Interventional Efforts to Reduce Psychological Distress After Orthopedic Trauma: A Systematic Review

HSS Journal ® - Unanticipated severe injury to part of the musculoskeletal system, referred to as orthopedic trauma, can be debilitating. It can also be accompanied by equally debilitating...     

Outcome reliability in non‐Ambulatory Boys/Men with duchenne muscular dystrophy

Introduction: Therapeutic trials in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) often exclude non‐ambulatory individuals. Here we establish optimal and reliable assessments in a multicenter trial. Methods: Non‐ambulatory boys/men with DMD (N = 91; 16.7 ± 4.5 years of age) were assessed by trained clinical evaluators. Feasibility (percentage completing task) and reliability [intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between morning and afternoon tests] were measured. Results: Forced vital capacity (FVC), assessed in all subjects, showed a mean of 47.8 ± 22% predicted (ICC 0.98). Brooke Upper Extremity Functional Rating (Brooke) and Egen Klassifikation (EK) scales in 100% of subjects showed ICCs ranging from 0.93 to 0.99. Manual muscle testing, range of motion, 9‐hole peg test, and Jebsen‐Taylor Hand Function Test (JHFT) demonstrated varied feasibility (99% to 70%), with ICCs ranging from 0.99 to 0.64. We found beneficial effects of different forms of corticosteroids for the Brooke scale, percent predicted FVC, and hand and finger strength. Conclusions: Reliable assessment of non‐ambulatory boys/men with DMD is possible. Clinical trials will have to consider corticosteroid use. Muscle Nerve 51: 522–532, 2015     

Augmentation of protein degradation by L-triiodothyronine in uremia

To ascertain if excessive protein catabolism is a feature of uremia, we determined leucine flux and nitrogen balance in 11 stable chronic dialysis patients and in 7 normal subjects. Leucine flux was determined during primed constant infusion of 2H3 and 15N leucine. Nitrogen balance was determined by measurement of nitrogen in the food, dialysate, and urine, and in the dialysis patients by correcting for the changing urea nitrogen pool. To assess if thyroid hormone adversely affects protein metabolism, the above-mentioned studies were done once in the basal state and once after a 7-day course of L-triiodothyronine (T3) treatment. Leucine carbon flux (mumol/kg/min) was 1.22 +/- 0.05 in the controls and 1.40 +/- 0.09 in the renal patients in the basal state (P = NS). Following T3 treatment, leucine carbon flux was increased to 1.40 +/- 0.05 and 1.72 +/- 0.09, respectively, in the controls and the renal patients (P less than .05). Fractional increment of the leucine carbon flux was 14% +/- 3% in the controls and 23% +/- 9% in the renal patients (P less than .05). The leucine nitrogen flux (mumol/kg/min) was 2.10 +/- 0.15 in the controls and 2.54 +/- 0.23 in the renal patients in the basal state (P = NS), and increased to 2.48 +/- 0.14 and 3.44 +/- 0.22, respectively, in controls and renal patients after T3 administration (P less than .05). Fractional increment of leucine nitrogen flux was 19.5% +/- 4.3% in the controls and 36.4% +/- 5.0% in the renal patients (P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Laboratory testing for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus: established and novel approaches

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Western blot are the primary tests for the diagnosis and confirmation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The ELISA, an inexpensive screening test for antibodies to HIV-1, is both sensitive and specific. The HIV-1 Western blot is a reliable confirmatory test following a repeatedly reactive ELISA. False-positive HIV-1 results with this sequence of tests are extremely rare but can occur, and test results that are inconsistent with clinical or other laboratory information should be questioned, repeated, or supplemented. The US Food and Drug Administration has also approved rapid and more accessible testing methods. Oral mucosal transudate and urine testing are noninvasive testing methods; rapid and home sample collection kits offer easier access to testing.