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Biomedical subjects

W Domej

Publications and source records attributed to W Domej.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Increased immune activation during and after physical exercise.

The present study has been performed to examine the pattern of immune response during and following a long-duration of physical exercise. We have measured plasma concentrations of serum soluble immune activation markers namely soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), soluble CD8 (sCD8), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), soluble CD23 (sCD23), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNF-R) and neopterin in 18 individuals before, during (ascent: 3 h, descent: 2 h) and after an alpine tour. Compared to baseline levels, all the parameters were significantly increased on top of the mountain and/or after descent. Within 36 hours after the tour sIL-2R, sCD8 and sICAM-1 decreased. In contrast, sTNF-R and neopterin levels remained higher than baseline throughout the study, only partially decreasing 24 and 36 hours from start. These data show immune system activation induced by physical exercise. The increase of parameters sTNF-R and neopterin, reflecting activation of macrophages, was sustained. The data suggest that immune activation phenomena may be involved in the pathogenesis of impaired immune function after exercise and the exercise-induced asthma.

Adult↗

Mediastinal mass caused by syphilitic aortitis.

A 47 year old man presented with hoarseness and chest pain found to be due to proliferative syphilitic aortitis. The case is unusual as the syphilitic aortitis caused a mediastinal mass without affecting the lumen of the aorta.

Humans↗

Tuberculosis of the small bowel with perforation and hematogenous spread in a renal transplant recipient.

A 41-year-old male was admitted because of acute abdomen. A flat plate of the abdomen suggested pneumoperitoneum and a chest X-ray an infiltrate in the right upper lobe. The patient was a renal allograft recipient and was on immunosuppressive therapy with azathioprine, cyclosporine and steroids. At laparatomy inflammatory thickening of the bowel wall was found in the terminal ileum with necrotic areas and two sites of perforation. The involved terminal ileum was removed together with a right hemicolectomy. The resected segment showed exudative ileal tuberculosis and fibrinous and purulent peritonitis. During the postoperative period rapid hematogenous spread of tuberculosis developed with progressive reduction of respiratory function followed by ARDS. Autopsy revealed tuberculosis in all organs including the transplanted kidney.

Adult↗

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis: differential diagnosis to peritoneal encapsulation and abdominal cocoon--a case report.

A 59 year old man presented with symptoms of partial bowel obstruction. Small bowel x-ray studies did not allow to identify the nature of the intestinal process in the upper ileum. At laparotomy small bowel encapsulation with a whitish membrane was encountered. Despite partial removal of this membrane small bowel obstruction persisted and two weeks postoperatively the patient died of peritonitis and cardiac insufficiency. Autopsy findings revealed massive fibrous adhesions in the abdomen with granulomatous inflammation. The presence of foreign body giant cells and bifringent crystals were characteristic for talcum powder. The latter suggested a causal role of an appendectomy 45 years earlier. The diagnosis of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis as established in our patient needs to be separated from peritoneal encapsulation, a congenital malformation, and abdominal cocoon, which contains histological elements of inflammation. This case report should draw attention to these entities in the differential diagnosis and surgical management of small bowel obstruction.

Appendectomy↗

[Differential diagnostic considerations in eosinophilia with reference to a 19-year-old patients with Löffler endocarditis].

In this case report a 19-year-old girl suffering from hypereosinophilia with 3500 cells/mm3 and involvement of the right lung, lymph nodes, skin, serosa and heart is described. Within 10 days of admission an infiltration of the right upper lung lobe disappeared spontaneously and was diagnosed as transient eosinophilic lung infiltration according to Löffler. Both lymph node needle biopsy and several skin biopsies revealed merely general reactive changes whereas a bronchial lavage produced a significant number of eosinophilic granulocytes. Autoimmunologic or infectious-toxic disorders were ruled out as etiologic causes. Within 4 weeks after admission severe mitral and tricuspidal insufficiency as well as AV-block second grade and protodiastolic galloping rhythm developed in addition to progressing polyserositis. The echocardiographic pattern was in accordance with restrictive endocarditis. Due to the greatly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction cortisone (125 mg prednison equivalent) was tentatively administered as therapy. Within 2 weeks heart-, serosa- and lymph-node-findings became normal as well as the eosinophilic count, the scaling skin rash being only partly improved. After 10 months of continuous cortisone therapy (10 mg prednison equivalent) the patient was without evidence of disease. However in conclusion, it may be said that such pattern of findings suggests a hypereosinophilic syndrome with Löffler endocarditis with an unknown future course of disease although generally survival prognosis may not be too high.

Adult↗

Colobronchial fistula: a rare complication of Crohn's colitis.

A 29-yr-old white woman presented with chronic pneumonia in the left lower lobe and with left pleural effusion. She was known to have inflammatory bowel disease, but she was asymptomatic under maintenance treatment with 5-ASA. She received numerous antibiotic regimens according to susceptibility testing of microorganisms cultured from sputum and bronchial lavage and on an empiric basis was also given antituberculosis treatment, but there was no clinical improvement or change in the chest radiographic findings. Sputum was repeatedly examined and yielded, among other organisms, Clostridium inocuum, Enterobacter, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. On one microscopic examination of sputum, the presence of feculent material was suspected. A subsequent gastrografin enema revealed a cologastric and colobronchial fistula between the splenic flexture of the colon and the greater curve of the stomach and the bronchial system. Segmental resection of the colon and resection of the lower lobe of the left lung were performed. Histologic findings of the resected colon were consistent with Crohn's disease. After a long period of postoperative recovery, the patient returned to good general health and well-being. To our knowledge, a colobronchial fistula caused by Crohn's colitis has not been previously reported.

Adult↗

Rheumatoid arthritis with extensive lung lesions.

A man of 74 who had had seropositive rheumatoid arthritis for 10 years presented with dyspnoea and reticular striation in both lung fields. At necropsy two years later there was pulmonary fibrosis with multiple rheumatoid nodules and non-specific granulomas.

Aged↗

[Fetal alcohol syndrome and malignant tumors].

This paper presents the case report of a 2 year-old boy in whom a grade II fetal alcohol syndrome was diagnosed at 17 months. At 21 months, an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder trigone was found, and the tumour excised. Polychemotherapy was initiated, but bone-marrow depression and death in septicaemic shock followed. The main autopsy findings included the demonstration of tumour remnants in the urinary bladder and prostate, and a severe acute purulent pyelonephritis. This is the fifth case of fetal alcohol syndrome in conjunction with a malignant tumour to be reported in the international literature. These cases do not show any uniformity as to tumour type. No conclusion can as yet be drawn as to whether there is a pathogenetic connection between the fetal alcohol syndrome and the occurrence of malignant tumours (as is the case with the fetal hydantoin syndrome and neuroblastoma), or whether these findings are purely coincidental. Clinicians and pathologists should, however, be advised to look more closely for even minimally pronounced forms of the fetal alcohol syndrome in children with embryonic tumours.

Female↗

Relapse of pulmonary Mycobacterium kansasii disease associated with large-cell cancer of the lung: a case report.

A 43-year-old caucasian male diabetic presented with purulent cough and a history of weight-loss, elevated temperature, night-sweat and dyspnea. Four years previously, the patient had undergone a 12-month antimycobacterial regimen because of pulmonary mycobacterium kansasii (MK) disease of the left upper lobe (LUL). Treatment had led to complete recovery with the exception of minor fibrous residuals in the involved pulmonary segments. Chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT), performed on recent admission, revealed a dense infiltration of these residual-containing segments. Microbiological evaluation of bronchial brushings, aspirates and histology of the transbronchial biopsies indicated a relapse of pulmonary MK disease. Although antimycobacterial treatment was started immediately, therapeutic effects were only minimal and remained to be limited to the initial phase of the treatment. After four weeks of treatment, the patient's general condition worsened again. Follow-up CT of the lung showed a marked increase of the infiltration in the left apicoposterior lobe and re-bronchoscopy showed a tumorous protrusion of the bronchial wall involving the apicoposterior segment ostium, a finding which was not seen in the previous bronchoscopy. Histology of the transbronchial biopsies revealed a carcinoma mainly from large-cell type.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗

Local and systemic treatment in small cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Primary small cell carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare and aggressive disease. We report on our experience with two patients having a small cell cancer of the esophagus, being treated with photodynamic therapy combined with irradiation and induction-chemotherapy as well as a review of literature. Both patients were admitted with severe dysphagia, weight loss and a Karnovsky performance status of 90. Diagnostic work-up revealed tumor-stenosis in the proximal third in one and in the distal third in the other case. Clinical staging showed T4N2M0 and T3N2M0, pure small cell carcinoma. Due to dysphagia and lymph node enlargement, local and systemic therapy were considered as first-line treatment. Restaging after three cycles of induction-chemotherapy revealed partial response in both cases. Esophagectomy as a second-line treatment was considered. However, in the preoperative period, one patient developed motorical aphasia. The CT-scan of the brain showed multiple brain metastases. External beam irradiation and further chemotherapy was initiated. The patient died 12 months after admission. The other patient revealed anatomical inoperability at the staging laparoscopy. External beam irradiation and a second session of PDT was performed. The patient is still alive, 12 months after his first admission. The biological behavior of this aggressive disease and metastases in about 50% of patients at admission, as well as significant dysphagia makes combined systemic and local treatment necessary. Nevertheless, after reviewing the literature, esophagectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy may have an advantage pertaining to survival time when anatomical and functional operability is given.

Aged↗