Long-term bone marrow culture in persons with Fanconi anemia and bone marrow failure

Fanconi anemia is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a high risk of developing bone marrow (BM) failure and acute myelogenous leukemia. We studied growth of hematopoietic progenitor cells in long- term BM culture (LTBMC) in 8 persons with Fanconi anemia and BM failure. Although LTBMC were initiated with very few BM cells, an adherent layer formed in cultures from 7 persons. In these cultures, the number of nonadherent cells increased for 10 to 15 days. Cell growth continued until cultures were terminated at day 35 to 40. During the first 2 weeks of culture, most nonadherent cells were differentiated myeloid cells. By days 35 to 40, the adherent layer contained cells able to initiate secondary LTBMCs. These data indicate that hematopoietic precursors cells able to proliferate and differentiate in vitro are present in the BM of persons with Fanconi anemia and BM failure. They suggest that mechanisms other than absent precursor cells are responsible for BM failure in Fanconi anemia.     

How do parents of 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children perceive the weight of their children?

Introduction: A heavier weight in adults is becoming the norm rather than an abnormal weight. Whether the same trend is happening in children is unknown. Objective: To assess the perception of the weight of 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children and the recognition of overweight by both parents. Design: Population‐based survey. Participants: A questionnaire was sent to parents of 1155 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children. Results: In total, 439 questionnaires (35%) were returned. Of all, 90% of the children had a normal weight, 9.3% were overweight and 4.1% were obese. For all weight classes, the parents depicted the child as lighter on both the verbal and visual scale. Of all, 75% of mothers of overweight children stated that the child had a normal weight. In obese children, 50% of the mothers believed that the child had a normal weight. Conclusion: Children with a weight in the normal range were considered by their parents as a little too light or too light. Overweight was considered as normal weight, and obesity as normal or a little too heavy. The perception of a normal weight in children at 4–5 years is distorted.     

Fatigue Intervention by Nurses Evaluation – The FINE Trial. A randomised controlled trial of nurse led self-help treatment for patients in primary care with chronic fatigue syndrome: study protocol. [ISRCTN74156610]

Background

A major change has occurred in the last few years in the therapeutic approach to patients presenting with all forms of acute coronary syndromes. Whether or not these patients present initially to tertiary cardiac care centers, they are now routinely referred for early coronary angiography and increasingly undergo percutaneous revascularization. This practice is driven primarily by the angiographic image and technical feasibility. Concomitantly, there has been a decline in expectant or ischemia-guided medical management based on specific clinical presentation, response to initial treatment, and results of noninvasive stratification. This 'tertiarization' of acute coronary care has been fuelled by the increasing sophistication of the cardiac armamentarium, the peer-reviewed publication of clinical studies purporting to show the superiority of invasive cardiac interventions, and predominantly supporting (non-peer-reviewed) editorials, newsletters, and opinion pieces.

Discussion

This review presents another perspective, based on a critical reexamination of the evidence. The topics addressed are: reperfusion treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction; the indications for invasive intervention following thrombolysis; the role of invasive management in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and unstable angina; and cost-effectiveness and real world considerations. A few cases encountered in recent practice in community and tertiary hospitals are presented for illustrative purposes The numerous and far-reaching scientific, economic, and philosophical implications that are a consequence of this marked change in clinical practice as well as healthcare, decisional and conflict of interest issues are explored.

Summary

The weight of evidence does not support the contemporary unfocused broad use of invasive interventional procedures across the spectrum of acute coronary clinical presentations. Excessive and unselective recourse to these procedures has deleterious implications for the organization of cardiac health care and undesirable economic, scientific and intellectual consequences. It is suggested that there is need for a new equilibrium based on more refined clinical risk stratification in the treatment of patients who present with acute coronary syndromes.     

Aetiological agents in chronic suppurative otitis media in Sri Lanka

Background

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is assumed to be a complication of acute otitis media (AOM), but the risk factors for CSOM are not clear. Objectives: 1. To study the aetiological organisms for CSOM. 2. To identify the effect of demographic factors on disease manifestation.

Method

This retrospective study included a case series of 234 patients who had been admitted to National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), with the complaint of ear discharge and from whom the specimens were sent for microscopy and culture at Department Of Microbiology, NHSL. The period of analysis was 1 year extending from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.Consecutive patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited to the retrospective analysis.

Results

Among 234 patients studied, 129 (55.1%) were male and 150 (64.1%) were under 40 yrs old. The mean age was 39.5 yrs (range 12 to 60 yrs, SD = 22.6). The mean duration of ear discharge was 1.2 yrs. (range 6 weeks to 20 yrs.) Pseudomonas species (29.5%) was the commonest microbial organism to cause ear discharge, followed by staphylococcus (20.5%) and coliform (16.7%) species. Among the fungal agents identified, candida was the most common. 23.1% of the cultures did not reveal any microbiological agent. Eighteen patients (8%) had a prior history of trauma to the affected ear and 51 patients (21.8%) were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

The commonest microbial agents implicated in CSOM was pseudomonas species followed by staphylococci and coliforms. Demographic variables such as gender or age did not seem to affect the disease manifestation significantly, though CSOM was less common among elderly and women.