Comparisons among computed tomographic features of adipose masses in dogs and cats

A better understanding of the CT features of different forms of canine and feline adipose tumors would be valuable for improving patient management and treatment. The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to describe and compare the CT features of pathologically confirmed lipomas, infiltrative lipomas, and liposarcomas in a sample of canine and feline patients. A total of 50 animals (46 dogs, four cats) and a total of 60 lesions (23 lipomas, 20 infiltrative lipomas, and 17 liposarcomas) were included in the study. Lipomas appeared as round to oval-shaped (n = 21), well-marginated (n = 20) fat-attenuating lesions. Infiltrative lipomas appeared as homogeneous, fat-attenuating masses but, unlike lipomas, they were most commonly characterized by an irregular shape (75%; P < 0.001), and linear components, hyperattenuating relative to the surrounding fat (100%; P < 0.05). Liposarcomas were represented exclusively by heterogeneous lesions with soft tissue attenuating components with a multinodular appearance (76.5%; P < 0.05). Regional lymphadenopathy (n = 10) and amorphous mineralization (n = 4) were also observed in association with liposarcomas. Computed tomography can provide useful information regarding disease location, extent, and involvement of the adjacent structures. Tumor definition and shape were the most useful parameters to differentiate between lipomas and infiltrative lipomas. The presence of a heterogeneous mass, with a multinodular soft tissue component and associated regional lymphadenopathy and mineralization, were features favoring a diagnosis of liposarcoma

Roboterunterstützte Therapie bei Menschen mit einer Hemiparese : wie wirkt sich diese (moderne) Therapieform auf die Selbständigkeit in den Aktivitäten des täglichen Lebens aus?

Einleitung: Jedes Jahr erleiden in der Schweiz 20’000 Personen eine Hirnverletzung oder -erkrankung. Hemiparesen gehören zu den häufigsten Folgen davon. Um wieder eine grösstmögliche Selbstständigkeit in der Ausführung der täglichen Aktivitäten zu erreichen, ist eine umfassende Rehabilitationstherapie notwendig. Eine Behandlungsart ist die roboterunterstützte Therapie. Ziel: Das Ziel dieser Bachelorarbeit ist es, die Auswirkungen einer roboterunterstützten Therapie bei Klientinnen und Klienten mit einer Hemiparese der oberen Extremitäten in der akuten bis subakuten Krankheitsphase auf die Selbständigkeit in den Aktivitäten des täglichen Lebens (ADLs) darzustellen. Methode: Mittels einer systematischen Literaturrecherche wurden sieben Studien als Hauptstudien inkludiert und anhand des AICA-Rasters zusammengefasst, sowie kritisch gewürdigt. Aus unterschiedlichen Studien wurden verschiedene Resultate der Selbstständigkeits-Assessments miteinander verglichen. Zudem wurden die ADLs aus einer Hauptstudie in der Internationalen Klassifikation der Funktionsfähigkeit, Behinderung und Gesundheit (ICF) klassifiziert. Ergebnisse: In einigen Studien konnten Verbesserungen in der Ausführung von ADLs nach der roboterunterstützten Therapie festgestellt werden. Schlussfolgerung:Die roboterunterstützte Therapie bietet eine zusätzliche Unterstützung zur konventionellen Therapie, ersetzt jedoch die Therapeutin oder den Therapeuten nicht vollständig

Biotransformation of Bile Acids by Bacteroides sp. Strain T-40 Isolated from Human Microflora

The effects of Bacteroides sp. strain T-40 isolated from human feces on the biotransformation of bile acids were examined in an anaerobic culture system. Bacteroides sp. T-40 oxidized cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) to 3α,12α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-5β-cholanoic acid and 3α-hydroxy-7-oxo-5β-cholanoic acid, and reduced these oxo-bile acids to CA and CDCA, respectively. However, the reduction activities were lower than the oxidation activities. Hyocholic acid was dehydrogenated, but to a lesser extent than CA or CDCA. On the other hand, α-muricholic acid, which has a hydroxyl group at the position of 7α, was not dehydrogenated. Glycocholic acid was converted to free 3α,12α-dihydroxy-7-oxo-5β-cholanoic acid but any glycine conjugated 7-oxo product was not detected. These data indicate that Bacteroides sp. T-40 possesses bile acid hydrolase and 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, by which conjugated bile acids are initially deconjugated, and then undergo oxidization of the 7α-hydroxy group

Current Prospects of Herbal STW 5 Agent in Treatment of Functional Gastrointestinal Diseases

Aim. A review of current therapeutic perspectives of the herbal STW 5 medicine (Iberogast®) in functional gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.Key points. A limited remediation in most common functional GI diseases, functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is conditioned by their multifactorial pathogenesis. Meanwhile, most specific medicines only target selected pathogenesis components, thus warranting a multitarget agent development. Such is Iberogast® that acts at variant components of FD and IBS pathogenesis. The article reviews the Iberogast® mechanisms of action and evaluates its treatment efficacy in FD and IBS.Conclusion. The current evidence claims that Iberogast® provides an effective and safe treatment for FD and IBS

Horton\u27s disease with a special review of the giant-cell temporal arteritis

Izvršena je retrospektivna studija za period od pet godina (1985-1990) na 66 bolesnika s Hortonovom bolesti, u kojih je patohistološkom analizom verificiran temporalni gigantocelularni arteritis u 20 ispitanika (30,2 %). Bitemporalna biopsija potvrdila se redovito nakon prethodne kontinuirane bidirekcionalne Doppler ultrasonografije karotidnog sliva i oftalmičke arterije. Oftalmološke manifestacije Hortonove bolesti pojavile su se kao akutna prednja ishemička optikoneuropatija u 17 ispitanika (85 %), retrobulbarna optikoneuropatija u dva ispitanika (10 %) a okluzija centralne retinalne arterije u jednog bolesnika (5 %). Kao najvažniji i patognomični laboratorijski nalaz bila je ubrzana sedimentacija (60-125 mm) i hiperleukocitoza. U 14 bolesnika (70%) bila je prisutna anemija, i to u 2/3 normokromna i 1/3 hiperkromna. Vrijednosti serumskih imunoglobulina IgA, IgM, te reaktivnih proteina C3 i C4, nisu pokazale značajnih odstupanja iako su neke bile neznatno povišene. U svih 20 bolesnika s gigantocelularnim arteritisom nastupilo je naglo oslabljenje, ili gubitak vida, koji se prosječno kretao prije tretmana između 0,34 ± 0,8 a nakon 14 mjeseci do dvije godine pod kortikoterapijom prema određenoj shemi iznosio je 0,51 ± 0,6. Kod ispitanika s oftalmološkim manifestacijama postojao je također karakteristični ispad vidnog polja, a kao subjektivni simptom u svih se bolesnika manifestirala glavobolja. Od neoftalmoloških simptoma imalo je neuropsihijatrijske ispade 55%, a reumatična polimialgija je registrirana u 10 % ispitanika.The authors performed a retrospective study of 66 patients with Horton’s disease, of whom 20 (30.2%) had pathohistologically verified giant-cell temporal arteritis. Bitemporal biopsy was performed regularly, following the continuated bidirectional Doppler’s sonography of the carotid flow and ophthalmic artery. Ophthalmological signs of Horton’s disease were manifest as an anterior ishemic opticoneuropathy in 17 eyes (85 %), as a retrobulbar opticoneuropathy in two eyes (10 %) and as the occlusion of the central retinal artery in one eye (5 %). The most important and pathognomonic laboratory findings were an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (60 — 125 mm) and hyperleucocytosis. In 14 patients (70%) the signs of anemia were found: two thirds of them had a normochromic and one third a hyperchromic anemia. Serum values of IgA, IgG, IgM, C3 and C4 were somewhat increased inpatients with giant-cell arteritis as compared to the patients with idiopathic neuropathy, but with no significant aberrations, so that the observed findings cannot be relied upon in the differential diagnosis. All 20 patients with temporal arteritis suffered from a sudden deterioration or the loss of vision, ranging between 0.34 ± 0.8 before the treatment. After 14 months to two years of cortico-therapy according to a well-defined scheme, the vision improved slowly and ranged between 0.51 ± 0.7. As for the non-ophthalmological symptoms observed in our patients, 55 % of them had neuropsychiatric attacks, whereas rheumatic polymyalgia occured in 50 % of them

Clinical studies of oral epithelial dysplasia

This study has investigated a number of aspects of the clinical presentation, aetiology and management of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) in a large number of affected patients. The results reveal that the peak frequency for occurrence of OED is the 6th decade, a predilection for males was confirmed. The tongue, buccal mucosa and floor of mouth are the most common sites of involvement. Most OED is mild; carcinoma-in-situ is rare, the sites likely to have areas of severe dysplasia are the floor of mouth and lateral border of tongue. There is a positive association between heavy tobacco smoking, especially non-filter cigarettes and risk of OED, although the risk may decline following cessation of smoking. In non-smokers, consumption of alcohol is not a significant predictor of OED but there is interaction between alcohol and some aspects of tobacco smoking. The relative risk associated with tobacco smoking appeared to be highest for OED of the labial mucosa and floor of mouth in males and tongue and floor of mouth in females. While alcohol drinking is not a significant predictor of specific OED subsites in both males and females. OED may occur in nonusers of tobacco and alcohol, these patients tend to be older women presenting with erythroleukoplakic type lesions. There is a significant association between reduced serum folate, red blood cell folate and risk of OED. Infectious agents such as Candida albicans may have a slight significance in the aetiology of OED but infection with hepatitis C virus or Helicobacter pylori are not significantly associated with OED. Follow-up of these patients with OED suggest that 5.5% of patients develop oral squamous cell carcinoma while 10.3% develop a second dysplastic lesion and 17.5% develop recurrence. It is evident that dental practitioners have some knowledge and experience of oral malignancy and premalignancy but they may fail to recognise appropriate signs and symptoms of such disease, do not always provide appropriate preventive advice and may delay referral of patients to appropriate centres