Duplication of 1q in a child with down syndrome and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow cells was performed on a 2-year-old African-American male with Down syndrome (DS) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), specifically refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB-T). Chromosome analysis showed, in addition to the constitutional trisomy 21, a trisomy of chromosome 11 and a dup(1)(q23q31). This duplication of 1q is apparently a new chromosomal abnormality in a child with MDS. Partial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 1 has been reported by several authors and appears to represent a nonrandom chromosomal anomaly in patients with MDS/acute myelogenous leukemia and DS.

[Differentiating between intensity and frame of mind in patients with chronic pain.]. / Differenzierung zwischen Schmerzintensität und Gemütsverfassung bei chronischen Schmerzpatienten.

Chronic pain is a complex experience that may change the life of the patient totally. Being influenced by numerous factors, communication between the physician and the patient on such a complex experience is not always easy. The question of how patients differentiate between the intensity of their pain and their mood state was investigated in our study with the use of a new method-the dolorimeter- in 200 patients. Our results showed that the new method is appropriate to evaluate the intensity of pain in patients with chronic pain, but no to explore the patient's psychological state. The patients' assessment showed clearly that they preferred the dolorimeter to evaluate their pain intensity while they preferred a verbal scale (Profile of Mood States) to describe their mood state.

[Measurement of pain.]. / Schmerzerfassung : Beschreibung einer neuen Methode.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new modified visual analog scale, called the dolorimeter, together with a verbal rating scale (VRS) and a linear visual scale (VAS), in the measurement of acute postoperative pain. The scales were evaluated with reference to their sensitivity, reliability and validity, and correlation. During the study 200 patients 11-70 years of age (125 men, 75 women) were interviewed after orthopedic surgery to ascertain the intensity of the pain. We had the patients judge the intensity of pain before and 1 h after giving analgesics by using the dolorimeter, VRS, and VAS. At the end of the examination, we asked the patients whether the pain had decreased or not which method they preferred, and why they preferred this method. The results of this interrogation proved that the sensitivity of the VRS is low; its parameters overlap greatly on the analog, scale, and it is therefore too rough to be a sufficient measurement of pain. On the other hand, the high sensitivity of the two analog scales which patients can use to determine their individual pain intensity proved to be much more sensitive. All three methods correlated statistically; the highest correlation coefficients were found between the analog scales VAS and the dolorimeter. Because the dolorimeter is clearly preferred to the other methods, especially by elderly patients, we came to the conclusion that the dolorimeter is less abstract than the VAS and more practical to handle.

The excretion of renal enzymes during rest and exercise: a double-blind comparison between placebo and penbutolol.

A double-blind cross-over study was carried out in five healthy male volunteers to investigate the renal tolerance of 40 mg penbutolol, a receptor-specific beta-blocking agent, during exercise and to compare its effects with a placebo. The effects of exercise were compared with a resting state after a medication on the placebo. Urine was collected in fractions for seven hours on each trial day. The urine volume and the excretion of alanine aminopeptidase (AAP), N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) per fraction were determined. The findings for the kidney enzymes AAP, NAG and GGT show that the renal tolerance of penbutolol was good. Physical exercise per se did not cause any increase in the excretion of the above-mentioned enzymes. Slight diurnal variation was seen in the excretion of the renal enzymes after both the placebo and penbutolol.

Serum trace-element levels in piretanide-treated hypertensives: a double-blind trial against hydrochlorothiazide plus amiloride.

A double-blind parallel group study was carried out in patients with mild to moderate hypertension to assess the effects of 6 mg piretanide once or twice daily, in comparison to 50 mg hydrochlorothiazide plus 5 mg amiloride once daily, on serum trace-element levels over a period of three months. The results showed that for most of the trace elements investigated (zinc, iron, copper, manganese and cobalt) no relevant changes were seen. Only serum iron values (medians) showed a slight drop (p less than 0.05) with 6 mg piretanide twice daily. The results indicate that a three-months' therapy with piretanide or with a thiazide-potassium sparer diuretic combination is safe without producing any disturbances in the serum levels of trace elements.

Production of ethanol from infant food formulas by common yeasts.

Four common yeasts (Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Torulopsis glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were combined with five infant food formulas and/or supplements (Isomil, Nutramigen, 5% glucose, Coca Cola and Similac) and incubated at 37 degrees C. Gas chromatography was used to measure ethanol production after 24 and 48 h incubation. The quantities of ethanol produced suggest a possible explanation for patients exhibiting the 'Auto-Brewery Syndrome' and raises interest in the role auto-produced ethanol could have in explaining the etiology of Sudden Infant Death.