Intravenous hyperalimentation for the onco-surgical patient

The present paper deals with caloric and protein supply for the onco-surgical patient. The technique of total intravenous hyperalimentation, described by Dudrick, was used in 85 patients in our surgical service. Among them were several onco-surgical cases in which a normal life was expected following the acute hypermetabolic state. The technique of preparation and administration of the I.V.H. is presented. Two illustrative cases are described in detail and the rationale for the use in onco-surgical cases is discussed.     

Absorption,distribution, and elimination of arsenic in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctalagus cuniculus) following multiple oral doses of monosodium methane arsonate

This work consisted of uptake and clearance studies resulting from the exposure of arsenic to New Zealand White rabbits. After two weeks' exposure to 5 mg monosodium methane arsonate/kg, the order of arsenic concentration in tissues was kidney > liver > muscle. By the end of four weeks' exposure, redistribution had taken place: liver > kidney > muscle. Arsenic was also detected in the fur (6.36 mg/kg) following four weeks' exposure. Clearance studies showed that arsenic disappeared rapidly in the liver; however, trace amounts were detected in the kidney and the muscle two weeks following termination of continuous exposure. Arsenic was excreted in both urine and feces. Arsenic in rabbit fur showed no indication of elimination during the two weeks following continuous exposure.     

A comparative synchronous coronary surgery survival study.

Utilizing patient criteria published by the Veterans Administration Cooperative (VAC) Study, a cohort of 229 surgically treated patients was retrieved from the Milwaukee Cardiovascular Data Registry. These patients were all operated on by one surgeon during 1972 to 1974. Four-year survival of this group was compared with that of the medically treated cohort of 310 patients from the VAC Study. Operative mortality was included in all surgical groups. The cumulative 4-year survival of both groups revealed a 95 to 85% advantage for surgical therapy. In patients with three-vessel disease, the cumulative survival favored surgical therapy--94% compared with 80% in the medically terated cohort--and in patients with triple-vessel disease and a normal left ventricle, surgical therapy again showed better results: 100% compared with 88%. Patients with two-vessel disease and a normal left ventricle who underwent surgical intervention had slightly better 4-year survival than those who had medical treatment--100% versus 95%--and those with two-vessel disease and an abnormal left ventricle had a 93% survival after surgical treatment compared with 84% for those with medical treatment. For patients with single-vessel disease, there was no difference in survival between the surgical and medical cohorts.     

Differential contribution of Bacillus anthracis toxins to pathogenicity in two animal models

The virulence of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, stems from its antiphagocytic capsule, encoded by pXO2, and the tripartite toxins encoded by pXO1. The accepted paradigm states that anthrax is both an invasive and toxinogenic disease and that the toxins play major roles in pathogenicity. We tested this assumption by a systematic study of mutants with combined deletions of the pag, lef, and cya genes, encoding protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF), respectively. The resulting seven mutants (single, double, and triple) were evaluated following subcutaneous (s.c.) and intranasal (i.n.) inoculation in rabbits and guinea pigs. In the rabbit model, virulence is completely dependent on the presence of PA. Any mutant bearing a pag deletion behaved like a pXO1-cured mutant, exhibiting complete loss of virulence with attenuation indices of over 2,500,000 or 1,250 in the s.c. or i.n. route of infection, respectively. In marked contrast, in guinea pigs, deletion of pag or even of all three toxin components resulted in relatively moderate attenuation, whereas the pXO1-cured bacteria showed complete attenuation. The results indicate that a pXO1-encoded factor(s), other than the toxins, has a major contribution to the virulence mechanism of B. anthracis in the guinea pig model. These unexpected toxin-dependent and toxin-independent manifestations of pathogenicity in different animal models emphasize the importance and need for a comprehensive evaluation of B. anthracis virulence in general and in particular for the design of relevant next-generation anthrax vaccines.     

Factors of failure of prosthetic restoration of the acquired losses of substance of the jawbone and the mandible in sub-Saharan Africa

The obturating prostheses of the jawbone and the prostheses of rebuilding of the mandible make it possible to restore the losses of substance of the jawbone and of the mandible and to cure the functional and Aesthetic disorders which result from these losses of substance. The success of these prosthetic restorations can be compromised by technical, economic and cultural factors. The principal factors are the importance of the losses of substance, the reduced number of teeth, the poverty of the technical plate, the persistence of certain traditional concepts. The fight against these factors requires the promotion of therapeutic associations in maxillo-facial cancerology, the sensitizing of the populations to the early hospital consultations, the improvement of the technical plate of the prosthesis of the jawbone and the face, the facilitation of the access of the most underprivileged groups to the prosthetic restorations, the promotion of multi-field collaboration, the whole co-operation of the patient throughout the treatment and the follow-up postprothetic.     

Preliminary experiences using the MGuard stent platform in saphenous vein graft lesions

The MGuard stent has been designed as a plaque trapping device to treat athero‐thrombotic lesions in saphenous vein grafts and native coronary lesions. It was utilized in seven coronary bypass patients to treat eight vein grafts. The average graft age was 15 years. Procedural success was 100% without any intraprocedural, in‐hospital, and/or 30‐day major adverse cardiac events (e.g. death, myocardial infarction, and need for repeat graft revascularization). No patient experienced distal embolization and/or procedure‐related CK enzymatic rise. This strategy seems to be a promising approach in percutaneous vascular management of vein graft lesions. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The missed opportunities to diagnose and treat iron deficiency in patients hospitalized with heart failure

Introduction

Iron Deficiency (ID) is common in heart failure (HF), and is an independent contributor to mortality and morbidity.We examined whether patients with previously known HF who were recently hospitalized, had previous treatment for ID, were investigated for it at the time of hospitalization, and, if ID was found, were prescribed iron on discharge.

Methods

We examined the records of 76 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital medical wards with a primary diagnosis of HF.

Results

Anemia (Hb < 12 g/dl) was found in 42/76 patients (55.3%). In 55/76 patients (72.4%) there was no iron workup, in 6 (7.9%) an incomplete iron workup with serum iron, transferrin or ferritin lacking and in 15/76 (19.7%) a complete iron workup.If ID was defined as either a serum ferritin of < 100 μg/l or a serum ferritin of 100–299 μg/l and a %Transferrin Saturation of < 20% it was found in 12/15 (80%) of those with a complete workup; in 9 of 10 (90%) of the anemic patients and in 3 of 5 (60%) of those non-anemic patients.At discharge 11/15 (73.3%) of those with a complete iron workup were given iron, 10 orally and 1 IV. In those 6 with an incomplete workup 2 were started on oral iron (33.3%) and in those without any workup, 1 of 55 (1.8%) was given oral iron.

In conclusions

ID is common in hospitalized HF patients but is usually not sought after by physicians at the time of admission. However if detected the physicians usually treated it.     

Joint distraction for thumb carpometacarpal osteoarthritis: a feasibility study with 1-year follow-up

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of joint distraction of the first carpometacarpal (CMC1) joint in patients with CMC1 osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: An external joint distractor was placed over the CMC1 joint by K-wire fixation in the trapezium and the metacarpal. The joint was distracted 3?mm during surgery. The device was then kept in place for 8 weeks. Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score, Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire (MHQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and grip strength were recorded preoperatively and at set postoperative intervals.

Results: Five female patients with an average age of 53 years (range?=?41–61) were included. One year postoperatively, average DASH, MHQ, and VAS scores improved compared to preoperative values; DASH 53 to 27, MHQ 48 to 76, and VAS pain 48 to 14. There were no technical problems associated with the device. One patient had a local pin site infection treated successfully with oral antibiotics.

Conclusions: This study concludes that joint distraction of the osteoarthritic CMC1 joint is technically feasible. In this small, prospective pilot study the majority of the results were favourable during short-term follow-up.     

Protective effects of acute lithium preconditioning against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat: role of nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase systems

Delayed graft function secondary to ischemia/reperfusion injury has been shown to be associated with increased rate of allograft failure following kidney transplantation. Previously, we have shown that chronic lithium pretreatment protects kidney against ischemia/reperfusion injury. In the present study we aimed to examine the effects of acute lithium administration on the renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat. Ischemia/reperfusion injury was induced by clamping left renal pedicle for 60 min, two weeks after right nephrectomy. The mechanism of lithium-mediated renoprotection was explored by combined use of lithium and nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (non-selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) and/or indomethacin (non-selective cyclooxygenase pathway inhibitor). Lithium-treated animals were given 40 mg/kg lithium chloride intraperitoneally, 30 min before ischemia. To investigate the role of nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase pathways in renoprotective effect of lithium, L-NAME and/or indomethacin were administered before lithium injection. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and renal histology were assessed after 24h of reperfusion. Lithium preconditioning significantly reduced creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (P<0.001) and improved renal histology. Administration of L-NAME completely reversed renoprotective effect of lithium. In contrast indomethacin significantly potentiated the lithium renoprotection. Moreover, co-administration of L-NAME and indomethacin completely abolished the protective effects of lithium. The results show that a single dose of lithium significantly improves renal function following ischemia/reperfusion injury. In conclusion, the ability of lithium to enhance renal tissue tolerance against ischemia/reperfusion injury suggests a potential clinical application in the setting of kidney transplantation. However, more detailed investigations are required before any definite conclusion.