Efficacy of lumiracoxib in relieving pain associated with knee osteoarthritis: a 6‐week,randomized, double‐blind,parallel‐group study

Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of lumiracoxib 200 mg once daily (o.d.) in relieving osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain in patients in China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Methods: Patients of either sex (aged ≥ 18 years) with symptomatic, primary OA of the knee for ≥ 3 months were eligible for inclusion if they had OA pain intensity of ≥ 40 mm (100 mm visual analogue scale [VAS]) in the target knee joint during the previous 24 h. Patients were required to undergo regular non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug therapy for ≥ 6 weeks. After 3–7 days of screening, patients were randomized (1 : 1) to receive either lumiracoxib 200 mg o.d. or celecoxib 200 mg o.d. The primary efficacy comparison between the study groups was overall OA pain intensity (VAS) in the target knee after 6 weeks of treatment. Results: The mean overall OA pain intensity (VAS) in the target knee after 6 weeks decreased from 60.6 mm to 35.7 mm and 60.5 mm to 36.1 mm in the lumiracoxib and celecoxib groups, respectively. Both study groups showed similar results in terms of improvement in both patient's and physician's global assessment of disease activity and functional health status. The percentage of adverse events (AEs) in the lumiracoxib and celecoxib groups (40.3% and 37.9%, respectively) was similar, as was the proportion of treatment‐related AEs (21.0% and 18.2%, respectively). Conclusions: Lumiracoxib 200 mg o.d. provided effective and well‐tolerated pain relief similar to that achieved with celecoxib 200 mg o.d. in knee OA patients.     

INVASIVE MUCORMYCOSIS WITH GASTRIC INVOLVEMENT IN A PATIENT WITH SEVERE ATHEROMATOUS VASCULAR DISEASE

Gastric mucormycosis involvement is a rare condition that usually occurs in inmunocompromised patients and frequently has a fatal outcome. We report the case of a 73‐year‐old woman admitted to the intensive care unit with severe bleeding after an acute pulmonary disease. Upper endoscopy disclosed wide and deep necrotic ulcers in the body and fundus of the stomach and greenish exudates with the antrum and the duodenum undamaged. Autopsy revealed an invasive mucormycosis and a severe atheromatosis. Several predisposing factors for mucormycosis infection have been reported until now. We postulate that ischemic gastritis could be a predisposing factor for colonization of zygomycete.     

OCM入路微创全髋关节置换术的初步报告

目的介绍OCM入路微创全髋关节置换术(THA)的手术方法。方法2005年1月-2006年1月在对2具尸体、4个髋关节的OCM入路进行相关解剖学研究的基础上开展OCM入路微创THA 20例。手术从臀中肌前间隙进入切开关节囊,分段完成股骨颈截骨,使用特殊的髋臼锉和髋臼打入器安放髋臼假体;股骨侧手术时手术床后下方一半拆卸掉,患髋后伸和外旋且小腿置于消毒袋内,大转子周围关节囊广泛剥离后完成扩髓和股骨假体的安放。结果肥胖指数平均为27．4％的20例患者,皮肤切口长度平均为9．3 cm;术中平均出血130 mL,术后引流量80 mL;患者术后2-3 d下地活动。所有患者获得1-9个月(平均4．3个月)随访,15例已完全脱拐,行走正常;5例不满1个月,仍需扶拐行走。术后随访疼痛采用视觉模拟评分(VAS)由术前平均5．1分分别下降到3．6分(1个月)、1．7分(3个月)和0．8分(6个月)。发生血肿2例,X线检查见髋臼前倾过大2例,股骨假体型号偏小2例。患者髋关节功能Harris评分由术前平均45．4分提高到术后随访时平均88．4分。结论OCM入路微创THA切口小,完整保留臀中肌和关节囊,患者功能恢复快,住院时间短;它需要一个独立学习过程,并需要特殊器械的配合。     

腹泻型与便秘型肠易激综合征直肠肛管动力和感觉功能的不同特点

目的 研究腹泻型与便秘型肠易激综合征（IBS）病人直肠肛管动力和直肠感觉功能的不同特点。方法 选择IBS病人85例，分成两组。其中腹泻组52例，便秘组33例，20例健康志愿者为对照组，采用PC Polygraf ID高分辨率多道胃肠功能测定仪，分别测定直肠肛管压力、直肠感知阈值、排便阈值、最大耐受量和直肠肛门抑制反射最低充气量。结果IBS病人的直肠静息压、肛管静息压和直肠肛门抑制反射最低充气量与健康对照组比较无显著性差异。腹泻组的最大缩窄压和排便阈值显著低于健康对照组。便秘组的松弛压、直肠感知阈值、排便阈值和最大耐受量显著高于健康对照组。结论腹泻型IBS病人的症状与最大缩窄压和排便闽值降低有关；而便秘型则与松弛压、直肠感知阈值、排便阈值和最大耐受量显著增高有关。     

Mediating effects of social support on firefighters' sense of community and perceptions of care

This study examined the relationship between psychological sense of community, social‐support networks, and care‐giver stress and satisfaction among firefighters. No significant gender differences were obtained, but zero‐order correlates demonstrated significant relationships among all four variables. In examining the mediating effects of social‐support satisfaction, partial mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver satisfaction was determined, as well as full mediation for psychological sense of community on care‐giver stress. Therefore, firefighters who are satisfied with the support they receive may experience less stress with their care giving than those who experience low levels of support satisfaction. Future studies should assess these relationships more extensively in other areas of civic responsibility among public‐service employees to delineate effective support avenues. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 121–126, 2004.     

Chronic Progressive Autonomic Dysfunction in a Dog

A 3.5‐year‐old intact male American Pit Bull was presented because of urinary incontinence and dysuria. Constipation, followed by diarrhoea, ocular disturbances and finally regurgitation developed over the next 4 years. Autonomic dysfunction was evidenced by clinical presentation, as well as positive ophthalmic pilocarpine test and subnormal Schirmer tear test. Diagnosis, however, was established through histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. Lesions attributable to inflammatory degenerative neuropathy of the autonomic ganglia, which represents one of the various types of human autonomic failure, were detected.     

Psychological well‐being and psychosocial work environment characteristics among emergency medical and nursing staff

The aim of this study was to determine if the effect of psychosocial work environment on psychological well‐being was different for doctors and nurses who work in emergency departments in Spain. A cross‐sectional survey was carried out among 945 emergency doctors and nurses staff from Spain. The outcome variable was the psychological well‐being measured by two dimensions of SF‐36 Health Survey (SF‐36) (mental health, vitality) and one dimension of Maslach's Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion). The explanatory variable was the psychosocial work environment evaluated according to Karasek and Johnson's demand‐control model that includes the dimensions of psychological demands, job control, supervisor social support and co‐workers' social support. The adjusted odds ratios and their 95 per cent confidence intervals were calculated by logistic regression. The prevalence of low vitality, bad mental health and high emotional exhaustion was higher among doctors than nurses. Exposure to high psychological demands increased the probability of low vitality, bad mental health and high emotional exhaustion among doctors and nurses. Low job control and low co‐workers' social support at work were associated with poor psychological well‐being only among doctors. Low job supervisors' social support increased the risk of bad mental health among doctors and of high emotional exhaustion among nurses. There is a different effect of psychosocial work environment on psychological well‐being between doctors and nurses. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exanthematous infantile psoriasis

Childhood psoriasis is a disease with manifold clinical presentations which can make the correct diagnosis sometimes difficult. In a female infant, slightly itching, erythematous papules and plaques with discrete scaling spread over large parts of the integument starting from age three months. Histological examination supported the diagnosis of exanthematous infantile psoriasis. Topical treatment with dithranol in petrolatum led to slow clearance of the skin lesions.     

Empfehlungen für die Anwendung der Immunapherese bei der Therapie bullöser Autoimmundermatosen

The etiology of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is unknown. EBA may be associated with other autoim‐mune systemic diseases; it also has been described in connection with different malignant tumors, showing complete remission after successful treatment of the tumor.In such cases, EBA may be regarded as a paraneo‐plastic dermatosis. We detected a highly differentiated neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer in a 78‐year‐old woman with EBA. Even thought her tumor was completely removed and the patient has been disease‐free for over seven years, a complete regression of her autoimmune bullous dermatosis could not be induced. By using intravenous immunoglobulins in combination with mycophenolate mofetil, further blister formation could be ameliorated.