MR imaging of the acutely injured patient with cervical traction

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the patient with acute cervical injury is important because of the potential prognostic significance of the appearance of the spinal cord at the time of injury. However, cervical traction may involve equipment incompatible with the magnetic environment, and transferring the patient to the imaging table may make it difficult to maintain traction. The authors describe a simple, inexpensive, and reliable method for providing cervical traction within the magnet room.     

Using Intervention Mapping to develop a programme to prevent sexually transmittable infections,including HIV,among heterosexual migrant men

Background  

There is little experience with carefully developed interventions in the HIV/STI prevention field aimed at adult heterosexual target groups in the Netherlands. The ability to apply intervention development protocols, like Intervention Mapping, in daily practice outside of academia, is a matter of concern. An urgent need also exists for interventions aimed at the prevention of STI in migrant populations in the Netherlands. This article describes the theory and evidence based development of HIV/STI prevention interventions by the Municipal Public Health Service Rotterdam Area (MPHS), the Netherlands, for heterosexual migrant men with Surinamese, Dutch-Caribbean, Cape Verdean, Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds.     

Pathogenesis of cardiac conduction disorders in children genetic and histopathologic aspects

Fetal dysrhythmias are usually transient. Abnormal fetal rates and rhythms during labor are "functional." Fetal dysrhythmias may be associated with congenital heart disease and fetal hydrops. Bradycardia is usually related to fetal distress; supraventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation may be associated with severe congestive heart failure. Ventricular fibrillation is rare in the fetus and infant and is usually associated with myocardial necrosis with perimembranous septal defect; the nonbranching atrioventricular (AV) bundle may have an aberrant position and result in cardiac arrhythmia. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with conduction abnormalities and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is due to an accessory pathway that bypasses the AV sulcus and results in faster conduction. Carnitine deficiency may be primary or secondary and may result in cardiac arrhythmia. Histiocytoid cardiomyopathy is characterized by cardiomegaly, incessant ventricular tachycardia, and frequently sudden death. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) results in ventricular tachycardia and left bundle branch block. Noncompaction of the left ventricle predisposes to potentially fatal arrhythmias. Long Q-T syndromes (LQTS) are a heterogeneous group of disorders with many genetic mutations. Brugada syndrome is an autosomal dominant trait with right bundle branch block and ST elevation. Barth syndrome is an X-linked disorder with dilated cardiomyopathy, cyclic neutropenia and skeletal myopathy. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in infancy may be related to metabolic diseases, particularly glycogen storage diseases; the familial form predisposes to sudden death. Arrhythmias following cardiac surgery may occur after closure of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or damage to the conduction system.