Relationship of thyroid function to post-traumatic S-100b serum levels in survivors of severe head injury: preliminary results

Objective To assess thyroid function abnormalities in survivors of severe head trauma and to examine their relationship with indices of brain injury severity.Design Prospective study.Setting General intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital.Patients and participants Twenty-two (21 men) head-injured patients, with a median age of 25.5 years at the time of injury, were investigated. Severity of brain trauma was assessed by Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, Marshall Computerized Tomographic Classification, intracranial pressure levels and serum S-100b concentrations measured over a 6-day period.Interventions Thyroid function testing was performed 1 year after ICU discharge and included the measurement of free thyroxine, triiodothyronine and thyrotropin.Measurements and results On admission to the ICU, GCS ranged from 3 to 8. Peak S-100b was 1.49 µg/l (range: 0.37–5.26 µg/l). Median triiodothyronine and thyrotropin were 123 ng/dl and 1.60 IU/ml, respectively. Free thyroxine was 1.08±0.22 ng/dl (range: 0.7–1.5 ng/dl). Overall, 7 of the 22 patients (32%) had thyroid dysfunction. Four patients had central hypothyroidism and three patients had subclinical hypothyroidism. Peak S-100b correlated negatively with free thyroxine (r=–0.47, p=0.02). There were no correlations between other brain injury severity indices and thyroid hormone levels.Conclusions A significant subset of brain injury patients presents with changes in thyroid function 1 year after ICU discharge; these depend upon biochemical serum markers of head trauma severity.     

Elevated serum S-100B protein as a predictor of failure to short-term return to work or activities after mild head injury

Protein S-100B is an established serum marker of primary and secondary brain damage and stroke. A group of patients after mild head injury (MHI) develop post-concussion symptoms that interfere with the ability in the short-term to return to work or undertake certain activities. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation of serum S-100B with short-term outcome after MHI. We studied 100 subjects who were referred to the Emergency Department (ED) after a MHI. All subjects had a GCS of 15 either with or without loss of consciousness (LOC) and/or post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). Serum S-100B was collected within 3 h from the injury and a value of > or = 0.15 microg/L was considered as abnormal. Subjects with other injuries, including scalp or cervical spine, were excluded, as well as those with alcohol/narcotic drug consumption or history of serious physical/mental illness. An independent observer measured the return to work/activities within one week. Thirty-two (32%) subjects had elevated S-100B. The failure to return to work/activities was significantly correlated with elevated S-100B: subjects with increased S-100B had a failure rate of 37.5% versus 4.9% of those with normal values (p = 0.0001). In MHI, the elevated S-100B seemed to correlate with an unfavorable short-term outcome. This might be useful in (1) selecting patients who need closer observation, hospitalization, and further investigations (such as CT scan or MRI), and (2) the prognosis of genuine post-concussion symptoms, that interfere with return to work or activities, versus other causes such as premorbid personality, labyrinthine dysfunction, whiplash syndrome, postinjury stress, occupational injury, litigation, and malingering.     

Abdominal ultrasonographic findings in patients with sickle-cell anaemia and thalassaemia intermedia

Background The high prevalence and heterogeneity of clinical and haematological phenotypes of sickle-cell anaemia and thalassaemia intermedia (TI) syndromes in the Greek population constitute a major challenge in routine medical practice.Purpose To investigate the spectrum and prevalence of abdominal US findings in these patients.Materials and methods The study included 105 patients, 13 homozygous for sickle-cell anaemia (S/S) and 92 with TI syndromes (Th/S, ^thal/^thal or ^thal/^thal). The patients' ages ranged from 1 to 54 years, with 49 males and 56 females.Results At the time of the examination, 41% of the patients had undergone splenectomy and 23.8% had undergone cholecystectomy. The most frequent US findings (percentages refer to all patients) were: hepatomegaly (70.5%), splenomegaly (48.6%) and cholelithiasis (20%). A bright liver was identified in 3.8% and focal hepatic lesions were present in two patients of the TI group. Functional disorders of the gallbladder concerned mainly patients with sickle-cell syndromes. Of those with S/S, 30.8% had a shrunken spleen. An echogenic pancreas was identified in one patient in each group. Increased renal echogenicity was observed in 17.6% of patients with sickle-cell syndromes. One case of polycystic kidney disease was diagnosed and coexisted with S/S.Conclusions The value of US imaging in detecting complications of sickle-cell and TI syndromes is still debated. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports concerning the frequency and spectrum of abdominal US findings in patients with these syndromes.     

Blood-brain barrier permeability in "healthy" infected and stressed neonates.

The assessment of the blood-brain barrier permeability (BBBP) showed that BBBP values were higher in stressed neonates and those with bacterial meningitis than in "healthy" infants or neonates with aseptic meningitis. The BBBP determination may be helpful in differentiating bacterial from aseptic meningitis; the high BBBP should be considered in the management of stressed neonates.     

Myocardial infarction after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: A systematic review

European Surgery - Esophagectomy remains the most effective treatment modality for esophageal cancer. However, esophagectomy is associated with several postoperative complications, including...     

Serum S-100B protein monitoring in patients with severe traumatic brain injury

Objective S-100B protein is a promising marker of injury severity and outcome after head injury. We examined the relationship between serum S-100B concentrations and injury severity, clinical course, survival, and treatment efficacy after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design and setting Prospective observational study in a neurosurgical intensive care unit. Patients and participants 102 adult patients with severe TBI, admitted between June 2001 and November 2003 (30 months). Interventions Serum S-100B levels were measured by immunoluminometric technique on admission and every 24 h thereafter for a maximum of 7 days. Measurements and results Initial S-100B levels were significantly related to pupillary status, computed tomography severity1, and 1-month survival. Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis showed that initial S-100B was an independent predictor of 1-month survival, in the presence of dilated pupils, and with increased age. Subjects with initial levels above 1 μg/l had a nearly threefold increased probability of death within 1 month. Serum S-100B alteration indicated neurological improvement or deterioration. Finally, surgical treatment reduced S-100B levels. Conclusions Serum S-100B protein reflects injury severity and improves prediction of outcome after severe TBI. S-100B may also have a role in assessing the efficacy of treatment after severe TBI.