Administration of octreotide for management of postoperative high-flow chylothorax

Chylothorax is a rare complication of adult cardiothoracic surgery that can affect the postoperative course as it can lead to respiratory insufficiency, protein loss, fluid imbalance, and immunodeficiency. We report the case of a 51-year-old man who developed a persistent high-flow chylothorax after replacement of the descending thoracic aorta for an aneurysm. After a week of complete oral intake cessation and total parenteral nutrition, we started administration of octreotide, a somatostatin analog. It led to rapid cessation of chyle production, and the patient was discharged without further complications and chylothorax relapses.     

Retrospective database analysis on the effectiveness of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs in an outpatient clinic setting

OBJECTIVE: To report the outcomes of a retrospective database analysis to compare the effectiveness of atypical and typical antipsychotic drugs. METHODS: Medical records of patients admitted to the psychiatry outpatient clinic between January 1998 and October 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Data obtained from patient records were noted on a special form assessing four aspects of the treatment history: socio-demographic features, disease characteristics, initial treatment at the time of admission, and course of treatment. Patient groups (typical/atypical and Risperidone/Haloperidol/Olanzapine) were compared for time to all-cause medication discontinuation and rate of discontinuation. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the duration of treatment between patients using atypical (n = 150) and typical (n = 124) antipsychotics. The duration of treatment was significantly longer in patients on Haloperidol (n = 91) compared with those on Risperidone (n = 63). Rates of discontinuation over 18 months were 59.3% for patients on atypical antipsychotics and 57.3% for those on typical antipsychotics, and 68.3% for patients on Risperidone, 51.6% for patients on Haloperidol and 54.3% for patients on Olanzapine. CONCLUSION: Despite our hypothesis patients with chronic schizophrenia discontinued their atypical and typical antipsychotics, at a high rate with no significant difference indicating substantial limitations in the effectiveness of these drugs.     

MRI changes and ApoE genotype, a prospective 1-year follow-up of traumatic brain injury: a pilot study

Primary objective: To examine the association between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype and visibility of traumatic brain lesions during the first year after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Research design: A prospective 1-year follow-up study in unselected victims of TBI.

Methods: The number and extent of contusions, ventricular size index and semi-quantitative score of other traumatic intraparenchymal lesions were determined with MRI ∼ 1 week and 1 year after TBI and the results were analysed in relation to the ApoE genotype in 33 patients after acute non-trivial TBI.

Results: The ApoE genotype was not associated with the visible changes occurring during this follow-up.

Conclusions: The presence of ApoE4 was not associated with MRI changes during the first year after TBI. This suggests that if the ApoE4 is associated with an unfavourable outcome after TBI, the processes responsible for the repair of visible lesions are not dependent on ApoE genotype.     

Coronary artery disease risk factors in patients with schizophrenia: effects of short term antipsychotic treatment

The aim of the present study was to investigate serum paraoxonase/arylesterase activities and oxidation/oxidizability of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins and several coronary artery disease risk factors, including homocysteine, high sensitive C-reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, leptin and adiponectin in patients with schizophrenia. Oxidation of lipoproteins plays an important role in atherogenesis, and the enzyme paraoxonase has been shown to prevent lipoprotein oxidation. Furthermore, low paraoxonase activity has been suggested to predict coronary artery disease. Forty patients who fully met the fourth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for schizophrenia and 35 healthy control subjects were included in the study. Serum paraoxonase/arylesterase activities were determined spectrophotometrically. Malondialdehyde levels of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins were determined before and after incubation with copper-sulphate, which yielded basal- and Delta-malondialdehyde values, respectively. Homocysteine and highly sensitive C-reactive protein levels were determined using a fluorescence-polarization immunoassay and immunonephelometry, respectively. Leptin and adiponectin levels were measured with radioimmunoassay and tumour necrosis factor-alpha was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities were significantly lower and Delta-malondialdehyde levels were significantly higher in the schizophrenia group compared with the control group. However, there were not any significant differences in other parameters of the study between the study groups. There was a significant increase in body mass index and serum triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the schizophrenic group after 6 weeks of treatment. These parameters were significantly increased in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics but not in patients treated with typic or long acting antipsychotics. The results of the present study suggest that patients with schizophrenia might have increased risk for coronary artery disease related to reduced serum paraoxonase activity and increased oxidizability of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins.     

Influence of Heavy Cigarette Smoking on Heart Rate Variability and Heart Rate Turbulence Parameters

Background: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular events related with several mechanisms. The most suggested mechanism is increased activity of sympathetic nervous system. Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence (HRT) has been shown to be independent and powerful predictors of mortality in a specific group of cardiac patients. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of heavy cigarette smoking on cardiac autonomic function using HRV and HRT analyses. Methods: Heavy cigarette smoking was defined as more than 20 cigarettes smoked per day. Heavy cigarette smokers, 69 subjects and nonsmokers 74 subjects (control group) were enrolled in this study. HRV and HRT analyses [turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS)] were assessed from 24‐hour Holter recordings. Results: The values of TO were significantly higher in heavy cigarette smokers than control group (?1.150 ± 4.007 vs ?2.454 ± 2.796, P = 0.025, respectively), but values of TS were not statistically different between two groups (10.352 ± 7.670 vs 9.613 ± 7.245, P = 0.555, respectively). Also, the number of patients who had abnormal TO was significantly higher in heavy cigarette smokers than control group (23 vs 10, P = 0.006). TO was correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day (r = 0.235, P = 0.004). While LF and LF/HF ratio were significantly higher, standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of the 5‐minute mean RR intervals (SDANN), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), and high‐frequency (HF) values were significantly lower in heavy smokers. While, there was significant correlation between TO and SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, LF, and high frequency (HF), only HF was correlated with TS. Conclusion: Heavy cigarette smoking has negative effect on autonomic function. HRT is an appropriate noninvasive method to evaluate the effect of cigarette on autonomic function. Simultaneous abnormal HRT and HRV values may explain increased cardiovascular event risk in heavy cigarette smokers.     

Modulation of left ventricular dilation remodeling with epicardial restraint devices in postmyocardial infarction heart failure

Myocardial infarction initiates progressive changes in the biology of the myocyte and nonmyocyte components of the myocardium, as well as the geometry of the left ventricle. Despite the use of evidence-based strategies to postmyocardial infarction, heart failure supervenes and is attended by an unacceptably high mortality rate. Given that left ventricular (LV) remodeling may contribute independently to disease progression, several innovative approaches have been designed to attenuate and reverse LV remodeling. This review discusses the emerging role of epicardial restraint devices in the treatment of postmyocardial cardiac remodeling.     

Mechanical lithotripsy and/or stenting in management of difficult common bile duct stones

BACKGROUND:Mechanical lithotripsy and/or stent insertion is the alternative therapeutic approach in difficult endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)case.This study was designed to investigate the appropriate treatment for extraction of bile duct stones in difficult cases of ERCP. METHODS:Between 2000 and 2008,744 ERCP procedures were performed in 592 patients with choledocholithiasis in our endoscopy unit.The demographic features,and clinical and laboratory findings were collected from a pros...     

Heart rate variability in diabetes patients

Diabetes mellitus can cause cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy and is associated with increased cardiovascular deaths. We investigated cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in diabetics and healthy controls by analysis of heart rate variability. Thirty-one diabetics and 30 age- and sex-matched controls were included. In the time domain we measured the mean R - R interval (NN), the standard deviation of the R - R interval index (SDNN), the standard deviation of the 5-min R - R interval mean (SDANN), the root mean square of successive R - R interval differences (RMSSD) and the percentage of beats with a consecutive R - R interval difference > 50 ms (pNN50). In the frequency domain we measured high-frequency power (HF), low-frequency power (LF) and the LF/HF ratio. Diabetes patients had lower values for time-domain and frequency-domain parameters than controls. Most heart rate variability parameters were lower in diabetes patients with chronic complications than in those without chronic complications.     

Bilateral tibialis anterior muscle herniation simulating a soft tissue tumour in a young amateur football player

Muscle herniation is a focal protrusion of muscle tissue through a defect in the deep fascial layer. Anterior tibial muscle is the most commonly affected muscle of the lower extremities because its fascia is the most vulnerable to trauma. Clinically it is characterized by asymptomatic or painful, skin‐coloured, soft, subcutaneous nodules of various size depending on the position. The diagnosis is usually made clinically based on its typical manifestations, but ultrasonographic examination is useful for detecting the fascial defect and excluding other conditions caused by soft tissue tumours such as lipomas, angiolipomas, fibromas, scwhannomas or varicosities. Although this entity is not rare, it has been less well documented in the dermatological literature. We report a case of bilateral tibialis anterior muscle herniation mimicking a soft tissue tumour in a young amateur football player.