A case of purulent pneumococcal pericarditis

Background

Purulent bacterial pericarditis is a rare and potentially fatal disease. The course may be fulminant, and the presentation may pose a diagnostic challenge.

Two cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess necessitating liver resection for effective treatment

We report two British cases of liver abscess, due to Klebsiella pneumoniae and associated with synchronous infection elsewhere, which required liver resection for definitive treatment. They illustrate the geographic spread of aggressive K pneumoniae liver infection and demonstrate the importance of early aggressive treatment.     

Dexamethasone potentiates in vitro blood-brain barrier recovery after primary blast injury by glucocorticoid receptor-mediated upregulation of ZO-1 tight junction protein

Owing to the frequent incidence of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) in recent military conflicts, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapies for bTBI-related pathologies. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown has been reported to occur after primary blast exposure, making restoration of BBB function and integrity a promising therapeutic target. We tested the hypothesis that treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) after primary blast injury potentiates recovery of an in vitro BBB model consisting of mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3). DEX treatment resulted in complete recovery of transendothelial electrical resistance and hydraulic conductivity 1 day after injury, compared with 3 days for vehicle-treated injured cultures. Administration of RU486 (mifepristone) inhibited effects of DEX, confirming that barrier restoration was mediated by glucocorticoid receptor signaling. Potentiated recovery with DEX treatment was accompanied by stronger zonula occludens (ZO)-1 tight junction immunostaining and expression, suggesting that increased ZO-1 expression was a structural correlate to BBB recovery after blast. Interestingly, augmented ZO-1 protein expression was associated with specific upregulation of the α⁺ isoform but not the α⁻ isoform. This is the first study to provide a mechanistic basis for potentiated functional recovery of an in vitro BBB model because of glucocorticoid treatment after primary blast injury.     

断指再植手术对手指钝性离断伤的治疗效果研究

目的：探析手指钝性离断伤采用断指再植手术治疗的临床效果。方法整群选择2013年6月—2014年6月期间该院收治的手指钝性离断伤患者59例为研究对象，对其临床治疗资料进行回顾性分析。结果该组的59例患者中，术后断指再成活54例，占91.53%，5例失败，占8.47%，其中手指远端坏死3例，占5.08%，2例术后感染，占3.39%。结论临床上给予手指钝性离断伤患者断指再植手术治疗，可以获得较好的效果，有助于恢复患者的手指功能。     

神经内镜辅助下经鼻蝶入路治疗鞍区肿瘤

目的探讨神经内镜辅助下经鼻蝶入路切除鞍区肿瘤的方法和优势。方法回顾性分析30例鞍区肿瘤病人的临床资料,垂体腺瘤26例(其中无功能垂体腺瘤6例、泌乳素瘤16例、垂体生长激素腺瘤4例),拉克囊肿1例,胆脂瘤1例,脑膜瘤1例,颅咽管瘤1例。采用神经内镜辅助下经鼻蝶入路手术切除肿瘤。结果肿瘤全切27例,部分切除3例。术后3例发生脑脊液鼻漏,经腰大池持续引流后痊愈。无死亡病例。随访3~6个月,病人恢复良好。结论在神经内镜辅助下经鼻蝶入路治疗鞍区肿瘤,较单纯的显微镜手术治疗创伤更小,肿瘤全切率更高。     

Reproducibility (test–retest) of vestibular evoked myogenic potential

IntroductionThere is still no consensus in the literature as to the best acoustic stimulus for capturing vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP). Low-frequency tone bursts are generally more effective than high-frequency, but recent studies still use clicks. Reproducibility is an important analytical parameter to observe the reliability of responses.ObjectiveTo determine the reproducibility of p13 and n23 latency and amplitude of the VEMP for stimuli with different tone-burst frequencies, and to define the best test frequency.MethodsCross-sectional cohort study. VEMP was captured in 156 ears, on the sternocleidomastoid muscle, using 100 tone-burst stimuli at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz, and sound intensity of 95 dB nHL. Responses were replicated, that is, recorded three times on each side.ResultsNo significant difference was observed for p13 and n23 latencies of the VEMP, captured at three moments with tone-burst stimuli at 250, 500, and 1000 Hz. Only the frequency of 2000 Hz showed a difference between captures of this potential (p < 0.001). p13 and n23 amplitude analysis was also similar in the test–retest for all frequencies analyzed.Conclusionp13 and n23 latencies and amplitudes of VEMP for tone-burst stimuli at frequencies of 250, 500, and 1000 Hz are reproducible.