Pre-existing cardiac disease, troponin I elevation and mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock

A prospective, observational study was undertaken to determine the frequency of troponin I elevation and the incidence of pre-existing cardiac disease in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, and to determine their relationship to mortality. The setting was the surgical intensive care unit of a tertiary care medical centre. Sixty-six consecutive patients admitted with severe sepsis or septic shock requiring pulmonary artery catheterisation for haemodynamic monitoring were studied. Measurement of troponin I was done at the time of pulmonary artery catheterisation and every six to eight hours if there was ongoing tachycardia, hypotension or arrhythmias requiring treatment. Preexisting cardiac disease was determined from the patient and/or family members as well as from the medical record. Significant cardiac history was defined as prior myocardial infarction; abnormal treadmill report, nuclear medicine study or coronary angiogram; history of congestive heart failure or arrhythmia requiring treatment. Forty-two patients (64%) had elevated troponin I at study entrance and 23 patients (35%) had pre-existing cardiac disease. History of cardiac disease was associated with reduced cardiac index and oxygen delivery, and a nearly three-fold increase in mortality (44% vs. 16%, P = 0.03), irrespective of elevated troponin I levels. Troponin I elevation alone was not associated with increased mortality. We conclude that pre-existing cardiac disease and elevated troponin I are commonly found in surgical patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. In our study, pre-existing cardiac disease, and not troponin I elevation, was associated with increased mortality.     

PATIENT ACCIDENTS IN HOSPITAL: INCIDENCE,DOCUMENTATION AND SIGNIFICANCE

SUMMARY Many previous studies of reported patient accidents in hospital used the accident report forms as the only data source, without questioning their reliability and despite 80% of the accidents being unwitnessed. This paper reports on three studies using data from patient interviews, staff questionnaires, medical and nursing notes and the accident report forms. The studies confirm that falls amongst elderly patients are the most common type of patient accident. However, patients' and staff's versions of the event often differed widely. Accident reports are stated to be required for legal purposes, but they were often incomplete and unreliable. Patient accidents and safety are too important to remain marginalised to mere compliance with out-of-date regulations. A new, ‘slim-line‘, more accurate but less time-consuming patient accident reporting system should be developed, for which improvement in patient safety is the main aim and legal considerations the secondary aim.     

Characteristics of aggressors against women: testing a model using a national sample of college students

Structural equation modeling was used to study the characteristics of college men (N = 2,652) who aggressed against women either sexually, nonsexually, or both. According to the model, hostile childhood experiences affect involvement in delinquency, leading to aggression through two paths: (a) hostile attitudes and personality, which result in coerciveness both in sexual and nonsexual interactions, and (b) sexual promiscuity, which, especially in interaction with hostility, produces sexual aggression. In addition, sexual and nonsexual coercion were hypothesized to share a common underlying factor. Although its development was guided by integrating previous theory and research, the initial model was refined in half of the sample and later replicated in the second half. Overall, it fitted the data very well in both halves and in a separate replication with a sample for whom data were available about sexual but not about nonsexual aggression.     

癫痫患者全夜自然睡眠结构的研究

目的　观察癫痫患者发作间期全夜自然睡眠结构特点 ,并评价其与正常对照组睡眠结构的差异 ;评价发作类型、用药情况及是否记录到发作间电发放对睡眠结构的影响。方法　对 2 0名癫痫患者及 11名对照进行全夜自然睡眠多导监测 ,并结合患者的发作类型、是否记录到发作间电发放 (IIDs)及服用 AEDs的情况进行分组统计分析 ,评价各组患者与正常对照间各睡眠参数的差异。结果　癫痫患者组 ,记录到 IIDs组 ,及该组患者中部分性发作者和未服 AEDs者均较正常对照 TRT、RL 显著延长 (P<0 .0 5)。记录到 IIDs的患者睡眠效率显著下降 (P≤0 .0 5) ,其中部分性发作者入睡后觉醒次数较全身性发作者显著增多 (P<0 .0 5)。部分性发作者较全身性发作者NREM睡眠期转换次数有增高的趋势。不同用药癫痫患者睡眠脑电图较正常对照组睡眠破碎性增加。结论　癫痫患者与正常对照比较 RL延长 ;睡眠破碎性增加 ;记录到 IIDs的患者睡眠效率降低 ;部分性发作患者较全身性发作患者有 NREM期转换次数频繁的趋势 ;记录到 IIDs患者中服用 AEDs的情况对其睡眠结构无显著影响。     

Interactions of heterocyclic Maillard products with the hepatic microsomal monooxygenase system

1. Interactions of methyl-substituted pyrazines, and other constituents of Maillard products generated during heat treatment of food, with hepatic microsomal mixed-function oxygenases were studied in vitro. 2. Spectral interactions of N-containing heteroaromatic compounds with the cytochrome P-450 system are type I or type II depending on the state of induction, and are relatively weak. Inhibition of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation by these compounds is ten times lower than that of metyrapone, agreeing with the weak spectral interaction. Inhibition is competitive for 2,3-dimethylquinoxaline, and complex for 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine. 3. Spectral and inhibitory interactions indicate biotransformation. This was studied with 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine; the metabolite formed was identified as 2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine. Metabolism to the N-oxide did not occur.     

Pleuro-pulmonary endometriosis and pulmonary ectopic deciduosis: A clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of 10 cases with emphasis on diagnostic pitfalls

The clinical and pathological features of nine cases of pleuropulmonary endometriosis and the first case of pulmonary ectopic deciduosis are presented. The patients were all women between the ages of 27 and 74 years (median, 36 years) who presented with symptoms of catamenial pleural pain, shortness of breath, hemoptysis, or radiographically detected lung masses. Clinically, six patients were multiparous, one patient had pelvic endometriosis, and four patients had undergone prior pelvic surgical procedures, including dilatation and curettage. Radiographically, eight patients had pulmonary infiltrates or nodules, and four patients had pneumothorax. Three cases involved the visceral pleura and one case the parietal pleura. The other six cases, including the single case of ectopic deciduosis, involved the lung parenchyma. Histologically, the single or multifocal lesions were well circumscribed or infiltrative, nodular, cystic, or nodulo-cystic, and showed the characteristic features of proliferative or secretory endometrium with numerous müllerian metaplastic changes. Mucin stains were negative in five cases of endometriosis and in the single case of ectopic deciduosis. Immunohistochemical studies were performed in these same six cases using antibodies to epithelial, mesenchymal, vascular, and neuroendocrine markers. The glandular epithelium was decorated with antibodies to pan-cytokeratin, CK7, BER-EP4, ER, and PR, whereas the stromal cells showed positive staining for vimentin, actin, smooth muscle actin, desmin, ER, and PR. Follow-up information obtained in seven patients showed all women without recurrences after 1 to 20 years. The current study highlights the importance of recognizing intrathoracic endometriosis and ectopic deciduosis and properly assessing small biopsy specimens to avoid a misdiagnosis of malignancy.     

机器人辅助腹腔镜下根治性膀胱切除加尿流改道术的临床分析

目的 探讨采用da Vinci S机器人系统完成机器人辅助腹腔镜下根治性膀胱切除(robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy,RARC)加尿流改道术的临床可行性,并总结技术特点和临床效果. 方法 2007年12月至2012年3月膀胱尿路上皮癌患者22例,男20例,女2例.年龄37～ 72岁,平均62岁.体质指数22.5 ～ 30.1 kg/m2,平均26.1 kg/m2.麻醉评分1～2分.术前肿瘤活检病理诊断为浸润性或高危的非肌层浸润性膀胱尿路上皮痛,术前检查均未发现有其他邻近脏器浸润、盆腔淋巴结转移或远处转移,临床分期均低于T2N0M0.全麻下行RARC加尿流改道术,其中行体外尿流改道术15例(原位新膀胱2例,回肠膀胱术13例),行完全腹腔镜下尿流改道术7例(回肠膀胱术2例,原位新膀胱5例). 结果 本组22例手术均获得成功.手术时间300 ～ 667 min,平均480 min;出血量100 ～ 1200 ml,平均550 ml;淋巴结清扫数目6～ 25枚,平均15枚.术后2～3d下地活动,3～4d肠功能恢复,术后住院时间8～35 d,平均16d.行原位新膀胱的患者术后1个月行膀胱造影确定无吻合口漏后拔除尿管和双侧输尿管支架管.术后随访4 ～ 49个月,平均32个月,复发2例,死亡1例,出现肾积水2例,其余病例肾功能均正常,尿控较满意. 结论 根据初期的手术操作过程和随访结果,RARC加尿流改道术在临床上是可行的.更多的操作经验、长期和随机的对照研究将有助于对这一技术进行评估和推广.     

Comparison of cytokine levels from undiluted vitreous of untreated patients with retinal vein occlusion

Purpose: To compare cytokines in undiluted vitreous of treatment‐naïve patients with macular oedema without vitreomacular traction secondary to branch (BRVO), central (CRVO) and hemi‐central (H‐CRVO) retinal vein occlusion. Methods: Ninety‐four patients (median age 72 years, 42 men) underwent an intravitreal combination therapy, including a single‐site 23‐gauge core vitrectomy and the application of bevacizumab and dexamethasone due to vision‐decreasing macular oedema. Among these were 43 patients with BRVO, 35 with CRVO and 16 patients with hemi‐CRVO, which were distributed in a fresh or old retinal vein occlusion type (seven or more months after onset). Undiluted vitreous samples were analysed for interleukin 6 (IL‐6), monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF‐A) with cytometric BEAD assay. Vitreous samples from patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane served as controls (n = 14). Results: The mean cytokine values were highest in the CRVO group with IL‐6 = 64.7 pg/ml (SD ± 115.8), MCP‐1 = 1015.8 pg/ml (±970.1) and VEGF‐A = 278.4 pg/ml (±512.8), followed by the H‐CRVO group with IL‐6 = 59.9 pg/ml (SD ± 97.5), MCP‐1 = 938.8 pg/ml (±561.1) and VEGF‐A = 211.5 pg/ml (±232.4). The BRVO group had IL‐6 = 23.2 pg/ml (SD ± 48.8), MCP‐1 = 602.6 pg/ml (±490.3) and VEGF‐A = 161.8 pg/ml (±314.4). The values of MCP‐1 and VEGF‐A were significantly different for CRVO or H‐CRVO versus BRVO. All values were significantly higher than in the control samples, which had 6.2 ± 3.4 pg/ml (IL‐6), 253 ± 74 pg/ml (MCP‐1) and 7 ± 4.9 pg/ml (VEGF‐A). Within the old RVO type, only MCP‐1 was significantly different for CRVO or H‐CRVO versus BRVO. Conclusions: Both inflammatory markers and VEGF‐A were higher in CRVO and H‐CRVO than in BRVO undiluted vitreous samples. It seems that monocyte recruitment to the vessel wall, which might underlie the importance of eosinophils in tissue remodelling after RVO, is of special interest owing to the significant difference in MCP‐1 in the older RVO types.