The importance of two-step tuberculin skin testing for newly employed healthcare workers.

At the time of hire, 4059 of 6522 healthcare workers required a 2-step tuberculin skin test; 114 workers (2.8%) demonstrated a boosted reaction after the second step. Boosted reactions were significantly associated with male sex and older age. A verbal history of previous tuberculin skin test results was not a reliable indicator of baseline tuberculin skin test status at the time of hire.     

Application of an augmented reality tool for maxillary positioning in orthognathic surgery – A feasibility study

BACKGROUND: An augmented reality tool for computer assisted surgery named X-Scope allows visual tracking of real anatomical structures in superposition with volume rendered CT or MRI scans and thus can be used for navigated translocation of bony segments. METHODS: In a feasibility study X-Scope was used in orthognathic surgery to control the translocation of the maxilla after Le Fort I osteotomy within a bimaxillary procedure. The situation achieved was compared with the pre-operative situation by means of cephalometric analysis on lateral and frontal cephalograms. RESULTS: The technique was successfully utilized in 5 patients. Maxillary positioning using X-Scope was accomplished accurately within a range of 1mm. The tool was used in all cases in addition to the usual intra-operative splints. A stand-alone application without conventional control does not yet seem reasonable. CONCLUSION: Augmented reality tools like X-Scope may be helpful for controlling maxillary translocation in orthognathic surgery. The application to other interventions in cranio-maxillofacial surgery such as Le Fort III osteotomy, fronto-orbital advancement, and cranial vault reshaping or repair may also be considered.     

Etanercept decreases tumor necrosis factor-α activity in chronic wound fluid

High levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, are present in the wound fluid of chronic nonhealing wounds. This leads to increased inflammation, cytokine expression, and ultimately results in impaired wound healing and tissue destruction. Etanercept is a recombinant fusion protein that consists of the soluble TNF receptor (p75) linked to the Fc portion of human IgG1. It is an effective inhibitor of TNF-alpha and has been shown to provide rapid and sustained improvement in rheumatoid arthritis by acting as a soluble receptor binding TNF-alpha and preventing its proinflammatory activities. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether Etanercept could inhibit TNF-alpha activity in chronic wound fluid. Wound fluid was collected from the venous leg ulcers of 16 different patients. The effect of Etanercept on TNF-alpha activity was evaluated using both a TNF-alpha bioassay and an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Etanercept was found to reduce the cytotoxic effect of chronic wound fluid on L929 fibroblasts by approximately 30% and neutralized TNF-alpha binding in the enzyme-linked immunoassay by up to 80%. Direct application of Etanercept to chronic wounds may therefore reduce the inflammatory activity of TNF-alpha, which could reduce the chronicity of venous leg ulcers and thus aid in the healing of these wounds.     

Influences of obese (ob/ob) and diabetes (db/db) genotype mutations on lumber vertebral radiological and morphometric indices: Skeletal deformation associated with dysregulated systemic glucometabolism

Background  

Both diabetes and obesity syndromes are recognized to promote lumbar vertebral instability, premature osteodegeneration, exacerbate progressive osteoporosis and increase the propensity towards vertebral degeneration, instability and deformation in humans.     

Outcomes of low-vision services using optometric and multidisciplinary approaches: a non-randomized comparison

Consecutive patients (n = 215) who were referred to optometric (55%) or multidisciplinary (45%) low-vision services and above 50 years of age were recruited from four hospitals in the Netherlands. They completed two vision-related quality of life questionnaires, the Vision Quality of Life Core Measure (VCM1) and the Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire (LVQOL), before their first visit with low-vision services and 1 year later. At follow-up, patients referred to multidisciplinary low-vision services had lower scores on the mobility subscale of the LVQOL than patients referred to optometric low-vision services [5.3 points; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.2-10.5]. Paired sample t-tests for the two groups of patients taken together show improvement for the VCM1 (3.1 points; 95% CI: 0.6-5.6) and deterioration for the basic aspects of vision (3.5 points; 95% CI: 1.1-5.9) and the mobility (6.6 points; 95% CI: 3.7-9.5) subscales of the LVQOL. In conclusion, people referred to optometric services showed less deterioration in mobility than those referred to multidisciplinary services. No differences were observed for any of the other subscales of the LVQOL and the VCM1. Future research in this field should include randomized controlled designs comparing low-vision services with no treatment or placebo.     

Periodontal status of orthodontic patients and the relationship between dental aesthetic index and community periodontal index of treatment need

This prospective clinic-based study evaluated the pretreatment periodontal status of the orthodontic patients seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, and assessed the relationship between dental aesthetic index (DAI) scores and periodontal status according to community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) scores. One hundred forty five patients-70 (48.3%) males and 75 (51.7%) females from 6 to 45 years (mean 15.8 +/- 7.5)-were seen. World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines were followed in the examination and reporting of the periodontal status, and DAI scores were assessed based on WHO guidelines. The chi-square test was used to determine the association between the DAI and the CPITN scores. Most patients were in the 6-15 (55.9%) or 16-25 (35.9%) age groups. Based on the WHO preferred cumulative calculations of treatment need (TN), 35.2% of the patients had TN 0, 64.9% had TN 1, 24.9% had TN 2, and only 0.7% had TN 3. The relationship between DAI scores and periodontal treatment needs was not statistically significant (P >.05). Although many patients were yet to attain the WHO goal of no more than 1 sextant affected by bleeding or calculus at the age of 15, over one third had satisfactory periodontal health.     

Islet Xenotransplantation: Are We Really Ready for Clinical Trials?

Four clinical trials of porcine islet transplantation have been reported, and there are verbal reports that clinical trials on much larger scales are continuing in centers in China and Russia. The four reported trials are briefly reviewed and, in the light of the present status of experimental islet xenotransplantation, consideration is given to whether such trials are currently justified. The Ethics Committee of the International Xenotransplantation Association has (1) emphasized the need for encouraging studies in non-human primates before clinical trials should be undertaken, (2) mandatory monitoring for the transfer of porcine microorganisms, and (3) careful regulation and oversight by recognized bodies. Other aspects of the topic, such as the need for informed consent, are briefly discussed. We conclude that, at the present time, more data documenting convincing efficacy, focused on clinically applicable immunosuppressive regimens, are needed to justify the initiation of closely monitored clinical trials. A clinical trial may then be justified even though the potential risk to the patients, and possibly for society, will not be zero.     

Coccidioidomycosis After Renal Transplantation in an Endemic Area

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection of the desert southwestern United States of particular concern for immunosuppressed renal transplant recipients. The clinical course of coccidioidomycosis can be severe in immunosuppressed patients, with high rates of dissemination and mortality, and antifungal prophylaxis is routinely administered to high-risk patients. We sought to determine the impact of coccidioidomycosis on patients who received their renal transplant at our hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. A retrospective records review of the first 205 patients who received a renal transplant between June 1999 and December 2003 identified 6 patients (3%) who had contracted coccidioidomycosis after transplantation. All six cases occurred more than 6 months after transplantation. Two of these six patients had disseminated coccidioidomycosis. Two patients, one with pulmonary infection and one with disseminated infection, died. None of the six patients with coccidioidomycosis after transplantation had identified risk factors before transplantation. No high-risk patient who received targeted antifungal prophylaxis had a reactivation of coccidioidomycosis after transplantation. Treatment for acute rejection and induction with antithymocyte globulin did not appear to increase the risk of subsequent coccidioidomycosis.     

Spinocerebellar ataxia types 2 and 3 segregating simultaneously in a single family.

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 2 and 3 are autosomal-dominant neurodegenerative disorders caused by mutations in two different genes. We identified mutations for SCA2 and SCA3 segregating simultaneously in a single Brazilian family. The index patient had SCA2, whereas her two second-degree cousins had SCA3. Disease was more rapidly progressive in the SCA2 patient, who presented severe brainstem and pancerebellar atrophy, as opposed to the two SCA3 patients, who had only mild cerebellar vermian atrophy. In such situations, molecular confirmation of all patients may avoid misdiagnosis of SCA subtypes and eventual errors in predictive testing of unaffected family members.