Functional Results Following Elective Laparoscopic Sigmoidectomy After CT-Proven Diagnosis of Acute Diverticulitis Evaluation of 43 Patients and Review of the Literature

We performed a prospective study to analyze the functional results following elective laparoscopic sigmoidectomy for computed tomography (CT)-proven diagnosis of acute diverticulitis and review the literature. Forty-three of 45 available patients (96%) who had laparoscopic sigmoidectomy for CT-proven acute diverticulitis answered, after a mean time of 40 months, a questionnaire exploring new abdominal symptoms, bowel function, and the patient’s own judgement of the surgical outcome. Surgical technique aimed at removing all the sigmoid by taking down the splenic flexure and do a colorectal anastomosis. Four patients (9%) complained of new abdominal pain. Bowel function was reported as better for 24 patients (56%), unchanged for 16 patients (37%), and worse for 3 (7%). Twenty patients (47%) considered their final result as excellent to good, 17 patients (40%) as satisfying, and 6 patients (13%) as mediocre. Male gender, absence of preoperative history compatible with an irritable bowel syndrome, length of resected sigmoid and residual acute inflammation on histology are statistically predictive of a better postoperative degree of satisfaction. After elective laparoscopic sigmoidectomy for CT-proven diverticulitis, a great majority of patients are very satisfied with their postoperative general comfort.     

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Basal Cell Carcinomas

BACKGROUND: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer. One of the main problems with BCC is the risk of local recurrence of the tumor after treatment. This is mainly due to its irregular outgrowths, which cannot be detected clinically. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the tumor morphology and growth pattern of BCC, we tried to develop a method that provides a precise three-dimensional model of the tumor. METHODS: Because Mohs surgery provides the best overview of the tumor and the tumor margins (both lateral and in depth), the reconstruction was based on slides from Mohs surgery. After digitization and processing of the slides, the tumor was then surrounded by a Mohs surgeon on a computer screen. These selections (lines) were used for a three-dimensional reconstruction of the tumor using MedSurf3D software. RESULTS: This method allows three-dimensional reconstruction of any given BCC. The MedSurf3D software enables visualization of a three-dimensional model of the tissue, which is removed during the surgical procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional reconstruction is a fascinating tool that might improve our understanding of the behavior, growth pattern, and tumor morphology of BCCs. This technique might also be useful in other fields of cutaneous oncology, such as the calculation of the tumor volume of melanomas.     

Aortic root dilatation may alter the dimensions of the valve leaflets

Objective: Valve-sparing surgery can be used in patients with dilated aortic roots and aortic insufficiency (AI) but has not become a common practice, in part because the spared valve may be incompetent. Our goal was to study how the dimensions of the aortic root and leaflets have changed in such patients. Methods: Fourteen patients with dilated aortic root and AI were examined by transesophageal echocardiography. The annulus diameter, sinotubular junction (STJ) diameter, sinus height, leaflet free-edge length, and leaflet height were measured. Correlations among these dimensions and with the AI grades were explored. Measurements were also made in 19 normal human aortic valves from silicone molds. Results: There was no evident change in the average diameter of the annulus between the normal valves and those in the dilated aortic roots. The STJ diameter was obviously increased in the dilated aortic roots; the aortic sinuses also appeared to be taller and the leaflets larger than normal. The leaflet free-edge length, the leaflet height, and the sinus height were found to increase with the dilated STJ diameter. The degree of AI was not found to correlate well with any of the dimensions measured. Conclusions: The dimensions of the leaflets may change parallel to aortic root dilatation with AI. Therefore, during valve sparing, it may be necessary to correct both the dilatation of the root and the leaflet free-edge length to achieve a competent valve.     

De Novo Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Following Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly recognized clinico-pathologic entity typically associated with obesity, type II diabetes and hyperlipidemia. It has been noted to recur after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We report four patients who developed de novo NAFLD within 3 months of OLT without the typical predisposing factors of diabetes mellitus or obesity. Three of the four patients underwent OLT for hepatitis C-related cirrhosis, and the other for alcoholic cirrhosis. Examination of the liver explants revealed no evidence of steatosis. No surreptitious alcohol use or a drug-induced process could be identified in these patients. Treatment of recurrent hepatitis C infection in one patient with interferon and ribavirin led to sustained suppression of the viral RNA to undetectable levels, but no improvement in histology or liver enzymes. All four patients had histologic evidence of preservation injury on the initial post-OLT biopsies, but the significance of this finding in relationship to the development of NAFLD is unknown. NAFLD can develop without any of the known predisposing conditions after transplantation, and this raises further questions about the pathogenesis of this condition .     

Correct positioning for cardiac angiography: Insights from mri

The recommended angiographic projections for optimally demonstrating various cardiac structures vary, and do not always achieve their aim. To determine the most appropriate radiographic projections to optimally demonstrate cardiac structures, we reviewed the orientations of major cardiac structures and the associated great vessels, as demonstrated by axial MRI. Measurements were made from 187 MRI examinations of the heart. These measurements confirmed that the optimum angiographic projections for various cardiac structures are at variance with a number of the recommended views. Recommendations for the angiographic projections most likely to provide optimum display of various cardiac structures and associated great vessels in different patient populations are presented. © 1993 Wiiey-Liss, Inc.     

Neuropsychological correlates of learning disabilities: Subtype identification by the tryon clustering method

Since Samuel Orton's (1937) assertion that dyslexia reflects abnormal brain organization, the relationship of learning disabilities to brain dysfunction has been the topic of considerable debate. Recently, learning-disabled individuals have been studied in conjunction with those known to have neurological dysfunction, in a search for common subtypes. In the present study, a population of 177 children, ages 9-0 to 14-0, were assessed on an augmented version of the Children's Halstead-Reitan Battery. One hundred twenty-nine Ss were learning-disabled, 37 of whom also had verified brain damage. The remaining 48 children had neither learning disabilities nor evidence of brain damage. Patterns of neuropsychological performance were determined using Tryon's clustering methods. The procedure yielded six subject clusters: (A) and (B)—children with low general intellectual ability; (C) children who are clumsy and lethargic; (D) children with language dysfunction; (E) children with faulty spatial orientation; and (F) children with no detectable neuropsychological deficits. These clusters were similar to those identified by investigators who have used other subject-clustering methods. Brain-damaged individuals were more prevalent in some clusters (e.g., A and B) than in others (e.g., E and F), and substantial numbers of learning disabled subjects were also found in clusters where brain-damaged individuals tended to cluster, indicating similar neuropsychological profiles. The cluster structure was validated by comparison with subtypes identified by other investigators, as well as by tests of association between clusters with exogenous factors (e.g., history of prematurity; seizures).     

Analysis of the Inhibitory Effect of Oestradiol on Functional GABA/5-HT Relationship in the Rat Suprachiasmatic Area

The purpose of this study was to test the capacity of oestradiol to modulate the stimulating effect of a-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on serotonin (5-HT) metabolism, previously described in the Suprachiasmatic area of the male rat. After an in vivo stimulation of GABA transmission by systemic administration of a GABA-transaminase inhibitor (amino-oxyacetic acid) or a GABA_B agonist (RS-baclofen), the 5-HT metabolism was studied in the Suprachiasmatic area of ovariectomized, and ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats. Amino-oxyacetic acid or RS-baclofen treatment increased the endogenous content of 5-HT in the Suprachiasmatic area of males and ovariectomized rats. These two treatments were without effect in ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats. GABA transmission stimulation induced by amino-oxyacetic acid treatment failed to affect the release and synthesis of 5-HT in ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats while it increased these two parameters of 5-HT metabolism in the Suprachiasmatic area of male and ovariectomized rats. To investigate the main target of oestradiol effect, comparative studies of the serotoninergic and GABAergic metabolism in the Suprachiasmatic area were performed in the three experimental groups. Under our experimental conditions the endogenous 5-HT metabolism was similar between ovariectomized and ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats. Nevertheless, 5-HT metabolism was higher in the two female groups than in the male group. Neither GABA metabolism nor GABAergic response to GABA-related drug treatment differed between ovariectomized, and ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats. However, the turnover of GABA was higher when compared to the two female groups. It is concluded that the lack of 5-HT responsiveness to GABA transmission stimulation in ovariectomized oestradiol-treated rats was not related to an effect of oestradiol on 5-HT metabolism or to an effect of the steroid on GABA turnover. Furthermore, our results suggest a sex difference in the activity of serotoninergic and GABAergic systems in the Suprachiasmatic area.     

Logistic regression in case-control studies: The effect of using independent as dependent variables

In case-control studies, cases are sampled separately from controls. In such studies the primary analysis concerns the estimation of the effect of covariables on being a case or a control. To explore causal pathways, further secondary analysis could concern the relationships among the covariables. In this paper the validity of such secondary analysis is addressed. In particular, the use of multiple logistic regression in case-control studies where the dependent variable is not the case/control indicator is explored. It is shown that only under very restrictive conditions will sample regression coefficients correctly estimate their true value. In many situations, it may be valid to regress one covariable on others in the control group, but not in the case group or the combined sample. This principle is illustrated by a study of sexually transmitted disease in Kenya.