Weight-bearing in ankle fractures: An audit of UK practice

IntroductionThe purpose of this national study was to audit the weight-bearing practice of orthopaedic services in the National Health Service (NHS) in the treatment of operatively and non-operatively treated ankle fractures.MethodsA multicentre prospective two-week audit of all adult ankle fractures was conducted between July 3rd 2017 and July 17th 2017. Fractures were classified using the AO/OTA classification. Fractures fixed with syndesmosis screws or unstable fractures (>1 malleolus fractured or talar shift present) treated conservatively were excluded. No outcome data were collected. In line with NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) criteria, “early” weight-bearing was defined as unrestricted weight-bearing on the affected leg within 3 weeks of injury or surgery and “delayed” weight-bearing as unrestricted weight-bearing permitted after 3 weeks.Results251 collaborators from 81 NHS hospitals collected data: 531 patients were managed non-operatively and 276 operatively. The mean age was 52.6 years and 50.5 respectively. 81% of non-operatively managed patients were instructed for early weight-bearing as recommended by NICE. In contrast, only 21% of operatively managed patients were instructed for early weight-bearing.DiscussionThe majority of patients with uni-malleolar ankle fractures which are managed non-operatively are treated in accordance with NICE guidance. There is notable variability amongst and within NHS hospitals in the weight-bearing instructions given to patients with operatively managed ankle fractures.ConclusionThis study demonstrates community equipoise and suggests that the randomized study to determine the most effective strategy for postoperative weight-bearing in ankle fractures described in the NICE research recommendation is feasible.     

Moving Toward Empirically Based Standardization in the Diagnosis of Delayed Ejaculation

BackgroundCriteria for delayed ejaculation (DE) rely on a long ejaculation latency (EL) time, lack of control/advancement regarding ejaculation, and associated bother/distress; yet, few studies have investigated these criteria in men who indicate the desire to ejaculate sooner during partnered sex.AimTo help standardize criteria for DE by better understanding characteristics of men who desire to ejaculate sooner during partnered sex in terms of their EL, reported ejaculatory control, and level of bother/distress, as well as their perceptions of typical and ideal ELs for men in general and of ELs for men with premature ejaculation (PE).MethodsA total of 572 men recruited through social media responded to an online survey regarding their EL, as well as typical, ideal, and PE ELs of men in general. They also rated (i) their ability to control and/or advance ejaculation and (ii) their level of associated bother/distress. 4 comparison groups were then established: men with probable DE (with [DE1] and without [DE2] ejaculatory control issues), a reference group with no ejaculatory disorders, and men who identified as having PE.OutcomesTo demonstrate differences in EL, ejaculatory control, and bother/distress between men with delayed ejaculation and the control and PE reference groups.ResultsELs for men with probable DE were twice as long as those with no ejaculatory disorders. When probable DE men were further subdivided into DE2 and DE1, differences were greater for the DE2 group. DE2 men also differed significantly from the reference group on ejaculatory control/advancement but not on bother/distress. Both DE and reference groups differed from the PE group.Clinical ImplicationsUsing both EL and ejaculatory control are useful in distinguishing men with delayed ejaculation from men without delayed ejaculation.Strengths & LimitationsA sizable sample drawn from a multinational population powered the study, whereas the use of social media for recruitment limited the generalizability of findings.ConclusionBoth EL and ejaculatory control differentiate men with probable DE from a control reference group having no ejaculatory disorders. Differences in bother/distress did not emerge as significant. Implications for diagnosing men with DE are presented.Rowland DL, Cote-Leger P. Moving Toward Empirically Based Standardization in the Diagnosis of Delayed Ejaculation. J Sex Med 2020;17:1896–1902.     

下颌磨牙区即拔即种的临床疗效观察

目的 探究下颌磨牙区即拔即种的临床疗效。方法 选取2017年1月至2019年1月江门市口腔医院收治的60例需进行下颌磨牙区种植的患者随机分为A、B组,A组给予即拔即种,B组给予延期种植,比较两组留存率、浅蝶形骨吸收率、种植12个月后PIS指标及满意度进行评价。结果 随访12个月两组留存率均为100%,浅碟形骨吸收率A组前磨牙为16.67%、磨牙为22.22%,B组前磨牙为10.00%、磨牙为25.00%,差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05),A组植入30个种植体,60个牙间乳头,其中3度29个、2度24个、1度7个,B组植入30个种植体,60个牙间乳头,其中3度14个、2度24个、1度22个,A组牙间乳头PIS指标优于B组,且A组牙间乳头PIS评分(2.36±0.52)较B组(1.87±0.48)显著提高,差异均具有统计学意义(P＜0.05),A组对治疗效果满意率为93.33%较B组66.67%显著提高,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05)。结论 对于下颌磨牙区缺牙患者可采取即拔即种的方法修复,缩短缺牙时间,促进咬合和咀嚼功能恢复,舒适且美观,提高患者的满意度,值得在临床上推广。     

Innovative immunosuppression in kidney transplantation: A challenge for unmet needs

Due to the optimal results obtained in kidney transplantation and to the lack of interest of the industries, new innovative drugs in kidney transplantation are difficult to be encountered. The best strategy to find the new drugs recently developed or under development is to search in the sections of kidney transplantation still not completely covered by the drugs on the market. These unmet needs are the prevention of delayed graft function (DGF), the protection of the graft over the long time and the desensitization of preformed anti human leukocyte antigen antibodies and the treatment of the acute antibody-mediated rejection. These needs are particularly relevant due to the expansion of some kind of kidney transplantation as transplantation from non-heart beating donor and in the case of antibody-incompatible grafts. The first are particularly exposed to DGF, the latter need a safe desensitization and a safe treatments of the antibody mediated rejections that often occur. Particular caution is needed in treating these drugs. First, they are described in very recent studies and the follow-up of their effect is of course rather short. Second, some of these drugs are still in an early phase of study, even if in well-conducted randomized controlled trials. Particular caution and a careful check need to be used in trials launched 2 or 3 years ago. Indeed, is always necessary to verify whether the study is still going on or whether and why the study itself was abandoned.     

急性一氧化碳中毒后迟发性脑病的临床表现和影像学特点

目的探讨急性一氧化碳中毒后迟发性脑病的临床表现和影像学特点及其诊断价值。方法回顾性对23例急性一氧化碳中毒后迟发性脑病的临床表现和影像学特点进行归纳和分析。结果23例患者中智能障碍23例（100％），言语功能障碍17例（73.9％），另有共济失调精神障碍帕金森综合症及尿失禁等。头部CT和MRI主要表现为皮层下脑白质异常信号及基底节区或苍白球区异常信号，极少累及大脑皮质脑干和小脑。结论急性一氧化碳中毒后迟发性脑病的诊断主要依靠病史和临床症状，MRI比CT更有诊断价值。     

Pulsatile Perfusion Reduces the Incidence of Delayed Graft Function in Expanded Criteria Donor Kidney Transplantation

The use of expanded criteria donors (ECD) has been proposed to help combat the discrepancy between organ availability and need. ECD kidneys are associated with delayed graft function (DGF) and worse long-term survival. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of pulsatile perfusion (PP) on DGF and graft survival in transplanted ECD kidneys. From January 2000 to December 2003, 4618 ECD kidney-alone transplants were reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing. PP was performed on 912 renal allografts. The prognostic factors of DGF were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Risk factors for reduced allograft viability were greater in donors and recipients of PP kidneys. Three-year graft survival of ECD kidneys preserved with PP was similar to cold storage (CS) kidneys. The incidence of DGF in PP kidneys was significantly lower than CS kidneys (26% vs. 36%, p < 0.001). Despite having a greater number of risk factors for reduced graft viability, the ECD-PP kidneys had similar graft survival compared to ECD-CS kidneys. The use of PP, by decreasing the incidence of DGF, may possibly lead to lower overall costs and increased utilization of donor kidneys.     

Stereoselectivity of actions of the calcium sensitizer [+]-EMD 60263 and its enantiomer [-]-EMD 60264

The thiadiazinone derivative [+]-EMD 60263 ((+)-5-(1-(α-ethylimino-3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-1,2,3,4- tetrahydroquinoline-6-yl)-6-methyl-3,6-dihydro-2H-1,3,4 -thiadiazine-2-on) is a Ca²⁺-sensitizing agent with only minor phosphodiesterase inhibitory activity. Our aim was to characterize the inotropic and electrophysiological effects of [+]-EMD 60263 and its enantiomer [-]-EMD 60264 in several cardiac muscle preparations. The Ca²⁺-sensitizing activity resided in the [+]-enantiomer only. [+]-EMD 60263 (3 μM) shifted the EC₅₀ of Ca²⁺ for contractile activation of skinned fibers of pig heart from 2.41 μM to 0.73 μM, whereas [-]-EMD 60264 (30 μM) was ineffective. In Langendorff-perfused guinea pig hearts, [+]-EMD 60263 and [-]-EMD 60264 induced concentration-dependent positive and negative inotropic effects, respectively; both enantiomers reduced spontaneous heart rate but did not influence perfusion pressure. The maximum increase in force of human atrial trabeculae was 35 % of pre-drug control with [+]-EMD 60263 in comparison to 113 % with forskolin. In guinea-pig papillary muscles, [+]-EMD 60263 and [-]-EMD 60264 had opposite inotropic responses, however, both agents similarly prolonged action potential duration. Both enantiomers concentration-dependently blocked the rapidly activating component I_Kr of the delayed rectifier in guinea-pig myocytes. The block saturated at potentials positive to +30 mV, closely resembling the effects of the antiarrhythmic agent E-4031 which had been originally used to define I_Kr. It is concluded, that the positive inotropic action of [+]-EMD 60263 can be explained by prevalence of the Ca²⁺-sensitizing effect. The accompanying prolongation in action potential duration is caused by block of the I_Kr component of the delayed rectifier. While the inotropic effects are stereoselective, most of the electrophysiological actions are clearly independent of sterical configuration. The combination of Ca²⁺-sensitizing with class-III antiarrhythmic action may provide an interesting pharmacological profile of potential therapeutic use. Received: 7 January 1997 / Accepted: 25 February 1997     

Early neonatal inflammation affects adult pain reactivity and anxiety related traits in mice: genetic background counts

Protracted or recurrent pain and inflammation in the early neonatal period may cause long-lasting changes in central neural function. However, more research is necessary to better characterize the long-term behavioral sequelae of such exposure in the neonatal period. Objectives: (1) to study whether timing of postnatal exposure to persistent inflammation alters responsiveness to thermal pain in the adult animal; (2) to assess whether animals experiencing early postnatal chronic inflammation display altered anxiety related behavior; (3) to study the importance of genetic background. Newborn mice (outbred strain, CD1 and F1 hybrid strain, B6C3F1) received an injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) or saline on either postnatal day 1 or 14 (PND1; PND14) into the left hind paw. Pain to radiant heat and anxiety were examined in 12-week-old adult animals. Adult baseline PWL was significantly decreased in CD1 mice exposed to CFA on PND 1 and 14 as compared to their saline treated counterparts. B6C3F1 mice exposed to CFA on PND14 showed markedly reduced baseline PWL compared to the PND14 saline group. Persistent inflammation experienced by B6C3F1 mice on PND1 failed to affect baseline adult thermal responsiveness. Adult mice, CD1 and B6C3F1, displayed low anxiety traits only if they had been exposed to persistent inflammation on PND1 and not on PND14. Our research suggests a role for genetic background in modulating long-term behavioral consequences of neonatal persistent inflammation: the data support the hypothesis that pain experienced very early in life differentially affects adult behavioral and emotional responsiveness in outbred (CD1) and hybrid mice (B6C3F1).