De kinderhuid spreekt!

Dat ‘de kinderhuid spreekt!’ zal ik U in het vervolg duidelijk maken. De dermato- venereologie is een deelgebied van de geneeskunde, dat zich bezighoudt met de diagnostiek en de behandeling van ziekten van de huid en de slijmvliezen. Dit vakgebied omvat ook de fl ebologie, hoewel dat in de naam niet tot uiting komt. Flebologie is een belangrijk onderdeel geworden. Door veroudering van de bevolking is dermato-oncologie eveneens een belangrijk sub - aandachtsgebied. Net zoals de gehele geneeskunde heeft de dermato-venereologie een enorme ontwikkeling doorgemaakt. De specialisatie tot dermatoloog kent vele subspecialisaties, waarbij voor ieder onderdeel specifieke kennis en vaardigheden noodzakelijk zijn. Algemene dermatologie, allergologie, oncologische dermatochirurgie, flebologie, proctologie en venereologie wisselen elkaar in de dagelijkse praktijk van de dermatoloog van patiënt tot patiënt af of van dagdeel tot dagdeel af en vragen ieder om een eigen benadering. De subspecialisatie kinderdermatologie neemt daarbij om meerdere redenen een bijzondere plaats in.Rede, in verkorte vorm uitgesproken ter gelegenheid van het aanvaarden van het ambt van bijzonder hoogleraar in de Kinderdermatologie aan het Erasmus MC, faculteit van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam op 16 juni 200

Noncommuting Gauge Fields as a Lagrange Fluid

The Lagrange description of an ideal fluid gives rise in a natural way to a gauge potential and a Poisson structure that are classical precursors of analogous noncommuting entities. With this observation we are led to construct gauge-covariant coordinate transformations on a noncommuting space. Also we recognize the Seiberg-Witten map from noncommuting to commuting variables as the quantum correspondent of the Lagrange to Euler map in fluid mechanics.Comment: 19 pages; final version to appear in Annals of Physic

Aetiological Factors Associated With End Stage Renal Disease; Analysis of End Stage Renal Patients in Sri Lanka

Introduction: End stage renal disease (ESRD) can be considered as one of the growing health problems as well as a public health issue in Sri Lanka. The demographic and epidemiological transition currently the country undergoes, contribute significantly to this problem. Methods: This study was conducted at the Nephrology Clinic, Kandy Teaching Hospital, a tertiary level medical institution. The study sample consisted of renal transplant patients satisfied the selection criteria. Considering the estimated sample size, no sampling techniques were used and a total of 305 patients interviewed using the study instrument, an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results: Investigation of possible aetiology of ESRD revealed that for 69.5% cases aetiology was not well established. Among the known aetiological factors, diabetes (38%) was the commonest followed by nephrotic syndrome (19%) and hypertension (18%). This distribution pattern differs from what was observed in other countries. The differences in the aetiology of ESRD in regard to sex of patients, ethnicity, educational status, occupation and income were statistically not significant. Conclusion: Investigation of possible aetiology of ESRD revealed that for 69.5% cases aetiology was not well established. Among the known aetiological factors, diabetes (38%) was the commonest followed by nephrotic syndrome (19%) and hypertension (18%). The differences in the aetiology of ESRD in regard to sex of patients, ethnicity, educational status and occupation were statistically not significant. Key words: End Stage Renal Disease, Aetiological factors, Non Communicable Diseas

Morbidity Pattern in End Stage Renal Disease Patients Before And After Renal Transplantation

Introduction: To effectively and efficiently plan programmes for prevention and control of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)/ chronic kidney disease, there is a need for basic epidemiological and clinical data. This hospital-based descriptive study on renal transplant patients attempted to provide some information on their morbidity pattern before and after renal transplantation. Methods: A hospital-based study was conducted at the Teaching Hospital, Kandy. The study sample consisted of 305 patients who had undergone real transplant and attended the clinic during the three month period of data collection. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. Results: Renal transplant patients are prone to infections mainly due to iatrogenic immunosuppression. Cytomegalovirus infection was the commonest. Other common infections observed were upper respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and urinary tract infections. All the patients who participated in the study developed at least one non-communicable disease during the follow up period. Anaemia (54%) was the most common problem encountered, followed by rejection, both acute and chronic (50%) and dyslipidaemia (44%). Almost all the participants had hypertension developed before or after the transplantation. This suggests that hypertension is leading to ESRD, resulting from ESRD or just a co-morbidity. Conclusion: Cytomegalovirus infection was the commonest infectious disease reported. Other common infections observed in this study were upper respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and urinary tract infections. All the patients developed at least one non-communicable disease during the follow up period. Key words: Morbidity, Renal Transplant, Non Communicable Diseas

Clebsch (String) Parameterization of 3-Vectors and Their Actions

We discuss some properties of the intrinsically nonlinear Clebsch decomposition of a vector field into three scalars in d=3. In particular, we note and account for the incompleteness of this parameterization when attempting to use it in variational principles involving Maxwell and Chern-Simons actions. Similarities with string decomposition of metrics and their actions are also pointed out.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX; email correspondence to [email protected]

Serological diagnosis of gonorrhoea using gonococcal pili as antigen

The studies described in the following chapters were performed in an attempt to contribute to a solution of the problems mentioned in chapter two. For the purpose of these studies, material had to be collected from patients and several techniques had to be developed. Material and techniques were then used to study a number of specific problems concerning the serological diagnosis of gonorrhoea.' 1. Almost the entire material was collected from patients attending the STD clinic of the Rotterdam University Hospital Dijkzigt. Gonococci were isolated from all patients with gonorrhoea, and stored. Sera were collected from patients with and without gonorrhoea. The patients were divided into well-defined groups on the basis of history, sex and diagnosis. Blood samples were obtained on the day of the first examination (D 1) and on at least one other day (D2), generally 11-22 days after Dl. More than two sera were collected from some patients. 2. For serodiagnostic purposes an ELISA was developed, using a purified gonococcal pilus preparation from a single strain as antigen. The sera were also submitted to two tests routinely used elsewhere: an IHA using a pilus antigen from another gonococcal strain (used at the Statens Seruminstitut, Denmark), and a GCFT using a crude extract from a single gonococcal strain as antigen, (used at the National Health Institute, Bilthoven, The Netherlands). 3. The first objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the abovementioned ELISA as applied to sera from various groups of patients. After application of the IHA and the GCFT to the same sera, the results were compared with those of the ELISA. 4. Next, the influence of the choice of gonococcal pilus antigen on the sensitivity and specificity of the serological test was studied. 5. Finally, a study was made of the contribution of the ELISA to the diagnosis of gonorrhoea when this test was applied to females without complaints who attended the STD clinic for examinatio

A statistical model to predict the reduction of lichenification in atopic dermatitis

Acute symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD), such as erythema, oedema/papulations and excoriations, respond quickly to topical corticosteroid treatment. Conversely, lichenification is regarded as a troublesome non-acute symptom of chronic AD which can take months of treatment before any improvement is seen. However, very little data actually support this opinion. Here, we analyse lichenification scores in 3 multicentre, short-term studies of nearly similar design. Two of these studies were active comparator dosage trials administered with either fluticasone propionate cream or ointment once or twice daily, the third study was a placebo control. In each of these 4-weeks studies lichenification was measured weekly. For the evaluation of the lichenification score over time a random-coefficients regression model was used. In all active treatments lichenification significantly improved (p 80% of patients scoring no, very mild or mild lichenification after 4 weeks. We developed a model in which the lichenification score drops off linearly with the square root of time. The resulting convexly-shaped downward time trend of lichenification was significant during all treatments. This effect was significantly stronger during active treatment than with placebo. Fluticasone propionate can improve moderate to severe lichenification in a relative short period of time

Deuteron Electromagnetic Form Factors in the Intermediate Energy Region

Based on a Perturbative QCD analysis of the deuteron form factor, a model for the reduced form factor is suggested. The numerical result is consistent with the data in the intermediate energy region.Comment: 9 pages, to appear in Phys.Rev.

Blue rubber-bleb naevus syndrome: report of a case with consumption coagulopathy complicated by manifest thrombosis

Abstract Blue rubber-bleb naevus (BRBN) syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by subcutaneous and gastrointestinal haemangiomas. The latter may lead to bleeding complications. A case is reported in which a process of chronic intravascular coagulation resulted in serious thrombotic complications. In the presence of a chronic consumption coagulopathy, it remains uncertain whether antiplatelet drugs are of prophylactic antithrombotic value