Surgeons often underestimate the amount of blood loss in replacement surgeries

Objective：To assess the accuracy of the clinically estimated blood loss （EBL） when compared with the actual blood loss （ABL） in replacement surgeries.Methods：This prospective study was done in Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre from April 2011 to April 2013.Altogether 140 patients undergoing total hip replacement or total knee replacement were included with the inclusion criteria being patients with haemoglobin higher than 100 g/ml and coagulation profile within normal limits.Exclusion criteria were intake of antiplatelet drug or anti-coagulant,bleeding disorders,thrombotic episode,and haematological disorders.There were 65 men and 75 women.In this study,the consultants were free to use any clinical method to estimate the blood loss,including counting the blood-soaked mops and gauze pieces （estimating the volume of blood carded in all the mops and gauzes）,measuring blood lost to suction bottles and blood in and around the operative field.The ABL was calculated based on a modification of the Gross＇s formula using haematocrit values.Results：In 42 of the 140 cases,the EBL exceeded the ABL.These cases had a negative difference in blood loss （or DIFF-BL＜0） and were included in the overestimation group,which accounted for 30％ of the study population.Of the remaining 98 cases （70％）,the ABL exceeded the EBL.Therefore they were put into the underestimation group who had a positive difference in blood loss （DIFF-BL＞0）.We found that when the average blood loss was small,the accuracy of estimation was high.But when the average blood loss exceeded 500 ml,the accuracy rate decreased significantly.This suggested that clinical estimation is inaccurate with the increase of blood loss.Conclusion：This study has shown that using clinical estimation alone to guide blood transfusion is inadequate.In this study,70％ of patients had their blood loss underestimated,proving that surgeons often underestimate blood loss in replacement surgeries.     

Comparative in vitro activities of aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, HR 810 (a new cephalosporin), RU28965 (a new macrolide), and other agents against enteropathogens.

The in vitro activity of drugs currently used in the treatment of diarrhea against 595 enteropathogens from worldwide sources was compared with that of six newly developed antibiotics, ciprofloxacin; norfloxacin; ofloxacin; aztreonam; HR810, an expanded-spectrum cephalosporin; and RU28965, a new macrolide. In contrast with ampicillin and chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole showed an excellent activity against all of the enteropathogens tested, except Campylobacter species. Ciprofloxacin had the highest activity, with an overall 90% MIC of less than or equal to 0.097 micrograms/ml, except for Campylobacter species (0.39 micrograms/ml). Unlike other cephalosporins, HR810 showed a satisfactory activity against Campylobacter species (90% MIC of 3.12 micrograms/ml). RU28965 was three times less active than erythromycin against Campylobacter species.     

Céphalées chroniques quotidiennes, céphalées par abus médicamenteux Définitions, épidémiologie

La nosologie des céphalées chroniques quotidiennes (CCQ) est, pour le non-spécialiste, quelque peu complexe: la publication récente de la deuxième version des critères diagnostiques IHS des céphalées rend plus précise la réalisation des études en recherche clinique, mais complexifie notre travail d’enseignement des céphalées aux non-spécialistes. La définition actuelle des céphalées par abus médicamenteux (CAM) est comportementale, en nombre de jours avec prise d’un traitement de crise, alors qu’elle était auparavant plus quantitative, en poids de médicaments utilisés quotidiennement ou par mois. Ces CAM sont présentes dans un tiers des cas de CCQ, ellesmêmes présentes chez 3% de la population générale. La connaissance de l’affection par les professions médicales, paramédicales, et par la population générale elle-même doit s’améliorer, permetant de prévenir le développement des céphalées par abus médicamenteux, pas toujours réversibles.     

A POPULATION OF LYMPHOCYTES BEARING A MEMBRANE RECEPTOR FOR ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY-COMPLEMENT COMPLEXES : I. SEPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

A population of lymphoid cells from several animal species, including man, was identified through a membrane receptor which binds sheep red blood cells treated with antibody and complement. When cells from different lymphoid organs were incubated with EAC at 37°C, only part of the lymphocytes (named CRL) bound EAC and formed rosettes, and this interaction was shown to be C3-dependent. Mouse lymphoid cells could be specifically depleted of CRL by allowing them first to interact with EAC and then submitting the mixture to ultracentrifugation in a gradient of BSA. After ultracentrifugation, a population of cells containing 95% or more of non-CRL were recovered from the upper layers of the gradient. In addition to their different abilities to bind EAC, CRL and non-CRL from mouse lymphoid organs could be distinguished by the following properties: (a) CRL adhered preferentially to nylon wool at 37°C in the presence of mouse serum. (b) After differential flotation in a gradient of BSA, a significantly higher proportion of CRL were recovered from the upper layers of the gradient. (c) The population of CRL contained most of the lymphocytes bearing immunoglobulin determinants on their membranes. (d) The distribution of CRL was quite different among lymphocytes obtained from various lymphoid organs, and they were never found in the thymus. (e) The membrane receptor for EAC was not detected in plaque-forming cells of mice which had been previously immunized with burro red cells. CRL and non-CRL could not be distinguished by their life span, as they were found in similar proportions among long-lived and short-lived lymphocytes from mouse peripheral lymph nodes. The function of this receptor on the membrane of certain lymphoid cells may be related to (a) the trapping and localization of antigen in lymphoid organs or (b) the localization of lymphoid cells in inflammatory sites.     

Differential expression of perforin in muscle-infiltrating T cells in polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are the prototypical inflammatory diseases of skeletal muscle. In PM, CD8+ T cells invade and destroy muscle fibers, whereas humoral effector mechanisms prevail in DM. We studied the expression of the cytotoxic mediator perforin in inflammatory cells in PM and DM muscle by semiquantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry and confocal laser microscopy. Similar levels of perforin mRNA were expressed in PM and DM, and abundant perforin-expressing CD3+CD8+ and CD3+ CD4+ T cells were observed in both diseases. However, there was a striking difference in the intracellular localization of perforin. In DM, perforin was distributed randomly in the cytoplasm of the inflammatory T cells. In contrast, 43% of the CD8+ T cells that contacted a muscle fiber in PM showed perforin located vectorially towards the target muscle fiber. The results suggest (a) that the random distribution of perforin in the cytoplasm of muscle-infiltrating T cells observed in DM reflects nonspecific activation, and (b) that the vectorial orientation observed only in PM reflects the specific recognition via the T cell receptor of an antigen on the muscle fiber surface, pointing to a perforin- and secretion-dependent mechanism of muscle fiber injury.     

Neural Control of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter INFLUENCE OF THE VAGUS NERVES

We performed studies in the opossum to define the influence of the vagi in the control of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function. Bilateral vagotomy caused transient sphincter hypertension which was prevented by phentolamine and by atropine. Stimulation of the peripheral end of vagus, after bilateral cervical vagotomy, caused relaxation of the LES over a wide range of frequency and intensity of electrical stimulation. The relaxation was less marked at the lower frequencies of stimulation, and atropine treatment did not enhance this relaxation. In other experiments, atropine treatment reversed the rise in gastric (fundic) pressure with the vagal stimulation, but atropine did not enhance the degree of LES relaxation. Stimulation of the central end of the vagus caused an increase in LES pressure due to a centrally mediated reflex; the efferents for this motor response were not present in the vagi, as the reflex contraction persisted after bilateral vagotomy. The LES contraction with the stimulation of the vagal afferents was antagonized by phentolamine as well as by atropine. These studies suggest that: (a) the vagi do not mediate any cholinergic excitatory influences to the LES and the vagal influence of the sphincter is entirely inhibitory; (b) the vagi carry afferent fibres for a centrally mediated neural reflex which contracts the LES, but the efferent path of this reflex arc does not lie in the vagi.     

Winging of scapula due to serratus anterior tear

Winging of scapula occurs most commonly due to injury to long thoracic nerve supplying serratus anterior muscle.Traumatic injury to serratus anterior muscle itself is very rare.We reported a case of traumatic winging of scapula due to tear of serratus anterior muscle in a 19-year-old male.Winging was present in neutral position and in extension of right shoulder joint but not on ＂push on wall＂ test.Patient was managed conservatively and achieved satisfactory result.     

Inadvertent advancement of guide wire across the knee caused by incarcerated bone fragment at the nail tip during femoral nailing

Fracture of femoral shaft in adults is common and mostly managed with intramedullary interlocking nails. Complications during closed intramedullary femoral nailing are uncommon, and mostly of them are caused by technical reasons. We describe a case of closed nailing for a femoral shaft fracture in which a jammed intramedullary guide wire, due to an incarcerated bone fragment at the nail tip, was inadvertently advanced across the knee. Forceful attempt of nail insertion caused this complication, which was probably attributed to nail design.     

Close association between interleukin 2 receptor mRNA expression and human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type I viral RNA expression in short-term cultured leukemic cells from adult T cell leukemia patients.

Human T cell leukemia/lymphoma (T-lymphotropic) virus type I (HTLV-I) infection has been considered to be closely associated with the leukemogenesis of adult T cell leukemia (ATL), in which interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptors are abnormally expressed. In this study, however, Southern blot analysis revealed no gross rearrangement or obvious amplification of the IL-2 receptor gene in ATL leukemic cells, indicating that abnormal IL-2 receptor expression in ATL is not due to the structural change of its gene. Hence, we studied the expression of the IL-2 receptor and HTLV-I at the RNA level during short-term cultures of leukemic cells from 9 ATL patients. Cytoplasmic dot hybridization and Northern hybridization revealed that fresh leukemic cells from seven of nine patients expressed a small amount of IL-2 receptor mRNA but HTLV-I RNA was undetectable in all cases. After cultures for up to 7 d, both IL-2 receptor mRNA and HTLV-I RNA (including pX message) expression concomitantly increased, whereas the amounts of other cellular genes, except for beta-actin, did not. The increases in their RNA expression were inhibited by early addition (within 12 h after the beginning of the culture) of cycloheximide, indicating that these increases are mediated by newly synthesized protein(s). These results strongly suggested that IL-2 receptor expression is closely associated with HTLV-I expression in leukemic cells from ATL patients.