Nerve and tendon lacerations about the foot and ankle

Nerve and tendon lacerations of the foot and ankle region are relatively common. Acute nerve and tendon injuries should be repaired with appropriate techniques at the time of initial wound exploration. Primary nerve repair may help minimize the risk of painful neuroma formation; primary tendon repair can lead to better functional results than delayed repair. Most chronic nerve injuries, except those to the tibial nerve or its major divisions, are managed by resection of a painful neuroma and burying the nerve ending in a protected area. Delayed reconstruction of tendon injuries is performed when correction of the functional deficit outweighs the morbidity of surgery.     

Effect of adjunct femoral endarterectomy in lower extremity bypass on perioperative and 1-year outcomes

Background

Isolated common femoral endarterectomy was recently reported to have a 30-day mortality of 3.4%. The effect of adjunctive femoral endarterectomy at the time of lower extremity bypass is not well described, and therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine its associated perioperative and long-term risk.

The effect of surgeon and hospital volume on mortality after open and endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms

Background

Higher hospital and surgeon volumes are independently associated with improved mortality after open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in the era before endovascular AAA repair (EVAR). The effects of both surgeon and hospital volume on mortality after EVAR and open repair in the current era are less well defined.

一种估计24小时尿白蛋白排泄率的简便方法

目的 探讨一种估计２４ｈ尿蛋白排泄率的简便方法。方法 利用尿常规的十联试纸比色法,测定尿相对密度（旧称比重）。先用尿相对密度推算出尿肌酐浓度,然后算出尿蛋白浓度和尿肌酐浓度估计值间的比值（Ｐｒｏ／ＵｃｒＥ）。结果 该比值与实际测得的２４ｈ尿白蛋白排泄率有极高度的相关性,且其敏感性和特异分别达到８７．２％和９０．２％。结论 Ｐｒｏ／ＵｃｒＥ比值是一种简便、经济的筛选方法,便于门诊和基层单位使用。     

A historical review of XDR tuberculosis in the Western Cape province of South Africa

There are limited data on the temporal relationship between the regional introduction of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment and the subsequent development of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). The first XDR-TB case in the Western Cape province of South Africa was recorded in 1992, approximately 5 - 7 years after the regional introduction of MDR-TB-like treatment. Between 1990 and 2002 we identified 48 patients with XDR-TB in the Cape Metropole region of the Western Cape province. Patients were predominantly HIV-uninfected and median survival was 10.8 months. XDR-TB has therefore been present in the Western Cape at least since 1992. These data inform public health policy relevant to the introduction of new anti-TB drug regimens.     

Magical ideation, schizotypy and the impact of emotions

Research indicates that emotions can interfere with basic cognitive functions such as attention and memory, and that schizotypal traits may be related to vulnerability to such interference, The schizotypal trait magical ideation, expressed as illogicality and tendencies to endorse peculiar or eccentric beliefs, has been reported to be related to impairments in social cognitive functioning as well risk for psychosis. This study examined the impact of emotionally arousing films on heart rate activity, affect ratings, and working memory. Participants were university students. Results indicated that high magical ideation scores were associated with impairments in short-term memory, higher post-film affect ratings, decreased clarity of affect awareness, and increased heart rate in response to emotionally arousing films. These results suggest that magical ideation may be an indicator of lower thresholds for arousal and increased vulnerability to disruption of cognitive processes by situations that elicit strong emotions.     

Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Host Release of Interleukin-17 During Pulmonary Infection With Klebsiella pneumoniae

BACKGROUND: A link between alcohol abuse and bacterial pneumonia has been recognized for centuries, but mechanisms to explain this relationship are unclarified. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a lymphocyte-derived cytokine that is part of the inflammatory cytokine cascade. Previous studies from our laboratory indicated that IL-17 is released in lung tissue in a murine model of bacterial pneumonia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. The effects of alcohol consumption on pulmonary release of IL-17 are unknown. METHODS: Mice were maintained on 20% ethanol in drinking water or on a control diet without alcohol. After 2 weeks, alcohol and control mice were challenged with intratracheal K. pneumoniae. Mice were followed for survival after bacterial challenge, neutrophil recruitment was assayed as myeloperoxidase, and IL-17 was measured in lung lavage fluid by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In additional experiments, splenocytes from control mice were incubated with ethanol in vitro, and release of IL-17 was measured in culture supernatants. Finally, control and alcohol mice received intrapulmonary gene transfer of E-1-deleted adenovirus containing the murine IL-17 gene. These mice were then challenged with K. pneumoniae and followed for survival and neutrophil recruitment. RESULTS: In these studies, we demonstrate that a 2-week history of ethanol consumption in mice suppresses release of IL-17 into lung tissue, decreases neutrophil recruitment, and increases mortality from experimental K. pneumonia. In vitro experiments confirm a direct suppressive effect of ethanol on the release of IL-17 from splenocytes. In vivo administration of the IL-17 gene in an adenoviral vector to alcohol-consuming mice results in release of IL-17 into lavage fluid and normalizes neutrophil recruitment and mortality after bacterial challenge. CONCLUSIONS: The results of these experiments strongly implicate IL-17 as an important pathway for the immunosuppression associated with alcohol abuse and support gene therapeutic approaches to augment immune function in the alcoholic host or to treat infections associated with alcoholism.     

Correction: Fundamentals and recent progress relating to the fabrication,functionalization and characterization of mesostructured materials using diverse synthetic methodologies

Correction for ‘Fundamentals and recent progress relating to the fabrication, functionalization and characterization of mesostructured materials using diverse synthetic methodologies’ by Soroush Soltani et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 16431–16456, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA00440E.

The authors regret that there was an error in the author list in the original article. Thomas Shean Yaw Choong should have been listed as a corresponding author. The amended author list and contact details are shown above.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.