Serum amyloid A protein in familial Mediterranean fever.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Knecht.
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Three patients with Takayasu's disease (TD), initially observed with hypertension and/or congestive heart failure, were treated with captopril, an orally active inhibitor of converting enzyme. As arteritis in this disease is diffuse and extensive, surgical correction of renovascular hypertension is often delayed or impossible. Our experience enables us to recommend captopril for conservative treatment in TD.
A case of congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF), a relatively rare disease, was diagnosed preoperatively on the basis of clinical and radiological findings. The diagnosis was confirmed by computerized tomography and later proven by a liver biopsy performed during cholecystectomy. Increased awareness of this entity may reveal heretofore unidentified cases of CHF.
Captopril was administered prior to renal vein renin sampling in an attempt to select patients amenable to surgical treatment for renin dependent hypertension. Renal venous blood for plasma renin activity was taken only after captopril stimulation. Sampling from the antecubital vein before and after this provocation showed a marked rise in renin, thereby confirming the efficacy of the test. Elimination of the initial selective renal vein sampling shortens the catheterization period without affecting the accuracy and dependability of the procedure.
The hypotensive response to captopril is described for 12 hypertensive patients, 7 of whom had renovascular hypertension. The drug was effective in lowering blood pressure. The few reversible adverse reactions that occurred included loss of the sense of taste in one patient and rash and fever in another. Three patients with renal failure showed deterioration of renal function during treatment, suggesting the advisability of treating such cases with lower dosages.
Solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) and counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) were compared for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers among blood donors in Jerusalem, which is in a region characterized by a high prevalence of HBsAg and a predominance of the ayw subtype. RIA detected 84% more HBsAg carriers than CIE, with the resultant exclusion of 1.8 times as many potentially infective donors. The results provide additional information concerning the specific increases in donor-carrier detection that are associated with the introduction of highly sensitive HBsAg tests in different geographic and epidemiologic circumstances.
AIM: To determine if there are differences in function after resurfacing arthroplasty of the hip in patients with primary osteoarthritis compared to patients with secondary osteoarthritis due to developmental dysplasia of the hip. METHOD: In a controlled prospective study of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) we included all patients with primary osteoarthritis (n = 54, average age 48.4 years) and osteoarthritis due to high grade dysplasia (Eftekhar B, n = 34, average age 55.8 years). Standardized clinical (Harris hip score) and radiographic examinations were performed 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months and then every year after the operation. RESULTS: All patients could be followed up to 1.5 years (1-4 years) after surgery. The average Harris hip score improved to 82-95 points in both groups 3 months postoperatively. Statistically significant differences could be found in the subscales "function" and "limp", where patients with dysplastic hips showed somewhat lower results after 6 (function) to 12 weeks (limp) postoperatively. This is probably attributable to extended non-weight-bearing after acetabular reconstruction in these cases, as the difference disappeared with full weight-bearing. Radiographically determined neck-shaft angles are slightly higher in dysplastic hips (142 degrees versus 135 degrees ), but we did not recognize any significant differences in implant positioning. CONCLUSION: The short- to mid-term results showed no clinically relevant functional differences after surface replacement in patients with primary osteoarthritis of the hip and patients with secondary osteoarthritis due to higher grade dysplasia. Long-term observation is necessary, however, to determine if these positive functional results are reflected by appropriate radiographic survival.