Structures, Phase Transitions and Tricritical Behavior of the Hybrid Perovskite Methyl Ammonium Lead Iodide.

We have examined the crystal structures and structural phase transitions of the deuterated, partially deuterated and hydrogenous organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite methyl ammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) using time-of-flight neutron and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. Near 330 K the high temperature cubic phases transformed to a body-centered tetragonal phase. The variation of the order parameter Q for this transition scaled with temperature T as Q ∼ (Tc-T)ß, where Tc is the critical temperature and the exponent ß was close to », as predicted for a tricritical phase transition. However, we also observed coexistence of the cubic and tetragonal phases over a range of temperature in all cases, demonstrating that the phase transition was in fact first-order, although still very close to tricritical. Upon cooling further, all the tetragonal phases transformed into a low temperature orthorhombic phase around 160 K, again via a first-order phase transition. Based upon these results, we discuss the impact of the structural phase transitions upon photovoltaic performance of MAPbI3 based solar cells.

Somatosensory-evoked potentials and MRI in tuberculous spondylodiscitis.

Early diagnosis of spondylodiscitis is a condition of efficient conservative treatment. Somatosensory-evoked potentials with clinical examination results are used in assessing the diagnosis, as well as in monitoring the course of disease and healing. MRI clearly shows the inflammatory process, healing and scars. We report a 46-year-old woman suffering from non-specific interscapular pains. The evoked somatosensory potentials of the tibial nerveshow potential conductivity being slowed down through the thoracic spine, which is clearly evident from the prolonged latency and the decreased amplitude of the evoked response. The performed thoracic spine MRI shows spondylodiscitis at the Thl0-11 level. The subject is a nurse administering BCG therapy at a urology clinic, due to the fact of which this was deemed to have been a case of tuberculous spondylodiscitis. Due to the possibility of scattering the causative agent by needle, the biopsy was given up and antituberculous therapy was administered ex juvantibus. The disease was followed up by clinical examinations, somatosensory-evoked potentials and MRI up to fully successful and final recovery from spondylodiscitis. The above examinations are of great help in diagnosing the tuberculous spondylodiscitis and monitoring the recovery (Fig. 6, Ref. 16).

Neurocysticercosis--non-specific clinical and neuroradiological presentation.

Neurocysticercosis (cysticercosis cerebri) is a rare neurological diagnosis in Croatia. It is classically divided into four types: intraparenchymal, basilar cisternal, ventricular and diffuse. Computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) established the diagnosis by demonstrating cysticercosis disseminated throughout the cerebral parenchyma. The authors emphasize the potential of the ELISA test to detect anticysticercosis antibodies in blood and cerebrospinal liquor (CSF). Diagnostics of neurocysticercosis is enabled jointly by clinical signs, neuroradiological, serum and liquor tests. We report the case of a 70-year old man with clinical and neuroradiological signs of cysticercosis cerebri. The neurological status is dominated by ataxia, corticospinal pathways damages and cognitive capacity impairments. CT of the brain shows calcificated and cystic lesions of various sizes. MRI of the brain enables the final diagnosis of the cysticercosis cerebri with multiple and multicentric lesions that indicate various stages of the cerebral cysticercosis (Fig. 2, Ref 20). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Alkaline comet assay study with breast cancer patients: evaluation of baseline and chemotherapy-induced DNA damage in non-target cells.

The sensitivity of the alkaline comet assay for the evaluation of baseline and treatment-induced DNA damage in white blood cells of breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy according to three conventional anthracycline- and cyclophosphamide-containing protocols was investigated. Additionally, baseline DNA damage in cancer patients was compared with the levels of DNA damage recorded in healthy women. Altogether 30 patients with diagnosed breast cancer and 30 female blood donors with no known familial history of breast cancer participated in the study. Alkaline comet assay was performed according to standard protocol and DNA migration in peripheral blood leukocytes was measured by a computer-based image analysis system. For each subject the frequency of "damaged" cells, i.e., long-tailed nuclei (LTN) with tail length exceeding 95th percentile for the considered parameter among controls, is also reported. Breast cancer patients had significantly increased background levels of DNA damage in their peripheral blood leukocytes as compared to healthy women. Prior to the chemotherapy, a majority of patients showed a statistically significant increase in the number of LTN compared to healthy blood donors. Marked interindividual variations in baseline DNA damage among patients were recorded, some of them related to the disease stage and status. The present study confirmed the alkaline comet assay as a sensitive technique able to detect significantly elevated DNA migration in blood cells of patients already one hour after completion of the first cycle of chemotherapy. Administration of antineoplastic drugs in three chemotherapy protocols studied induced a similar increase of primary DNA damage in nontarget cells. The evaluation of the LTN frequencies indicates the best response to the protocol containing cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil (CMF). Our results point to the significance of simultaneous evaluation of DNA migration and frequency of LTN in the same subject and approved the use of alkaline comet assay as a suitable method for the routine detection of critical DNA lesions produced after administration of antineoplastic drugs in the clinical settings.

Diagnostics of incomplete Brown-Sequard syndrome caused by meningococcal myelitis.

We are reviewing a 20-year old girl with the history of acute meningococcal sepsa with meningitis and thoracic myelitis resulting from an early embolia into the spinal cord, which is a very rare complication of meningococcemia. The ipsilateral loss of sensation indicates lesion of the posterior ascendent fiber tracts in the spinal cord, witout contralateral motoricity deficite, this indicating the incomplete Brown-Sequard syndrome. Somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEP) of the n. tibialis show milder impediments of conductivity by the thoracic segment at left. Magnetic resonance (MRI) of the thoracic spine shows lesion of the posterior ascendent fiber tracts (Fig. 2, Ref. 17).

Ureteral metastasis of occult breast cancer.

We report the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with right flank pain and fever. Diagnostic investigations revealed stenosis of the right ureter extending over about 1cm. Since a double-J prosthesis could not be passed through it, a percutaneous nephrostomy was constructed and surgical exploration and excision of the stenotic ureteral segment were then carried out. Histopathological analysis of the segment removed showed diffuse infiltration with epithelial tumor cells. On immunohistochemistry, these cells were found to be positive for cytokeratin and for estrogen and progesterone receptors. No primary cancer and no additional metastases were detected. Eleven months later a primary tumor with a metastasis in the left supraclavicular region was found in the patient's right breast.

Erysipelas-like cellulitis with Pasteurella multocida bacteremia after a cat bite.

A 73-year-old female patient presented with Pasteurella multocida erysipelas-like cellulitis, bacteremia, and shock. The onset of the disease occurred 24 h after a cat bit her to the right lower leg. Initially, the picture of bacteremia and shock developed, with minimal local cellulitis. Pasteurella multocida grew in blood culture. A combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid was therapeutically successful in respect that the signs of bacteremia and shock disappeared. However, extensive erysipelas-like cellulitis developed on the bitten leg within the next 2 days. The disease was efficiently treated with penicillin G combined with netilmicin and administered for 10 days. This report documents the first case of Pasteurella multocida erysipelas-like cellulitis with bacteremia and shock.

[Prognostic value of determination of the presence and histologic grade of the intraductal component in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast after conservative treatment]. / Prognosticka vrijednost odredivanja prisutnosti i histoloskog stupnja intraduktalne komponente invazivnog duktalnog karcinoma dojke nakon postednog lijecenja.

In recent years, breast-conserving therapy and radiation therapy have become an important treatment option for patients with stage I and II invasive breast cancer. The results of long-term retrospective studies have demonstrated that this treatment can provide a high level of local tumor control with satisfactory cosmetic results. Numerous studies have shown that the presence of extensive intraductal component (prominent intraductal carcinoma) is highly associated with subsequent local recurrence. In this article we have stressed the value of the determination of the presence and the histologic grade of prominent intraductal component of invasive ductal breast carcinoma in the determination of the extent of surgery. We also point out the possibility of determination of prominent DCIS on frozen sections.

Two outbreaks of typhoid fever related to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Two outbreaks of typhoid fever caused by Salmonella typhi of the same phagotype (A, biotype II), and antibiotic susceptibility are reported. Both occurred during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first outbreak appeared among the refugees from the town of Jajce. The second outbreak appeared among the inhabitants in the village of Vidosi near Livno. This report describes main clinical, epidemiological and laboratory findings for 22 patients treated in Split University Hospital, Croatia, in the period November 1992-January 1993. Possible epidemiological connections between those two outbreaks are discussed.

[Determination of antibody kinetics in Mediterranean spotted fever using the Weil-Felix agglutination test, complement fixation and indirect immunofluorescence]. / Kretanje protutijela u osoba s mediteranskom pjegavom groznicom odredivano Weil-Felixovom aglutinacijom, reakcijom vezanja komplementa i neizravnom imunofluorescencijom.

The kinetics of antibodies in human cases of Mediterranean spotted fever was studied by applying Weil-Felix (WF) agglutination with Proteus OX antigens, complement fixation (CF) and indirect immunofluorescence (IF) tests with Rickettsia conorri antigen to 46 sera from 21 patients. The kinetics of specific (CF and IF) and nonspecific (WF) antibodies was similar. The percentage of the positive sera and geometric mean titers of antibodies reached the maximum after 14 days from the onset of illness.

[Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with kidney transplantation]. / Kaposiev sarkom u bolesnika s transplantiranim bubregom.

An anti-HIV negative patient with cadaveric renal transplant developed Kaposi's sarcoma of the skin and gingiva 10 months after transplantation, taking triple immunosuppression (cyclosporine, azathioprine and prednisone). After reduction of the cyclosporine dose and complete cessation of azathioprine administration, the tumor regressed without rejection of renal transplant. The patient was a carrier of HLA A2 and DR5. When Kaposi's sarcoma was diagnosed serologic tests revealed reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. All this combined with considerable pharmacological immunosuppression, made the patient prone to develop Kaposi's sarcoma, which can regress with adequate reduction of immunosuppression.

[An epidemic of legionellosis at a hotel at the Makarska seashore]. / Epidemija legioneloze u hotelu na Makarskoj rivijeri.

The paper describes the epidemic of Legionellosis that occurred among guests and employees of a hotel at the Makarska littoral in May 1988. According to the so far reported data in the medical literature that was the third epidemic in our country and all three of them occurred in the Dalmatian touristic area. In this epidemic, nine foreign tourists were registered ill with the clinical picture of Legionnaires' disease. Five patients required hospitalization. The disease could be serologically proved in 4 patients and Legionella pneumophila SG1 was isolated from samples of 2 patients and from sediment of the hot-water tank. Since the opening of the hotel until the end of May, 19 hotel employees developed a febrile illness of short duration. The disease was serologically proved in 7 of them. The morbidity rate in tourists was 2.5%, while it amounted to 7.1% in the hotel employees. The epidemic lasted for 16 days. The infection spread through the hot water, and antiepidemic measures were limited to its pasteurization and hyperchloridation. The chain of infection was broken off by the application of those measures.

[Fatal postsplenectomy sepsis (OPSI syndrome)]. / Fatalna postsplenektomicna sepsa (OPSI sindrom).

The cases of postsplenectomy sepsis are described at the Clinical Hospital Centre Split. Overwhelming postsplenectomy infection is a unique clinical entity distinguishable from other infections. It may occur during the lifetime of any asplenic patient. The aggressive approach to splenic preservation is a way by reducing the risk of subsequent overwhelming postsplenectomy sepsis. In the case of necessary splenectomy, should be given long-term prophylactic antibiotics preoperative and polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine to it would be given shortly after operation. Autologous splenic implantation is generally recommended when total splenectomy is necessary.