Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Henz.
The article discusses step by step the drug-prescription process from the assessment of a patient's medical history to the administration or intake. Practical examples illustrate common errors which could lead to complications in the inpatient as well as outpatient setting.
We retrospectively studied anthropometric and laboratory parameters (including serum triglycerides, cholesterol), as well as comedication in 504 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between January 1997 and August 2002 at a single referral center, and compared these patients with 565 age-matched patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. A positive correlation was found between serum triglycerides and prostate cancer (odds ratio: 1.148/mmol/l; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.003-1.315; P<0.05) after correcting for age, body mass index, diabetes and comedication with statins. Hypertriglyceridemia may increase the risk of prostate cancer, and the prognostic relevancy of serum triglycerides should be studied prospectively.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pearson's marrow-pancreas syndrome consists of refractory sideroblastic anemia with vacuolization of marrow precursors and exocrine pancreas dysfunction. Patients with this disease usually have large deletions of the mitochondrial genome. We report a patient with Pearson's syndrome who had predominantly hepatic manifestations such as microvesicular steatosis, hemosiderosis and rapidly developing cirrhosis. METHODS: Analysis of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, determination of enzyme activities and of the hepatic iron content were performed using standard techniques of molecular biology and biochemistry. RESULTS: The patient had typical ringed sideroblasts in a bone marrow smear and a 7436-bp deletion of the mitochondrial genome in all tissues investigated, compatible with Pearson's syndrome. He died within 3 months after birth due to liver failure. Histopathological analysis of the liver revealed complete cirrhosis with signs of chronic cholestasis, microvesicular steatosis and massive hemosiderosis. In addition, the patient was heterozygous for the C282Y and H63D mutations of the hemochromatosis gene. CONCLUSIONS: Pearson's syndrome should be added to the list of neonatal diseases which can cause microvesicular steatosis, hepatic accumulation of iron and liver cirrhosis.
The term "sleep-related laryngospasm" refers to episodic, abrupt interruption of sleep accompanied by feelings of acute suffocation followed by stridor. The condition is included in the diagnostic and coding manual of the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA), but there are few references in the peer-reviewed literature. Our description of the distinct clinical picture associated with this condition is based on an analysis of the histories of a series of 10 patients. The patients and their families gave precise, uniform accounts of the dramatic attacks. Diagnostic work-up included pulmonary and gastroenterological assessment. All patients reported sudden awakening from sleep due to feelings of acute suffocation, accompanied by intense fear. Apnoea lasting 5-45 s was followed by stridor. Breathing returned to normal within minutes. Patients were left exhausted by the attacks. Nine of our 10 patients had evidence of gastro-oesophageal reflux and six responded to antireflux therapy. We conclude that the nocturnal choking attacks (and the occasional daytime attacks experienced by some of the patients) are caused by laryngospasm. The pathogenesis of the apparent underlying laryngeal irritability is unknown. The condition may be related to a gastro-oesophageal reflux.
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Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent complication of cirrhosis with ascites. As clinical symptoms are often mild or lacking, the condition may not be perceived in otherwise severely ill patients. This study focuses on diagnostic and prognostic aspects in 25 patients with 26 episodes of SBP. A microbiological diagnosis was established in 18 patients by positive culture of ascitic fluid or positive gram stain. In 8 episodes the diagnosis was presumed on the basis of an elevated polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) count in the ascitic fluid (> 250 PMN/microliters). The mean (+/- SD) age of the 11 women and 14 men was 55 +/- 14 years; 16 were attributed to Child grade C, 9 to Child grade B liver dysfunction. In 19 cases, cirrhosis was confirmed histologically. The underlying liver disease was Laennec's cirrhosis in 13 cases, hepatitis-B virus associated chronic liver disease in 7 cases and primary biliary cirrhosis in 2 cases. At the time of diagnosis, 6 of 25 patients had no fever, 13 of 25 patients had no abdominal pain, 10 of 24 patients showed no abdominal tenderness upon palpation and 5 of 26 patients had no fever or abdominal pain. 17 of 26 patients showed signs of portosystemic encephalopathy. The total white blood cell count in the ascitic fluid was 3627 +/- 3978/microliters with 71 +/- 29% polymorphonuclear cells in the group with microbiologically proven peritonitis and 5105 +/- 2860 cells/microliters (80 +/- 13%) in the group with negative ascitic fluid culture, respectively. Gram stains were positive in 8 cases and culture in 16 of 25 patients. E. coli was cultured in 8 episodes and Str. pneumoniae in two. In-hospital mortality was 61% in the group with microbiologically proven peritonitis and 14% in the group with negative ascitic fluid culture (p = 0.062); 6-month mortality rate was 78% and 86% respectively (p = 0.91). Prognosis was worse in patients Child grade C (p = 0.027), in patients lacking symptoms or signs of peritoneal irritation (p = 0.017), in patients with septic shock (p = 0.018) and in patients with elevated serum-creatinin levels at the time of diagnosis (p = 0.05). SBP is a treatable complication with high mortality of advanced liver disease. Clinical manifestations may be non-specific or absent. We recommend that diagnostic paracentesis be performed in all patients with cirrhosis and ascites if their clinical condition is rapidly worsening.