Usefulness of ultrasonography in predicting pleural effusions > 500 mL in patients receiving mechanical ventilation

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of chest ultrasonography in predicting pleural effusions > 500 mL in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Surgical and medical ICU in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-four patients receiving mechanical ventilation with indications of chest drainage of a nonloculated pleural effusion. INTERVENTIONS: Diagnosis of pleural effusion was based on clinical examination and chest radiography. Chest drainage was indicated when considered as potentially useful for the patient (hypoxemia and/or weaning failure). Sonograms were performed before drainage at the bedside, in the supine position, and measurements were performed at the end of expiration. Effusions were classified as > 500 mL or < or = 500 mL according to the drained volume. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The drained volume ranged from 100 to 1,800 mL (mean, 730 +/- 440 mL [+/- SD]). The distance between the lung and posterior chest wall at the lung base (PLDbase) and the distance between the lung and posterior chest wall at the fifth intercostal space (PLD5) were significantly correlated with the drained volume (PLDbase, r = 0.68, p < 0.001; PLD5, r = 0.56, p < 0.001). A PLDbase > 5 cm predicted a drained volume > 500 mL with a sensitivity of 83%, specificity of 90%, positive predictive value of 91%, and negative predictive value of 82%. Interobserver and intraobserver percentages of error were, respectively, 7 +/- 6% and 9 +/- 6% for PLDbase, and 6 +/- 5% and 8 +/- 5% for PLD5. The PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio significantly increased after chest drainage in patients with collected volumes > 500 mL (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Bedside pleural ultrasonography accurately predicted a nonloculated pleural effusion > 500 mL in patients receiving mechanical ventilation using simple and reproducible measurements.     

Nivolumab as adjuvant treatment for a spinal melanocytoma: A case report

Rationale:Meningeal melanocytoma is a rare benign melanocytic tumor of the central nervous system. We report for the first time a case of meningeal melanocytoma treated with immunotherapy.Patient concerns:A 70-year-old man with no medical history was admitted to the Emergency Room. He suffered from a motor and sensory deficit in his left lower limb and a bilateral upper arm neuralgia.Diagnoses:A contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. It showed a C7-T1 bleeding intramedullary tumor. Laminectomy was decided and performed. The results of the pathologic examination showed a melanocytic tumor harboring GNAQ mutation. Meningeal melanocytoma was the final diagnosis.Interventions:The patient was treated with 10 radiotherapy sessions and 6 cycles of nivolumab. A year later, the patient experienced neuralgia again with severe pain and an increasing sensory motor deficit. He underwent a second surgery that was incomplete. As the tumor kept growing, he received temozolomide. But the 6th cycle had to be interrupted due to bedsore infection in the hip area.Outcomes:Disease progression finally led to the patient''s death 3 years after diagnosis.Lessons:This case report is the first about a patient with meningeal melanocytoma treated with immunotherapy. Treatment based on biomolecular mutations will probably change spinal melanocytoma therapeutic approach in the next few years.     

Duodenal tumor risk in Lynch syndrome

Background and aims

Lynch syndrome (LS) is associated with an increased risk of small bowel tumors but routine screening is not recommended in international guidelines. The aim of our study was to determinate the prevalence of duodenal tumors in a French cohort of LS patients.

Myocardial infarction: Is bepridil,a new calcium antagonist,able to improve the course of the acute phase?

Summary Several calcium antagonists are useful in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. This open randomized study was designed to determine the effects of bepridil, a new long-acting calcium antagonist with antiarrhythmic properties, on the course of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Two hundred patients with AMI of less than 48 hours duration (average 10.9 hours) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: The first one was treated with bepridil (BEP, n=100), and the second one was considered as a control group, using isosorbide dinitrate at a low dosage (ISDN, n=100). BEP was administered intravenously for 48 hours at a dosage of 4 mg/kg/day; at the same time, an oral dose of 200 mg t.i.d. was started and continued for 21 days. In the control group, ISDN was given orally at the low dosage of 5 mg every 4 hours for 21 days. An uneventful course was seen in 28 BEP patients versus 15 in the control group (p<0.05). Mortality and recurrence of angina were lower in the BEP group than in the control group, but the difference is not significant. On the other hand, moderate and severe hemodynamic complications did not occur in 80 BEP patients versus 65 in the control group (p<0.05). Ventricular arrhythmias occurred in 36 BEP patients versus 50 in the control group (p<0.05). Antiarrhythmic therapy was required in 14 BEP patients versus 61 in the control group (p<0.001). These results show that bepridil seems capable of improving the hemodynamics and arrhythmologic course of AMI.     

Oxygen‐Mediated Reactions in Photopolymerizable Radical Thin Films: Application to Simultaneous Photocuring Under Air and Nanoparticle Formation

Titanium propoxide, titanium isopropoxide, and titanium (triethanolaminato) isopropoxide are proposed as high‐performance additives to overcome the oxygen inhibition effects in the free radical photopolymerization of a low‐viscosity monomer thin film, under air and upon a low‐intensity UV light activation. Indeed, when added to a Type I photoinitiator such as bis(2,4,6‐trimethylbenzoyl)‐phenylphosphine oxide (BAPO), noticeably higher conversions are achieved under air (48% vs. 30%). The in situ formation of Ti‐based nanoparticles is also observed. The photochemical properties of these types of Ti‐based compounds as well as their interaction with BAPO are investigated by steady‐state photolysis and electron spin resonance. Molecular orbital calculations give an interesting insight into the possible reactions. A chemical mechanism is also proposed.