Life-threatening postoperative blood loss in a Jehovah's Witness, treated with high-dose erythropoietin.

Six hours after an uncomplicated extended resection of ovarian cancer, postoperative arterial bleeding led to life-threatening blood loss in a 44-yr-old Jehovah's Witness who refused blood transfusion. Haemoglobin (Hb) decreased from 2.5 g dl(-1) directly after the emergency laparotomy, followed by a 10 h immeasurable period (below detectable minimum value of the analyser), to a measurable minimum of 1.5 g dl(-1) after 20 h. Haematopoiesis was induced by high-dose i.v. erythropoietin therapy (600 IU kg(-1)) and continued on days 3, 6, 8, 10 and 13. Iron, folic acid and vitamins were given as supplements. The patient needed ventilatory assistance for 18 days and some inotropic support. Complications included increases in pancreatic enzymes and liver enzymes, jaundice and skin necrosis at the fingertips and toes. Myopathy led to transient tetraparesis. Haemoglobin rose from 1.5 to 3.4 g dl(-1) (day 10) and the patient was discharged from the intensive care unit with haemoglobin 6.5 g dl(-1) on day 24. She made a full recovery and is still free of cancer in remission.

5,000 year-old spermatozoa in quaternary Ostracoda (Crustacea).

Fossil spermatozoa are recorded for the first time in freshwater ostracods (small bivalved crustaceans) from Holocene sediments at sites in the United Kingdom and Germany. Exceptional conditions at these sites have resulted in the preservation of chitinous "soft parts", including limbs, the remains of Zenker's Organs (sperm pumps that are part of the male reproductive apparatus in cypridoidean ostracods) and spermatozoa from eight different species. Comparisons are made with spermatozoa from living ostracods and the implications of these discoveries for evolutionary studies of reproductive modes are discussed.

Isolation and characterization of the human genomic locus coding for the putative metastasis control gene nm23-H1.

Nm23-H1 gene expression is inversely correlated with tumor metastatic potential in certain tumors, including melanomas, breast carcinomas, and hepatocellular carcinomas. Using nm23-H1 c-DNA primer and genomic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, we purified three PCR fragments (one of 4kb and two of 2 kb) covering the whole human genomic locus of the gene (8.460bp). We recombined the PCR products into pUC18 and produced a restriction map to perform subcloning. Complete sequencing of genomic PCR fragments, including the whole coding region of nm23-H1, revealed that the gene consists of five exons and four introns spanning 8.5kb. A sequence homology analysis between human nm23-H1 and the homolog gene of the rat (NDP-K beta) shows that exon-intron boundaries are well conserved between these two species.

[The alcohol and drug problem as a task of health education]. / Das Alkohol- und Drogenproblem als Aufgabe der Gesundheitserziehung.

Using the term 'chemische Inweltverschmutzung' (internal pollution by chemicals) as opposed to 'Umweltverschmutzung' (environmental pollution) the need is emphasized for effective preventive measures against internal pollution analogous to those taken against environmental pollution. In addition to measures of prohibitive character enacted under governmental authority in both the areas of external and internal pollution, health education as a key instrument in prevention of the latter should, not least, activate the individual's responsibility in maintaining one's health.