Clinical examination is superior to plain films to diagnose pelvic fractures compared to CT

We prospectively compared clinical examination (CE) with plain films (PXR) and both tools with CT in patients sustaining blunt trauma. There were 1388 patients who had both PXR and CT of whom 168 (12.1%) were diagnosed with a fracture by CT. CE findings most predictive of fracture included age (OR, 1.025; CI, 1.011-1.039), hip pain (OR, 4.971; CI, 2.508-9.854), internal rotation of the leg (OR, 4.880; CI, 1.980-12.027), or tenderness to palpation over the sacrum (OR, 2.297; CI, 1.144-4.612), over the right or left hip (OR, 3.626; CI, 1.823-7.214), or diffusely throughout the pelvis (OR, 16.445; CI, 4.277-63.237). These factors were still predictive of pelvic fractures even in patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 13. There were 136 fractures identified by PXR all of which were identified by CE (sensitivity 100% [136 of 136], negative predictive value 100% [619 of 619]). There were six patients with negative clinical examinations and positive CTs (sensitivity 96.4% [162 of 168], negative predictive value 99.03% [613 of 619]), none of which were hemodynamically significant. The sensitivity for PXR compared with CT was 79.17 per cent (133 of 168) and the NPV was 97.2 per cent (1217 of 1252). CE is a reliable way to diagnose pelvic fractures and PXR is a poor screening tool for these injuries compared with CT. Because the majority of patients undergo CT after blunt trauma, routine screening radiographs should be eliminated.     

Cardioprotection from metabolism to molecules to certainties

Starting millions of years ago, the heart developed metabolic and molecular cardioprotective paths. The concept of metabolic protection includes the recent successful early provision of glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) to patients with acute coronary syndromes in the ambulance to inhibit high harmful free-fatty acid levels. Molecular cardioprotective pathways also developed in primeval times. The 2 major paths are the RISK (Reperfusion Injury Salvage Kinases) path and the SAFE (Survival Activating Factor Enhancement) path, on which our group in Cape Town has focused. These paths help to lessen ischaemic-perfusion damage, and may, hypothetically, also be activated by intense exercise.     

Ways to improve tolerance to gastro-pancreatic-duodenal resection

Immediate results of 125 gastropancreatoduodenal resection (GPDR) performed for cancer of the pancreatoduodenal zone are presented. Despite extended surgery volume (15 GPDR were extended, in 14 patients resection of the major vessels was performed) postoperative lethality decreased to 1.6% due to lowered rate of severe postoperative complications (first of all insufficiency of pancreato- and biliodigestive anastomosis). Ways of prophylaxis of these complications consist in conduction of percutaneous puncture transhepatic cholangiostomy as the method of choice for billiary decompression before surgery in patients with tumor obstructive jaundice, precise surgical technique, creation of pancreatogastroanastomosis on reconstructive stage of GPDR.     

Factors influencing failure to return to work due to traumatic brain injury

About 63% of all traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur in teenagers and adults aged 15-64 years, the primary working population. Since reports of failure to return to work (FTRTW) vary, understanding the factors that influence FTRTW is key to improving work outcomes for this primarily working-age population. Our study sample consists of 343 previously employed persons who were hospitalized following TBI and had either returned to work at 1 year or had failed to return to work because of their injury (injury-related FTRTW). Medical records were reviewed and participants were interviewed by telephone at 1 year post-discharge. Individuals with injury-related FTRTW were far more likely to report dependence or modified independence on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) than those who were employed at 1 year. The joint distribution of motor and cognitive items suggests that, for a given level of cognitive function, the addition of a motor limitation will result in greater injury-related FTRTW. In addition as motor function declines, FTRTW is further increased. Injury-related FTRTW is also associated with being unmarried and not completing high school. While the importance of behavioural, economic, and psychosocial factors should not be minimized, services aimed at improving function can be expected to have an impact on RTW after TBI.     

Burns due to exposure to steam

Injuries due to accidental contact with steam are occasionally encountered. They can be quite severe, especially when associated respiratory problems are present. Thirteen patients with burns resulting from exposure to steam were admitted to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center during a 2-year period. All injuries were employment related. Twelve burns resulted from the rupture of pipes carrying steam. One additional case was due to a cooking accident. There were 12 males and one female. Burn size ranged from 1 to 57% (mean 26.2%). Age ranged from 26 to 53 years (mean 33). Seven had inhalation injuries with blistering and slough of bronchial mucosa. The hospital stay ranged from 2 to 41 days. One patient died of respiratory problems. From one to five operations were required by the survivors; two required later reconstructive surgery. Closer supervision of industrial plants in which pipes carrying steam are present may have prevented some of these accidents.     

Urothelial carcinoma related to exposure to aromatic amines

Clinical and statistical observations were made on a group of 438 persons who had worked with aromatic amines (benzidine, 2-naphthylamine, 1-naphthylamine and dianisidine) with reference to their carcinogenic properties in the urinary tract. Urinary tract tumors developed in 68 (15.5%), with an average latent period of 22 years and 11 months. In these 68 cases, upper urinary tract tumors were found in 16 cases, 8 of which had bilateral lesions. The average age of onset was 48.1 ranging from 24 to 79. The incidence of tumors increased with the length of exposure to the amines. There was no finding that smoking habit increased the incidence of tumors in this group. Of the 49 new patients with bladder tumor, urine cytology was positive in 24 (49.0%) and suspicious of malignancy in 10 (20.4%), respectively. This indicated that it could be a useful screening test. Transurethral surgery was most frequently performed as an initial treatment. Recurrence occurred in 50 cases (73.5%), but 5-, 10- and 20-year-survival rates were 89.0 79.3 and 64.7%, respectively, showing a good prognosis. Malignant tumors in other organs developed in 18 (4.1%) of the 438 workers. The incidence of such malignant tumors was significantly higher in the workers who had been exposed to 2-naphthylamine than in others. Our data indicate that close observation is still necessary for early detection of patient with new or recurrent urothelial carcinoma in this group.     

Beta-cell maturation leads to in vitro sensitivity to cytotoxins

Pancreatic beta-cells are more sensitive to several toxins (e.g., streptozotocin, alloxan, cytokines) than the other three endocrine cell types in the islets of Langerhans. Cytokine-induced free radicals in beta-cells may be involved in beta-cell-specific destruction in type 1 diabetes. To investigate if this sensitivity represents an acquired trait during beta-cell maturation, we used two in vitro cultured cell systems: 1) a pluripotent glucagon-positive pre-beta-cell phenotype (NHI-glu) that, after in vivo passage, matures into an insulin-producing beta-cell phenotype (NHI-ins) and 2) a glucagonoma cell-type (AN-glu) that, after stable transfection with pancreatic duodenal homeobox factor-1 (PDX-1), acquires the ability to produce insulin (AN-ins). After exposure to interleukin (IL)-1beta, both of the insulin-producing phenotypes were significantly more susceptible to toxic effects than their glucagon-producing counterparts. Nitric oxide (NO) production was induced in both NHI phenotypes, and inhibition with 0.5 mmol/l N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA) fully protected the cells. In addition, maturation into the NHI-ins phenotype was associated with an acquired dose-dependent sensitivity to the toxic effect of streptozotocin. Our results support the hypothesis that the exquisite sensitivity of beta-cells to IL-1beta and streptozotocin is an acquired trait during beta-cell maturation. These two cell systems will be useful tools for identification of molecular mechanisms involved in beta-cell maturation and sensitivity to toxins in relation to type 1 diabetes.     

微重力状态下骨量丢失对抗措施的研究进展

微重力状态下骨量丢失不同于老年性骨质疏松,是一种局部力学信号转导起主导作用、并受多层次调节的复杂变化过程,是一种特殊的废用性骨质疏松和继发性骨质疏松。长期的微重力环境,骨矿盐的持续丢失是航天飞行中人类所面临的严重生理反应之一,也是妨碍人类长期太空停留和探索外星球的主要障碍之一。目前微重力环境下骨量丢失的对抗措施主要有:物理对抗、营养、药物、细胞因子与基因治疗。航天飞行中,阻力锻炼、振动、人工重力等物理对抗措施的研究较为成熟;营养措施中着重阐述维生素、矿物质、蛋白质、Ω-3脂肪酸对骨代谢的作用,各种营养物质的具体摄入量仍有待规范;药物措施中双膦酸盐的使用基本得到广泛认可,其他药物的应用仍需要继续人体探索;细胞因子与基因的研究目前仍限于应用细胞进行研究。高级阻力训练系统(ARED)联合营养(部分联合双膦酸盐)是目前公认有效的对抗航天飞行中骨量丢失的措施。本文将详细阐述以上各个方面国内外的进展及争议,以及探讨未来微重力状态下骨量丢失的对抗措施的发展方向。     

Addition of sertraline to other therapies to reduce dialysis-associated hypotension

Sertraline has shown promise in the treatment of dialysis-associated hypotension (DAH) in a limited number of end-stage renal disease patients. We undertook a study to evaluate the effect of adding sertraline to other therapies for patients with documented DAH. We also measured the effect of sertraline on intradialytic haemodynamics. We used the ultrasound dilution technique (HD01 monitor) to measure cardiac output (CO), central blood volume (CBV) and peripheral vascular resistance (PVR) in these patients. The study was performed in two phases. Phase 1 was a control, while the second phase consisted of treatment with sertraline (50 mg/day). Cardiac output and central blood volume were measured 30 min following the initiation of dialysis and 30 min prior to the termination of dialysis. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored during haemodynamic measurements and throughout dialysis. Eighteen patients with documented DAH completed the study. Cardiac output, CBV and PVR were no different in the sertraline phase as compared with the control phase. The declines in systolic BP, diastolic BP and mean arterial pressures from pre-haemodialysis (HD) to lowest intradialytic and pre-HD to post-HD were not significantly different for the sertraline phase versus the control phase. In conclusion, it appears that sertraline has no additive effect on intradialytic haemodynamics to improve blood pressure in patients with DAH who are under therapy (with sodium modelling, cool dialysate and midodrine).     

CTLA4-Ig-based conditioning regimen to induce tolerance to cardiac allografts

BACKGROUND: Transplant rejection and toxicity associated with chronic immunosuppressive therapy remain a major problem. Mixed hematopoietic chimerism has been shown to produce tolerance to solid organ transplants. However, currently available protocols to induce mixed hematopoietic chimerism invariably require toxic pre-conditioning. In this study, we investigated a non-toxic CTLA4-Ig-based protocol to induce donor-specific tolerance to cardiac allografts in rats. METHODS: Fully mismatched, 4 to 6 week old ACI (RT1.A(a)) and Wistar Furth (RT1.A(u)) rats were used as cell/organ donors and recipients, respectively. Recipients were treated with CTLA4-Ig 2 mg/kg/day (on days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8), tacrolimus 1 mg/kg/day (daily, from days 0 to 9), and a single dose of anti-lymphocyte serum (10 mg) on day 10, soon after total body irradiation (300 cGy) and donor bone marrow (100 x 10(6) T-cell depleted cells) transplantation (BMT). Six weeks after BMT, chimeric animals received heterotopic heart transplants. RESULTS: Hematopoietic chimerism was 18.8 +/- 10.6% at day 30, and was stable (24 +/- 10%) at 1 year post-BMT; there was no graft versus host disease. Chimeric recipients (RT1.A(u)) permanently accepted (>360 days) donor-specific (RT1.A(a); n = 6) hearts, yet rapidly rejected (<9 days) third-party hearts (RT1.A(l); n = 5). Graft (heart) tolerant (>100 days) recipients accepted donor-specific secondary skin grafts (>200 days) while rejected the third-party skin grafts (<9 days). Lymphocytes of graft tolerant animals demonstrated hyporesponsiveness in mixed lymphocyte cultures in a donor-specific manner. Tolerant graft histology showed no obliterative arteriopathy or chronic rejection. CONCLUSIONS: The CTLA4-Ig based conditioning regimen with donor BMT produced mixed chimerism and induced donor- specific tolerance to cardiac allografts.     

Choledochocholedochostomy conversion to hepaticojejunostomy due to biliary obstruction in liver transplantation

Choledochocholedochostomy with tutor (CC-T) or without (CC) is the technique of choice for biliary reconstruction in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), however, its rate of complications is high and does not decrease significantly over the years. Biliary obstruction is the most frequent complication and surgical treatment frequently involves conversion to hepaticojejunostomy (H-J). Out of 412 patients (448 OLTs) analyzed retrospectively, 74 (18%) presented biliary complications and 25 (6%) required conversion to H-J because of biliary obstruction, generally due to anastomotic stenosis (17 patients, 68%). Sixteen out of the 25 presented after the first 3 months, and in two patients, stenosis was secondary to arterial thrombosis. Anastomotic stenosis was more frequent in the CC group than in the CC-T group (9.9% versus 2.6%, p < 0.05). Sixteen patients (64%) underwent percutaneous dilatations, but the response was only transitory. There were no postoperative deaths. At the follow-up, three (12%) of the 17 surviving patients presented episodes of cholangitis which required percutaneous dilatations (1), revision of the H-J (1), or conversion to hepaticojejunoduodenostomy (1). Mean survival of patients with H-J was 70.9%, and the actuarial survival rate was 68% at 5 years. This does not differ from the actuarial survival in our series of transplanted patients (65%). CC or CC-T (in selected cases) is an adequate biliary reconstruction for OLT, in spite of the fact that a small number of patients will require conversion to H-J. H-J is an excellent technique of rescue in cases of biliary obstruction that are not possible to resolve by percutaneous dilatations.     

Susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy is related to dicarbonyl and oxidative stress

Dicarbonyl and oxidative stress may play important roles in the development of diabetes complications, and their response to hyperglycemia could determine individual susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy. This study examines the relationship of methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone (3DG), and oxidative stress levels to diabetic nephropathy risk in three populations with diabetes. All subjects in the Overt Nephropathy Progressor/Nonprogressor (ONPN) cohort (n = 14), the Natural History of Diabetic Nephropathy study (NHS) cohort (n = 110), and the Pima Indian cohort (n = 45) were evaluated for clinical nephropathy, while renal structural measures of fractional mesangial volume [Vv(Mes/glom)] and glomerular basement membrane (GBM) width were determined by electron microscopy morphometry in the NHS and Pima Indian cohorts. Methylglyoxal and 3DG levels reflected dicarbonyl stress, while reduced glutathione (GSH) and urine 8-isoprostane (8-IP) measured oxidative stress. Cross-sectional measures of methylglyoxal production by red blood cells incubated in 30 mmol/l glucose were increased in nephropathy progressors relative to nonprogressors in the ONPN (P = 0.027) and also reflected 5-year GBM thickening in the NHS cohort (P = 0.04). As nephropathy progressed in the NHS cohort, in vivo levels of methylglyoxal (P = 0.036), 3DG (P = 0.004), and oxidative stress (8-IP, P = 0.007 and GSH, P = 0.005) were seen, while increased methylglyoxal levels occurred as nephropathy progressed (P = 0.0016) in the type 2 Pima Indian cohort. Decreased glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity also correlated with increased methylglyoxal levels (P = 0.003) in the NHS cohort. In conclusion, progression of diabetic nephropathy is significantly related to elevated dicarbonyl stress and possibly related to oxidative stress in three separate populations, suggesting that these factors play a role in determining individual susceptibility.     

Ventricular assistance to bridge to transplantation

In 2001, 2202 heart transplants were performed in the United States, leaving 4137 patients waiting who suffer from 30% annual mortality. Status I, Class IV heart failure patients have a 66% 1-year mortality rate and a survival approximating our worst cancers. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) first successfully bridged a patient to transplantation in 1978. LVADs have since functioned primarily thus, minimizing end-organ damage and providing rehabilitation potential for individuals awaiting transplantation. In this role, their effectiveness is well-established: they gain time for patients awaiting donors, preserve end-organ function, and provide potential for a high quality of life in and out of the hospital. This success has been the result of numerous advances in VAD technology, which this article discusses.     

An artificial tendon to connect the quadriceps muscle to the Tibia

No permanent, reliable artificial tendon exists clinically. Our group developed the OrthoCoupler? device as a versatile connector, fixed at one end to a muscle, and adaptable at the other end to inert implants such as prosthetic bones or to bone anchors. The objective of this study was to evaluate four configurations of the device to replace the extensor mechanism of the knee in goats. Within muscle, the four groups had: (A) needle‐drawn uncoated bundles, (B) needle‐drawn coated bundles, (C) barbed uncoated bundles, and (D) barbed coated bundles. The quadriceps tendon, patella, and patellar tendon were removed from the right hind limb in 24 goats. The four groups (n = 6 for each) were randomly assigned to connect the quadriceps muscle to the tibia (with a bone plate). Specimens were collected from each operated leg and contralateral unoperated controls both for mechanical testing and histology at 90 days post‐surgery. In strength testing, maximum forces in the operated leg (vs. unoperated control) were 1,288 ± 123 N (vs. 1,387 ± 118 N) for group A, 1,323 ± 144 N (vs. 1,396 ± 779 N) for group B, 930 ± 125 N (vs. 1,337 ± 126 N) for group C, and 968 ± 109 N (vs. 1,528 ± 146 N) for group D (mean ± SEM). The strengths of the OrthoCoupler? legs in the needled device groups were equivalent to unoperated controls (p = 0.6), while both barbed device groups had maximum forces significantly lower than their controls (p = 0.001). We believe this technology will yield improved procedures for clinical challenges in orthopaedic oncology, revision arthroplasty, tendon transfer, and tendon injury reconstruction. © 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:1775–1782, 2011     

Monteggia骨折固定方法的选择体会

目的:Monteggia骨折是一种复合型损伤,治疗不当易引起并发症,分析如何选择适当的固定方法以取得好的疗效。方法:根据尺骨骨折的情况采取不同的方法进行固定:手法整复并石膏固定的方法治疗20例儿童青枝骨折或无明显移位的横断骨折;手法整复并克氏针闭合穿针治疗13例手法复位石膏固定失败及尺骨横断移位性骨折;切开复位克氏针或钢板螺钉固定25例尺骨粉碎性、斜形或螺旋形骨折,其中2例行环状韧带重建。结果:全部骨折均良好愈合,经半年随访,优47例,占81.0％;良9例,占15.5％;差2例,占3.5％。结论:尺骨骨折准确复位可靠固定是恢复上尺桡关节正常解剖关系以取得良好疗效的关键,因此应根据尺骨骨折线及移位情况选择合适的固定方法:青枝骨折多可手法整复后石膏固定,若固定失败可用克氏针闭合穿针固定,横断骨折无严重移位时也可采用该方法,对于斜形,粉碎性等不稳定性骨折应采用切开复位内固定的可靠方法。     

Instructions to authors

There are unstructured abstracts (no more than 256 words) and structured abstracts (no more than 480). The specific requirements for structured abstracts are as follows:     

Carotid artery stenting: to be or not to be?

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been the standard of care for suitable patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic high grade carotid stenosis since the landmark NASCET (North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial), ECST (European Carotid Surgery Trial) and ACAS (Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Surgery) studies performed in the 1990s and more recently the ACST (Asymptomatic Carotid Surgery Trial). Carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the treatment of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with high grade carotid stenosis has recently been investigated as an alternative to CEA. We present a review of the most recent CAS trials and examine some of the controversies that surround them.     

Prostate cancer: to screen or not to screen

This paper evaluates the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening tool for prostate cancer. A current and contentious issue in both public and medical spheres, we are still lacking clear evidence and guidelines. Here, the Wilson and Jungner screening criteria are used as a framework to suggest that PSA-testing is not yet a proven tool for population screening. Additionally, the conflicting results of two recent randomised controlled trials are compared. The European Randomised trial of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) found that PSA screening reduced prostate cancer-related deaths by 20% (adjusted p=0.04). Meanwhile the North American Prostate, Lung, Colon and Ovarian cancer trial (PLCO) found no significant impact of screening on mortality. The reasons for these differing outcomes are discussed in greater detail under the categories of methodology, study size, screening interval, cause of death and tumour demographics. The authors of this article conclude that PSA screening, at best, has a moderate impact on prostate cancer mortality. PSA-screening does, however, pose a high risk of over-diagnosis and over-treatment with its associated morbidity. Furthermore, economic and quality of life evaluations are lacking at present. Data are awaited from the UK Department of Health - funded ProtecT study,as well as longer-term outcomes of the ERSPC.     

Acupuncture fails to reduce but increases anaesthetic gas required to prevent movement in response to surgical incision

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is used for clinical pain relief but has not been evaluated under clinical anaesthesia. This study was designed to compare movement in response to surgical incision in anaesthetized patients subjected to electro-acupuncture (EA) or sham procedures. Our hypothesis was that EA stimulation would reduce the requirements for anaesthetic gas. METHODS: Forty-six healthy women, scheduled for laparoscopic sterilization at a Swedish county hospital, were randomized to have either the electro-acupuncture (n = 23) or sham (n = 23) procedure between the induction of general anaesthesia and the start of surgery. The minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane required to prevent neck or major limb movements in response to surgical incision was determined in each group of patients. RESULTS: The MAC for sevoflurane was found to be higher in the group given acupuncture than in the control group (2.1 +/- 0.3% vs. 1.8 +/- 0.4%; P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Electro-acupuncture given during general anaesthesia with sevoflurane failed to reduce but instead increased the clinical need for anaesthetic gas, possibly by reducing the anaesthetic effect of sevoflurane and/or by facilitating nociceptive transmission and/or reflex activity.     

Time to target uric acid to retard CKD progression

Uric acid (UA) remains a possible risk factor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) but its potential role should be elucidated given a fact that multidisciplinary treatments assure a sole strategy to inhibit the progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In clinical setting, most observational studies showed that elevation of serum uric acid (SUA) independently predicts the incidence and the development of CKD. The meta-analysis showed that SUA-lowering therapy with allopurinol may retard the progression of CKD but did not reach conclusive results due to small-sized studies. Larger scale, randomized placebo-controlled trials to assess SUA-lowering therapy are needed. Our recent analysis by propensity score methods has shown that the threshold of SUA should be less than 6.5 mg/dL to abrogate ESRD. In animal models an increase in SUA by the administration of oxonic acid, uricase inhibitor, or nephrectomy can induce glomerular hypertension, arteriolosclerosis including afferent arteriolopathy and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The ever-growing discoveries of urate transporters prompt us to learn UA metabolism in the kidney and intestine. One example is that the intestinal ABCG2 may play a compensatory role at face of decreased renal clearance of UA in nephrectomized rats, the trigger of which is not a uremic toxin but SUA itself. This review will summarize the recent knowledge on the relationship between SUA and the kidney and try to draw a conclusion when and how to treat asymptomatic hyperuricemia accompanied by CKD. Finally we will address a future perspective on UA study including a Mendelian randomization approach.