Perioperative cardiopulmonary complications after cervical spine surgery in the prone position: the relationship between age and preoperative testing

Background  

Cardiac arrest during spine surgery in the prone position is difficult to manage as poor access makes cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation difficult. Advanced age is the maximal risk factor for cardiac arrest. Therefore, we wanted to determine the relationship between age and cardiac risk factors/pre-operating tests for cervical spine surgery in the prone position.     

Evaluation of the Control Strategy for the 2010 Foot‐and‐Mouth Disease Outbreak in Japan Using Disease Simulation

In 2010, Japan experienced a foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) epidemic where 292 premises were infected over a period of 75 days. The epidemic was controlled by stamping‐out and vaccination, applied 5 weeks after the first confirmation of disease within a 10 km radius of identified infected places. This study aimed at identifying the role of emergency vaccination to epidemic control while adjusting for the dynamic pattern of local spread, and assessing alternative vaccination strategies, using a disease simulation model. Our results indicate that the overall hazard of local spread remained high throughout the silent spread phase and the first two weeks post‐detection, with significant reduction occurring from week 3 onwards. The estimated effectiveness of emergency vaccination quantified as reduction in the hazard of infection was at most 81% and 44% for cattle and pig farms, respectively. The vaccination strategy reduced the simulated median number of IPs by 22%, epidemic duration by 64% and culling duration by 52%, but increased the total number of infected or vaccinated premises subject to culling by 144% compared with no vaccination. The simulation indicated that vaccination starting 2 weeks earlier (3 weeks post‐first detection) with a smaller vaccination radius (3 km) was more effective for eradication of the epidemic compared with the actually implemented strategy.     

Optimum initial dose of silodosin for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia

We investigated the optimum initial dose and timing of administration of α1A-adrenoceptor antagonist silodosin for treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH/LUTS). Ninety-eight patients were given a 4 mg dose after breakfast (group A), 4 mg after supper (group B), or 4 mg after breakfast and after supper (group C). At baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment, we assessed International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and quality of life (QOL) index. Twenty-five percent or less improvement of total IPSS and no improvement of QOL index compared with baseline were defined as treatment failure at each evaluation point. Otherwise treatment was considered effective. In group A and group B, patients with treatment failure at 4 or 8 weeks after treatment, the dose of silodosin was increased to 8 mg daily. At the end of the study, 83 patients were evaluable. At 12 weeks after treatment, 20 of the 31 patients in group A and 22 of the 29 patients in group B remained on the 4 mg dose ; silodosin was effective in 65 and 76% of the patients, respectively. When patients with dose escalation were included, silodosin was effective in 81 and 90% of the patients, respectively. Silodosin was effective in 18 of the 23(78%) patients in group C, although improvement of total IPSS and voiding symptom score of IPSS at 12 weeks after treatment was better in group C than in group A or group B, the difference was not significant. In patients with IPSS less than 20, the degree of improvement of IPSS was similar among the 3 groups. In contrast, in patients with IPSS of 20 or greater the degree of improvement was better in group C than in group B or group C, but the difference was not significant. Storage symptom score of IPSS was significantly improved in all 3 groups without any significant difference among the 3 groups. Three patients (52, 59 and 76 years old) experienced abnormal ejaculation. In conclusion, 4 mg of silodosin daily showed effectiveness against BPH/LUTS, but 8 mg of silodosin daily might be better for patients with severe LUTS.     

The effect of cyclic displacement on the biomechanical characteristics of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions

This study was conducted to clarify the influence of cyclic displacement on the structural properties of four types of femur-graft-tibia complexes used to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament. Forty hindlimbs from pigs were used. In two groups, bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts were secured with interference screws (group A) or the suture-post technique (group B). In two groups, multistrand flexor tendons were fixed using the tape-staple technique (group C) or the sutures-tied-over-a-button technique (group D). In each group, five femur-graft-tibia complexes underwent tensile failure tests without cyclic displacement. The other five complexes underwent 5000 cycles of cyclic elongation for 2 mm, and then underwent the tensile failure tests. The initial stiffness significantly decreased after cyclic displacement in each group, although there were no significant differences in the linear stiffness and the ultimate failure load between the tests with and without cyclic displacement. These findings suggest that 5000 cycles of repetitive elongation of the femur-graft-tibia complex by 2 mm does not jeopardize the graft fixed with the procedures used in this study, despite a slight but significant increase of an anterior-posterior laxity of the knee.     

Flowcharts for the management of biliary tract and ampullary carcinomas

No strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract carcinoma have been clearly described. We developed flowcharts for the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract carcinoma on the basis of the best clinical evidence. Risk factors for bile duct carcinoma are a dilated type of pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and primary sclerosing cholangitis. A nondilated type of PBM is a risk factor for gallbladder carcinoma. Symptoms that may indicate biliary tract carcinoma are jaundice and pain in the upper right area of the abdomen. The first step of diagnosis is to carry out blood biochemistry tests and ultrasonography (US) of the abdomen. The second step of diagnosis is to find the local extension of the carcinoma by means of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Because resection is the only way to completely cure biliary tract carcinoma, the indications for resection are determined first. In patients with resectable disease, the indications for biliary drainage or portal vein embolization (PVE) are checked. In those with nonresectable disease, biliary stenting, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or best supportive care is selected.     

Congenital dislocation of the patella

Purpose Congenital dislocation of the patella is permanent and manually irreducible, and it manifests immediately after birth with flexion contracture of the knee, genu valgus, external tibial torsion and foot deformity. We retrospectively reviewed the results of operative treatment of seven knees in six patients with congenital dislocation of the patella. Methods The age of the six patients at diagnosis ranged from 8 days to 3.6 years, with an average of 1.3 years, and their age at the time of operation ranged from 0.6 to 3.9 years, with an average of 2.1 years. Serial casting and/or a brace was attempted before surgery in five of seven knees, leading to improvement in the flexion contracture of the knee. All knees were treated operatively in combination with lateral release, medial plication, V-Y lengthening of the quadriceps, medial transfer of the lateral patellar tendon and posterior release of the knee. Results Although these deformities were noticed at birth in all seven knees, diagnosis was delayed in three knees due to the low suspicion of the disease and invisible patellae on radiographs. Ultrasonography confirmed the diagnosis of dislocation. The patella was centered in the groove of the femoral condyle after surgery in all knees, but subluxation of the knee with flexion was observed in one knee in which the operation was performed at 3.9 years. Genu valgus and external tibial torsion improved after surgery in all knees. The operated knee was mobile in all cases, with less than 10° flexion contracture of the knee. Flexion contracture did not increase in any of the knees. Conclusion Congenital dislocation of the patella should be suspected in every patient with knee flexion contracture, genu valgus, external tibial torsion, foot deformity and delayed walking. Successful results were obtained when the operation was performed in younger children. Other procedures, such as the semitendinosus tenodesis or tendon transfer, might have to be combined to achieve better stability with flexion in older children. None of the authors received financial support for this study.     

Perimembrane Aurora-A Expression is a Significant Prognostic Factor in Correlation with Proliferative Activity in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Purpose Aurora-A, also known as STK15/BTAK, is a member of the protein serine/threonine kinase family, and experimental studies have revealed that Aurora-A plays critical roles in cell mitosis and in carcinogenesis. However, no clinical studies on Aurora-A expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reported. Thus, the present study was conducted to assess the clinical significance of Aurora-A status. Experimental Design A total of 189 consecutive patients with resected pathologic (p-)stage I-IIIA, NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed, and immunohistochemical staining was used to detect Aurora-A expression. Results Aurora-A expression was negative in 31 patients (16.4%); among Aurora-A positive patients, 124 patients showed pure diffuse cytoplasmic Aurora-A expression and the other 34 patients showed perimembrane Aurora-A expression. Perimembrane Aurora-A tumors showed the highest proliferative index (PI) (mean PIs for negative, diffuse cytoplasmic, and perimembrane tumors: 49.2, 41.7, and 63.5, respectively; P < .001). Five-year survival rates of Aurora-A negative, diffuse cytoplasmic, and perimembrane patients were 67.8%, 66.7%, and 47.6%, respectively, showing the poorest postoperative survival in perimembrane patients (P = .033). Subset analyses revealed that perimembrane Aurora-A expression was a significant factor to predict a poor prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma patients, not in adenocarcinoma patients. A multivariate analysis confirmed that perimembrane Aurora-A expression was an independent and significant factor to predict a poor prognosis. Conclusions Perimembrane Aurora-A status was a significant factor to predict a poor prognosis in correlation with enhanced proliferative activity in NSCLC.     

Comparison of postoperative early active mobilization and immobilization in vivo utilising a four-strand flexor tendon repair

We evaluated a technique of four-strand double-modified locking Kessler flexor tendon repair in healing tendons. Seventy-two canine flexor digitorum profundus tendons in Zone 2 were repaired and evaluated following either active mobilization or immobilization at 0, 7, 14, 28 and 42 days after surgery. Fifty-six tendons were examined for gap and ultimate strength using a tensile testing machine and 16 were evaluated with standard hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson's trichrome staining. All tendons healed without rupture or gap formation of more than 1 mm, thus demonstrating that this repair technique has enough tensile strength to withstand early active mobilization. The gap and ultimate strength of actively mobilized tendons did not decrease significantly during the first 7 days, and were significantly greater than those of immobilized tendons throughout the 42-day study period. Actively mobilized tendons healed without the extrinsic adhesions and large tendon calluses that were found in immobilized tendons.     

Hemodynamic changes during slow induction of anesthesia using propofol and the effect of cardiac output on the propofol concentration

This investigation assessed the hemodynamic changes during the slow induction of anesthesia using propofol, and evaluated the effects of cardiac output (CO) and other factors on the hypnotic dose of propofol, the time for hypnosis and the plasma propofol concentration. We studied 26 scheduled surgical patients and induced anesthesia with continuous infusion of propofol at the rate of 15 mg.kg-1.hr-1. The required dose of propofol and time for hypnosis were determined and the plasma concentration of propofol was measured after the administration of propofol 2 mg.kg-1. Cardiac output was determined by dye densitometry using indocyanine green 4 times during induction and CO did not show any significant changes during induction of anesthesia. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that in addition to the age and total body weight, CO determined at achieving hypnosis was significantly related to the plasma concentration of propofol. Cardiac output might affect the pharmacokinetics of propofol during induction of anesthesia.