射频皱缩刀在不同工作模式下对腋神经表面温度的影响

目的：观察肩关节镜下射频皱缩刀对腋神经表面温度的影响. 方法：实验于2005-03/06在南京医科大学附属南京第一医院骨科实验室进行.取10个新鲜肩关节标本（南京中医药大学提供）,分为肩关节持续冲洗和间断冲洗两组,模拟肩关节不稳定进行射频皱缩刀关节囊皱缩术.射频皱缩刀应用持续工作和间断工作两种不同的工作模式和1和2档能量设置,采用电动测温仪分别记录射频皱缩刀工作10,25,40,55,70 s及停止工作30 s时腋神经表面的温度. 结果：①肩关节间断冲洗组：射频皱缩刀持续工作模式下,各个时间段腋神经表面温度升高较快,2 min以后均超过70℃,最高达到85℃（3 min时）,停止工作30 s,仍为82.3℃;射频皱缩刀间断工作模式下腋神经表面温度较持续工作模式升高慢（P＜0.01）,各个时间点均不超过60℃,最高才达到58℃（70 s时）.②肩关节持续冲洗组：射频皱缩刀持续工作模式下,皱缩能量为1档和2档时,在30 s时腋神经表面的温度不差异（P＞0.05）,而连续工作1 min以上,能量为1档时,各个时间点所测温度均比能量为2档时低（P＜0.05）;射频皱缩刀间断工作模式下,皱缩能量为1档和2档时,在10,25 s时,腋神经表面温度差异不显著（P＞0.05）,40 s后,能量为1档时,腋神经表面温度比能量为2档时低（P＜0.05）.在肩关节持续冲洗和能量为1档时,射频皱缩刀在两种工作模式下,腋神经表面温度均不超过50℃. 结论：在肩关节镜下行射频皱缩术时,腋神经表面温度会明显升高,持续冲洗、间断工作模式可降低腋神经表面温度;而间断冲洗、持续工作模式可能会损伤腋神经.     

Safety and efficacy of hepatitis C virus antibody screening of blood donors with two sequential screening assays

BACKGROUND: Reactive samples in hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody screening of blood donors are currently referred for a confirmatory assay. This scheme is not optimally efficient and is expensive because of the lack of specificity and cost of confirmatory tests, as well as the need to discard false-positive donations. As in some human immunodeficiency virus antibody-confirmatory schemes, the safety and efficacy of confirming anti-HCV with two sequential screening assays were evaluated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Three combinations of two anti-HCV screening assays were used to test 75,874 blood donors. Results were compared with the routine testing scheme and HCV RNA detection in any enzyme immunoassay-repeatably reactive samples. RESULTS: The use of an alternative screening assay for repeat testing decreased the proportion of enzyme immunoassay-positive donors from 0.28 to 0.05 percent. All samples that were "confirmed" as positive by the standard combination of immunoassays and all HCV RNA-positive samples were detected by the sequential screening assays. No samples that had discordant results on primary and secondary screening assays were confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay or were found to contain detectable HCV RNA. CONCLUSION: The combination of screening assays for anti-HCV confirmation was as safe as, cheaper than, and nearly as efficient as the standard testing scheme.     

The evolving management of the third stage of labour

The immediate postpartum period is a risky period because life-threatening events can occur unexpectedly, and lead to death if they are not managed promptly. Appropriate management of the third stage of labour can reduce severe postpartum haemorrhage and death. This commentary summarizes how various management techniques of third stage of labour evolved to date and the evidence base for current international recommendations.     

Cell salvage at caesarean section: the need for an evidence-based approach

Haemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, is frequently associated with caesarean section. Allogeneic blood is an increasingly rare and scare resource. Intraoperative Cell Salvage (IOCS) offers the possibility of improving outcome and reducing allogeneic blood transfusion in cases of haemorrhage at caesarean section. The available literature on the use of IOCS in obstetrics demonstrates that there is limited evidence to support or refute the use of IOCS at caesarean section. However, this procedure has been introduced into obstetric practice. Before opinions about its use become solidified, there is a window of opportunity to launch a large multicentre randomised controlled trial to address the current equipoise.     

Ethanol sclerotherapy: a treatment option for ovarian endometriomas before ovarian stimulation

Several surgical treatment modalities have been described in cases of isolated or multiple ovarian endometriotic cysts. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate and test the efficacy of ethanol sclerotherapy (EST) for recurrent endometriotic cysts, before ovarian stimulation in infertile patients with an adequate ovarian status. In the setting of a prospective comparative study, EST was proposed to 31 infertile patients with recurrence of ovarian endometriomas before inclusion in assisted reproduction cycles. Reproductive outcome was compared with that of patients who had previous laparoscopic cystectomy for recurrent endometriomas. The mean size of endometriomas treated with sclerotherapy was 38.6 ± 11.2 mm in diameter. Ovarian cysts recurred in 12.9% of cases; at a mean time of 10 months after EST. Ovarian reserve and ovarian response to stimulation were better in the EST group than in the control group. Consequently, clinical and cumulative pregnancy rates of the study group were higher than those of the control group (48.3% versus 19.2%, P = 0.04; and 55.2% versus 26.9%, P = 0.03, respectively). Ethanol sclerotherapy may be a good alternative to surgical management of recurrent endometriotic cysts before assisted reproductive treatment. It could be advised for selected infertile patients.     

A method to assess the clinical significance of unclassified variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes based on cancer family history

Introduction

Unclassified variants (UVs) in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes are a frequent problem in counseling breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer families. Information about cancer family history is usually available, but has rarely been used to evaluate UVs. The aim of the present study was to identify which is the best combination of clinical parameters that can predict whether a UV is deleterious, to be used for the classification of UVs.

Methods

We developed logistic regression models with the best combination of clinical features that distinguished a positive control of BRCA pathogenic variants (115 families) from a negative control population of BRCA variants initially classified as UVs and later considered neutral (38 families).

Results

The models included a combination of BRCAPRO scores, Myriad scores, number of ovarian cancers in the family, the age at diagnosis, and the number of persons with ovarian tumors and/or breast tumors. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were respectively 0.935 and 0.836 for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 models. For each model, the minimum receiver operating characteristic distance (respectively 90% and 78% specificity for BRCA1 and BRCA2) was chosen as the cutoff value to predict which UVs are deleterious from a study population of 12 UVs, present in 59 Dutch families. The p.S1655F, p.R1699W, and p.R1699Q variants in BRCA1 and the p.Y2660D, p.R2784Q, and p.R3052W variants in BRCA2 are classified as deleterious according to our models. The predictions of the p.L246V variant in BRCA1 and of the p.Y42C, p.E462G, p.R2888C, and p.R3052Q variants in BRCA2 are in agreement with published information of them being neutral. The p.R2784W variant in BRCA2 remains uncertain.

Conclusions

The present study shows that these developed models are useful to classify UVs in clinical genetic practice.     

Reduction in vascular access site bleeding in sequential abciximab coronary intervention trials.

We analyzed vascular access site bleeding from the EPIC, EPILOG, and EPISTENT trials to quantify the decrease in vascular bleeding complications in these three trials, especially those attributable to abciximab. The incidence of combined major and minor vascular access site bleeding in nonabciximab (heparin plus placebo) patients progressively decreased from EPIC (8.2%) to EPILOG (2.9%) to EPISTENT (1.7%; P < 0.001). Combined major and minor vascular access site bleeding in abciximab (heparin plus abciximab) patients decreased from EPIC (20%) to EPILOG (5.8%) to EPISTENT (2.2%; P < 0.001). There were more major vascular access site bleeds with abciximab compared to placebo in EPIC (odds ration 3.2; P < 0.001) but not in EPILOG or EPISTENT. Modified abciximab and heparin dosing and improved vascular access site management strategies have decreased the risk of vascular access bleeding during coronary intervention and have essentially eliminated the excess access site bleeding associated with abciximab.