Who and when should we screen for prostate cancer? Interviews with key opinion leaders

Prostate cancer screening using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is highly controversial. In this Q & A, Guest Editors for BMC Medicine’s ‘Spotlight on Prostate Cancer’ article collection, Sigrid Carlsson and Andrew Vickers, invite some of the world’s key opinion leaders to discuss who, and when, to screen for prostate cancer. In response to the points of view from the invited experts, the Guest Editors summarize the experts’ views and give their own personal opinions on PSA screening.     

诱导化疗在局部晚期头颈癌中的作用

作为标准化的非手术治疗,诱导化疗(ICT)在治疗局部晚期头颈鳞癌已有几十年的历史,但是关于其作用尚存争议。同期放化疗(CRT)是目前标准化的非手术治疗,然而由于ICT能够使肿瘤体积缩小,提高放疗的可行性,改善患者对放疗的耐受力,增加放疗后器官功能保留的可能性及降低远处转移率。所以,对ICT的研究从未停止。该文对近期随机试验进行回顾分析,与手术或单独CRT比较,评估ICT中紫杉醇的价值。Meta分析比较ICT中紫杉醇和顺铂及5氟尿嘧啶的作用。之前的随机试验中,并没有ICT提高生存率的报道。但     

The impact of periodontitis on oral health‐related quality of life: a review of the evidence from observational studies

Modern population based oral health management requires a complete understanding of the impact of disease in order to provide efficient and effective oral health care and guidance. Periodontitis is an important cause of tooth loss and has been shown to be associated with a number of systemic conditions. The impact of oral conditions and disorders on quality of life has been extensively studied. However, the impact of periodontitis on quality of life has received less attention. This review summarizes the literature on the impact of periodontitis on oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Relevant publications were identified after searching the MEDLINE and EMBASE electronic databases. Screening of titles and abstracts and data extraction was conducted. Only observational studies were included in this review. Most of the reviewed studies reported a negative impact of periodontitis on OHRQoL. However, the reporting standards varied across studies. Moreover, most of the studies were conducted in developed countries.     

Operative vs conservative treatment of traumatic patellar dislocation: results of a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial

Introduction

Patellar dislocation is a common knee injury with mainly lateral dislocations, leading to ruptures of the medial patellofemoral ligament in most of the cases. Even though several prognostic factors for patellofemoral instability have been identified so far, the appropriate therapy for patients with patellar dislocation remains a controversial issue. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome after conservative or operative treatment in patients after first-time patellar dislocation.

Patients and methods

This randomized controlled clinical trial was designed multicentric including patients from six German orthopaedic and trauma departments. Twenty patients with a mean age of 24.6 years with first-time traumatic patella dislocation were included and randomized into either a conservative arm or an operative arm. Plain X-ray images of the knee joint (a.p. and lateral view and tangential view of both patellae) were performed in all cases prior to therapy to exclude osteochondral fragments requiring refixation. An MRI was recommended, but not compulsory. Patients were consulted after 6, 12, and 24 months with a questionnaire including the criteria of the Kujala score, recurrent dislocation, and satisfaction.

Results

The mean Kujala score of the conservative vs operative treatment group was 78.6 vs 80.3 after 6 months (p = 0.842), 79.9 vs 88.9 after 12 months (p = 0.165), and 81.3 vs 87.5 after 24 months (p = 0.339). Redislocation rate after 24 months was 37.5 % in the conservative group and 16.7 % in the operative group (p = 0.347). Due to the small number of patients that could be included, no significant difference between the groups could be detected. We see a tendency towards better results after operative treatment.

Conclusion

Our multicentric prospective randomized controlled trial revealed no significant difference between conservative and operative treatment for patients after first-time traumatic patellar dislocation. However, a tendency towards a better Kujala score and lower redislocation rates for patients with operative treatment was observed. The small number of patients is a limiting factor of the study, leading to results without statistical significance. A meta-analysis including other study′s level I data is desirable for the future.     

Knee injuries in children and adolescents

As more children and adolescents are involved in sporting activities, the number of injuries to immature knees rises. We will focus on three entities: ruptures of the anterior cruciate ligament, patellar dislocation, and meniscal injuries. There is a trend in recent literature toward early reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament in children and adolescents. In this article, we will try to highlight the anatomic specialities and the diagnostic steps toward the correct diagnosis, review technical considerations and risks of the different surgical techniques, and present outcomes and offer a treatment recommendation. The treatment of patellar dislocation has changed considerably since we gained a better understanding of the unique anatomy of the patellofemoral joint. We will show diagnostic steps and risk factors for recurrent patellar dislocation, discuss conservative and different operative therapy options, and present a modified technique to achieve a dynamic reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament without damage to the growth plates. Meniscal tears and discoid menisci are rare in comparison to the other injuries. We will herein explain what specialities in the anatomy should be considered in children and adolescents concerning the menisci, and present the diagnostic steps and treatment options available.     

Chronische Kopf-, Bauch- oder Gelenkschmerzen

Headache

In chronic headaches, targeted drug therapy of migraine attacks and the multimodal treatment of tension headaches are important.

Abdominal pain

Functional gastrointestinal disorders are the predominant cause of chronic abdominal pain and a multimodal treatment approach should be performed early.

Musculoskeletal pain

In addition to primary chronic musculoskeletal pain also secondary pain disorders can be observed in a large number of congenital and acquired diseases. Even in these cases, multimodal pain treatment has proven to be the method of choice.

Multimodal pain treatment

The principles and treatment modules of this approach are presented systematically. Treatment has the following objectives: increase in exercise capacity, reduction of pain perception, improving control and empowerment experiences, reestablishing normal structures in daily life and social contacts.