Effects of a therapeutic camping program on addiction recovery. The Algonquin Haymarket Relapse Prevention Program.

A group of 13 men and women in substance abuse treatment participated in a 3-day residential program experience based on integrated principles from adventure therapy, therapeutic camping, and relapse prevention. The experimental group is compared to a group of 18 men and women who received the usual and customary relapse prevention program. Both groups completed pre- and postintervention questionnaires. There were no differences in drinking-related locus of control, stress, or problem-solving between groups at postinterview, but there were significant improvements in autonomic arousal, frequency of negative thoughts, and alcohol craving. Participants in both groups were interviewed 10 months after the 3-day intervention. Considering individuals who were unreachable as relapsed, the 10-month follow-up relapse rate was 31% for the experimental group and 58% for the comparison group. These results add to the limited body of research supporting outdoor adventure and therapeutic camping experiences integrated with traditional relapse prevention activities as an adjunct to substance abuse treatment.

[Morphologic changes of gastric mucosa in Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with peptic ulcer disease and chronic gastritis]. / Obraz morfologiczny blony sluzowej zoladka w zakazeniu Helicobacter pylori u chorych na chorobe wrzodowa i przewlekle zapalenie zoladka.

The present study was carried out to value the histological method of detection of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa and to analyse the pathological changes of the Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with duodenal and gastric ulcer and with chronic gastritis. The studies population consisted of 150 patients, 76 F and 74 M. The samples were taken during gastroscopy from the prepyloric region and gastric body. After routine histological procedure they were stained HE and by Giemsa method for detection of H.pylori. The latter was identified in 56.6% of of the patients with duodenal ulcer, in 54.8% of those with gastric ulcer, in 17.6% of the patients after partial gastrectomy and in 46.9% of patients suffering from chronic gastritis. The increased density of H.pylori (third grade) was detected in the cases with clinical diagnosis of duodenal and gastric ulcer and erythematous endoscopic gastritis and was correlated with the histological picture of chronic active gastritis, which was characterized by diffuse mixed cellular exudation, lesion of the superficial epithelial, mucosal erosions and by foveolar hyperplasia. We suggest that this morphological picture corresponded to the active phase of Helicobacter infection. We conclude, that the histological method by Giemsas staining is effective especially in the acute phase of H.pylori infection and represents high diagnostic value and may be used in monitoring during the antibacterial (anti H.pylori) treatment. There is the correlation between massive density of H.pylori observed in gastric mucosa and chronic active gastritis.

[Early results of treating Helicobacter pylori infections in patients with gastric ulcer and gastritis]. / Wczesne wyniki leczenia zakazenia Helicobacter pylori u chorych na chorobe wrzodowa i zapalenie blony sluzowej zoladka.

In the present study, the effectiveness of a triple therapy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori was evaluated. Therapy consisted of 120 mg tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate q.d.s. for four weeks, 500 mg amoxycillin q.d.s. and 500 mg metronidazole t.d.s. for two weeks. In 77 Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with duodenal ulcers (n = 32), gastritis (n = 18) and after gastric resection (n = 7), rapid urease-based test, culture, histology and serology were used to confirm the eradication, or relapse. The overall eradication rate was 75.3%, ulcers were healed in 82.1% and an improvement of the endoscopic gastritis was observed in 75.3% of the patients. The eradication rates were not statistically different among the subgroups. 1-3 months after the treatment IgG titres had fallen by 25% and over in 67.5% of the patients irrespective of the success of bacterial eradication. Side effects, particularly diarrhoea and nausea, were common (53.2%) but mild. Only 6.5% of the patients' had to discontinue the treatment because side effects became intolerable.

[Urease test, microbiologic tests, histologic and serologic tests for the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori infections in persons with peptic ulcer and gastritis]. / Test ureazowy, badanie mikrobiologiczne, histologiczne i serologiczne w ocenie zakazenia Helicobacter pylori u osób z choroba wrzodowa i zapaleniem blony sluzowej zoladka.

The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the gastric mucosa of 150 patients with gastric, duodenal ulcer and endoscopic gastritis was investigated by rapid urease-based test, culture, histological examination and serology. Overall, 78% were positive for Helicobacter pylori by rapid urease-based test, 69.3% by culture, 53.7% by histological staining and 93.2% by serology (p < 0.001). The frequency of Helicobacter pylori was higher in patients with gastric or duodenal ulcer compared with those with endoscopic gastritis and those after gastric resection. However, the differences were significant only with reference to rapid urease-based test, (p < 0.02). The EIA (Roche) serological test had the highest sensitivity and the lowest specificity. This indicates the seed for serological kit to be independently evaluated on the population to be studied. The rapid urease-based test was simple, rapid and inexpensive, and it was more sensitive and equally specific compared with culture and Giemsa stain.

[Value of preoperative risk factors in patients with resectable esophageal cancers]. / Die Aussagekraft präoperativer Risikofaktoren bei Patienten mit resezierbaren Oesophaguscarcinomen.

Since 1. 1. 1964 245 patients with oesophageal carcinoma underwent resection at the department of surgery of the university of Cologne. A significant correlation between stage, localisation or type of carcinoma and the postoperative mortality was not found. It was possible to develop organ specific scores which were able to detect groups of patients with a high postoperative mortality, but the predictive value of these scores was too small for relevant clinical decision making.