Amputation in elderly and high-risk vascular patients

Fifty-eight patients underwent lower limb amputation for arterial disease over a 30-month period. Mean age of the patients was 72 years. Cardiopulmonary and metabolic risk factors were present in the majority of the patients. Postoperative one-year and three-year mortality rates were 24, 40, and 76%, respectively. Contralateral amputation was required in one-third of the patients after a mean period of eight months. Only younger and healthier patients returned to a meaningful social life after appropriate prosthetic fitting. In view of the high mortality and morbidity rates, above-knee amputation seems a better choice than below-knee amputation in these elderly and high-risk patients.     

Partial resection of distal humerus and reconstruction using autogenous iliac bone graft

Summary Seven patients with eccentrically placed tumours of the distal end of the humerus treated with partial resection and autogenous iliac bone grafting are reported. The functional results are discussed.

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Résumé Présentation de sept cas de tumeurs situées à l'extrémité distale de l'humérus et traitées par résection limitée et reconstruction par autogreffe lilaque. Discussion des résultats fonctionnels.

     

糖尿病肾病临床研究述评

本文从中医病名、病因病机、诊断标准、临床分期、疗效评定、辨证论治、临床科研七个方面对糖尿病肾病的研究进行了述评。指出：糖尿病肾病的中医病名、诊断、分期及疗效评定标准亟待统一；立足于临床实际，参考现代医学有关认识，应用ＤＭＥ方法，开展糖尿病肾病临床和实验研究，深入探讨其病因病机和证治规律，在中医基本理论指导下，大胆创新，是提高临床疗效的关键；分期辨证论治较为符合疾病的发展规律，便于寻找防治糖尿病肾病的有效方法。     

不吻合血管的岛状皮瓣或复合皮瓣修复组织缺损

报告了40例不吻合血管的岛状皮瓣或复合皮瓣转位修复组织缺损。急诊修复10例,择期修复30例。逆行岛状皮瓣29例,交腿岛状皮瓣4例。修复创面4×4～17×12cm。40例皮瓣全部成活。对修复适应症、修复方法选择、皮瓣或复合皮瓣选择、手术时机选择、受区准备和术中注意事项进行了讨论。     

Validation of esophageal pressure occlusion test after paralysis

Measurements of respiratory mechanics are frequently made in ventilated infants and children. Esophageal pressure measurements (P_es using a balloon on a catheter have been used to partition the respiratory mechanics into lung and chest wall components. Appropriate positioning of this balloon is crucial to obtain accurate estimates of pleural pressure. Traditionally, in spontaneously breathing subjects the balloon position is assessed with an occlusion test. In ventilated subjects, it is not always possible to perform an occlusion test prior to paralysis, and even if such a test is performed it may not be relevant under conditions of positive pressure ventilation. We have assessed a positive pressure occlusion test that is suitable for paralyzed subjects. By occluding the airway opening and applying gentle pressure to the abdomen or rib cage, positive swings in pressure can be measured by both P_es and airway opening pressure (P_ao). We compared traditional occlusion tests measured in 16 spontaneously breathing puppies to the positive pressure occlusion test performed after paralysis. In 2 pups we were unable to obtain a reasonable traditional occlusion test (>15% difference between P_es and P_ao) but we obtained 10 traditional occlusion tests in each of the remaining 14 pups (2.1–14 kg). In 11 of these animals Ape, was within 10% of P_ao. This compared well to positive pressure occlusion test using abdominal pressure performed after paralysis, where Apes was within 10% of ΔP_ao in 10 animals. In 9 of these pups occlusion tests were also performed by applying pressure on the rib cage, where ΔP_es was within 10% of ΔP_ao in 6 animals. These results suggest that it is possible to perform accurate occlusion tests in paralyzed subjects by abdominal or rib cage compression with the airway occluded. Pediatr Pulmonol. 1994; 17:56–62. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Neuro-ophthalmic manifestations of the syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia Observations on 20 patients

The neuro-ophthalmological manifestations of 20 patients with the syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia are described. The symmetrical nature of the ophthalmoplegia and the associated cerebellar ataxia point to centrally placed lesions. Several supranuclear, nuclear and internuclear ophthalmological signs are identified. Some of these, like partial sparing of the levator palpebrae and normal downgaze in the presence of severe ophthalmoplegia are noted too frequently to be just unusual signs of peripheral oculomotor dysfunction. Other identified features included upper lid retraction on attempted upgaze and preserved Bell's phenomenon in the presence of paralysis of the latter, as well as several other central ophthalmological signs. These findings contrast with those seen in the Guillain-Barré syndrome and, thus, the syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia is not a mere variant of it.     

An electron microscopic study of local anesthetic-induced skeletal muscle fiber degeneration and regeneration in the monkey

An electron microscopic study was done on abductor pollicis brevis muscles of 18 Rhesus monkeys after intramuscular injections of 0.75% bupivacaine, 2% mepivacaine, or 2% lidocaine + epinephrine. The muscles were examined for from 2 h to 28 days. Severe muscle fiber damage, consisting of breakdown of sarcolemma and myofibrils, was seen as early as 2 h. Phagocyte mediated fragmentation of the degenerating muscle fibers was at its peak during the third and fourth days. Myoblasts were abundant during the fourth day. Early myotubes appeared on the fifth and sixth days, and they matured during the second week. Satellite cells appeared alongside mature myotubes. Overall, the local anesthetic-induced breakdown and regeneration of skeletal muscle fibers in the monkey followed a course quite similar to that seen in the rat.     

Diagnosis of fetal rubella infection by nucleic acid hybridization

The efficacy of nucleic acid hybridization for the diagnosis of rubella infection in experimental and clinical materials was compared with immunoblot and virus isolation techniques. Our results showed that nucleic acid hybridization is specific and rapid but gives false-negative results when compared with conventional virus isolation in some experimental although not in clinical materials so far examined. For this reason, a failure to demonstrate rubella virus in fetal specimens by this method alone cannot yet be taken as a sole criterion for ruling out fetal rubella infection.