Predictive value of ischaemia-modified albumin in spermatogenesis in an experimental testicular torsion model

Our aim was to measure the ability of ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA) to predict testicular histopathological damage in the testes of rats with short- and long-term ischaemia using experimental testicular torsion and subsequent reperfusion via detorsion.21 Wistar Albino rats were randomized into three groups. The sham group was subjected to a mid-scrotal incision only. The 4- and 8-hr T/D (Torsion/Detorsion) groups were subjected to left testicular torsion by twisting the testes by 720 degrees counterclockwise. 2 cc venous blood samples were taken from the sham group after the mid-scrotal incision, and from the 4- and 8-hr T/D groups after 4 and 8 hr respectively. After that, the 4- and 8-hr T/D groups were subjected to detorsion. Two days later, orchiectomy was performed. Ischaemia-modified albumin levels were significantly different among the groups at 48 hr prior to orchiectomy (reperfusion; p = .003). Based on the results of the paired comparisons, it was found that IMA levels of the sham group were significantly higher than those of the 4- and 8-hr T/D groups (p = .002 and .009 respectively). Our study has showed that IMA may be used to predict ischaemia/reperfusion injury, which is another complication that may occur following detorsion in testicular torsion.     

Investigation of serum vitamin D and ischaemia-modified albumin levels in infertile Turkish men

Our aim was to explore the existence of a possible relationship of sperm motility with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH VD) levels and with ischaemia-modified albumin ( IMA) levels in infertile Turkish men. A total of 30 men with nonobstructive azoospermia (no spermatozoa in ejaculate), 30 men with oligospermia (total progressive motile sperm count (TPMSC) <15 × 10⁶/ml) and 33 fertile men with normospermia (with at least one child, as the control group) were enrolled in the study. The mean 25-OH VD levels for groups 1, 2 and 3 were 9.31 ± 6.46, 19.71 ± 12.80 and 30.52 ± 12.49 respectively (p < .05). There was a statistically significant difference in serum IMA levels among the groups (479.32 ± 307.56 vs. 296.37 ± 127.27 vs. 150.04 ± 81.05, respectively; p < .05). A positive correlation between serum 25-OH VD levels and TPMSC, and a negative correlation between TPMSC and serum IMA levels were determined. Infertile men had lower serum 25-OH VD and higher IMA levels than fertile men, with a positive correlation between serum 25-OH VD levels and TPMSC, and a negative correlation between TPMSC and serum IMA levels. Vitamin D supplementation may increase the sperm motility.     

Effects of penehyclidine hydrochloride on pulmonary contusion from blunt chest trauma in rats

Background and objectiveToll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is widely recognised as a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) in the triggering of innate immunity. Lung inflammation and systemic innate immune responses are dependent on TLR4 activation undergoing pulmonary contusion. Therefore, the author investigated the effects of penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) on the expression of TLR4 and inflammatory responses of blunt chest trauma-induced pulmonary contusion.Materials and methodsMale Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into three groups: normal control (NC) group, pulmonary contusion (PC) group and penehyclidine hydrochloride treatment (PHC) group. Pulmonary contusion was induced in anesthetised rats at fixed chest impact energy of 2.45 J. Lung injury was assessed by the histopathology changes, arterial blood gas and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of lung. The serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The expression of TLR4 was determined by immunohistochemistry.ResultsBlunt chest trauma produced leucocytosis in the interstitial capillaries, hypoxemia, and increased MPO activity. The expressions of TNF-α, IL-6 and TLR4 in the lung were significantly enhanced during pulmonary contusion. PHC treatments effectively attenuated pulmonary inflammation responses, as shown by improved pulmonary oxygenation, histopathology damage, decreased the MPO activity, the expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, and TLR4 after lung injury.ConclusionIt might be concluded that PHC exhibit anti-inflammatory and protective effects in traumatic lung injury via the inhibition of the TLR4 pathway.     

Diagnostic and surgical approach in the combined thoracic trauma complicated by pulmonary and heart contusion

Experience of treatment of 782 injured persons with combined thoracic trauma was summarized. Of the total number of injured persons with pulmonary contusion 177 (control group) were treated using conventional methods and 165 (basic group)--an early active operative tactics. Of the total number of injured persons in 150 with heart contusion (basic group) the cardiotropic therapy conduction was started from the hospitalization moment and in 134 (control group)--from the second day and later. Mortality while pulmonary contusion in control group was 43% and in the basic one--31%; in the heart contusion--46 and 12% accordingly.     

Diagnostic value of the portable chest x-ray technic in pulmonary edema

The ability of the portable chest x-ray film to define the amount of physiologic shunting and the severity of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema was evaluated in thirty-seven observations of eleven patients. Ten of the eleven patients were suffering from acute respiratory failure. The radiologic assessment of the amount of pulmonary edema and the severity of left ventricular failure were compared with the physiologic shunt fraction, tracer-measured lung water, and pulmonary arterial wedge pressure. The radiologic scores for edema did not predict the shunt fraction or tracer measurements of lung water. The radiologic score for congestive failure correlated with the wedge pressure but not well enough to be clinically useful. Five per cent of the x-ray results were false-positive and 11 per cent false-negative. Results indicate that the portable chest x-ray technic does not provide quantitative information regarding cardiopulmonary function. It is especially hazardous to accept an x-ray diagnosis of congestive failure as the cause of pulmonary edema.     

Flail chest and pulmonary contusion

Flail chest is most often accompanied by a significant underlying pulmonary parenchymal injury and can be a life-threatening thoracic injury. Its management is often complicated by the other injuries it is frequently associated with. Similarly, mortality and morbidity are dictated most often by the associated injuries and findings. Its treatment is complex and should first be one of pain management, judicious fluid resuscitation, and excellent pulmonary toilet. In those patients requiring mechanical ventilatory support, or who require ipsilateral thoracocotomy, rib stabilization may be considered depending on a host of potentially conflicting indications and contraindications. At the end of this section are listed the current major recommendations and their levels of evidence.     

Determinants of outcome after pulmonary contusion

During the past 5 1/2 years, 86 patients were treated for pulmonary contusion resulting from blunt trauma. Injury mechanism was motor vehicle in 65 patients (76%), farming in nine (10%), fall in eight (9%), and miscellaneous in four (5%). There were 68 males (79%) and 18 females. Ages ranged from 4 to 75 years (mean, 32 years). Twenty-two patients (26%) presented in hypovolemic shock. Injury Severity Score (ISS) averaged 26 (range, 9-57). Intubation was performed in the Emergency Department in 21 patients (24%), 19 of whom were severely hypoxic with pO2/FIO2 ratio less than 300. Thirty-four patients were ultimately treated with mechanical ventilation for 1 to 103 days (mean, 9.1 days). The average hospital stay was 22 days. Eleven patients (13%) died. Mortality was significantly greater (p less than 0.05) in patients with ISS greater than or equal to 25, initial Glasgow Coma Scale less than or equal to 7, transfusion of greater than three units of blood, and pO2/FIO2 less than 300. Mortality was not correlated with either presence of shock or amount of intravenous fluid administration. Eighteen patients with concomitant flail chest demonstrated no increase in mortality but were likely to require mechanical ventilation (p less than 0.05). The extent of contusion assessed on admission chest roentgenogram was not predictive of mortality or need for intubation. We recommend aggressive treatment of associated injuries, craniocerebral trauma, and selective mechanical ventilation based upon degree of intrapulmonary shunt.     

Crystalloid resuscitation of patients with pulmonary contusion

One hundred nine patients with the diagnosis of pulmonary contusion were studied retrospectively. Thirteen deaths were respiratory related (12 percent of patients). All of the patients were quickly resuscitated with crystalloid solutions as necessary to restore perfusion to normal. Twenty-eight of the most severely injured patients, all of whom were intubated and ventilated and in whom serial PaO2 and total protein determinations were available, were examined for the relationship between crystalloid induced hemodilution as measured by the plasma colloid oncotic pressure and oxygenation as measured by the PaO2/FiO2 ratio. When survivors and nonsurvivors were analyzed by group, both individually and collectively, no correlation was found between oxygenation and oncotic pressure. Survivors and nonsurvivors exhibited similar post-traumatic courses in the PaO2/FiO2 ratios with differences not becoming significant until the eleventh day after injury. We conclude that contusion is not a progressive lesion unless pneumonia supervenes and that pulmonary dysfunction after contusion is unrelated to hemodilution.     

血清降钙素原检测对于肾移植术后肺部感染的诊断价值

目的：与内毒素和C反应蛋白（ CRP）检测结果进行比较,探讨血清降钙素原（ PCT）检测在肾移植术后肺部感染诊断中的临床意义及其应用价值。方法回顾性分析2010年2月至2013年9月武汉大学移植医学中心98例肾移植术后并发肺部感染的受者临床资料。根据肺部感染的病原体诊断标准将受者分为细菌组（48例）和非细菌组（50例）,比较PCT、内毒素和CRP检测3种方法诊断肾移植术后细菌性肺部感染的灵敏度和特异度,比较3种方法对确诊肾移植术后并发细菌性肺部感染受者的阳性诊断结果。结果 PCT 检测灵敏度为95.8％,特异度为94．0％;内毒素检测灵敏度为77．1％,特异度为72．0％;CRP检测灵敏度为52．1％,特异度为58．0％。血清PCT检测细菌组受者阳性结果高于内毒素和CRP检测（χ2＝7.36,10．04, P均＜0．05）。结论血清PCT检测对于肾移植术后细菌性肺部感染的临床诊断价值高于内毒素和CRP,可作为肾移植受者是否并发细菌性肺部感染的优选诊断指标。     

Survival in trauma victims with pulmonary contusion.

The author evaluated 203 consecutive patients with severe chest trauma admitted to the trauma center between 1985 and 1989. The goal was to identify risk factors that play a significant role in mortality of patients with pulmonary contusion. There were 160 men and 43 women. The average was 33 years (range 2 to 92 years); 178 patients were younger than 60 years and 25 were older. There were 183 motor vehicle or motorcycle accidents, five gun shot wounds, one stab wound, five falls from height, three industrial accidents, one altercation, and five other undetermined causes. One hundred and fifty-nine patients survived; 44 died (22%). Their injury severity scores averaged 27 (range 9 to 59) for the survivors and 43.5 (range 17 to 75) for the nonsurvivors. Fifty-seven per cent of the patients required mechanical ventilation. The average time on the ventilator was 4.4 days (range 1 to 47 days) for the survivors and 14.2 days for the nonsurvivors (range 1 to 126 days). Of the patients less than 60 years old, 34 (20%) died, but 10 (40%) of the 25 patients older than 60 years died. Average blood loss was 1,047 cc (range 0 to 14,300 cc), but the difference was not statistically significant between survivors and nonsurvivors in the authors' series. Injuries to the central nervous system were present in 80 (40%) of the patients and were associated with death in 30 (68%) of the cases. Age, severity of injury, associated head trauma, and shock were the most important factors affecting survival in the authors' patients with pulmonary contusion.     

Flail chest syndrome and pulmonary contusion.

Controlled mechanical ventilation has been the mainstay of treatment in the flail chest syndrome for more than 20 years, retrospective studies have recently suggested that the technique is unnecessary, and they infer that spontaneous ventilation or intermittent mandatory ventilation are equally effective. The common theme of these investigations is that mechanical ventilation is required only to relieve hypoxemia associated with the underlying contusion. In two cases of flail chest, spontaneous respiratory efforts resulted in complete disruption of the fracture sites and thus prolonged the duration of mechanical ventilation that was required. In severe cases of flail chest syndrome, there is still a need for controlled mechanical ventilation to splint the rib fractures in a position which facilitates union of the fragments.     

Lung bacterial clearance following pulmonary contusion.

Bacterial infections frequently,complicate pulmonary contusion and are the leading cause of death in such patients. This study evaluated the effects of pulmonary contusion alone and contusion associated with other factors on the ability to clear aerosolized bacteria from the lung. Lung bacterial clearance of Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae was studied in animals with isolated pulmonary contusion, or contusion associated with blood loss, rapid crystalloid infusion, or steroid administration. An isolated pulmonary contusion produced no impairment of the ability of the contused lung to clear either gram-negative or gram-positive organisms. The addition of acute blood loss and crystalloid infusion resulted in decreased clearance from the contused lung; steroid administration caused a marked depression in lung bacterial clearance from the noninjured lung as well. The canine model described allowed for study of regional differences in bacterial clearance. The data presented support several conclusions; (1) the contused lung is not more susceptible to bacterial infection than the normal lung: (2) acute blood loss renders the contused lung less able to clear bacteria; (3) crystalloid infusion markedly depresses lung bacterial clearance; and (4) steroids have a deleterious antibacterial effect on both contused and noncontused lungs.