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B Rau

Publications and source records attributed to B Rau.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Comparative diagnosis of locally advanced rectal carcinoma after preoperative therapy].

Locally advanced rectal carcinomas were increasingly treated by preoperative combined radiochemotherapy. Alterations of the rectal wall and the lymph nodes that were caused by the treatment make the assessment of the success of the therapy during the preoperative staging extremely difficult. Methods such as endorectal ultrasound, CT and MRI used for the estimation of the depth infiltration of the tumor achieved an exactness of only approximately 50%. It is thus essential to develop new criteria for the assessment of the success of the therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Low serum levels of soluble CD44 variant 6 are significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with pancreatic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Variant CD44 splice products, especially CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), are expressed on activated lymphocytes and tumor cells. The soluble forms of CD44 standard (CD44s) and CD44v6 are present in the serum of normal individuals. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the concentrations and the prognostic potential of soluble CD44s and CD44v6 in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: The serum CD44s and CD44v6 levels were determined quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The molecular mass of CD44v6 isoforms was determined by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis. CD44 mRNAs were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction followed by exon specific analysis. RESULTS: Both serum CD44s and serum CD44v6 were significantly reduced in patients with pancreatic carcinoma (n = 93, P < 0.001 and P < 0.00005). The median survival in the group with CD44v6 serum concentrations below 100 ng/mL was significantly decreased compared with that in the group with serum concentrations higher than 100 ng/mL (6.7 vs. 15.1 months, P < 0.0005). The isoforms containing soluble CD44v6 (sCD44v6) that were detected in the sera of pancreatic carcinoma patients showed molecular masses comparable to the sCD44v6 isoforms detected in the supernatant of lymphocytes activated by phorbol myestral acetate, whereas the sCD44v6 isoforms detected in the supernatant of pancreatic carcinoma cell lines exhibited higher molecular masses. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that serum CD44v6 is significantly reduced in pancreatic carcinoma patients and could serve as a good prognostic marker for patients with this disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Exogenous, but not endogenous, nitric oxide increases proliferation rates in senescent human fibroblasts.

We investigated the effects of endogenously produced and exogenously applied nitric oxide (NO) on cell proliferation rates and cell cycle regulation in senescent human fibroblasts (WI38). Induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma and interleukin-1beta inhibited cell proliferation and led to a G1 arrest. These effects were partially reversible by N(G)-monomethyl-arginine (NMA). Addition of the NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) increased cell proliferation rates as well as the S/G2 fraction. This points to a functional role of NO in cell cycle regulation and cell proliferation in human fibroblasts which depends on the mode of NO generation as well as the culture conditions used.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1997

Overexpression of cyclin D1 in human pancreatic carcinoma is associated with poor prognosis.

We have investigated the expression of cyclin D1 in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and the relevance of cyclin D1 expression to clinical outcome. In comparison to normal pancreas, Southern blot analyses revealed amplification of the cyclin D1 coding gene in 25% of the cases, whereas with reverse transcription-PCR, overexpression of mRNA was observed in 82% of the examined tissues. Immunohistochemically, we could demonstrate nuclear overexpression in tumor cells in 68.4%, and this protein accumulation correlated significantly with poor prognosis [median survival, 18.1 versus 10.5 months; P < 0.01 (chi2 test)].

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Natural course of acute pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis comprises, in terms of clinical, pathologic, biochemical, and bacteriologic data, four entities. Interstitial edematous pancreatitis and necrotizing pancreatitis are the most frequent clinical manifestations; pancreatic pseudocyst and pancreatic abscess are late complications after necrotizing pancreatitis, developing after 3 to 5 weeks. Determinants of the natural course of acute pancreatitis are pancreatic parenchymal necrosis, extrapancreatic retroperitoneal fatty tissue necrosis, biologically active compounds in pancreatic ascites, and infection of necrosis. Early in the course of acute pancreatitis multiple organ failure is the consequence of various inflammatory mediators that are released from the inflammatory process and from activated leukocytes attracted by pancreatic injury. During the late course, starting the second week, local and systemic septic complications are dominant. Around 80% of deaths in acute pancreatitis are caused by septic complications. The infection of pancreatic necrosis occurs in 8% to 12% of acute pancreatitis and in 30% to 40% of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. Bacteriologic analysis of intraoperative smears and aspirates reveals predominantly gram-negative germs deriving from the intestine, most frequently Escherichia coli. It has been confirmed that after necrotizing pancreatitis a considerable large group of patients suffer long-lasting exocrine and endocrine insufficiency.

Abscess↗
PubMed1997

Surgical treatment of infected necrosis.

Over the years, experience has shown that the cornerstone for improved survival in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis is an early, precise diagnosis followed by adequate drainage combined with modern intensive care management. In experienced hands, this goal can be achieved with different surgical approaches, provided that all septic collections are thoroughly removed and that reexploration is performed promptly if there is evidence of ongoing sepsis. If there is any concept preferable, and under what conditions, future large-scale randomized trials with precise and comparable patient stratification will have to demonstrate it.

Debridement↗
PubMed1997

[Magnetic resonance tomography and endosonography in the preoperative staging of advanced rectal carcinomas after hyperthermoradiochemotherapy].

PURPOSE: Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of staging of endorectal sonography (ES) and body coil MRI after preoperative hyperthermoradiochemotherapy in patients with advanced rectal cancer. METHODS: Prospective analysis of MRI and ES in 30 patients after hyperthermoradiochemotherapy and correlation with histopathological patterns. RESULTS: T-staging by MRI was correct in 47% and by ES in 53% of the cases. Despite similar accuracy of staging in T0- and T1-tumours, we found different accuracies concerning T2-tumour staging about 63% versus 73% (MRI/ES), concerning perirectal infiltration 70% for both techniques, concerning invasion of adjacent organs 90% versus 87%, and concerning lymph node metastases without respect to the N-stage 63% versus 63%. CONCLUSION: Both imaging modalities provide useful information for operation planning despite limited accuracy after hyperthermoradiochemotherapy. The body coil MRI does not seem to be severely inferior to ES in post-therapeutic staging, despite better contour line imaging by ES. With respect to the determination of invasion of other organs, MRI seems to be more useful.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The potential role of procalcitonin and interleukin 8 in the prediction of infected necrosis in acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Infection of pancreatic necrosis has a major impact on clinical course, management, and outcome in acute pancreatitis. Currently, guided fine needle aspiration is the only means for an early and accurate diagnosis of infected necrosis. Procalcitonin (PCT), a 116 amino acid propeptide of calcitonin, and interleukin 8 (IL-8), a strong neutrophil activating cytokine, are markers of severe inflammation and sepsis. AIMS: To analyse the clinical value of PCT and IL-8 as biochemical parameters for predicting infected necrosis in acute pancreatitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty patients with acute pancreatitis entered this prospective study and were stratified into three groups according to morphological and bacteriological findings: 18 patients with oedematous pancreatitis (group I), 14 patients with sterile necrosis (group II), and 18 patients who developed infected necrosis a median of 13.5 days after the onset of symptoms (group III). After admission serum samples were drawn daily for two weeks. Concentrations of PCT and IL-8 were measured by chemoluminescent immunoassays (upper reference range 0.5 ng/ml for PCT and 70 pg/ml for IL-8). The routine parameter C-reactive protein was determined by laser nephelometry (upper reference range 10 mg/l). RESULTS: Median concentrations of PCT and IL-8 were significantly higher in patients with infected necrosis than in those with sterile necrosis during the observation period, whereas there was no difference in C-reactive protein. In oedematous pancreatitis overall median concentrations of all three parameters were low. By receiver operating characteristics best cut off levels for predicting infected necrosis or persisting pancreatic sepsis were 1.8 ng/ml for PCT and 112 pg/ml for IL-8. If these cut off levels were reached on at least two days, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the prediction of infected necrosis were 94%, 91%, and 92% for PCT and 72%, 75%, and 74% for IL-8, respectively. After surgical treatment of infected necrosis median PCT and IL-8 values continued to be significantly higher in patients with persisting pancreatic sepsis (n = 11) compared with those having an uneventful postoperative course (n = 7). For the preoperative differentiation between infected necrosis and sterile necrosis guided fine needle aspiration was performed in 24 patients with necrotising pancreatitis and reached a diagnostic accuracy of 84% compared with 87% for PCT, and 68% for IL-8. There was no correlation between the aetiology of acute pancreatitis or the extent of necrosis and PCT or IL-8. CONCLUSION: PCT and IL-8 are found in high concentrations in infected necrosis and associated systemic complications in patients with acute pancreatitis. The course of PCT shows the closest correlation with the presence of infected necrosis. Monitoring of serum PCT is a potential new marker for the non-invasive and accurate prediction of infected necrosis as well as for the selection of patients with persisting septic complications after surgical debridement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Techniques in teleconsultation].

The aim of the new developments in telemedicine is to optimize medical care by the use of new communication technologies. Teleconsultation is a basic component of telemedicine. Telepresence systems demand high-quality video transmissions and interactive communication. Comparison of the quality of the transmitted pictures demonstrates that an ISDN connection is not suitable for live video transmissions. In contrast to this the SICONET/OP 2000 communication module allows the setup of an interactive telepresence system with 3D visualization in broadcast quality.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1997

[Surgical and multimodal therapy of recurrent rectum carcinoma].

The following guidelines can be recommended for the treatment of recurrent rectal cancer: The therapeutical procedure depends on aetiology and shape of the recurrence. A surgical approach is worth striving for, if a R0-resection can be achieved. Multimodality therapy improves resectability and especially also the local recurrence free and overall survival time. Radiochemotherapy, possibly combined with hyperthermia or IORT are the most effective treatment strategies in combination with surgery.

Chemotherapy, Adjuvant↗
PubMed1997

[Thoracoscopy is a reliable alternative to thoracotomy in peripheral lung coin lesion].

Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) is useful for improving preoperative diagnosis and staging in patients with peripheral pulmonary lesions. Additional information obtained by VATS had a major influence on the therapeutic strategy in 34% of the patients, and in 39% of the patients in the conventional surgery group thoracotomy could possibly have been avoided if VATS had been available.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1996

Laparoscopic lymph node assessment in pretherapeutic staging of gastric and esophageal cancer.

In gastric cancer lymph node metastases at the hepatoduodenal ligament and in esophageal cancer, metastases at the celiac axis are classified as distant metastases (M1 LYMPH) and implying a poor prognosis. In pretherapeutic staging, imaging procedures such as computed tomography of the abdomen or transcutaneous ultrasonic examination are of limited value in the assessment of enlarged or metastatic lymph nodes. Conversely, laparoscopic staging with subsequent biopsy of suspicious lymph nodes provides essential diagnostic information. After exclusion of distant metastases (liver, lung, bone) in 73 patients with esophageal-(n = 21) and gastric cancer (n = 52), staging laparoscopy, including laparoscopic ultrasound, were performed during an 18-month-period (July/ 93-December/94). After laparoscopic exclusion of peritoneal seedings, the hepatoduodenal ligament was examined and enlarged lymph nodes were biopsied. In a total of 73 patients, laparoscopy revealed previously undiagnosed liver metastases in 14 and peritoneal carcinosis in 19 patients. Additionally, in eight (esophageal cancer; n = 3, gastric cancer; n = 5) of the remaining 40 patients, lymph nodes in the M1-position were regarded suspicious and biopsied. In six of these, malignant spread was observed. Thus, in a further six of 40 patients, surgically incurable situations could be detected. In esophageal and gastric cancer, staging laparoscopy, including laparoscopic ultrasound and biopsy, is a sensitive technique to assess local tumor spread and distant metastases. The detection of M1- lymph node metastases is facilitated by the use of laparoscopic ultrasound. Tumor spread, which limits surgical curability, can be properly assessed and exploratory laparotomy avoided.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1996

Hyperthermia in the multimodal therapy of advanced rectal carcinomas.

The synergistic effects of hyperthermia (raising temperatures to 40 degrees C and above) when combined with radiotherapy and cytotoxic drugs and a modulation of immunological phenomena have been demonstrated in the laboratory. Pre-clinical data relating to hyperthermia are summed up, along with their implications for clinical application. Controlled studies of local and regional hyperthermia have been performed during recent years, and these show us that the adjunction of hyperthermia provides at least an improvement of local control compared with radiotherapy alone. Current clinical results are summarized. Therapy systems based on radiowave irradiation have been commercially available for regional hyperthermia of the pelvis since the mid 1980s. This technology allows us to perform sufficiently tolerable and effective regional hyperthermia on rectal carcinomas. Used as part of curative preoperative and postoperative multimodal therapeutic strategies, hyperthermia can lead to improvement in local control (resectability, down-staging, progression-free time, recurrence rate), at least for certain risk groups. The preoperative radio-chemo-thermotherapy of advanced primary and recurring rectal carcinoma, uT3/4, was tested in a phase-I/II study of 20 patients. Therapy procedure, acute toxicity, thermal parameters, and response are described and discussed for this patient group. The regimen proved to be sufficiently tolerable, and complications did not occur. Tumor resection was performed on 14 of the 20 patients; 13 of the procedures were R0-resections and one was an R2 resection. In 64% of the resected rectal carcinomas, histopathological down-staging of the pretherapeutic endosonographical stadium was achieved; in three of the patients, despite continued non-resectability, local control has now been maintained for more than 12 months. In two patients with nonresectable rectal carcinomas, local progress was seen during the neoadjuvant combination therapy.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1996

Human pancreas-specific protein. A diagnostic and prognostic marker in acute pancreatitis and pancreas transplantation.

CONCLUSION: Human pancreas-specific protein (hPASP) is a very sensitive reflector of the extent of pancreatic necrosis on the cellular level, and is of both diagnostic and prognostic value in acute pancreatitis. Furthermore, it allows the estimation of the severity of graft pancreatitis soon after simultaneous renal and pancreatic transplantation. BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (AP) has been improved in the past 15 yr as new methods for the determination of specific pancreatic enzymes have been developed. However, these enzymes have no prognostic implications. In this prospective study, we evaluated the role of human pancreas-specific protein (hPASP) in comparison with pancreatic amylase and C-reactive protein (CRP) in acute pancreatitis and pancreas transplantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 40 patients (22 female, 18 male; mean age 51 yr, range 22-88 yr) with AP and 7 patients (2 female, 5 male; mean age 37 yr, range 25-49 yr) with type I diabetes and renal insufficiency who underwent simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation. By means of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and/or intraoperative findings, patients were judged to have edematous-interstitial (AIP, n = 20, mean age 55.2 yr, range 24-88 yr) or necrotizing pancreatitis (NP, n = 20, mean age 46.3 yr, range 22-81 yr). Serum hPASP concentration was measured daily by a commercial radioimmunoassay technique. In 25 healthy subjects and in several control groups (35 patients with chronic pancreatitis, 20 patients with pancreatic carcinoma and 80 patients with different gastrointestinal diseases) a single blood specimen was taken at hospital admission for the determination of the normal range of hPASP and for specificity analysis. RESULTS: The upper normal value for hPASP in healthy subjects was found to be 52 ng/mL. Serum hPASP was elevated in all patients suffering from AP, with a median of 343 ng/mL (lower-upper quartile: 192-478 ng/mL) at hospital admission. In the daily serum monitoring with respect to the onset of symptoms, significantly higher hPASP levels were found in NP compared with AIP after day 2 (p < 0.001). In patients with NP, peak values of hPASP correlated significantly with the extent of pancreatic necroses measured by contrast-enhanced CT-scanning, whereas CRP did not. Six patients of the transplantation group had the same serum hPASP course as AIP, with almost normal values on the third postoperative day. One patient had elevated levels throughout the observation period. This patient suffered from necrotizing graft pancreatitis, confirmed by relaparotomy, and died because of subsequent septic complications.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Endosonography and endosonography-guided biopsy of upper-GI-tract tumors using a curved-array echoendoscope.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) with a curved-array transducer and to determine the value of endosonography-guided biopsy. METHODS: EUS was performed in 162 consecutive patients for preoperative staging of gastric or esophageal cancer (n = 122) or for EUS-guided biopsy (n = 40). All patients were examined using a flexible echoendoscope (Pentax FG32-UA) equipped with a 7.5-MHz curved-array transducer. A specially designed fine needle was used for EUS-guided biopsy of submucosal or extrinsic lesions. RESULTS: Surgery was performed in 19 of 48 patients with esophageal cancer and 60 of 74 patients with gastric cancer. The accuracy in the assessment of the infiltration depth of esophageal cancer and in the determination of lymph node involvement was 84% and 88%, respectively. In gastric cancer the tumor infiltration depth was assessed correctly in only 65% of the patients. The identification of early gastric cancer proved to be a major problem. The accuracy in the detection of lymph node involvement was 73%. Obstructing tumors were examined in 17 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus or the gastric cardia. The accuracy of EUS in determining the T-stage and the N-stage of stenotic tumors was 88% and 86%, respectively. Endosonography-guided needle biopsy was successfully performed in all 40 patients. Histologic analysis revealed malignancy in 50% of the patients. Only two biopsy specimens contained nonrepresentative material (accuracy: 95%). No complications were observed related to the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: EUS with a curved-array transducer provides high accuracy rates in staging of esophageal carcinoma. Evaluation of gastric cancer with this technique appears to be more difficult than with radial transducers. A major advantage of the linear transducer is the ability to perform EUS-guided biopsies of submucosal or extamural lesions.

Adenocarcinoma↗