This study is concerned with the correlation between tubulointerstitial changes (interstitial fibrosis, acute renal failure, and interstitial fibrosis with acute renal failure), glomerular changes (focal and segmental lesions, hyperperfusion lesions), vascular changes, clinical data at the time of biopsy (serum creatinine concentration, creatinine clearance, hematuria, proteinuria, and hypertension) and first symptoms (hematuria, proteinuria and hypertension) and the kidney survival rate in 239 patients with IgA nephritis without nephrotic syndrome. The morphological and clinical parameters were subjected to multivariate analysis in order to examine their significance with regard to the prognosis. The interstitial fibrosis was proven to be the most important morphological parameter, and the most important clinical parameters were the serum creatinine concentration and the creatinine clearance.

Our data indicate that ultrasound might have a better diagnostic power for detecting chronic osteomyelitis in the diabetic foot than PFR and has similar sensitivity and specificity as BS. MRI is superior to the other three methods. We conclude that the use of ultrasound in the management of the diabetic foot is worthy of further investigation.

These recommendations are suitable for standardizing the histopathological diagnosis of malignant melanoma and for providing a common basis for clinical decisions and scientific research.

BACKGROUNDGerm cell tumors (GCTs) in adolescent and young males are very sensitive to cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. However, 10–20% of the patients cannot be cured by currently available therapeutic options. Once a tumor does not respond to cisplatin, current therapeutic modalities offer only a chance for short palliation. Recently, new treatment options that interfere with various receptor tyrosine kinases, including c‐KIT and members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, have been used successfully in chemotherapy‐resistant tumors overexpressing c‐KIT, ERB‐B2, or EGFR.METHODSWe studied the presence of c‐KIT and the four members of the EGFR family by immunohistochemistry, as well as by ERB‐B2 gene amplification using fluorescent in situ hybridization, in a series of 22 patients with cisplatin‐resistant GCTs in search of new treatment targets. The results in these refractory tumors were compared with those of 12 patients with chemosensitive GCTs diagnosed in an advanced metastatic stage.RESULTSThe data obtained in both groups did not differ in any of the investigated biologic markers. c‐KIT was detected in the one case of pure seminoma studied and in the seminomatous components of combined tumors. The presence of EGFR was restricted to trophoblastic giant cells and the syncytiotrophoblastic elements of four nonseminomas including one pure choriocarcinoma and to a secondary non–germ cell malignancy, which had developed most likely from a mature teratoma. ERB‐B2 was moderately positive in the secondary non–germ cell malignancy, in one mature teratoma component of a mixed nonseminoma, and together with EGFR in the syncytiotrophoblastic cells of a pure choriocarcinoma. Of all samples investigated, this latter case was the only one showing an amplification of the ERB‐B2 gene in the syncytiotrophoblasts. ERB‐B3 and ERB‐B4 were detected rarely.CONCLUSIONThe majority of refractory GCTs do not qualify for treatment with new biologic agents targeting the receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR, ERB‐B2, or c‐KIT. The lack of differences between the tumors of refractory and the responsive patients indicates that overexpression of any of these receptor tyrosine kinases does not contribute to a resistant phenotype in GCTs. Cancer 2002;95:301–8. © 2002 American Cancer Society.DOI 10.1002/cncr.10671

Study design: A series of 94 urinary bladder biopsies in spinal cord injured (SCI) patients were histopathologically and statistically analysed. Objectives: The following hypotheses were examined: (1) The number of clinical bladder infections per year in each patient does not in¯uence the histopathological type of in¯ammation of the urinary bladder; (2) The duration of the spinal cord lesion does not have a strong eect on the type of in¯ammation; (3) The dierent neurological levels (upper and lower motor neuron lesions) do not relate to a speci®c histopathology. Settings: All patients received their treatment at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil, near Lucerne (Switzerland). Methods: The samples were taken from the bladder fundus during endoscopic urologic operations. Histopathological standard procedures were carried out. Statistical analysis including Kruskal ± Wallis and Chi-square tests were performed. Results: Histopathological analysis showed abnormal alterations of the urinary bladder mucosa in 86 SCI-patients: (91.5%). 63 cases (67.0%) showed a chronic type and 23 cases (24.5%) showed a subacute type of in¯ammation. A normal urinary bladder was found in eight cases (8.5%). The three hypotheses were statistically not rejected. Conclusion: Results demonstrated no correlation between the number of bladder infections per year, the period since injury, the neurologic level of the spinal cord lesion and the histopathology of the urinary bladder mucosa.