In discussions on the several methodological limitations in the assessment of alexithymia, uncertainty still remains about whether alexithymia and somatization are distinct constructs or whether they share overlapping symptomatology and constructs, as suggested by previous studies. In this study, 379 normal adults completed the newly developed 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and a screening list for DSM-III-R somatization disorder. Items from both the TAS-20 and the somatization checklist were subjected to factor analysis, resulting in separate factor loadings according to these two scales. These results were replicated and cross-validated in a sample of 125 psychosomatic inpatients, supporting the view of an independency between alexithymia and somatization.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Infection-induced urinary calculi in children; current therapeutic schedule and prevention of recurrence].

Infection stones have an outstanding position in childhood urolithiasis. In non-infection stones one can mostly find a certain--for example metabolic--causes of stone formation. In infection stones, the urease-producing and thus urea-cleaving properties of some gram-negative bacteria are responsible for alkalization of the urine and lead especially in combination with disturbances of urine transport to the staghorn calculi. Therefore in such children early diagnosis, adequate therapy and consequent maintenance is the crucial point for good life quality in future. Preliminary condition for therapeutic success is a close coworking between pediatric nephrologist, pediatric urologist, family doctor and parents.

Bacterial Infections↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Oral Kaposi's sarcoma in a non-AIDS patient.

Kaposi's sarcoma involving the oral cavity is seen frequently in AIDS patients but rarely in transplant patients. When the oral cavity is involved in transplant patients, it usually is located on the palate or the oropharynx. This article reports a renal transplant patient who developed Kaposi's sarcoma which mimicked a gingival hyperplasia in the oral cavity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Role of novel mitochondrial proteins in energy balance].

Mitochondrial activity plays a key role in the control of thermogenesis and energy expenditure in homeothermic organisms. Recently, much attention has been paid to the novel protein members of UCP family as putative regulators of uncoupled respiration. Nevertheless, it is likely that other aspects, as yet unrecognized, of mitochondrial biology are also crucial to comprehend mitochondrial function. Thus, mitochondria are organized in filaments or in networks in many cell types as a result of the operation of fusion and fission events. The demonstration that mitofusin-2, a protein involved in mitochondrial fusion, stimulates the mitochondrial oxidation of substrates, cell respiration and mitochondrial membrane potential suggests that this protein may play an important role in mitochondrial metabolism, and as a consequence, in energy balance. Furthermore, the observation that mitofusin-2 expression is repressed in obese skeletal muscle suggests a posible role in the pathophysiology and/or etiopathogenesis of obesity.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMedDate not supplied

DNA content of prostatic cancer measured by flow cytometry in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy.

The biological behavior of prostatic cancer is influenced by many host and tumor factors. The proliferative activity of the malignancies can be one of those parameters which serve as the basis to estimate prognosis and design treatment. Here, DNA content and S-phase fraction of prostatic cancer samples obtained by radical prostatectomy from 46 patients were related to other known tumor characteristics (PSA, staging, grading). Nuclei from the paraffin embedded materials were isolated with overnight trypsin-ribonuclease mixture digestion. DNA content and cell cycle distribution were determined by flow cytometry. A correlation was found between the PSA concentration, grading and staging on the one hand and S-phase fraction on the other. DNA content correlated with grading. No kinetic parameter correlated with the nodal involvement. Due to the association between abnormal DNA content plus SPF > 5% with advanced stage and less differentiated appearance of the tumor, we can conclude that these parameters are useful to estimate prognosis.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Systemic lupus erythematosus in men--a different prognosis?].

A retrospective analysis of 21 male and 82 female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was performed in order to identify sex-linked differences in disease manifestations. As organ manifestation, cardiac involvement was assessed in 12 of 21 male patients (57%) and in 18 of 82 females (22%; p < 0.05). Renal involvement occurred in 16 male (76%) vs 26 female patients (32%; p < 0.05). Endstage renal disease developed in 5 of the 21 men (24%), but only in 6 of the 82 women (7%) with SLE. The most striking clinical result was the high frequency of thrombembolic complications in male SLE-patients. Twelve out of 21 males (57%) experienced more than 30 thrombembolic events in contrast to 9 events in 5 out of 82 females (6%; p < 0.0001). Persisting elevated IgG-anti-cardiolipin antibodies were found in 48% of male and only 16% of female patients (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these data suggest that SLE in males is characterized by more frequent and severe organ involvement and especially by striking prevalence of partly life-threatening thrombembolic complications.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Activating ergotherapy--a method for increasing cognitive performance in geriatric patients].

A study was performed in two groups of multimorbid longterm geriatric inpatients (n = 22 in each group). This compared the effects of re-activating occupational therapy (= study-group) on cognitive functions, subjective well-being, affectivity and social integration. The control group was monitored with a normal program of functional rehabilitation. The assessment of psychometric variables after 12 weeks and after 24 weeks of treatment revealed a significant (p < 0.01) improvement in cognitive functioning and subjective well-being in the study group. These results demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of re-activating occupational therapy in the treatment of cognitive impairment of geriatric patients, which is often aggravated by hospitalization.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Epidemiology, pathogenesis and prevention of urinary calculi].

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Crystallization↗