Clinical course and treatment of herpetic trigeminal ganglionic neuropathy

45 patients were observed in the periods of both acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In most of the patients herpetic eruptions were located in the areas of innervation of the first branch of the trigeminal nerve. In acute period of the disease there were used aciclovir, helepin or alpisarinum, antiherpetic immunoglobulin, deoxyribonuclease, non-narcotic analgetics were used. Of 28 patients residual PHN was observed in 6 cases, delayed PHN (during 3 months)--in 2 patients. The PHN development was characteristic for elderly patients, delayed request for medical care, concomitant diseases, eruptions with hemorrhagic component and secondary pyodermia and considerable residual sensory deficit. In therapy of PHN the most effective drugs were amitriptylin, non-narcotic analgetics, anticonvulsants as well as acupuncture and electroacupuncture. Relief of a typical deafferentation of pain syndrome was achieved by means of ultrasonic destruction of the trigeminal nucleus (one case). Early therapy of acute herpes zoster does not prevent completely PHN development, but it decreased considerably probability of its forming as well as the severity of its course.     

Role of neurologic sciences in occupational medicine

The article presents possible neural disorders caused by occupational hazards and shows mechanisms underlying those disorders. The authors define topical problems of basic science related to occupational neurology, which require further studies with neurochemical, immunologic, neurophysiologic methods and comparison.     

Low-flow membrane oxygenation of blood in patients with diffuse purulent peritonitis

Small-flow membranous oxygenation of the blood was used in 45 patients with peritonitis in the multiple organ failure phase. In ten cases blood oxygenation was combined with hemofiltration. MOCT 19-03 (Kvant Research and Production Unit) and Gambro FH hemofilters (Sweden) were employed. Combination of small-flow membranous oxygenation of the blood combined with hemofiltration appreciably improved the oxygen-transporting function of the blood in adult patients with the respiratory distress syndrome, which was due to mutual potentiation of the two methods' effects. Small-flow membraneous oxygenation alone improved cellular immunity and decreased the laboratory manifestations of endogenous intoxication due to biotransformation of toxic products.     

Immediate results of surgical treatment of gastric stump cancer

An immediate result of surgical treatment of gastric stump cancer in 68 patients is presented. The resectability rate was 23.5%. Lethality after radical operations was 18.7%, after symptomatic operations and exploratory laparotomy-9.6%. Gastric resection was performed, using the method developed in the clinic with wrapping the anastomosis, or gastric stump by a loop of the afferent intestine. In development of gastric stump cancer, local spreading of a tumor is not a reason to discard performance of radical operation.     

An evaluation of the prognostic significance of antigen CD95(Fas/APO-1) expression on the cells of patients with a myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloleukemia

AIM: The expression of CD95(Fas/APO-1) antigen was studied on bone marrow cells of 19 MDS patients, peripheral blood blast cells of 15 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, blast cells and granulocytes of 68 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)--24 in chronic, 9 in accelerated phase and 35 in blastic crisis (BC)--by indirect surface immunofluorescence assay using flow cytometry (FACScan, Becton Dickinson, USA). RESULTS: CD95(Fas/APO-1) antigen was revealed on bone marrow cells of 8 out of 19 (36.8%) MDS patients; the percentage of antigen-positive cells was 38.1 +/- 19.2%; on 45.5 +/- 22.8% of cells in 6(45%) of 15 AML patients. Fas/APO-1 antigen was totally absent in CML chronic stage; its expression was found in 34% (12 of 35) of our patients with CML BC on peripheral blood blasts and in 56% (5 of 9) on peripheral blast cells of CML patients in acceleration phase. CONCLUSION: The data on overall survival of CD95-positive MDS patients suggest that the presence of Fas antigen is a favorable prognostic sign for patients with MDS. The patients from CD95-negative group represent a risk group both for survival and AML transformation. In CML BC group the survival does not depend upon Fas-antigen expression.     

Properties of the catalytic center of a secretory 28kDa protein (1-cys peroxiredoxin) from rat olfactory epithelium

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty with the Inoue balloon is conventionally performed with double vascular access: arterial and venous. However, in patients with a good echogenic window it may be performed with venous access only and the procedure monitored by 2D-echocardiography and colour flow mapping. This should result in early ambulation and hospital discharge with reduced arterial complications. AIMS: To compare retrospectively the immediate results of percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty with the Inoue balloon in two groups of patients: Group I: venous access only (no arterial access, n = 102) and Group II: conventional double vascular access (arterial and venous access, n = 275). METHODS AND RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable for age, sex, clinical, echocardiographic, radiological and haemodynamic variables. The mitral valve area (Group I: 1.1 +/- 0.3 to 1.85 +/- 0.5 cm2 vs Group II: 1.05 +/- 0.2 to 1.85 +/- 0.5 cm2, P = ns) and transmitral gradient (Group I: 11 +/- 4 to 4.7 +/- 2 mmHg vs Group II: 12 +/- 4 to 4.8 +/- 2 mmHg, P = ns) before and after mitral valvuloplasty were not statistically different. A good immediate result, defined as mitral valve area > 1.5 cm2 and mean mitral gradient < 5 mmHg with mitral regurgitation < or = 2+ at the end of the procedure, was observed in 77% of the cases in the venous-only group and 79% in the double access group (P = ns). The incidence of severe mitral regurgitation (Grade III or IV) was not statistically significant. Procedural duration (71 +/- 24 min vs 109 +/- 26 min, P < 0.01), fluoroscopic time (12.5 +/- 5.5 min vs 18.5 +/- 6 min, P < 0.01) and hospital stay (2.8 +/- 1.5 days vs 4.8 +/- 2.6 days, P < 0.001) were significantly shorter in the venous-only group than in the conventional Inoue series. CONCLUSION: Single venous access balloon mitral valvuloplasty is as equally safe and effective as double vascular access. The additional advantages of single venous access are shorter procedural duration, fluoroscopic time and hospital stay. We recommend that it be performed by an experienced operator (minimum of 100 trans-septal punctures) in patients without major thoracic deformity and a good echogenic window.     

Activity of enzymes of tricarboxylic and pentose-phosphate cycles in dog brain with myocardial infarction

Under conditions of experimental myocardium infarction caused in dogs by ligation of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery, the activity of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase in mitochondria of the cortex, cerebellum and medulla ablongata lowers most intensively on the first and fifth day after the appearance of acute myocardium infarction. Activation of the most important enzymes of the pentose-phosphate cycle (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and transketolase) which is clearly pronounced on the fifth day is observed in the mentioned sections. In the authors' opinions the above changes in the activity of the enzymes are due to the brain hypoxia which may be the main reason of disturbance in the function of the central nervous system under this disease.