[The end stage of a rheumatoid arthritis presenting as a tumorous space-occupying lesion of the left axilla]. / Endstadium einer rheumatoiden Arthritis unter dem Bild einer tumorösen Raumforderung der linken Axilla.

In this paper we report on a 67-year old woman suffering from long-term rheumatoid arthritis. She was admitted to hospital because of a hard tumour with the size of a fist in her left axilla. The supposed tumour was proved by conventional radiological and CT examination as an excessive manifestation of the basic disease in the left shoulder joint.

Proposal of Afipia gen. nov., with Afipia felis sp. nov. (formerly the cat scratch disease bacillus), Afipia clevelandensis sp. nov. (formerly the Cleveland Clinic Foundation strain), Afipia broomeae sp. nov., and three unnamed genospecies.

On the basis of phenotypic characterization and DNA relatedness determinations, the genus Afipia gen. nov., which contains six species, is described. The type species is Afipia felis sp. nov. (the cat scratch disease bacillus). Afipia clevelandensis sp. nov., Afipia broomeae sp. nov., and three unnamed not associated with cat-borne disease. All but one strain (Afipia genospecies 3) were isolated from human wound and respiratory sources. All Afipia species are gram-negative, oxidase-positive, nonfermentative rods in the alpha-2 subgroup of the class Proteobacteria. They are motile by means of a single flagellum. They grow on buffered charcoal-yeast extract agar and nutrient broth, but rarely on MacConkey agar, at 25 and 30 degrees C. They are urease positive; but they are negative in reactions for hemolysis, indole production, H2S production (triple sugar iron agar), gelatin hydrolysis, esculin hydrolysis, and peptonization of litmus milk. They do not produce acid oxidatively from D-glucose, lactose, maltose, or sucrose. The major cell wall fatty acids are 11-methyloctadec-12-enoic (CBr19:1), cis-octadec-11-enoic (C18:1omega7c), and generally, 9,10-methylenehexadecanote and 11,12-methyleneoctadecanoate; and there are only trace amounts of hydroxy acids. The guanineplus-cytosine content is 61.5 to 69 mol%. A. felis is positive for nitrate reduction and is delayed positive for acid production from D-xylose, but it is catalase negative. A. clevelandensis is negative in all of these tests. A. broomeae is weakly positive for catalase production and acid production from D-xylose, but it is negative for nitrate reduction.

[Factors influencing physiologic pressure variations of the lower esophageal sphincter in healthy probands]. / Untersuchung von Faktoren mit Einfluss auf physiologische Druckschwankungen des unteren Osophagussphinkters in gesunden Probanden.

Manometric characteristics of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in 59 healthy persons have been investigated. The aim of the investigation was to find out possible physiological changes of LES pressures considering posture, part of the day, maximal inspiration and expiration, empty or partially full stomach and abdominal compression. It has been proved that the minimal value of lower esophageal sphincter pressure in all the investigated patients was 1.77 kPA (13.3 mm Hg) while the maximal one was 4.53 kPa (34.0 mm Hg). The absolute difference between the lowest and the highest measured lower esophageal sphincter pressure was 1.43 kPa (10.77 mm Hg). The mean value of all pressures was 2.99 kPa (22.4 mm Hg). It seems that the posture during pressure measuring is irrelevant. The pressure does not vary more significantly considering neither the time of the day nor any exertion of the examinee.