GEANT4 validation for X-ray treatment of wooden cultural heritage artefacts.

The preservation of cultural heritage is very important. Ionizing radiation is widely used for this purpose and use of gamma irradiation has become common practice in cultural heritage preservation. The number of available electron accelerators is two orders of magnitude greater than for gamma facilities, and many countries do not have gamma facilities. In this work we demonstrate the possibility of using an electron accelerator and X-rays generated from accelerated electrons for radiation treatment of wooden cultural heritage. The GEANT4 toolkit was used for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. The accuracy of radiation treatment numerical simulation in comparison with experiment was in range of 1.5-11.8%.

Adrenal myelolipoma. 6 cases and a review of the literature.

Adrenal myelolipoma is an uncommon, benign and hormonally inactive tumor. Most lesions are asymptomatic and usually are discovered incidentally at autopsy studies. Authors report on 6 patients (5 women, 1 man) with adrenal myelolipomas (5 right, 1 left), analyze their morphological findings and association with an adrenal hormonal overproduction. Five of the patients underwent surgery because of tumor size, in 3 of them histological evaluation confirmed myelolipoma and in 2 cases an adrenocortical adenoma with foci of myelolipoma. All the patients were asymptomatic and in 4 cases hormonal overproduction was not found. One female patient has oveproduction of dehydroepiandrosteron-sulphate (DHEAS) indicating a 3beta hydroxylase deficiency in this tumor and 1 patient has primary aldosteronism with a histological finding of an association of adrenocortical adenoma with foci of myelolipoma. Neither Cushings syndrome nor congenital adrenal hyperplasia were present in our group of patients.

Aldosterone-producing adenoma associated with foci of myelolipoma.

The simultaneous occurrence of adrenal myelolipoma and endocrine disorders is rare. Myelolipomas have occasionally been found in patients with Cushing's syndrome, pheochromocytoma and hyperthyroidism. A recently published study described one well-documented case of adrenal adenoma and myelolipoma in a patient with Conn's syndrome. In this report the patient had a one-year history of treated hyperthyroidism and diagnosed aldosterone-producing adenoma. A disseminated adrenal myelolipoma was found within the adrenocortical adenoma. To our knowledge this histological finding has not been previously reported in association with both Conn's syndrome and hyperthyroidism.

[Rare complication of surgery of an intervertebral disk (breaking of instrument).]. / Zriedkavá komplikácia operácie mezistavcovej platnicky (zalomenie instrumentu).

The autors describe a rare complication which occured during surgery of an intervertebral disk -breaking of the surgical instrument. This complication is in some instance asymptomatic, in others it may cause major trouble to the patient. Key words: intervertebral disk, breaking of the instrument.

[Incidence of primary hyperaldosteronism in hospitalized patients with hypertension]. / Výskyt primárneho hyperaldosteronizmu u hospitalizovaných hypertonikov.

AIMS: To detect the incidence of primary hyperaldosteronism (PH) in hospitalized hypertensive patients. METHODS: Authors assessed plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone (PA) in 100 patients with arterial hypertension hospitalized at the II. department of Internal medicine in Kosice because of resistance to ambulatory treatment, eventually with the aim of differential diagnosis of arterial hypertension. RESULTS: From 100 hypertensive patients 90 (90%) have had essential hypertension (EH), 8 (8%) PH, 2 (2%) renovascular hypertension and 1 patient (1%) pheochromocytoma. Aldosterone-renin ratio was in PH patients 10-fold higher comparing with EH patients. From the 8 patients with PH 4 have had adenoma and in 3 patients hyperplasia was diagnosed with the use of CT or histology, 1 case was idiopathic hyperaldosteronism without CT hyperplasia evidence. In all PH patients the level of kalemia was less than 4 mmol/l, i.e. kalemia 4.0 mmol/l has 100% sensitivity for PH detection. CONCLUSION: Introduction of PRA and PA examinations in the diagnostic process of arterial hypertension led to more frequent diagnosis of PH, which may probably represent the most frequent form of endocrine hypertension. Although ARR is a reliable test for PH screening, routine ARR examinations in ambulatory practice are technically complicated and connected with high costs. Increasing the threshold level of kalemia for PH detection led to higher sensitivity and that is why the authors consider ARR examination rational in every patient with kalemia level less than 4 mmol/l. (Tab. 4, Ref. 18.)

[Correlation of urography, ultrasonography and computer tomography with clinical findings in examinations of the kidneys and retroperitoneum. Possibilities of diagnostic errors]. / Korelácia urografie, ultrasonografie a pocítacovej tomografie s klinickým nálezom pri vysetrení obliciek a retroperitónea. Moznosti diagnostických omylov.

The authors prospectively and retrospectively mutually compared the diagnostic value of urography, ultrasonography (USG), and computer tomography (CT) in four patients, with the diagnosis misstated prior to operation. The most valuable findings were provided by CT. Mere utilization of these methods does not exclude the possibility of diagnostic misstatements. In three patients the ultimate diagnosis was assessed on the basis of operative revision and in one patient, by means of cytologic examination of the renal punctate. Owing to retrospective evaluation of examinations, diagnostically valuable symptoms which could have lead to the correct diagnosis, were distinguished. Hence, examinations must necessarily be evaluated in complex with the general clinical state. (Fig. 6, Ref. 14.).

[Renal venous thrombosis in neonates]. / Renálna venózna trombóza u novorodenca.

The authors present an account on a neonate with dextro-lateral renal venous thrombosis. They focus attention on the diagnostic and therapeutic procedure and compare it with available data from the literature. Contrary to data in the literature, they did not observe in the acute stage of renal venous thrombosis signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation in peripheral blood. It did not prove possible to elucidate the action of any of the factors leading to the development of renal venous thrombosis. After evidence of permanent functional loss of the right kidney nephrectomy was performed. Histopathological examination provided evidence of obliterating thrombosis of the renal veins with partial recanalization and calcifications. The authors emphasize the necessity of early diagnosis of renal venous thrombosis and adequate treatment based on the revealed findings.

[Treatment in a patient with multiple brain abscesses]. / Liecenie pacienta s mnohopocetnými abscesmi mozgu.

The authors present an account of successful treatment of a 23-year-old patient with multiple relapsing abscesses of the right cerebral hemisphere of otogenic origin by repeated punctures. They emphasize the importance of computed tomography for assessment of the type of lesions, their localization and follow-up of the disease.

[Cystic lesions of the prostate--diagnosis, therapy and clinical significance]. / Cystické lézie prostaty--ich diagnostika, liecba a klinický význam.

The authors present an account of results of examinations in 162 patients with cancer of the prostate, benign hyperplasia of the prostate, inflammatory diseases of the prostate and patients with a normal finding on palpation of the prostate. The patients were subjected to clinical, laboratory, histopathological and transrectal ultrasonography of the prostate. In one patient a CT examination of the prostate was made. In the group were seven patients with cystic prostate lesions (4.3%). In the group of patients with inflammatory diseases of the prostate they observed cystic changes in five patients (14.2%). The most important group was formed by two patients with abscesses of the prostate and one patient with an ascended utriculus prostaticus. Transrectal ultrasonography of the prostate was the supreme method for the diagnosis of cystic prostate lesions.

[Seminal vesical abscess-diagnosis and therapy]. / Absces semenných mechúrikov--diagnostika a liecba.

The authors present case-histories of two patients with abscesses of the seminal vesicles. They emphasize the asset of transrectal ultrasonographic examination for the early diagnosis of an abscess of the seminal vesicles. Antibiotic therapy, puncture of the seminal vesicles and evacuation of pus proved effective therapeutic methods.

Correlation of serum aspirin esterase activity and half-life of salicylic acid.

An inverse correlation was found between the serum aspirin esterase activity in human subjects and the biological half-life of salicylic acid in serum and a direct relationship between the values of the elimination rate constant and the activity of this enzyme. The rate of acetylsalicylic acid breakdown may be one of the factors which influences the biological half-life of salicylates in the organism and may participate also in determining the individual response to the administered drug.