[A PhD completed. Long-term effects of childhood cancer therapy on oral health]. / Serie: Hora est. Langetermijneffecten van de behandeling van kinderkanker op de mondgezondheid.

In recent years, the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer has increased to about 80%. However, childhood cancer therapy can have serious long-term adverse effects on general health later in life. Of survivors, 75% experience 1 or more late effects. This PhD research aimed to gain more insight into the long-term effects on oral health of childhood cancer therapy, 15 years or more after diagnosis. This study, which is part of the Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Late Effects 2 (DCCSS LATER 2 Study), showed that oral complications such as dental developmental disorders and hyposalivation occur frequently. Most important risk factors were head and neck radiotherapy of the salivary glands, (alkylating) cytostatic agents, and age at the time of the cancer diagnosis. Dentists should be aware of childhood cancer in the medical history of their patient and of the type of therapy received. Regular dental visits are an essential part of long-term follow-up care of childhood cancer survivors.

[Efficacy of doxycycline for treatment of chlamydiosis in flocks of racing and fancy pigeons]. / Wirksamkeit von Doxycyclin bei Chlamydiosen in Taubenbeständen.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of doxycycline application via drinking water in the treatment of chlamydiosis in infected, clinically ill flocks of racing and fancy pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) under field conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the scope of a field study, 13 pigeon flocks with clinically manifest ornithosis were treated over a period of 25 days with a novel doxycycline formulation via drinking water. Infection with Chlamydia psittaci had been confirmed beforehand by molecular-biological investigation of organ material from dissected pigeons in each flock. Therapeutic success was evaluated by PCR-analysis of triple swabs from 10 animals of each flock on day 25 of treatment and 7 days after completion of the therapy, as well as by repeated individual and daily herd examination. RESULTS: The causative agent Chlamydia psittaci together with additionally documented atypical chlamydia species in six of the 13 flocks could thereby no longer be detected. Furthermore, a resolution of clinical symptoms was achieved in each of the treated pigeon flocks. CONCLUSION: Application of doxycycline in the described therapy regimen proved successful for the treatment of ornithosis. In addition, excellent acceptance and tolerance of the deployed formulation could be confirmed in praxis.

A new form of cellular arrangement in guinea-pig ear epidermis.

A new type of squame arrangements is described in guinea-pig ear epidermis. It is characterized by overlapping obliquely-angled outer cells and squames, which thus form a roof-tile pattern. This pattern develops in epidermis that is thicker than about 42 micron; in thinner epidermis the outer cells and squames form the usual columnar stacks. It is concluded that the roof-tile pattern, which is usually directed towards the ear edge, is typical of slight to moderate hyperplasia. In extreme hyperplasia, when the strata granulosum and corneum are destroyed, only cellular disorder is seen.

Disorder induced quantum phase transition in random-exchange spin-1/2 chains.

We investigate the effect of quenched bond disorder on the anisotropic antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 (XXZ) chain as a model for disorder-induced quantum phase transitions. We find nonuniversal behavior of the average correlation functions for weak disorder, followed by a quantum phase transition into a strongly disordered phase with only short-range xy correlations. We find no evidence for the universal strong-disorder fixed point predicted by the real-space renormalization group, suggesting a qualitatively different view of the relationship between quantum fluctuations and disorder.