MRI appearances of Listeria rhombencephalitis

Listeria monocytogenes is a rare cause of central nervous system infection in the non-immunocomprised patient and 10% of these patients develop a rhombencephalitis. We present such a case and discuss the clinical, pathological and radiological features.     

Identifying Chinese populations in the UK for epidemiological research: experience of a name analysis of the FHSA register

Definition of Chinese. For the purposes of this study, Chinese refers to residents of the UK who either on the basis of name (face-to-face contact not made), or self-definition and appearance (contact made) had origins in China and included those born in the UK and others migrating to the UK via a third country (for example Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong etc). This is a pragmatic definition.There is a paucity of research on health in the UK Chinese community partly due to the difficulties of identifying and accessing study populations. For a survey of cardiovascular disease we aimed to identify and recruit all Chinese adults aged 25–64 y living in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five potential subjects were identified using a variety of methods. Of the 1702 potential subjects identified from a name analysis of the 1991 FHSA register (FHSA group), 638 students in halls of residence were excluded and the remaining 1064 were invited to participate. Non-respondents were followed up. Of the 1064, 658 (65.5%) addresses were no longer valid, 21 (2%) were reclassified as non-Chinese and no contact was made with 18 individuals (1.6%). A further 163 subjects (non-FHSA group) came forward in response to publicity, giving a total of 530 Chinese actually identified in Newcastle. Three hundred and eighty subjects took part in the study. Compared to the 1991 Census, the recruitment procedure underestimated the total population size, particularly for men and younger ages. In the FHSA group, men were significantly more likely to be current drinkers, and women were more likely to smoke and have a lower educational attainment that the non-FHSA group. There were no other important differences in the distribution of CHD risk markers in the two groups. Our experience indicates that the FHSA register is suitable for identifying Chinese but should be used alongside other complementary methods to augment samples for ethnicity and health research.     

DOXAZOSIN IN HYPERTENSION: RESULTS OF A GENERAL PRACTICE STUDY IN 4809 PATIENTS

SUMMARY The safety and efficacy of the selective α₁-adrenoceptor antagonist doxazosin were evaluated in a 10-week open, non-comparative multicentre trial in 4809 hypertensive patients (sitting diastolic blood pressure 95–114 mmHg) in general practice. Multiple coronary risk factors were present in the study population (mean age 58.4 years, 1486 patients ≥65 years) on entry: mean blood pressure was 173/103 mmHg, 21% were cigarette smokers, and baseline blood cholesterol (mean 6.84 mmol/l) exceeded 6.5 mmol/l in 56% and 5.2 mmol/l in 88% of patients. In all, 4385 patients (91%) completed the study, including 89% of those ≥65 years. Blood pressure was controlled (diastolic BP ≤90 mmHg or a reduction ≥10 mmHg) in 81% of patients with a mean reduction of 21/15 mmHg and a mean final daily dose of 2.9 mg doxazosin. Adverse events were reported in 827 patients (17%), were severe in 72 (1.5%), and led to withdrawal in 269 patients (5.7%). Dizziness and related symptoms (6%; severe 1.1%), headache (3.8%) and fatigue (2.6%) were most frequent; dizziness led to study withdrawal in 1.3% of patients. Fainting or syncope occurred in 13 patients (0.3%). Differences in adverse event frequency between younger (<65) and older patients were small (dizziness: younger 5.1%, older 8.1%). Troublesome postural hypotension was uncommon as a clinical problem. Modest but statistically significant reductions occurred in blood total (4.09%) and LDL (5.13%) cholesterol. These results are in accord with those of controlled studies, and help confirm the suitability of doxazosin as part of a multiple risk factor approach to the management of hypertension.     

A randomized study of erythropoietin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) versus placebo and G-CSF for patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation

Anemia is a universal finding in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Effective therapies to increase the number of autologous red blood cells could result in a lower morbidity and mortality associated with red blood cell transfusions. We examined whether the addition of erythropoietin (Epo) to intensive therapy supported by progenitor cell transplantation and granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (G-CSF) would result in a lower requirement for red blood cell transfusions. Thirty-five patients with lymphoma were randomized to receive Epo versus placebo. Epo (600 U/kg three times per week) or placebo was begun 3 weeks before administration of high-dose therapy. Epo was held during the week of the preparatory regimen, and restarted on the day after BMT. All patients also received G-CSF following BMT. No significant differences were noted between the two groups in terms of patient characteristics at pretreatment or post-BMT evaluation. There were no differences in the total number of red blood cell units transfused (median Epo: 8 v placebo: 6, P = .22) nor the number of platelet transfusions given (median Epo: 12 v placebo 5, P = .14). Engraftment of granulocytes (absolute neutrophil count > or = 500/microL) occurred in a median of 12 days (range, 9 to 33) for the patients receiving Epo and G-CSF, compared with a median of 10 days (range, 8 to 22) for those receiving placebo and G-CSF (P = .70). Likewise, there were no differences in the time to platelet count > or = 20,000/microL without further transfusions with a median of 22 days (range, 15 to 150+) for those receiving Epo and G-CSF compared with a median of 20 days (range, 11 to 54) for those patients receiving placebo and G-CSF (P = .28). The combination of G-CSF and Epo as administered in this study appears to be safe but does not result in an improvement in the total number of red blood cell transfusions or total number of single donor platelet units transfused.     

Abdominal wall haematoma in anti-coagulated patients: The role of imaging in diagnosis

Abdominal wall haematomas are uncommon, difficult to diagnose clinically and often associated with systemic anticoagulation. Seven cases together with the imaging results are presented and the characteristic features and potential pitfalls are discussed. Ultrasound is the first line investigation but the results can be misleading and computed tomography (CT) is often required to confirm the diagnosis.