The Impact of Supplemental Intraoperative Air Decontamination on the Outcome of Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Pilot Analysis

Background

During the early era of arthroplasty, the concept of ultraclean operating room (OR) was introduced based on the principle that the number of airborne particles in the OR directly influences incidence of device-related infections. The hypothesis of this pilot study was that use of an innovative UV-C air decontamination technology would lead to a reduction in the incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total joint arthroplasty.

Experiences with a New Nonbiodegradable Hydrogel (Aquamid): A Pilot Study

Aquamid represents a new generation of soft-tissue fillers thanks to the lack of particles and a very high concentration of water. Aquamid is the result of a new, patented production method called In line Cross-Linking Technology (ILX Technology). The Aquamid gel contains 2.5% polyacrylamide (PAAG) and 97.5% water. It is homogenous, perfectly stable and nonbiodegradable and has optimum viscosity and elasticity. Aquamid has been authorized for sale in Europe since March 2001 as a new medical device (CE-mark 0543). This pilot study presents our experiences with Aquamid based on 59 subjects treated with 77 doses mainly used for aesthetic correction but even on medical indication. Lip augmentation was the most frequent procedure (72%), dominated by the age groups from 20 to 25 and from 50 to 60 years. Cheekbone enlargement was carried out in 13% of the cases. The rest concerned augmentation of deep naso-labial fold, glabella, and chin with 5% representation of each. The patient satisfaction was almost 100% with the aesthetic results and either short time or long time side effect reported during a follow-up period of 9 months (range: 2 to 16 months). Aquamid is easy to use without any pretest. Considering its long-lasting effect and the need for sterile conditions with use, only qualified and experienced staff, preferably physicians, should administrate the gel. Adequate indication, correct handling, and thoughtful following of the recommendations/cautions are of vital importance. Given that, aquamid seems to be a promising long-lasting soft tissue filler.     

TNF-Based Isolated Limb Perfusion Followed by Consolidation Biotherapy with Systemic Low-dose Interferon Alpha 2b in Patients with In-transit Melanoma Metastases: A Pilot Trial

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-based isolated limb perfusion (ILP) yields high tumor response rates in patients with in-transit melanoma metastases. However, most patients will ultimately experience disease recurrence. The aim of this pilot study was to test the hypothesis that systemic low-dose interferon alpha-2b (LDI) might consolidate the therapeutic effect of ILP. METHODS: A total of 12 patients with in-transit melanoma metastases not amenable to surgical excision were given LDI subcutaneously (3 million IU/day, 7 days/week for 12 months) after TNF-based ILP (TNF 1 mg + melphalan (L-PAM) 10 mg/L) (group A). The clinical outcome of these patients was historically compared with that of 19 patients with similar anthropometric and disease characteristics who underwent TNF-based ILP alone (group B). RESULTS: In group A, LDI was well tolerated, only grade 2 systemic toxicity being recorded in 50% of patients. The progression-free survival analysis showed a statistically significant advantage for group A patients as compared with group B (median time to progression: 26 and 17 months, respectively; log-rank test P-value: 0.037). This survival benefit was confirmed at multivariate analysis, where treatment was the only prognostic factor retained by the prediction model. The analysis of the risk of disease progression over time suggested that this survival benefit appears to vanish after LDI discontinuation, which further strengthens the hypothesis that LDI might consolidate the therapeutic effect of TNF-based ILP. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings support the conduction of larger trials to formally assess the ability of LDI to improve the clinical outcome of melanoma patients with in-transit metastases undergoing TNF-based ILP.     

Hyperbaric Oxygen and N-Acetylcysteine Treatment in L-Arginine-Induced Acute Pancreatitis in Rats

ABSTRACT

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the combined effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on acute necrotizing pancreatitis in rats. Methods: Experiments were performed in 50 male Wistar rats, which were divided into five groups (N = 10 for each group). The first group received normal saline (0.9% NaCl) intraperitoneal and served as the control group. In the second group, acute pancreatitis was induced by 3.2-g/kg body weight L-arginine intraperitoneal twice at an interval of 1 hr, which has been shown previously to produce severe necrotizing acute pancreatitis. In the third group, NAC treatment (1000 mg/kg) was given after 1 hr of the induction of acute pancreatitis twice 24 hr apart. In the fourth group, animals received HBO, 6 hr after the induction of pancreatitis twice 12 hr apart. In the fifth group, animals received together NAC as in Group 3 and HBO treatment as in Group 4. Groups 1, 2, and 3 were left under normal atmospheric pressures. Twelve hours after last treatment, the animals were killed by exsanguinations. Blood samples were studied for amylase, calcium, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pancreatic histology, pancreatic tissue malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione levels. Results: Acute pancreatitis is reduced by the treatment of NAC, HBO, NAC + HBO. HBO + NAC groups performed statistically the best in preventing L-arginine-induced acute necrotising pancreatitis. Conclusions: NAC especially combined with HBO, decreases oxidative stress parameters, serum amylase, calcium, and LDH levels, as well as histopathologic score.     

硝普钠阴茎海绵体内注射治疗阳萎的临床研究

本研究选择４２例阳萎患者，采用硝普钠进行阴茎海绵体注射（ＩＣＩ），并选择罂粟碱／酚妥拉明进行对照，结果表明，硝普钠ＩＣＩ后：（１）阴茎外形性状（长度、周径等）明显改变。（２）Ｖｉｒａｇ硬度计点表明硝普钠与罂粟碱／酚妥拉明效果之间无明显差别。（３）所有测试患者无一例出现低血压或局部不适等副反应，与罂粟碱／酚妥拉明相比各有优劣，但总体差异不大，这充分表明，硝普钠作为一种ＮＯ供体可导致阴茎平滑肌松弛，血窦充盈阴茎勃起，其副反应较小，有其临床应用之价值。     

糖皮质激素对肿瘤坏死因子引起的大鼠中性粒细胞粘附的影响

采用中性粒细胞（ＰＭＮ）与玻璃珠粘附和ＰＭＮ与血管内皮细胞（ＥＣ）粘附两种模型，以肿瘤坏死因子（ＴＮＦ），作为ＰＭＮ的刺激因子，研究糖皮质激素（ＧＣ）对ＴＮＦ引起的大鼠ＰＭＮ粘附的影响，同时给予糖皮质激素受体（ＧＲ）阻断剂ＲＵ３８４８６观察ＧＲ在粘附中的作用。结果发现，ＴＮＦ能明显增强大鼠ＰＭＮ的粘附（Ｐ＜０．０１）；Ｄｅｘ不能抑制经ＴＮＦ预处理的ＰＭＮ的粘附（Ｐ＞０．０５），但有一定的预防作用；经ＴＮＦ预处理再同时给予Ｄｅｘ和ＲＵ３８４８６的ＰＭＮ粘附同样明显增强（Ｐ＜０．０１）。     

Kelfiprim,a new sulpha-trimethoprim combination,versus cotrimoxazole,in the treatment of urinary tract infections: A multicentre,double-blind trial

Summary A new combination of trimethoprim with a sulphonamide, named Kelfiprim, differs from cotrimoxazole in that: a) the sulpha drug is sulphamethopyrazine instead of sulphamethoxazole; b) the trimethoprim to sulpha ratio is 5:4 instead of 1:5;c) the presence of a long-acting sulphonamide allows the administration of a daily dose of one capsule, following an initial loading dose of two capsules; d) a reduced amount of trimethoprim is given, as compared to cotrimoxazole, without any decrease of efficacy. Kelfiprim [KP] was compared to contrimoxazole [Co] in a multicentre double blind trial. Sixty four patients suffering from acute and chronic infections of the upper and lower urinary tract entered the study. Urine sterilisation and clinical improvement without relapses showed no differences from the two treatment groups. Tolerance was excellent except in two patients, one treated with KP and the other treated with Co, who showed a transient exanthema.     

Time-dependent hexaminolaevulinate induced protoporphyrin IX distribution after topical application in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: A fluorescence microscopy study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Compared to the conventional management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) the potential advantage of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of cervical human papilloma virus (HPV)-related disease encompasses a minimal invasive procedure with reduced risk of profuse bleeding as a consequence of conization, and possibly more favorable long-term results avoiding cervical stenosis. At present little is known about the precise time-dependent distribution and histological localization of hexaminolaevulinate (HAL) induced protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) fluorescence in healthy tissue and in CIN. The aim of this study was to use ex vivo fluorescence microscopy to determine whether PPIX is selectively induced by neoplastic cells of the cervical epithelium at various times after topical application. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cold cream containing 0.5% HAL was applied by means of cervical cap over various periods of time. We analyzed 52 healthy cervical mucosa and 84 CINs. RESULTS: At time delay 100 (+/-10) minutes, high epithelial fluorescence and a significant selectivity between epithelium and underlying lamina propria was found. By contrast, no significant difference between healthy and neoplastic tissues, or between low and high-grade epithelial dysplasia (P > or = 0.05), was observed at any time point. CONCLUSIONS: Application of HAL 0.5% cream to the cervix induced selective fluorescence in epithelial cells. The optimal ratio with a homogeneous PPIX distribution was obtained after 100 ( +/- 10) minutes cream application, which should be evaluated further for PDT.     

An updated review on the principles of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring and the anaesthetic considerations

It is known that any surgery to the nervous system poses risks to neural structures and their surrounding structures. These mechanisms of injury are the result of mechanical manipulations, haemodynamic alterations, chemical or thermal injuries. Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), using various modalities, is employed to facilitate the assessment of the functional integrity of neural structures, and it is used to provide a real-time alerting system when changes caused by surgically induced insults are detected. The primary goal of IONM is reducing the risk of postoperative neurological deficits during these surgical procedures. It is used to provide information that allows the surgeon to correct any surgical interventions that may have compromised these systems and this also in turn provides guidance on what neurological deficits to anticipate postoperatively. Apart from being utilized as an alerting system to avoid catastrophic outcomes, IONM also assists as a guidance system using stimulation techniques to map out eloquent areas within the cortex, allowing identification of specific neuronal structures, particularly when landmarks cannot be easily recognized due to infiltration by pathological lesions.In this article, we focus on updating our previous paper published in 2019 and again, to provide attention to the various neurophysiological modalities that are employed in IONM. We will look at the basic underlying physiological principles and their individual indications for use clinically. We will explain the information that each modality provides. Importantly, and the primary reason for this article, we look at the various anaesthetic agents, their effects on each neurophysiological modality and other anaesthetic considerations such as haemodynamic and temperature effects. We will also recommend the use of an alert checklist for the multidisciplinary team should an intraoperative alert be issued during surgical procedures.     

Remarkable increase in lumbar spine bone mineral density and amelioration in biochemical markers of bone turnover after parathyroidectomy in elderly patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: a 5-year follow-up study

We evaluated the efficacy of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on bone mineral density (BMD) and hormonal and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in elderly primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients, and followed these patients for 5 years after PTX. Eleven PHPT patients were enrolled and were followed for 5 years by measuring lumbar spine BMD (LSBMD), femoral BMD (FBMD), radial BMD (RBMD), parathyroid hormone (PTH), 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)₂D], serum calcium (SCa), inorganic phosphate (iP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), intact osteocalcin (IOC), urinary excretion of type I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptide (NTx), and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD). PTX produced significant increases in LSBMD of 12%, 19%, and 29% as compared with pretreatment levels after 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively (P < 0.01, compared to baseline), whereas there was no significant increase in FBMD and a slight decrease in RBMD. SCa and iP levels remained normal over the five years. PTX also resulted in significant decreases in PTH, 1,25(OH)₂D, BAP, IOC, NTx, and DPD that continued for at least 3 years after PTX. In conclusion, PTX seemed effective to normalize various markers of bone metabolism in elderly PHPT patients and is recommended to patients with low LSBMD to prevent future fractures. On the other hand, the use of PTX for low FBMD or RBMD patients requires further discussion.     

中医骨伤科学的现代化是可持续发展的必由之路

21世纪，现代科学和现代医学高速发展，中医面临着机遇与挑战。随着人类对健康需求的不断增强和深化，中医已成为世界范围内医学发展关注的热点。而在国内，随着经济体制和社会保障改革的深化，中医产业化也被纳入到国家经济发展规划当中，可以说，新世纪中医飞速发展的大气候已经形成。当前乃至今后，中医的发展必将是国际化的。中医骨伤科学是中医学中一个颇具特色和优势的分支，其发展也必将是国际化的。     

Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase Activities in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

In this study, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were determinated in the erythrocytes (RBC) from patients with chronic renal failure. The study included healthy subjects (n = 7), patients on hemodialysis (HD) using polyacrylonitrile-type dialysis membrane (before and after HD) (n = 10), patients on HD using cuprophane-type dialysis membrane (before and after HD) (n = 6), and patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) (n = 11). A significant decrease in SOD activity was found in HD groups using polyacrylonitrile- or cuprophane-type dialysis membrane. SOD activity was found to increase in patients undergoing CAPD. We have found that CAT activity is higher in all the CRF groups in respect to the control: with polyacrylonitrile-type dialysis membrane, with cuprophane-type dialysis membrane, and in CAPD treatment.     

Once Daily Calcineurin Inhibitor Monotherapy in Pediatric Liver Transplantation

This report describes a group of pediatric liver transplant recipients who have undergone once daily calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) monotherapy at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, between January 1, 2001 and November 30, 2008. We defined success as normal liver enzymes at 1 year after dose change, with normal enzymes throughout all follow‐up. Patients who did not meet the set criteria or had lost an organ to chronic rejection were not considered for this therapeutic strategy. There were 147 patients in our organ transplant tracking record (OTTR) who were ≥ 5 years post liver transplant. Of these, 56 underwent reduced dose, once daily CNI monotherapy. Patients who met the set criteria were placed on once daily calcineurin inhibitor at half their previous dose. Fifty patients successfully achieved this dose change, while six patients failed at a mean of 3.7 ± 3.2 months following the dosing change. The mean interval from transplant was significantly longer in those patients who were successful compared to those who failed dose change (p < 0.05). Importantly, there have been no graft losses. Reduced dose, once daily CNI monotherapy is safe in carefully selected recipients, with a longer interval post liver transplantation increasing the likelihood of success.