a favorable effect on the Lombard reflex (probably by improvement of the kinesthetic control mechanism) so that the speaking voice in a noisy environment is raised less with less vocal strain. The study also indicates that measurement of pitch changes during binaural masking can provide important information for the diagnosis, therapy and prophylaxis of dysphonia.     

Phlebography of the lower limb (author''s transl)

The deformities observed in 2 Clydesdale foals are described. Both had abnormal joint positions in the forelimbs and discrepancies in the symmetry of the vertebral column. The changes were only mild in one case but extreme in the other where it was accompanied by torticollis, scoliosis and vertebral fusion. A comparison is made with deformities described in the contracted foal syndrome and some of the developmental implications discussed.     

Spondylitis in typhoid fever (author''s transl)

Obstructing esophageal food impaction was successfully relieved in 3 patients by the administration of intravenous glucagon. Since proteolytic enzyme digestion of bolus impaction carries a clear risk of fatal esophageal perforation, early therapeutic administration of glucagon during initial esophagography affords a safe and effective acute-care radiologic adjunct. Advantages include immediate diagnosis and therapy, effectiveness in meat and vegetable impactions, and safety for repeated doses. A glucagon-papain combination is suggested as a routine regimen during standard efforts at enzymatic disimpaction.     

The clinical olfactogram (author''s transl)

Sera from patients with acute hepatitis, cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis, as well as sera from healthy carriers and controls were examined for HBS antigen, DNA polymerase activity and for antibodies to HBS, HBC and DNA polymerase. The data presented suggest that in acute hepatitis the DNA polymerase test enabled us to diagnose at least 20% more cases of hepatitis B than with the RIA but that the DNA polymerase test is of little value for the screening of blood donors since all the healthy carriers gave negative results. As concerns the antibodies to DNA polymerase they appeared in at least 50% of the patients with acute hepatitis, they were transient and only detectable at the early beginning of the disease. These antibodies were also found to be different from the anti-HBS and anti-HBC antibodies.     

Pseudo pectus excavatum (author''s transl)

Seventy seven angioleiomyomata from 75 patients, 19 males and 55 females, are reviewed. One patient had 2 lesions and another a local recurrence after surgical excision. Only 3 were less than 20 years old and most were beyond 30 (average age 47). Fifty four lesions were on the lower limbs, 4 on the head and legs), 9 on the upper limbs, 4 on the head and 1 on the trunk. The size of the lesions varied from a pepper grain to a pigeon egg but most were pea sized. The more significant symptom was pain, present in at least 58% of the lesions, and responsible for the diagnosis, often made, of neurofibroma, neuroma, glomus tumour and leiomyoma. Its intensity was variable and could be induced by mechanical or thermal stimuli or even arise spontaneously. Histologically the tumour was usually a deep dermal or hypodermal, well defined, ovoid or round shaped, compact nodule, composed of smooth muscle fibers often disposed around variously shaped vascular lumina. Clinical and histological similarities to glomus tumours as well as the occasional coexistence of both lesions point to a common origin from the myoarterial glomus or from a closely related arteriovenous anastomosis. The relevant features in our series are compared with those reported in the literature and their similarities and differences are discussed.