[Toxic hepatitis due to dimethylformamide: case reports and literature review]. / Toxische hepatitis op dimethylformamide: case reports en literatuurgegevens.

We report two patients with toxic hepatitis due to the solvent dimethylformamide (DMF). Other causes of hepatitis such as viral, drug induced or alcoholic hepatitis, could be excluded or were considered to be unlikely. Hepatotoxicity due to professional exposure to solvents e.g. dimethylformamide should be considered in any patient with unexplained hepatitis. The fast improvement of the clinical symptoms and the progressive normalisation of the liver function tests once the exposure to the product has been stopped, supports the diagnosis. Yet, non-drug induced toxic hepatitis remains an exclusion diagnosis. Therapy consists of avoiding every contact with the causative agent. Table 3 (Addendum) gives an overview of some industrial agents able to cause hepatitis.

Gastrointestinal leiomyoma and von Recklinghausen's disease: mesenteric angiography demonstrative of a rare association. Report of a case.

We report a 51-year-old woman with known neurofibromatosis of von Recklinghausen, who presented twice with melena, caused by a jejunal leiomyoma. The diagnosis was made by arteriography and confirmed by surgery. In order to exclude an intestinal smooth muscle tumour we believe that mesenteric angiography should be the initial procedure of choice in patients with neurofibromatosis presenting with a gastrointestinal bleeding. Genetic analysis suggests that the association of neurofibromatosis and intestinal leiomyoma is more than fortuitous.

Relief of epigastric pain in nonulcer dyspepsia: controlled trial of the promotility drug cisapride.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 32 patients with nonulcer dyspepsia received 5 mg of cisapride or placebo three times daily for four weeks after a two-week run-in phase on placebo. Limited antacid use was allowed. Cisapride was superior to placebo in reducing the intensity of epigastric pain at two weeks (P = 0.03) and four weeks (P = 0.01). At the end of treatment, 82% of the cisapride-treated patients and 43% of the controls had no or only mild pain. Minor, gastrointestinal side effects were observed in two cisapride-treated patients and in one control.

Cost-benefit analysis of hepatitis-B vaccination.

Since 1983 the Belgian insurance Fund for Occupational Disease (FOD) has refunded the cost of hepatitis-B (HB) vaccination. Vaccination has been carried out by occupational physicians selectively on staff in hospitals and medical-care institutions. At the end of 1986, 40,000 people at high risk of HBV infection had been vaccinated. The vaccination costs are largely offset by the benefits resulting from the striking fall in the number of HB cases. The financial investment has proved economically beneficial for the insurance fund.

The electrocardiogram of athletes. Comparison with untrained subjects.

The resting electrocardiograms of 30 cyclists currently involved in competitive sport were compared with those of an equal number of healthy controls matched for age, height, and weight. The cyclists had significantly lower heart rates, longer PQ,QRS, and QTc intervals, higher T waves in lead II, left axis deviation of the T wave, higher R waves in the right and deeper S waves in the left praecordial leads, and deeper S waves in the right and higher R waves in the left praecordial leads.The possible significance of these findings should be assessed by prolonged prospective studies in athletes and untrained control subjects.