Outpatient urodynamic monitoring in the diagnosis of subclinical forms of a urination disorder in women

Improvements in ureteroscope design and technique have led to increase the success of diagnostic and therapeutic ureteroscopy while decreasing morbidity. Most important complications have been categorized in the following manner: access complications, preoperative complications and early and late postoperative complications.     

Tuberculosis in psychoneurological boarding houses of Sverdlovsk region

Since 1993, the pace of increased tuberculosis mortality and morbidity rates in patients with mental disorders has essentially out-stripped that for the general population in the Sverdlovsk Region. At the same time, the highest tuberculosis mortality and morbidity rates were seen in contingents of psychoneurological boarding houses (PBH) where not only sporadic (single), but group cases of tuberculosis, as well as its outbreaks (epidemics), including massive ones has been annually notified in recent years. In 1993-1996, the mean morbidity rate among those present in PBH was 10.5 times as high as that among the general adult population in the region.     

Is there a danger in delaying radiotherapy in childhood medulloblastoma?

Approximately 45-50% of children with medulloblastoma are cured by conventional surgery and radiotherapy, but survivors may face severe late neuropsychological toxicity. Studies showing good partial responses to platinum-based chemotherapy in relapsed patients and the theoretical possibility of a therapeutic window immediately after surgery have prompted neoadjuvant treatment studies which are ongoing. However, the absolute benefit of chemotherapy for the treatment of medulloblastoma in childhood is, as yet, not proven. There is a danger that chemotherapy may simply delay radiotherapy, and in so doing reduce the radiological impact of this known effective treatment. We report four children with medulloblastoma presenting consecutively to this unit over a 6-month period, whose management was problematic because of either failure to respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy or their very young age. These cases are discussed in the light of the current literature and future treatment strategies that must seek to improve the therapeutic ratio of multimodality therapy.     

Hemosorption in the prevention of severe forms of hemolytic disease of the newborn in rhesus sensitization

A total of 164 hemoperfusions were administered to 60 pregnant patients with Rh sensitization and a history of perinatal death of the newborns from hemolytic disease. Hemoperfusion was found to decelerate the progress of hemolytic disease of the newborns promoting delivery of babies with more benign forms of the disease. The method efficacy was 76%. Dynamic follow-up of fetal functional status over the course of hemosorption treatment by examinations of biophysical profiles and ultrasonic dopplerometry has shown no negative effects of this treatment modality on fetal status.     

Communication with parents of children with cancer

The authors summarize the results of recent work evidencing the existence of latent merozoites during the course of the erythrocytic cycle of the rodent Plasmodia. These merozoites, unlike the majority of merozoites released at schizogony, do not penetrate immediately into the erythrocytes and remain latent for a variable length of time. The merozoites of each of the species or subspecies show marked peculiarities which are responsible for the characteristics of their cycle. The presence of latent merozoites free in the blood, the asynchronous development, and the resistance to chloroquine, are three closely related factors. Knowing that the merozoite is so far drug resistant, and that latent merozoites can maintain the infection for any length of time, it appears important to take into account these purely biological data, when studying the drug resistance of the human falciparum malaria.     

Effect of carnosine and its components on free-radical reactions

This study compared the competency to stand trial (CST) of 108 juveniles (ages 7 to 16 years) and 145 adults (17 years or older) undergoing pretrial, court-ordered forensic psychiatric evaluations. Adults were superior on both global and specific competency abilities (p < .001). Clustered by age (<13, 13 and 14, 15 and 16 years old), preteens accused of crimes failed to meet a Dusky v. United States standard, while 13- and 14-year-olds displayed an equal mix of abilities and deficits. Mid-adolescents (ages 15 and 16) were equivalent to adults in CST abilities except in their knowledge about plea bargaining elements. The ramifications of CST in felony juvenile transfer to adult court as well as the needs for ecologically valid, empirically based CST research on adolescents is discussed.     

Costello syndrome: two cases with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

Costello syndrome is a well delineated mental retardation syndrome of unknown aetiology in which the occurrence of benign tumours, especially papillomata, is recognised. We report two children in whom the diagnosis of Costello syndrome was made in the first months of life, who both developed a retroperitoneal embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Although not previously reported, the occurrence of this relatively uncommon childhood tumour in two girls with Costello syndrome suggests that an increased risk of malignancy may be part of this condition. The genetic basis of this susceptibility requires further clarification.