Comparing intermediate-term hearing results of NiTiBOND and Nitinol prostheses in stapes surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To statistically analyse the hearing thresholds of two cohorts undergoing stapedotomy for otosclerosis with two different prostheses. METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted comparing NiTiBOND (n = 53) and Nitinol (n = 38) prostheses. RESULTS: Average follow-up duration was 4.1 years for NiTiBOND and 4.4 years for Nitinol prostheses. The post-operative air-bone gap was 10 dB or less, indicating clinical success. The p-values for differences between (1) pre- and post-operative values in the NiTiBOND group, (2) pre- and post-operative values in the Nitinol group, (3) pre-operative values and (4) post-operative values in the two groups were: air-bone gap - p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.631 and p = 0.647; four-frequency bone conduction threshold - p = 0.076, p = 0.129, p < 0.001 and p = 0.005; four-frequency air conduction threshold - p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.043 and p = 0.041; three-frequency (1, 2 and 4 kHz) bone conduction threshold pre-operatively - p = 0.639, p = 0.495, p = 0.001 and p = 0.01; and air conduction threshold at 4 kHz: - p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.03 and p = 0.058. CONCLUSION: Post-operative audiological outcomes for NiTiBOND and Nitinol were comparable.

Small-Angle Scattering from Nanoscale Fat Fractals.

Small-angle scattering (of neutrons, x-ray, or light; SAS) is considered to describe the structural characteristics of deterministic nanoscale fat fractals. We show that in the case of a polydisperse fractal system, with equal probability for any orientation, one obtains the fractal dimensions and scaling factors at each structural level. This is in agreement with general results deduced in the context of small-angle scattering analysis of a system of randomly oriented, non-interacting, nano-/micro-fractals. We apply our results to a two-dimensional fat Cantor-like fractal, calculating analytic expressions for the scattering intensities and structure factors. We explain how the structural properties can be computed from experimental data and show their correlation to the variation of the scaling factor with the iteration number. The model can be used to interpret recorded experimental SAS data in the framework of fat fractals and can reveal structural properties of materials characterized by a regular law of changing of the fractal dimensions. It can describe successions of power-law decays, with arbitrary decreasing values of the scattering exponents, and interleaved by regions of constant intensity.

Capillary electrophoresis separation of vinpocetine and related compounds: prediction of electrophoretic mobilities in partly aqueous media.

Offord's equation, a relationship between electrophoretic mobility and charge, size and shape of peptides, has been extended to quantitate the electrophoretic mobility of vinca alkaloids. Partly aqueous protonation constants and the derived theoretical mobilities have been proven to be able to predict experimental electrophoretic mobilities. In practice, seven vincamine derivatives of very low water-solubility were separated by capillary electrophoresis. Buffer total concentration, apparent pH and methanol content, the three most important parameters of the running buffer, were used in triangular resolution mapping to characterize separation. Even though electrophoresis is well known to slow down in partly aqueous media, under our optimized circumstances a baseline separation was achieved within 8 min in each case.

Equilibrium binding model of bile salt-mediated chiral micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.

Optimum concentration of bile salts in chiral separations depends on both the aggregation properties of the surfactant and the stability of the analyte-micelle complexes. An equilibrium model is proposed in which these two effects are treated separately. First the aggregation constants should be determined under the experimental conditions of the chiral MEKC analysis. With these data, the equilibrium concentrations of bile salt aggregates can be calculated at any total surfactant concentration. Using the Offord equation to approximate the mobilities of the enantiomer-bile salt complexes, a model function has been derived to fit the experimental mobilities. The method yields the binding constants of the enantiomers to each aggregate present. Those species are assumed to be important in the chiral recognition process, which have significantly different stability constants for the enantiomers. The method is demonstrated by the chiral separation of R- and S-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogen phosphate with sodium taurodeoxycholate. Based on the calculated binding constants, tetrameric aggregates are assumed to be the discriminating species, while no significant difference in enantiomer binding to dimers was found.

[Microequilibrium of drug molecules]. / Gyógyszervegyületek mikroegyensúlyai.

Protonation macro-, micro-, and submicro constants are physico-chemical parameters of crucial importance, concerning the fate of bio-, drug, and narcotic drug molecules in the body and in protic solvents. The most important characteristics, relationships, applications and biological significance of these parameters are reviewed, using acetylcysteine and cysteine, as examples. The mucolytic effect of acetylcysteine, an active principle in numerous drugs, is interpreted in terms of protonation state of the molecule and its thiolate site. Microscopic protonation constants of acetylcysteine, data that have not previously appeared, are also reported.

Evaluation of the GnRH test results of beef-type breeding bull candidates.

The GnRH test results of Hungarian Fleckvieh and Charolais breeding bull candidates were evaluated by two different methods (selection based on previously fixed standard data and on standard deviation, respectively) in two breeding herds. The Leydig's cell response of the testicles to a central signal after the injection of a single dose of 100 micrograms exogenous GnRH analogue (Ovurelin inj. ad us. vet., Reanal Co. Ltd., Budapest) was evaluated. The two different selection methods used for evaluating the results of the GnRH test brought different results: on the basis of phenotypic value three, while according to the absolute value seven Hungarian Fleckvieh individuals were selected as excellent. For the evaluation of the results of GnRH treatment, the phenotypic deviation value should be used in the practice because of its easy interpretation. The relative phenotypic values changed between 84.4 and 136.6 in the Hungarian Fleckvieh and between 64.7 and 179.4 in the Charolais breed.

[Immune thrombocytopenic purpura and pregnancy: maternal risk factors]. / Immun thrombocytopeniás purpura és terhesség: az anya veszélyeztetettsége.

Authors analyse 75 pregnancies and 51 deliveries, respectively, of 45 mothers with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) from the point of view of maternal risks. Pregnancies that occurred in active disease were electively terminated. It was found that pregnancy contributed to the clinical manifestation of ITP, and antepartal bleeding took place in 18%, and preeclampsia emerged in 6%. The chronic ITP showed exacerbation during pregnancy in 27.3%, thus causing antepartal bleeding in 4.5% and postpartal bleeding in 15.9%. Postpartal bleeding presented in total 20%, not only in cases with severe ITP, but also in moderate ones. Postpartal blood transfusion was needed in 16%. The postpartal reduction of hemoglobin level determined 2-3 days following delivery was higher than in those ITP patients who had no postpartal haemorrhage than that in the general obstetrical population. This suggests an increased blood loss associated with delivery in patients with ITP. Maternal morbidity of patients with ITP in whom the disease first manifested during pregnancy was higher than that of those patients in whom pregnancy was associated with the remission of ITP. In order to decrease the maternal risks in ITP we advise that pregnancy should occur and be carried during remission.

Pregnancy and hereditary spherocytosis. Report of 8 patients and a review.

As there is only little information on pregnancy complicated by hereditary spherocytosis, we report on 8 patients with this disorder who had a total of 19 pregnancies. 10 pregnancies occurred in patients before splenectomy, and 9 occurred after splenectomy. There were 13 term births, 4 spontaneous abortions and 2 therapeutic abortions. Of the 19 pregnancies, 8 were complicated by anemia and all were in patients without splenectomy. A hemolytic crisis was encountered in 6 pregnancies, and persistent anemia occurred in 2. Transfusion was required in 4 pregnancies. It would appear that pregnancy may precipitate hemolytic anemia but maternal morbidity and fetal outcome seem more favorable after splenectomy than before splenectomy.

Pregnancy in idiopathic aplastic anemia (report of 10 patients).

This paper reports on 6 patients with severe, 2 with moderate and 2 with mild aplastic anemia who had a total of 18 pregnancies after the diagnosis. All four pregnancies that occurred during the active state of severe and moderate aplastic anemias were electively terminated. Two out of 14 pregnancies that occurred during the long-term remission were electively terminated for non-medical reason, two spontaneous abortions occurred and 10 live births were seen. All offspring were healthy at follow-up. During pregnancy the circulating blood cell levels decreased in 1 out of 6 pregnancies in patients who were in remission from mild and moderate aplastic anemias, and in 4 out of 8 pregnancies in patients who were in remission from severe aplastic anemia. In all 5 cases that showed a relapse during pregnancy the remission recurred following the termination of pregnancy. The data presented suggest that aplastic anemia in long-term remission can unpredictably relapse during pregnancy, but its final outcome appears not to be affected by pregnancy. Furthermore, there is no correlation between the pre-pregnancy clinical course and the events during pregnancy. The outcome of pregnancy during the remission of aplastic anemia seems beneficial, and spontaneous delivery should be preferred.

Pregnancy in cyclic neutropenia.

We present a patient with cyclic neutropenia who had two successful pregnancies during which the disease improved. Following one of the deliveries severe endometritis and wound dehiscence of the episiotomy developed and neonatal pemphigoid was seen.

[Unity of diagnostic pathology, continuing education and research at our institute]. / A diagnosztikus pathológiai, továbbképzö és kutató munka egységéröl intézetünkben.

Authors give a brief view on the activity in Institute of Pathology and Histopathology of Post-graduate University of Medicine. In its frame, close relation of diagnostic, post-graduate education and research activity is illustrated by examples of different fields (intestinal, cardiac, vascular system, respiratory tract, organ of locomotion, urological diseases, electronmicroscopic tumor diagnostics, endocrinology). Importance of modern morphological methods and their place both in practical and scientific activity are dealt with.