False negative biliary scintigraphy in gangrenous cholecystitis

Gangrenous cholecystitis is a serious complication of acute cholecystitis and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. We report a case in which the diagnosis was suggested by ultrasound, but cholecystectomy delayed due to atypical clinical presentation and a false negative radionuclide biliary scan.     

Computed tomography fluoroscopy‐guided chemical lumbar sympathectomy: Simple,safe and effective

Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected from records of 146 cases of CT fluoroscopy‐guided chemical lumbar sympathectomy for the palliation of inoperable peripheral vascular disease (PVD) between January 1997 and August 1999. Of these, 16% had claudication, 39% had rest pain and 44% had ischaemic ulcers or gangrene. Seventy‐three percent of elective cases were outpatients. At 3 months, 27 cases were lost to follow up, leaving 119 cases. Within 3 months, improvement, defined as doubling of the walking distance, cessation of rest pain or healing of ulcers, occurred in 30.3% of cases. No change was observed in 45.4% of cases and 24.3% of cases deteriorated. Patients with ulcers or gangrene had significantly poorer results than those without any ischaemic lesions, as only 19% versus 39% of patients improved (P < 0.05). The presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia and smoking had no value in predicting clinical outcome (P > 0.05). There were no major complications noted. CT fluoroscopy‐guided chemical lumbar sympathectomy is safe and effective, with a complication rate of less than 1%, and efficacy of at least 30% measured within 3 months. It is a simple and minimally invasive procedure, easily performed on an outpatient basis. CT fluoroscopy‐guided chemical lumbar sympathectomy should be considered for all patients in the early stages of inoperable PVD.     

Obstetric and nonmalignant gynecologic bleeding: treatment with angiographic embolization

Eight patients (seven post partum, one post abortion) with massive pelvic hemorrhage related to pregnancy and one patient with uncontrollable bleeding following a cervical biopsy underwent angiography to facilitate the identification and treatment of bleeding sites. In all nine patients pelvic hemorrhage was successfully controlled with embolization under angiographic guidance. Angiographic embolization allowed preservation of the uterus in six patients referred prior to hysterectomy, and one patient subsequently became pregnant. When conservative measures and minor surgical repairs have failed, embolization should be the next step in the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage to avoid major surgery in an unstable patient and to maintain reproductive function.     

MGB1 Poor Adherence to Hypertension Treatment Guidelines: An Analysis of Therapeutic Choices

The recent Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC) reiterated long-standing recommendations that Stage 1 hypertension (BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg) without comorbidity should be treated initially with diuretics (DI) or beta blockers (BB). Yet market research suggests that many physicians prefer to use other drug classes, such as calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors.
OBJECTIVES: To explore the determinants of therapeutic choice in hypertension.
METHODS: We surveyed by mail a stratified random sample of 10,000 U.S. cardiologists, internists, and family/general practitioners. Physicians were queried about their practice environment and their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antihypertensive therapy, including their choice of drugs to treat patients with specified clinical profiles. The probability that physicians would follow JNC guidelines Stage 1 hypertension was analyzed using multiple logistic regression with stepwise backward elimination to select variable with p < 0.001.
RESULTS: Completed surveys were received from 1,023 physicians. 86.7% prescribe drug therapy for Stage 1 hypertension, and 19.5% (22.5% of drug prescribers) limit their choices to DI and BB. Guideline conformity was higher among physicians who: practice in academic medical centrers; are older; are general practitioners (versus general internists); have smaller caseloads; have fewer hypertensive patients; have higher proportions of HMO, Medicaid, and uninsured patients; and experience more formulary restrictions. Cardiologists and family practitioners were less likely than internists to follow guidelines.
CONCLUSION: JNC guidelines are better accepted by academic physicians, older physicians who have more expenence using DI and BB, physicians with smaller caseloads and hence more time for follow-up and therapy adjustment, and physicians who face drug reimbursement constraints.     

Developing a spatial-statistical model and map of historical malaria prevalence in Botswana using a staged variable selection procedure

Background  

Several malaria risk maps have been developed in recent years, many from the prevalence of infection data collated by the MARA (Mapping Malaria Risk in Africa) project, and using various environmental data sets as predictors. Variable selection is a major obstacle due to analytical problems caused by over-fitting, confounding and non-independence in the data. Testing and comparing every combination of explanatory variables in a Bayesian spatial framework remains unfeasible for most researchers. The aim of this study was to develop a malaria risk map using a systematic and practicable variable selection process for spatial analysis and mapping of historical malaria risk in Botswana.     

胆碱能M受体拮抗剂：2α－（2＇，2＇－二取代基－2＇－羟基乙氧基）托品烷光学异构体合成

胆碱能Ｍ受体拮抗剂：２α－（２＇，２＇－二取代基－２＇－羟基乙氧基）托品烷光学异构体合成王林，恽榴红，张其楷（军事医学科学院毒物药物研究所，北京１００８５０）目前临床所用托品类抗胆碱药一般为３位取代托品酯类衍生物，这类药物作用较广泛，但选择性不高。Ａ...     

肝炎肝硬变患者血清层粘连蛋白水平与食管静脉曲张的关系

0引言食管静脉曲张破裂出血是肝硬变的严重并发症之一．近年研究表明,血清LN水平与食管静脉曲张关系密切．我们分析了108例肝炎肝硬变病例,就LN水平与食管静脉曲张程度的关系做一分析．回对象和方法1．l对象选择肝炎肝硬变连续住院患者108（男gi,女17）例,年龄43．75岁士16．92岁,慢性肝炎患者62（男sl,女11）例,年龄38．20岁士13．20岁,均测定血清1。N水平,并行电子胃镜检查．诊断标准均符合1995－05月北京第五届全国传染病和寄生虫病学术会议修订的病毒性肝炎诊断标准．1．2方法采用放射免疫法测定I。N水平;用电子胃镜确定食…     

Intraperitoneal and sigmoid colon tonometry in porcine hypoperfusion and endotoxin shock models

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to assess the accuracy of an air tonometry device in vivo within a wide range of regional carbon dioxide tension (PrCO2) values by using saline tonometry as the standard and to investigate the possibilities to monitor perfusion of the intestine by tonometry in the intraperitoneal cavity. METHODS: Piglets were anesthetized and mechanically ventilated. A pair of tonometry catheters was placed in the sigmoid colon, while another pair was placed intraperitoneally in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. Air tonometric regional PCO2 (aPrCO2) was measured every 15 min intraperitoneally and every 20 min in the sigmoid colon. Saline tonometric measurements were made every 30 min and steady-state values (ssPrCO2) were derived. Hypoperfusion shock was induced by graded constriction of the aorta. Endotoxin shock was induced by administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RESULTS: The obtained average PrCO2 (=matched (aPrCO2+ ssPrCO2)/2) values ranged from 5.1 kPa to 14.7 kPa. Regional air PCO2 (aPrCO2) and steady-state saline PCO2 (ssPrCO2) exhibited a strong positive linear relationship (r=0.959). The 95% confidence interval of the mean of dPrCO2 (=aPrCO2-ssPrCO2) was 0.31-0.46 kPa. Intraperitoneal tonometric PrCO2 was lower than intraluminal PrCO2 in the sigmoid colon, and was also more sensitive to circulatory changes than sigmoid colon PrCO2. CONCLUSION: The regional air PCO2 (aPrCO2) showed good agreement with the steady-state saline regional PCO2 (ssPrCO2). Intraperitoneal measurements may be an alternative method of monitoring intestinal perfusion after abdominal surgery.     

Volumetric rendering techniques: applications for three-dimensional imaging of the hip

Volumetric rendering is a new approach to three-dimensional (3D) imaging that overcomes many of the drawbacks of currently available surface-rendering systems. Its application on the Pixar Imaging System in two cases of acetabular fracture was assessed to illustrate the features of the technique. The fast-computing architecture and large memory of this system allow rapid generation of a series of high-quality 3D images in each plane of rotation (x or spinal axis, z or somersaulting axis) that can be viewed as independent static images or as an animated real-time video loop. Editing to remove the normal contralateral hemipelvis enhances appreciation of acetabular abnormalities. Every pixel of computed tomographic data is preserved, allowing representation of both soft tissue and bone as translucent overlap. The presentation of data also allows detection of subtle abnormalities and features and minimizes the artifact generation common in surface-rendered images.