תוצאת חיפוש

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone in Azoospermia in Prediction of Spermatogenic Patterns

David B. Weiss, Shoshana Gottschalk-Sabag, Zvi Zukerman, Elchanan Bar-On, Zvi Kahana

Kupat Holim Me'uhedet; and Dept. of Pathology and Cytology and Male Infertility Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem; Andrology Unit, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), Petah Tikva; and Paper Research Consultant Institute, Jerusalem

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is considered to be the most important plasma hormone correlated with spermatogenesis. Elevated FSH plasma levels were shown to be associated with complete damage to testicular seminiferous tubule germinal epithelium. Recently, there have been conflicting reports with regard to the value of FSH plasma levels in predicting seminiferous tubule histology in the azoospermic patient and hence, as a guide for therapy in assisted reproduction using testicular sperm retrieval. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether FSH plasma levels can predict spermatogenic pattern in the testes of the azoospermic infertile patient. 69 infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia and 18 with very severe oligospermia were studied. In all, plasma levels of testosterone, free testosterone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were measured by enzyme immunoassay. In the azoospermic patients the seminiferous tubule spermatogenic pattern was determined in testicular aspirates obtained by multiple fine needle aspiration and categorized according to the most mature spermatogenic cell type in the aspirates: Sertoli cells only, spermatogenic maturation arrest or full spermatogenesis. There were no significant differences in plasma levels of any hormone measured except in very severely oligospermic and azoospermic patients. Both normal and elevated levels were detected in all, regardless of seminiferous tubule cytological pattern or plasma FSH in azoospermic patients. It is concluded that plasma levels of FSH can not be used as a predictive parameter, neither for the presence of spermatozoa nor for any other seminiferous tubule cytological pattern in azoospermic infertile men. They cannot serve as guides for selection of azoospermic men for trials of testicular sperm retrieval in assisted reproduction.

Vacuum Phenomenon in the Hip Joint: Diagnostic Value

S. Iordache, E. Rath, D. Atar, A. Vindzberg

Orthopedics Dept., Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba

Vacuum phenomenon is well known in degenerative spinal disease in the elderly, but is seldom seen in other joints, especially in children. The phenomenon does not represent a pathological finding, and can be used for imaging of the articular facets, mainly in the hip and knee joints. We report a patient with this phenomenon in the hip joint.

Abnormal Liver Function Tests in the Primary Care Setting

Shlomo Vinker, Sasson Nakar, Emanuel Nir, Eitan Hyam, Michael A. Weingarten

Dept. of Family Medicine, Rabin Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Tel Aviv University; and General Sick Fund, Central District

Results of laboratory tests ordered during a primary care encounter may reveal findings of abnormal liver function tests, including elevated liver enzymes, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoalbuminemia or abnormal coagulation tests. The object of this study was to describe the spectrum of these liver function test (LFT) abnormalities in primary care.

Results of all laboratory tests ordered during 10 months in an urban primary care clinic were retrospectively reviewed and the medical charts of patients with abnormal LFTs were studied. In 217/1088 (20%) of the tests at least 1 LFT abnormality was found in 156 patients. New diagnoses were made in 104 patients. The main diagnostic groups were: non-alcoholic fatty liver changes, Gilbert's disease, acute infectious hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis and hepatotoxic drug injury. In 60 patients the physician classified the abnormality as negligible and not associated with significant disease. However, an abnormal test that had been ordered for evaluation of a specific complaint, was indeed likely to represent significant disease (X²=29.5, p<0.001). We conclude that finding abnormalities in liver function tests is common in the primary care clinic but does not often indicate significant liver disease.

Brucellosis in Pregnancy

Rinat Hackmon, Juri Bar-David, Asher Bashiri, Moshe Mazor

Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba

Brucellosis is rare in pregnancy. Recently, an increase in the incidence of this disease has been observed in our area. We present 7 cases of brucellosis in pregnancy and review the literature on the effects of brucellosis on the outcome of pregnancy. Brucellosis is rare in the Middle East and Africa and the most common source of infection is unpasteurized milk products. Brucella is a coccobacillus, gram-negative bacterium, whose hosts are mostly animals.

There is controversy about the relationship between brucellosis and the outcome of pregnancy. There is some evidence that there is a higher rate of complications such as abortion, premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery in infected animals. Reasons for this difference in the impact of brucella in animals and man include the absence of the carbohydrate erythritol in the human placenta, which appears to be a preferential medium and growth factor for brucella in the placentas of animals.

There is uncertainty regarding effects of brucella in early pregnancy and no evidence of its transplacental passage in later pregnancy, causing adverse obstetrical outcome, although recently there has been a single report of Brucella abortus (biotype 2). 
We present 7 cases of brucellosis in pregnant women found between 1977-1988. Its incidence among the women who delivered here is 0.007% (7/92,768 deliveries). Our first case was complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes and preterm delivery in the 20th week of gestation. In 2 other cases there was preterm delivery with 1 developing clinical chorioamnionitis. The 4 remaining women delivered at term, although 1 had preterm premature rupture of membranes and intra-uterine growth retardation, and 2 had postpartum endometritis.

Early Results with Threaded Spinal Cage Fusion Systems

Ely Ashkenazi, Stephen T. Onesti

Neurosurgery Depts. of Hadassah-University Hospital, Jerusalem and Montefiore Medical Center, New York

Lumbar interbody fusion is a surgical technique used to treat symptomatic lumbar disc disease. Low back disorders are the most common of the musculoskeletal disorders causing a tremendous burden of disability. One of the causes of low back pain and radiculopathy is spinal instability, which can be treated by spinal fusion. In the past year, threaded cage systems have become available for segmental lumbar fusion for degenerative disc disease. These systems offer several biomechanical advantages over traditional lumbar fusion and instrumentation techniques, and are better tolerated.

From December 1996 until June 1997 we operated and fused spines of 17 patients, using 2 different fusion systems (anterior and posterior approaches). We present our early results.

Mechanism of Primary Hypertension

Ludwig Kornel,* Arthur V. Prancan

Steroid Research Laboratory, Depts. of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, and Dept. of Pharmacology, Rush Medical Center, Chicago and *Endocrinology-Diabetes Outpatient Clinic, Kupat Holim Klalit, Jerusalem

We review various theories of the pathogenetic mechanisms of steroid-induced and essential hypertension. We investigated the possibility that a pathogenetic mechanism leading to glucocorticoid (GC)-induced hypertension or to mineralocorticoid (MC)-induced hypertension, or both, may be of critical importance in primary hypertension. We studied plasma levels of corticosterone (BK) and aldosterone (Aldo), and their concentrations in arterial and renal tissues of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), a model of primary hypertension, and in the antecedent strain WKY rats as a normotensive control. Plasma levels of BK and Aldo were found to be normal and identical in SHRs and WKYs. Tissue (intracellular) levels of BK were more than double in SHRs than in WKYs. Subsequently we examined the activity of 11b-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD) in both aortic and renal tissues of SHRs and WKYs. 11-HSD converts BK to the corresponding 11-keto compound, 11-dehydro-corticosterone (cpd.AK), which is inactive, in view of its inability to bind to the MC receptors (and also to the GC receptors). BK, the main glucocorticoid in the rat, as well as cortisol, have high affinity for the MC-receptor (MR). Normally BK or cortisol are present in 10²-10³ times greater concentrations than Aldo in tissues possessing MR. The enzyme 11-HSD deactivates BK (or cortisol), thus protecting MC-receptors in the MC target tissues from being activated by GC. When we examined arterial and renal tissue activities of 11-HSD in SHRs, the activity of 11-HSD was only one-third that found in the WKY rats. This explained higher levels of BK in the tissues of SHR, and suggested that decreased activity of 11-HSD is a pathogenetic factor for hypertension in SHRs.

Thus, in a model of primary hypertension such as SHR, decreased activity of 11-HSD in the target tissues of MC appears to lead to glucocorticoid-induced mineralocorticoid hypertension.

Combined Treatment of Hepatic Tumors by Cryosurgery and Resection

Doron Kopelman, Alexander Beny, Ahmed Assalia, Diana Gaitini, Yoram Klein, Moshe Hashmonai

Depts. of Surgery B, Oncology and Radiology, Rambam Medical Center and Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa

Cryosurgery is an old technique which is being used for hepatic tumors as an adjuvant to hepatic resection. We recently treated 7 patients with multiple malignant liver tumors, 5 of whom had colorectal metastases, 1 carcinoid metastases, and 1 multiple hepatic lesions of hepatocellular carcinoma. 6 underwent combined liver resection and cryoablation of lesions in the remaining liver. In the 7th patient, only cryoablation was performed because hepatic resection was rejected and there was an extrahepatic metastasis. The advantages of this treatment are removal or destruction of all liver lesions found by any method, including intraoperative ultrasound examination, maximal preservation of normal liver parenchyma and that it is curative in patients inoperable by standard criteria.

Benign Intracranial Hypertension following Minocyclin

A. Halevy, I. Offer, B. Garty

Pediatric Depts. A and B, Schneider Children's Hospital, Petah Tikva and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University

A 15-year-old girl, who had been treated with minocyclin for acne for 2 months, was admitted for investigation of headache, nausea and papilledema. A space-occupying lesion was ruled out by computerized brain tomography. The diagnosis of benign intracranial pressure (pseudo-tumor cerebri) was made because of elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure with normal biochemistry and cytology. Tetracyclines, especially minocyclin, commonly used for treating acne in adolescents, can cause benign intracranial pressure.

Evaluation of a Local Infant Formula Enriched with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Zvi Weizman, Elena Brutman, Drora Leader, Chaim Zegerman

Pediatric Gastroenterology Dept. and Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheba;

and Ma'abarot Products Industry, Kibbutz Ma'abarot

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are vital for the normal development of the brain and the eye retina in infancy. Breast milk contains significant amounts of PUFA, and compensates for their low production in infancy. Only recently a few companies with worldwide product distribution have started to enrich infant formula with PUFA. We evaluated the safety and clinical efficacy of a locally made PUFA-enriched infant formula, produced for the first time in Israel.

50 normal, full term infants participated in a prospective, randomized double-blind study. Half received a regular whey-predominant infant formula (Materna Plus), and the other half a PUFA-enriched formula (Materna Premium), both produced in Israel, for 30 days. Evaluation included physical examination, growth parameters, stool analysis, daily parental questionnaires regarding infant behavior and defecation, and developmental assessment.

There were no significant differences on comparing growth parameters, infant behavior, attacks of restlessness, gas severity, or stool characteristics in the 2 groups. There were no side effects or abnormal stool findings in either group, and no differences in developmental assessment at 3 months of age.

We conclude that the locally-produced PUFA-enriched infant formula is safe and clinically efficient. We assume that the lack of any effect on developmental indices is due to the relatively short exposure to the PUFA-enriched diet. Nevertheless, based on the recent literature, there is no doubt that PUFA supplementation isvital in improving infant brain and eye development.

Emergency Stenting for Acute Left Main Coronary Artery Closure during Cardiac Catheterization

Alberto Hendler, Oren Agranat

Catheterization Laboratory, Rama Marpeh Hospital, Petah Tikva

We report a case of acute closure of the left main coronary artery, a rare complication of diagnostic cardiac catheterization, treated by emergency stenting prior to aorto-coronary by-pass surgery. We suggest encroachment of the Judkins catheter into a calcified left main ostium, with dissection and acute thrombosis of this segment, as the possible mechanism.

Clinically, the patient's condition deteriorated to cardiogenic shock and loss of consciousness. Remarkably, there was no angiographic evidence of significant left main coronary artery disease, besides the presence of calcification in the proximal part of the left coronary system and ventricularization of coronary pressure at the time of engagement. We chose to slide quickly the angioplasty guidewire through the left main coronary artery, which allowed prompt mechanical recanalization and rapid restoration of coronary flow, with dramatic clinical and hemodynamic improvement. This relatively simple procedure allowed stenting the left main artery after brief predilation, and the patient came to by-pass surgery in excellent condition. The rationale for surgery in this case was the need for complete coronary revascularization because of significant 3-vessel coronary artery disease.

Living-Related Liver Transplantation

N. Bar-Nathan, Z. Shapira, E. Shaharabani, A. Yussim, Y. Ben-Ari, T. Sheinfeld, I. Zehavi, R. Shapira, G. Dinari, Z. Ben-Ari, R. Tur-Kaspa, E. Mor

Dept. of Transplantation and Liver Institute, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), and Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Gastroenterology Units, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva

Our experience with living-related liver transplantation is described. In 2 boys and 1 girl, aged 4-4.5 years with acute, fulminating hepatitis A, the presence of very severe jaundice (bilirubin levels > 18 mg%) associated with severe coagulopathy (INR>10) and encephalopathy indicated the need for urgent liver transplantation. In all 3 cases the left lateral hepatic segment of a matched blood type parent was transplanted. None of the donors suffered a serious complication postoperatively and all returned to full activity in 6-16 weeks. The post-transplantation course was uneventful in 1 child, but in the other 2 there was hepatic arterial thrombosis in 1 at 1 day and in the other at 8 days post-transplantation. Early detection of arterial thrombosis by Doppler sonography permitted salvage of the 2 hepatic grafts after thrombectomy and re-anastomosis. In 1 of these 2 children an anastomotic biliary stricture was found 2 months after transplantation. It was corrected at surgery and a percutaneous stent was inserted. All 3 children are alive with normal graft function at 2, 7 and 8 months post-transplantation, respectively. This initial experience indicates that living-related liver transplantation is feasible in Israel. The technique might help to solve our severe organ shortage for children awaiting liver transplantation.

Primary Care Physicians in Israel Compared with European Countries

P. Shvartzman, R. Gross, H. Tabenkin, D. Yuval, M. Grinshtein, B. Wienka

Dept. of Family Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba;

Brookdale Institute, Jerusalem; and Nivel Institute, Maastricht, the Netherlands

This study compares Israeli primary care physicians with those of European countries. In Israel a larger proportion of those in primary care are women. The Israeli physicians see many patients a day, but almost never make home visits. They also report for work the fewest hours a day, but spend 21 hours a month in continuous medical education. (more than Europeans?) The Israeli primary care physician scores high in screening for breast cancer and blood cholesterol level, but very low in the fields of minor surgery and alcohol and smoking prevention, contraception, nutrition counseling and normal pregnancy follow-up. Residency training and education may be inadequate, and more emphasis has to be put on the health system and recognizing environmental influences.

Percutaneous Revascularization of the Left Main Coronary Artery as Coronary Artery Bypass in High Surgical Risks

Yoseph Rozenman, Chaim Lotan, Hisham Nassar, Mervyn S. Gotsman

Cardiology Dept., Hadassah-University Hospital (Ein Kerem) and Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem

Coronary artery bypass grafting is the treatment of choice for obstructive disease of the left main coronary artery. Its proximal location and easy accessibility make the left main artery an inviting target for percutaneous intervention, an approach contraindicated by the high associated risk. We describe 2 patients at high operative risk in whom the obstructed main coronary artery was successfully revascularized percutaneously. Coronary stenting and rotational ablation of calcified arteries are essential for successful outcome and minimize complications.

Patient Satisfaction with Care in Acute-Care Hospitals

Ayelet Berg, Dan Yuval

JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Human Development, Jerusalem

Patient satisfaction with the hospitalization process is an important element in the measurement of quality of care. Information from a survey of patients' experiences could therefore help hospitals improve their service, and provide decision-makers with relevant information. We present the findings of a study of some 4,500 patients, aged 18+, released from hospitals in the fall of 1993 and of 1995 from the wards of 9 acute care hospitals, psychiatric and geriatric wards excluded. Self-administered questionnaires were sent and returned by mail, with an overall response rate of 82%.

Despite the many changes in Israel's health system in general and its hospital system in particular, and the social and demographic changes between those 2 periods, patient satisfaction remained constant. Of those discharged from medical or surgical wards, 70% were satisfied to a "great" or "very great" extent with their hospital experience. There was improvement in most areas of hospitalization in the course of the 2 years. The greatest improvement was with regard to admission, nursing staff, hotel services, in patient satisfaction food and supplies. On the other hand there was deterioration in visiting conditions and hours. Satisfaction with physicians, nurses and hotel services had the strongest links with general satisfaction.

Recurrent Syncope as a Presenting Symptom of Systemic Mastocytosis

Iris Barshack, Ginette Schiby, Ofer Shpilberg, Yechezkel Sidi

Pathology Dept., Hematology Institute and Medical Dept. C, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer

A 48-year-old man presented with recurrent syncope which was preceded by facial edema and difficulty in breathing. Physical examination, laboratory tests, abdominal CT and bone scan were all within normal limits. Bone marrow biopsy was consistent with mastocytosis. Systemic mastocytosis consists of a spectrum of disorders characterized by aberrant proliferation of tissue mast cells, and are mainly related to mast cell mediator release.