Acute and Chronic Hepatitis C in Hemodialysis Patients 

Nir Hilzenrat, Marcus Mostoslavsky, David Tovbin

Liver Disease Service - Division of Gastroenterology, Dialysis Unit, Dept. of Nephrology and Division of Internal Medicine, Soroka Medical Center and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Acquired infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in hemodialysis patients has been described lately. In dialysis units in Italy and France, the prevalence and incidence of HCV are 20-60% and 1-2%, respectively. Most infected patients develop chronic hepatitis. The clinical presentation of acute HCV in hemodialysis patients is very mild and therefore the diagnosis is often made only by laboratory tests. Acute infection is usually followed by mild elevation of liver enzymes and the presence of HCV-RNA and anti-HCV in serum.

We report a 48-year-old man on hemodialysis who developed acute hepatitis C. The diagnosis was made by finding mild elevation of liver enzymes and the presence of HCV-RNA in his serum. A few months later, he developed severe hepatitis which was followed by rapid deterioration in liver function. However, the virus was eradicated and liver function tests became normal. Surprisingly, serum anti-HCV antibodies were detected 5 months later.

Does Incidence of Hepatitis AIncrease During Shmitah (The Sabbatical Year)?

Zvi Ackerman, Ita Goldstein, Elizabeth Ackerman

Depts. of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus; Bikur Holim Hospital; Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School; and Pediatrics Dept., Kupat Holim, Jerusalem

In Israel the biblical injunction of the sabbatical year (shmitah) prevails, whereby all Jewish-owned land should lie fallow during every seventh year. Consequently, it is customary for members of the orthodox Jewish community to eat only produce grown by non-Jews (Arabs). Many Arab farmers use sewage water for irrigation and since such water could be infected with hepatitis A virus (HAV), there is concern about the possibility of HAV epidemics during the sabbatical year.

We therefore we examined the data of the Israeli Center for Disease Control (ICDC). We found no obvious increase in incidence of viral hepatitis during, nor in the year immediately after, all sabbatical years since 1951. However, the data was not comprehensive as it included only partial information on morbidity from HAV in our Jewish inhabitants. Also, there was no data specific for the orthodox Jewish community, which is especially at risk for HAV from sewage-irrigated vegetables. Irrespective of shmitah, there should be constant effort to prevent HAV infection in Israel.

Model Internet Course for Physicians 

Arthur Leibovitz, Silvia Balan, Beni Habot

Geriatric Medical Center, Shmuel Harofeh Hospital, Be'er Ya'akov,  (Affiliated with Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University)

The Internet is efficient in coping with the ever-increasing volume of medical knowledge. This and other functions have lead to its integration into daily medical practice. It is therefore imperative to disseminate its use among physicians, as some, unfamiliar with the personal computer (PC), may be reluctant to learn to use it. We therefore developed a course for training physicians in the basics of Internet use, consisting of 6 sessions of 2 hours each. It includes training in PC operation as well as in the main Internet functions. The topics are medicine-oriented, including Medline search, general info search, exploring medical sites and reading medical journals on-line.

41 physicians (8 groups of 4-6 each) with various specialties attended, of whom 38 completed a feedback questionnaire 4 weeks later. 79% reported using the Internet either at home or at their working place. The function used mostly was Medline Search (68%). Although 83% had not been familiar with the PC before, 96% stated that the course was clear and understandable and 99% expressed satisfaction with the quality of the teaching. Based on these results we recommend this course as a model for teaching physicians the use of the Internet.
 

Malaria in Travelers Returning from Endemic Areas

Andre Matalon, Amos Yinnon

Kupat Cholim Klalit, Dan-Petah Tikva District, and Dept. of Family Medicine, Tel Aviv University; and Infectious Disease Unit, Shaare Zedek Hospital and Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem

2 cases of malaria in family practice are described in a 26- and a 50-year-old woman. Both probably could have been prevented had common chemoprophylactic drugs been taken. The risk of malaria is greater than the risk of possible side-effects of the drugs commonly used by travelers for prevention. Family physicians must be aware of the possibility of malaria in young people with fever, especially those who have travelled to equatorial areas and special attention should be given to encourage chemoprophylaxis.

Spinal and Extra-Spinal Tumors Mimicking Discal Herniation

E. Tamir, Y. Mirovsky, D. Robinson N. Halperin

Orthopedics Dept., Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin

Low back pain radiating to a limb is usually caused by lumbar disc herniation. Tumors of the spinal cord or near the sciatic or femoral plexus can cause neural compression and clinical signs similar to those of disc herniation. Such tumors are usually misdiagnosed as discal herniation and appropriate treatment is delayed. We present 4 men who had tumors causing low back pain radiating to the leg: a 70-year-old with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, a 20-year-old with aneurysmal bone cyst of the vertebral column, a 52-year-old with retroperitoneal sarcoma and a 32-year-old who also had retroperitoneal sarcoma. Diagnosis and trwere delayed because the clinical symptoms were ascribed to lumbar disc herniation. The latter 2 patients had CT-scans showing lumbar disc herniation, but similar findings are common among asymptomatic individuals.

The differential diagnosis of low back pain radiating to the leg should include tumor when there is a history of cancer, pain not relieved by conservative treatment nor by lying down, pain is increased at night, pain accompanied by weight loss, and when physical examination demonstrates injury to more than 1 nerve root. In these circumstances work-up should include EMG, radioisotope scan and CT of the pelvis.

Atypical Mycobacterial Cervical Lymphadenitis in Children

B. Klin, I. Boldur, J. Sandbank, Z. Schpirer, I. Vinograd

Depts. of Pediatric Surgery, Microbiology and Pathology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

Scrofula (mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis) has been well-known for thousands of years. Atypical mycobacteria were first categorized by Timpe and Runyon in 1954. Treatment has varied over the centuries, from exclusion therapy in ancient Greece, through digitalis, iodide, chemotherapy, and surgical excision. The varied differential diagnosis and consequent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges make reassessment of this almost forgotten disease necessary.

21 patients with typical mycobacterial cervical lymphaden„itis seen in over the past 5 years were reviewed. Age distribution ranged from 1-14 years, with peak incidence at 4 years; 9 were boys and 12 girls. Most presented with nontender, palpable neck masses and minimal constitutional complaints. Adenopathy was unilateral in all cases but 2. Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and M. fortuitum were the main causative organisms. All underwent excision of the affected nodes. Long-term follow-up has been uneventful, except for 1 case of local recurrence requiring re-excision.

This study emphasizes the marked variability in the clinical presentation of scrofula in children, stressing the importance of the differential diagnosis between tuberculous and atypical mycobacterial cervical lymphadenitis. The treatment of choice for the latter is complete excision of the affected nodes. Other treatment is followed by recurrence and unnecessary complications and should be avoided.

Hemophagocytic Syndrome

I. Morag, M. Goldman, T. Bistrizer, C. Kaplinsky

Pediatric Division, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Dept., Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

Hemophagocytic syndrome is a rare, fulminant disease characterized by generalized histiocytic proliferation associated with phagocytosis of erythrocytes, platelets, and to a lesser extent, of white blood cells. We report a 2-year-old boy admitted with high fever and irritability, with a rash, marked hepatomegaly and generalized lymphadenopathy. Liver function tests were abnormal and there was thrombocytopenia and hyperlipidemia. Bone marrow aspiration revealed hemophagocytosis. Despite intensive treatment with steroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and cytotoxic drugs, he died within 10 weeks.

Nutrition for Women's Health

Dorit Nitzan Kaluski, Alex Levental

Dept. of Nutrition, Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem

Biological, environmental and social factors predispose women to cardiovascular diseases, malignancy, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity and eating disorders. Their prevention requires that health services recognize women as a risk group and provide appropriate financial and professional resources. To develop and apply intervention programs for women, funding must be allocated for data collection, development and assessment of intervention programs and involving women in decision processes. We address the diseases and conditions in which nutrition may contribute to primary or secondary prevention of the specified diseases.

Referrals and Self-Referrals to an Emergency Department

Sasson Nakar, Shlomo Vinker, Yaacov Or, Mordechai Schadel, Yosi Niego, Gavriel Plotkin

Central District of General Sick Fund and Family Medicine Dept., Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and Emergency Dept., Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot (Affiliated with Hebrew University-Hadassah Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem)

The Israeli health system has been undergoing major changes in recent years. Considerations of cost containment have led sick funds to open new out-of-hours services in the community to reduce visits to hospital emergency departments.

Referred and self-referred visits to our emergency department during a 1-month period were studied. Patients after trauma or whose visits resulted in hospitalization were excluded. Of the 505 encounters 56.3% were of women; the average age was 52.5±19.3 years (range 18-96). 57.4% visits were during working hours of primary care clinics ("working hours"), while the others were "out-of-hours" visits. Only 52.7% had a referral letter, 75% of them from the family physician. The quality of the handwriting in 46% was good, in 44% fair and the remaining 10% were illegible. A specific clinical question was asked in only 16% of the letters. A third of "working-hours" visits were self- referrals, rising to 64% in "out-of-hours" visits (p<0.001).

The most common diagnoses in discharge letters were: chest or abdominal pain, asthma, back pain, headache, nephrolithiasis and upper respiratory tract infection. The rate of self-referrals was relatively high throughout the day. Cost-containment efforts did not seem to eliminate self-referrals with "primary care" problems. The quality of referral letters should be improved both with regard to format and content.

Treatment of Hypertension with Losartan

R. Zimlichman

Dept. of Medicine and Hypertension, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon

The efficacy, safety and side-effects of treatment with losartan (Ocsaar) was studied for the first time in Israel in a large group of patients with mild to moderate hypertension in several community clinics. The 421 patients (51% men) aged 30-86 years (mean 58.6) received 50 mg of losartan daily, increased when necessary to 100 mg, and/or a second antihypertensive drug was given. After 4 weeks blood pressure was normalized in 344 and after 12 weeks in 363. Side-effects were minimal and treatment was effective in all age groups.

Evaluation of Laparoscopy and Laparoscopic Ultrasound in Pancreatic Lesions

P. Schachter, Y. Avni, A. Rosen, A. Czerniak

Depts. of Surgery A and of Gastroenterology, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon

Pancreatic lesions present a diagnostic challenge. Even modern imaging techniques are not sensitive enough in determining resectability of pancreatic tumors. A substantial proportion of patients therefore undergo unnecessary surgical exploration. We determined the impact of laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound (LAPUS) examinations on surgical decision-making in 60 patients with pancreatic lesions.

Of 48 with solid pancreatic lesions, 22 were defined by LAPUS as having nonresectable tumors, while conventional imaging studies defined only 9 of them as such. 3 of these 9 underwent successful resections of the pancreatic mass. Surgical intervention was ruled out by LAPUS in 16 patients (33.3%) but 26 had resectable lesions of whom 25 underwent surgery. 3 of this group were found to have nonresectable tumors at surgery, a false-positive rate of 6.2%. Overall sensitivity of LAPUS in our series was 88%.

In 12 patients with cystic pancreatic lesions LAPUS contributed significantly to the preoperative decision due to clear imaging of the cystic lesion. Additional information was obtained from ultrasound guided-biopsy of the cyst wall, as well as determination of tumor-marker levels in the cystic fluid aspirate. LAPUS contributed significantly to operative management in 58%.

Cervical Ectopic Pregnancy

Eyal Sheiner, Ilana Yanai, David Yohai, Miriam Katz

Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pathology Unit, Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Cervical pregnancy is a rare but serious complication. The most frequent presenting symptom is vaginal bleeding, and is thus common in inevitable abortion. Examination reveals a dilated cervix containing products of conception derived from the emptied uterine cavity. The pathologic criteria are cervical glands opposite the placental site, attachment to and actual invasion of the cervix by the placenta, a portion of the placenta below the posterior reflection, and no fetal parts in the corpus uteri. Treatment ranges from hysterectomy to treatment with chemical agents, mostly methotrexate. We present a case of ectopic, cervical pregnancy with exaggerated placental site in the cervix.

Sport-Related Maxillofacial Fractures

Yitzhak Shoshani, Navot Givol, Shlomo Taicher

Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and Faculty of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University

The records of 537 patients with 750 maxillofaciafractures were reviewed and analyzed. 55 (10.2%) had sport-related injuries and the rest were due to othercauses. The sport-related group was predominantly male (ratio 9:1) with a mean age of 24.5 years. The mandible was most commonly injured (52.5%), followed by the zygomatic complex (32.8%). The incidence of complicated mid-facial fractures was only 2.8%, and of comminuted fractures 9%. This distribution of injuries is most likely due to the relatively low-energy of trauma associated with many sport activities. The relatively low mean age of the patients, most of whom had full dentition, allowed for conservative treatment of most of the mandibular fractures, using closed reduction.

Injuries were caused by 11 different sports. The highest incidence was soccer (45%), followed by skating (15%), basketball (9%) and horse-riding (9%). Contact sports were the cause of injuries in 72.2%, with the highest incidence of trauma due to impact with another player (60%). Better protection of the oral and maxillofacial region is needed, especially during high-contact sport.

Use of Unlicensed and Off-Label Drugs in Hospitalized Children

M. Lifshitz, V. Gavrilov, R. Gorodischer

Toxicology Unit, Pediatrics Dept. A, Soroka Medical Center, and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba

Many drugs used in children are based on pharmacological data obtained in adults. Therefore, many drugs are either unlicensed for use in children or are prescribed outside the terms of the product license (off-label). This pilot study assessed use of unlicensed or off-label drugs in hospitalized children.

Drug orders of patients admitted to a general pediatric ward were reviewed retrospectively in a random sample. Assessment was based on the data of the Physicians' Desk Reference and the Israel Drug Compendium. 80 different drugs and 278 drug orders were written for 92 patients (0.5 months - 11 years old, mean 26.9 months) in 97 admissions. Of these 52.9% were either off-label or unlicensed. Patients received 1 or more unlicensed or off-label drugs in 64.9% of admissions. They were more often off-label than unlicensed. The main reasons for use of off-label drugs were unusual doses and inappropriate age. The main reason for unlicensed drugs was modification of a particular formulation of a licensed drug.

This pilot study indicates that use of drugs in an off-label or unlicensed manner in children is probably quite frequent in Israel. Our data emphasize the need for licensing a large number of drugs for use in children, based on the same scientific principles as in adults. Further collaborative studies in different pediatric centers in Israel, involving different types of pediatric settings (ambulatory and in-hospital), is required to evaluate comprehensively the magnitude of this preliminary finding.

Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy

J. Kuriansky, A. Saenz, D. Rosin, E. Astudillo, L. Fernandez-Cruz

Dept. of General Surgery and Transplantation, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and Dept. of Surgery, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy has recently been shown to be safe and effective for a variety of benign adrenal tumors, such as aldosterone adenoma, pheochromocytoma, nonfunctioning adenoma, Cushing's adenoma and Cushing's syndrome. Recently, laparoscopic surgeons adopted an extraperitoneal approach in which a space is created by the introduction of a trocar with an inflatable balloon tip. This technique with a minimal access procedure provides direct access to the adrenal glands without interfering with intraperitoneal organs.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy using the extraperitoneal approach was completed in 18/20 consecutive patients. Mean operative time was 95 min (range 80-120) and median hospital stay 3 days. Blood transfusion was not required, and there were no postoperative complications.