Estimation of the diagnostic accuracy of organ electrodermal diagnostics

Objective. To estimate the diagnostic accuracy and the scope of utilisation of a new bio-electronic method of organ diagnostics. Design. Double-blind comparative study of the diagnostic results obtained using organ electrodermal diagnostics (OED), with clinical diagnosis as the criterion standard. Setting. Department of Surgery, Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg. Patients. Two hundred pre-selected inpatients of mean age 38 years (standard deviation 9 years) with suspected pathology of one (or more) of the following organs: oesophagus, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, colon, kidneys, urinary bladder and prostate. In total, 714 of the abovementioned internal organs were selected for statistical consideration. Main outcome measures. The degree of rectification of the measuring current once the resistance ‘breakthrough effect' has been induced in the skin, as well as the difference in impedance measured at organ projection areas (OPAs) (skin zones corresponding to particular internal organs). Results. In total, 630 true OED results were obtained from the 714 subjects considered, with a detection rate of 88.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 85.6 - 90.5%). Established OED sensitivity was 89.5% (CI: 85.2 - 92.8%) and OED specificity equalled 87.5% (CI: 84.0 - 90.4%). The predictive value for positive OED results was 81.7% (CI: 76.9 - 85.9%) and for negative OED results 93.0% (CI 90.1 - 95.2%). Healthy organs usually produced the OED result ‘healthy' or ‘within normal limits', while subacute pathology displayed ‘subcute' and acute pathology ‘acute'. The OED results were not affected by either the type or the aetiology of disease, i.e. OED estimated the actual extent of pathological process activity within particular organs but did not directly explain the cause of pathology. Conclusions. So-called OPAs do exist on the skin surface. Pathology of a particular organ causes a related OPA to rectify electrical currents once the resistance ‘breakthrough effect' has been induced in the skin. Pathology of an internal organ also increases the impedance of the corresponding OPA. The degree of rectification or difference in impedance is proportional to the extent of the pathological process within this organ. OED which utilises the abovementioned electrical phenomena of the skin, is a reliable bio-electronic method of non-invasive medical diagnostics, with high rates of sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. OED may be used to detect diseased organs and estimate the extent of pathological process activity. S Afr Med J 2004; 94: 547-551

Diagnostic accuracy of organ electrodermal diagnostics

Objective. To estimate the diagnostic accuracy as well as the scope of utilisation of a new bio-electronic method of organ diagnostics.Design. Double-blind comparative study of the diagnostic results obtained by means of organ electrodermal diagnostics (OED) and clinical diagnoses, as a criterion standard.Setting. Department of Surgery, Helen Joseph Hospital, Johannesburg.Patients. 70 pre-selected inpatients of mean age 36 (SD =7) years with suspected pathology of one (or more) of the following organs: oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, biliary tract, pancreas, colon, kidneys and urinary tract. In total, 276 of the above mentioned internal organs were selected for statistical consideration. Main outcome measures. The difference between the so-called basic electrical impedance of the skin and the impedance value established for a particular organ projection area (the skin zone corresponding to a particular internal organ).Results. In total 250 true OED results were obtained from the 276 subjects considered: detection rate 90.6% (95% Cl 87.1 - 94.1 %). Established OED sensitivity was 91.8% (95% Cl 88.6 - 95.0%) and OED specificity equalled 89.9% (95% Cl 86.4 - 93.4%). The predictive value for positive OED results was 83.3% (95% Cl 78.9 - 87.7%) and for negative OED results 95.2% (95% Cl 92.0 - 98.4%). The OED results were affected neither by the type nor the aetiology of disease, i.e. OED estimates the actual extent of the pathological process within particular organs but does not explain the cause of pathology directly. No sideeffects of the OED examinations were observed.Conclusions. So-called organ projection areas do exist on the skin surface. The electrical impedance of the projection areas corresponding to diseased organs is increased, relative to that of healthy organ-related skin zones. The difference in impedance is proportional to the intensity of the pathological process. OED, which utilises these electrical phenomena of the skin, may detect diseased organs and estimate the extent of pathological process activity within these organs

Urinary Calculi

The chemical composition of 256 urinary calculi on the Witwatersrand has been determined in 3 population groups. 'Calcium stones' comprised 53,1% of the total and most of the remainder were triple phosphate. The distribution of these stones in the different population groups was similar. Urinary calculi are rare in the Bantu.S. Afr. Med. J., 47, 128 (1973

Fibroblastic polyp of the colon: clinicopathological analysis of 10 cases with emphasis on its common association with serrated crypts

: To describe the clinical and pathological features of 10 further cases of fibroblastic polyps (FP), a recently described, distinctive type of colorectal mucosal polyp. Methods and results : The patients were seven women and three men with ages ranging from 44 to 63 years. The lesions ranged in size from 2 to 4 mm. Eight of the polyps were located in the sigmoid colon. Five cases were associated with hyperplastic polyps. Histologically, FP displayed bland, plump spindle cells with oval nuclei arranged as bundles parallel to the surface or as haphazardly orientated sheets with a focal periglandular or perivascular concentric arrangement. Eight polyps represented mixed fibroblastic/hyperplastic polyps as they contained serrated (hyperplastic) crypts. Immunohistochemically, all cases were positive for vimentin and negative for desmin, smooth-muscle actin, h-caldesmon, S100 protein, c-Kit, epithelial membrane antigen, cytokeratin AE1/3, CD34, CD68, COX-2, and factor XIIIa. Ultrastructural examination supported the fibroblastic nature of the tumour cells. Conclusions : FP is a distinctive type of benign mucosal colorectal polyp characterized by its distal location, small size, frequent association with hyperplastic polyps, distinct morphological appearance and typical immunonegativity for markers of specific differentiation. FP with serrated crypts (mixed fibroblastic/hyperplastic polyp) represents a frequent variant of this lesion. Pathologists should recognize FP and discriminate it from other types of colorectal polyps.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72181/1/j.1365-2559.2006.02357.x.pd

Gallium scintigraphy in the diagnosis and total lymphoid irradiation of Takayasu's arteritis

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) in children causes appreciable morbidity and mortality, predominantly as a result of the complication of renovascular hypertension (RVH). Ten children with TA, complicated by RVH, were treated at our centre over the past decade. An initial raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and a purified protein derivative greater than 15 mm were present in every case. More recently, gallium scintigraphy has been used to demonstrate sites of active inflammation in affected vessels (3/4 patients) which became negative after total lymphoid irradiation (TU). The latter was used in the last 6 children, and appeared to be effective in controlling disease activity as evinced in the normalisation of their ESRs and negative findings on gallium scintigraphy (in all 3 patients with prior active inflammation). Because of vascular damage caused by the vasculitic process, surgical intervention is often required to improve organ perfusion, particularly of the kidney/so Renal autografting (or allografting) seems preferable (6/11 kidneys functional) to renal bypass grafting (5/5 kidneys clotted). Patient survival improved when TU was used in addition to standard surgical and medical therapy; this included steroids and antituberculous therapy with TU, and steroids and cyclophosphamide in the two relapses. Five of 6 patients treated with TU were alive after 32 - 54 months' follow-up, while 4 patients who received standard medical and surgical therapy but not TU all died within 18 months of diagnosis. Gallium scintigraphy is a helpful diagnostic tool in assessing vasculitic activity in TA; TU is an important mode of immunosuppression, but still needs to be compared with cyclophosphamide as the major immunosuppressive