Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Wouters.
Two patients are reported in whom an initial diagnosis of disseminated non small cell bronchogenic carcinoma was subsequently changed into a final diagnosis of extragonadal germ cell tumour. The clinical importance of the differential diagnosis between these two malignancies is highlighted and the management of extragonadal germ cell tumours is discussed.
The case of a 65-year-old patient with an insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour and a 40-year history of neuropsychiatric disease is reported. The physiopathology and clinical features of acute, subacute, and chronic neuroglycopenia in patients with endogenous insulin hypersecretion are discussed.
Two cases of eosinophilic fasciitis are described, in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clearly demonstrated thickening of the fascia and increased signal intensity in the superficial muscle fibers correlating with inflammation. MRI is a useful noninvasive imaging technique in the diagnosis of eosinophilic fasciitis and can guide biopsy of selected abnormal areas.
The early genes of the human papovavirus BKV and simian virus 40 (SV40) show a different host range for transformation. The early region of SV40 efficiently transforms human fibroblast cells, whereas the early region of BKV does not. Interchanging noncoding enhancer-promoter sequences around the origin of replication between BKV and SV40 showed that the early enhancer-promoter sequences of BKV and SV40 could substitute for each other, as far as the induction of expression of tumor antigens and morphological transformation is concerned; the efficiency of transformation was influenced by the enhancer-promoter sequences, and the difference in host range for transformation between BKV and SV40 was determined by the early gene products rather than by the enhancer-promoter sequences.
The early gene products of simian virus 40 (SV40) transform human fibroblasts, whereas those of the human papovavirus BK (BKV) do not. The early gene products of both SV40 and BKV transform baby rat kidney cells. SV40-BKV chimerics were constructed which were able to transform baby rat kidney cells. Using the SV40-BKV chimerics, two domains within the SV40 large T protein were identified which are involved in the transformation of human fibroblasts.
We conducted a retrospective study to identify the preoperative variables that correlated with a successful outcome for knee arthroscopy in patients over the age of 50. We mailed questionnaires to 94 patients (57 responded) and reviewed their medical records and radiographs. A modified Hospital for Special Surgery knee rating system was devised. The average follow-up was 33 months. The percentage of those who felt they had successful results decreased with time: 82.8% felt their knees had improved immediately after postoperative rehabilitation; this decreased to 78.1% at 6 months, 73.5% at 1 year, 65.5% at 2 years, and 50.0% at 3 years. Therefore, the subjective success rate was 67%. We performed statistical analysis of all variables to determine which had a beneficial or detrimental effect on outcome. In addition, we devised an equation to allow postoperative prediction of score. We found that age was not a factor and that radiographic findings had the greatest impact on postoperative results.
Sperm morphology has always been considered an important tool in evaluating a man's fertilizing potential. The objective of this multicentric study was to evaluate intra- and interindividual variability and between-laboratory variation using the same or different criteria of sperm morphology assessment. Semen samples were obtained from 20 males and 32 smears were made of all samples. Eighty coded smears (4 per patient) were sent to 8 laboratories for morphology assessment. The centers applied different classification systems (strict criteria, WHO 1987, Düsseldorf criteria) and participants were asked to analyze the 80 smears twice, with an interval of 1 week between each participant's two analyses. Intraclass correlations between repeats showed that sperm morphology can be assessed with acceptable within observer reproducibility. Expected increases in imprecision were observed up to coefficients of variation of >30% with decreasing morphology scores, regardless of the classification system used. Agreement in correct classification of samples as normal/abnormal was obtained in 80% of cases. Differences in reproducibility between slides may reflect an important source of heterogeneity due to smear preparation. These results emphasize the importance of external quality control systems to improve the value of sperm morphology assessments in the investigation of the male partner in a subfertile couple.