Traumatic Injury of the Superior Mesenteric Vein: Ligate,Repair or Shunt?

Abstract We report a case of SMV injury in a critically ill patient. The patient was a 19-year-old woman involved in a motor vehicle collision. Her injuries included grade II splenic and renal lacerations, devascularized and lacerated right and transverse colon, a transected transverse mesocolon, a massive shear injury of her abdominal wall, and two partial SMV transections. At initial damage control laparotomy, the SMV was ligated, the devascularized bowel resected and a temporary abdominal closure applied. At re-operation, a mesocaval shunt using saphenous vein was employed. The shunt failed and the patient required a saphenous vein jump graft. Although visceral vascular injuries are rare, ligation of the SMV in a damage control situation is acceptable. This case study is the first to discuss appropriate treatment when interruption to a patient's collateral visceral venous drainage limits the surgeon’s ability to ligate. In these situations, bypass shunts may be successful.     

Policy Perspective on Housing and HIV/AIDS

For persons battling HIV/AIDS a stable place to live may decide the length and quality of life itself. It is nearly impossible for a person on the streets to engage in a needed continuous AIDS treatment regimen when the very basic question of where that person will rest his or her head when darkness comes in just a few hours is unresolved. When danger lurks on the streets, when cold numbs the limbs, when tiredness overwhelms the mind, when fear breaks the spirit, a place to call home would make all the difference.     

Classification tree analysis of second neoplasms in survivors of childhood cancer

Background  

Reports on childhood cancer survivors estimated cumulative probability of developing secondary neoplasms vary from 3,3% to 25% at 25 years from diagnosis, and the risk of developing another cancer to several times greater than in the general population.     

Testing for familial aggregation of functional traits

In a genetic epidemiology study of a trait, prior to collecting genotype data the foremost task is to test for familial aggregation and examine heritability. Recently, functional traits have drawn attentions from investigators. Here, to test for familial aggregation of a functional trait in the family studies, a test constructed based on the leading functional principal component of heritability, which is a summary measure of temporal genetic variation in a functional trait, is proposed. The p‐value of the test can be approximated by a permutation procedure given the family structure. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is derived. Simulations are carried out to examine the size and the power of the test. The proposed methods are applied to the total cholesterol data in the Framingham Heart Study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Personality styles in patients with fibromyalgia,major depression and healthy controls

Background  

The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is suggested to be a manifestation of depression or affective spectrum disorder. We measured the cognitive style of patients with FMS to assess personality styles in 44 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) by comparing them with 43 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 41 healthy controls (HC).     

腮腺良性和恶性多形性腺瘤的超声研究

目的研究腮腺良性和恶性多形性腺瘤的超声特点,为临床医师诊治提供有效依据。方法选取腮腺良性多形性腺瘤患者79例和恶性多形性腺瘤患者15例,对其肿块的大小、硬度、内部回声、彩色多普勒血流显像(CDFI)特点结合病理学诊断进行对照研究。结果恶性多形性腺瘤的声像图特点与良性多形性腺瘤相似,但其肿瘤相对较大,质地更硬,内部回声分布更紊乱。不同性质的肿瘤的大小和质地有显著性差异,(P<0.01)。结论多形性腺瘤的超声诊断主要依据二维图像之特点。当多形性腺瘤大于3.0 cm,硬度较硬,内部回声分布不均多提示恶性。