Predictors of Survival in Sinonasal Adenocarcinoma

Objectives To identify factors associated with disease-specific survival (DSS) in intestinal and nonintestinal sinonasal adenocarcinoma. Design Retrospective review. Setting Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Participants Adult patients with sinonasal adenocarcinoma. Main Outcome Measures DSS. Results We identified 325 patients; of these, 300 had the nonintestinal type and 25 had intestinal type histologies. The 5-year DSS rates for patients who had no treatment, radiation (RT), surgery, and surgery and postoperative RT were 42.5, 46.1, 85.6, and 72.6%, respectively (log-rank test; p < 0.001). Black race, age ≥ 75 years, paranasal sinus involvement, and high grade were independently associated with decreased DSS. Compared with RT, surgery (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15–0.77), and adjuvant RT (HR: 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26–0.86) were associated with improved DSS. Conclusions There is no difference in prognosis between intestinal and nonintestinal subtypes of sinonasal adenocarcinoma. Treatment with surgery alone or adjuvant RT is associated with a more favorable prognosis.     

Vascular Management During Live Donor Nephrectomy: An Online Survey Among Transplant Surgeons

In 2006, a survey from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons disclosed significant and sometimes fatal hemorrhagic events in live donor nephrectomies (LDN) related to failure of clips, leading to the contraindication of the Weck® Hem‐o‐lok® clip for control of the renal artery during LDN. A survey regarding vascular control techniques, their perceived safety ratings and their failures was sent to 645 European Society for Organ Transplantation members who profiled their profession as “surgeon” and selected “kidney” as organ type. Two hundred forty‐three (41%) members responded, of whom 171 (63.3%) independently perform LDN. Their responses were analyzed. For arterial and venous vascular control, the GIA? and TA?stapler are used most frequently, and were rated the safest. Of the 121 reported hemorrhagic events, slippage and dislodgement of clips occurred at least 58 times, while stapler malfunction occurred at least 40 times. One donor death from hemorrhage related to clip dysfunction was reported. Hemorrhagic complications of LDN with fatal and non‐fatal outcomes still occur. Strikingly, many surgeons do not use the vascular closing technique that they consider most safe. Failure of non‐transfixion techniques is associated with greater risks for the donor. Control of major vessels in LDN must employ transfixion techniques for optimal donor safety.

     

A review of oral food challenges in children presenting to a single tertiary centre with perceived or true food allergies

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of perceived food allergies exceeds that of true food allergies. Unnecessary food avoidance may increase parental and patient anxiety, reduce quality of life and increase the risk of nutritional deficiency. An oral food challenge (OFC) can provide an objective measure regarding the presence or absence of food allergies in a child. This study reviews the indications for and outcomes of OFCs performed on children.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed on all children who underwent OFCs at the Allergy Unit of the National University Hospital, Singapore, over a three-year period.

RESULTS

A total of 197 OFCs were performed among 58 patients (34 male, 24 female). Most of the tests were for allergies to tree nuts (n = 107). Among the OFCs, 43.1% were for foods that were avoided and never eaten due to perceived food allergies, 25.9% were for foods that had previously resulted in positive skin prick tests (SPTs) and/or immunoassay results, 16.2% were for foods thought to worsen eczema and 14.7% were for foods thought to have caused a previous reaction. Of all the OFCs, 5% were positive, although adverse reactions were mostly cutaneous. Challenge-positive patients had either positive SPTs (wheal > 3 mm) or raised serum immunoglobulin E levels to specific foods that they reacted to during the challenges. No episodes of anaphylaxis were reported after the challenge. Most of the patients were able to safely introduce the avoided foods into their diets.

CONCLUSION

OFCs provide an objective assessment for suspected food allergies.     

Healthcare worker safety is a pre-requisite for injection safety in developing countries.

Unsafe injection practices, including the re-use of unsterile needles and syringes, are commonplace in developing country health settings, and contribute substantially to the global burden of blood-borne viral disease. Unsafe injection practices place at risk not only patients, but also healthcare workers, who practice universal precautions inconsistently and are commonly exposed to blood in the course of their work. Global awareness of the link between unsafe injection practices and the burden of blood-borne viral disease was slow to emerge but has grown in the recent years. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Safe Injection Global Network (SIGN), which advocates a range of interventions for the promotion of injection safety. As well as exhorting healthcare workers to use a new needle and syringe for every injection, they should also be encouraged and supported to protect themselves from exposure to blood. It is argued here that promoting the occupational safety of healthcare workers in developing countries is an essential and currently under-valued component of the response to the problem of unsafe injection practices. Protecting healthcare workers from occupational infection with blood-borne viruses has a range of potential benefits, including safer injection practices for patients and less discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS. There is an urgent need for organisational commitment to the occupational safety of healthcare workers in developing countries, along with the provision of training in injection safety and universal precautions, adequate supplies of personal protective equipment, and hepatitis B vaccination.     

Pathogenesis and management of bleeding in essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera

Patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) have a paradoxical predisposition to bleeding and thrombotic complications that are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Bleeding manifestations are often associated with extreme thrombocytosis that may lead to acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS). Symptomatic AVWS, in this instance, is managed by platelet cytoreductive therapy and, in case of a life-threatening situation, platelet apheresis may be of additional value. Qualitative platelet defects are prevalent in PV and ET but have not been consistently linked to clinical bleeding. However, in vitro and in vivo hemostatic defects in these disorders are either precipitated or exacerbated by the use of aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Additional patient management issues are raised during systemic anticoagulation and surgery. This review summarizes putative pathogenetic mechanisms of bleeding and their management in ET and PV.     

Relationship between lung function and physical performance in disabled older women

BACKGROUND: Understanding the association between lung function and physical performance in disabled older women helps in determining the potential for prevention and treatment strategies to decrease disability. The aim of this study was to determine the association of lung function with objective and self-reported physical performance in community-dwelling disabled older women. METHODS: The Women's Health and Aging Study I consists of 1002 disabled community-dwelling women aged > or = 65. Of these women, 840 underwent spirometry with determination of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC). Cross-sectional analyses included multivariate linear regression to assess the association between FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and the time to walk four meters after adjusting for confounders, including age, race, geriatric depression scale score, body mass index, muscle strength, osteoarthritis, smoking status, and cardiovascular disease. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, and self-reported disability in physical performance. RESULTS: FEV1 was independently associated with time to walk 4 meters. For every 100 ml decrease in FEV1, there was a 0.15-second (95% confidence interval: 0.24 to 0.06) increase in time to walk 4 meters. There was an 8% increase in the prevalent odds of self-reported disability in physical performance for every 100 ml decrease in FEV1. FVC was also associated with physical performance measures. In contrast, FEV1/FVC was associated with objective but not subjective physical performance. CONCLUSION: Decreasing lung function is independently associated with decrements in objective and self-reported physical performance in disabled older women.