Rotavirus,vaccine failure or diagnostic error?

Immunochromatography (ICG) is highly used in clinical settings for rotavirus (RV) diagnosis. The specificity of the tests differs by brand type and is not 100%, therefore its use when the prevalence of the disease is low (i.e. in vaccinated children) may result in a proportion of false positive diagnoses.In some areas, vaccine effectiveness studies or surveillance is done using ICG. Our objective was to estimate the validity of ICG test in vaccinated children, and estimate the number of false positive results in the Valencian Region of Spain, where all RV infections are diagnosed using ICG and are not confirmed by PCR.Population based registries were used to identify all results from the RV antigen tests performed between January 2008 and June 2012 in children under 37 months. Hospitalization and vaccination status of the patients were obtained by linking different databases through a unique identification number. The Positive Predictive Value of the ICG test depending on the vaccination status of the child, hospitalization and the rotavirus season was estimated by a Bayesian model of latent classes.Of the 48,833 tests with valid results, 9429 were done in vaccinated children, and of those 3963 (42%) during the rotavirus season. The prevalence of positive results in vaccinated varied from 2.9 to 21.4% of the tests depending on the hospitalization and seasonality. The estimated PPV also varied from 27.1 to 84.6% when stratified by these two parameters. Globally it is calculated that approximately 267 out of the 520 (51.3%) positives in vaccinated children were false positive tests.The large percentage of false positives, due to an excessive number of tests in vaccinated and out of the RV season, if interpreted as vaccine failures, can cause a loss of confidence in the vaccine and lower the estimates of vaccine effectiveness.     

An Environmental Scan of the National and Provincial Diagnostic Reference Levels in Canada for Common Adult Computed Tomography Scans

Several regulatory bodies have agreed that low-dose radiation used in medical imaging is a weak carcinogen that follows a linear, non-threshold model of cancer risk. While avoiding radiation is the best course of action to mitigate risk, computed tomography (CT) scans are often critical for diagnosis. In addition to the as low as reasonably achievable principle, a more concrete method of dose reduction for common CT imaging exams is the use of a diagnostic reference level (DRL). This paper examines Canada's national DRL values from the recent CT survey and compares it to published provincial DRLs as well as the DRLs in the United Kingdom and the United States of America for the 3 most common CT exams: head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis. Canada compares well on the international scale, but it should consider using more electronic dose monitoring solutions to create a culture of dose optimization.     

Steep Decrease of Gender Difference in DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparison of Two Nation-wide Surveys Conducted 10 Years Apart in Korea

While decreasing trend in gender differences in alcohol use disorders was reported in Western countries, the change in Asian countries is unknown. This study aims to explore the shifts in gender difference in alcohol abuse (AA) and dependence (AD) in Korea. We compared the data from two nation-wide community surveys to evaluate gender differences in lifetime AA and AD by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Face-to-face interviews using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) were applied to all subjects in 2001 (n=6,220) and 2011 (n=6,022). Male-to-female ratio of odds was decreased from 6.41 (95% CI, 4.81-8.54) to 4.37 (95% CI, 3.35-5.71) for AA and from 3.75 (95% CI, 2.96-4.75) to 2.40 (95% CI, 1.80-3.19) for AD. Among those aged 18-29, gender gap even became statistically insignificant for AA (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 0.97-2.63) and AD (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.80-2.41) in 2011. Men generally showed decreased odds for AD (0.55; 95% CI, 0.45-0.67) and women aged 30-39 showed increased odds for AA (2.13; 95% CI 1.18-3.84) in 2011 compared to 2001. Decreased AD in men and increased AA in women seem to contribute to the decrease of gender gap. Increased risk for AA in young women suggests needs for interventions.     

Characteristics of Adolescents with Differing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Phenotypes

Study ObjectiveTo analyze clinical, metabolic, hormonal, and ultrasound characteristics of adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome phenotypes.DesignWe performed a retrospective analysis of quality improvement data. We divided patients according to phenotype on the basis of clinical or biochemical diagnosis of hyperandrogenism (HA), irregular menstruation (IM), and presence or absence of polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) on pelvic ultrasound (PUS) images, if obtained. The 5 resulting groups were: (1) HA/IM/normal PUS, n = 28; (2) HA/PCOM, n = 10; (3) IM/PCOM, n = 18; (4) HA/IM/PCOM, n = 40; and (5) HA/IM/no PUS obtained, n = 80. We compared parameters between groups using the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test.SettingBoston Children's Hospital, 2012-2016.ParticipantsOne hundred seventy-six girls and young women aged 11-25 years.InterventionsNone.Main Outcome Measures(1) Clinical, metabolic, and hormonal characteristics; and (2) PUS measurements.ResultsGroups with HA had significantly higher acne scores, Ferriman-Gallwey scores, and total and free testosterone concentrations than groups without HA. Significant differences in hemoglobin A1c were found between the IM/PCOM and HA/IM/PCOM groups (5.1% vs 5.3%; P = .01) and the IM/PCOM and HA/IM/no PUS groups (5.1% vs 5.3%; P < .01). In patients who had ultrasound performed, 49/94 (52.1%) met PCOM criteria on the basis of ovarian size, 37/94 (39.4%) on the basis of follicle number, and 27/94 (28.7%) on both; 10/94 (10.5)% had incidental findings on ultrasound, with 2 patients requiring further management.ConclusionLimited differences in clinical, metabolic, and hormonal characteristics exist between adolescents with different phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome, and are mostly related to the presence or absence of HA. Of patients with ultrasound examinations, only 2 had clinically actionable incidental findings.     

疼痛诊疗中的误诊与误治-3例报告

本文报告3例在疼痛诊疗过程中的误诊与误治,原发病分别为病灶未明确的颈椎癌转移、脊椎结核腰大肌间沟寒性脓肿与腰骶椎恶性肿瘤,分别被误诊为颈椎病、腰肌劳损与腰肌劳损,幸及时发现,纠正了错误的治疗。因此应强调从事疼痛业务必须有扎实的通科基础,严格的检查流程与认真的工作态度。     

Prediction and Detection of Secondary Hemorrhages after Thrombolytic Therapy in Ischemic Stroke

Abstract It is well established that thrombolytic therapy increases the risk of secondary intracerebral hemorrhage in ischemic stroke patients. However, the term “intracerebral hemorrhage” (ICH) covers a wide spectrum from tiny spots of blood to massive space-occupying hematoma. We will review the etiology and clinical consequences of secondary hemorrhage after thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients and discuss the ability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to predict this phenomenon. MRI is a highly sensitive tool for detection of hemorrhagic transformation after ischemic stroke. The definitions of a so-called symptomatic hemorrhage after ischemic infarction differ considerably and will also be described. Attributing a causal relationship of a clinical deterioration to a secondary hemorrhage is not easy and should be only addressed when it exceeds at least 30% of the infarct volume. In other patients, secondary hemorrhage might be regarded as side effect of reperfusion within the region with the most severe perfusion deficit. Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are a frequent finding in patients with leukoaraiosis and appear to be a general marker of various types of bleeding- prone small vessel disease and a predictor of recurrent vascular events. Current data do not support the hypothesis that the detection of CMBs is a useful diagnostic criterion for the exclusion of patients with CMBs from thrombolytic therapy. However, an increased risk for the rare patients with numerous CMBs can not be ruled out.      

Importance of screening the peripheral smear

A 5-year-old boy presented with history of failure to thrive from infancy. There was a history of one sibling death due to similar problems and history of severe abortions in the mother. Routine examination of peripheral smear revealed more than 50% acanthocytes. Based on this tests were streamlined to doing lipid profile and Lipo protein electrophoresis which revealed hypolipidemia and absent Β hypo protein band. Jejuna) mucosal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of A Beta Lipo proteinemia which revealed lipid laden enterocytes. This case illustrates the importance of simple tests like peripheral smear examination in streamlining further tests in the diagnosis of major diseases.     

胃液乳酸定量测定对中晚期胃癌的意义

用比色法测定148例胃癌和非胃癌患者胃液乳酸含量,包括正常对照36例。胃癌患者胃液乳酸含量明显增高,与胃良性疾病及正常人比较,差异非常显著(p<0.001),重叠甚少,有助于初步鉴别胃良性和恶性疾病。