Development and validation of the Humanitarian Aid Difficulty Scale for Japanese healthcare workers

Few studies have investigated deployment‐related experiences of healthcare workers dispatched for medical humanitarian aid or attempted to assess their difficult living and working environments. This is the first study to develop and validate a scale to measure these kinds of difficulties, in 264 Japanese healthcare workers. The Humanitarian Aid Difficulty Scale was developed in three stages. First, an item pool was generated based on literature and expert reviews. The scale was then tested in a pilot study. Reliability and validity were identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. The scale consisted of 23 items across five factors based on exploratory factor analysis (cooperation, health status, infrastructure, culture and customs, and supplies and equipment). The total variance explained was 60.7%. Reliability of the five factors was acceptable and validity was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.87. The scale may enable evaluation of the level of difficulty of the living and working environments of Japanese healthcare workers in medical humanitarian aid who are at a greater risk of distress.     

Der Hybridoperationssaal

A hybrid operating room must serve the medical needs of different highly specialized disciplines. It integrates interventional techniques for cardiovascular procedures and allows operations in the field of orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery and maxillofacial surgery. The integration of all steps such as planning, documentation and the procedure itself saves time and precious resources. The best available imaging devices and user interfaces reduce the need for extensive personnel in the OR and facilitate new minimally invasive procedures. The immediate possibility of postoperative control images in CT-like quality enables the surgeon to react to problems during the same procedure without the need for later revision.     

Transient leukemoid proliferation of the cytogenetically unbalanced +21 cell line of a constitutional mosaic boy

A newborn without any signs of Down's syndrome was found to have an acute proliferation that remitted without drug therapy. Chromosomal analysis of blood, bone marrow, and skin cells revealed that the child was a constitutional mosaic with normal cells and a low number of cells in which one no. 21 chromosome was replaced by a probably isochromosome for the no. 21 long arm: 46,XY/46,XY,i(21q). The abnormal cell line of the mosaic appeared to be selectively involved in this proliferation.     

糖尿病流行病学研究中应用OGTT资料评估胰岛β细胞功能的可能性--468例非糖尿病Pima印第安人葡萄糖钳研究资料分析

目的　探讨以口服葡萄糖耐量试验 (OGTT)的简单参数在糖尿病流行病研究中评估胰岛 β细胞功能的可能性。方法　美国Pima印第安人糖耐量正常者 332例、糖耐量低减者 1 36例参与本试验。各例均做静脉葡萄糖耐量试验 (IVGTT) ,OGTT及正葡萄糖钳试验。计算Homa IR ,Homa β ,第一时相胰岛素分泌量 (AIR) ,胰岛素曲线下面积 ,ΔI30 /ΔG30 ,胰岛素介导的葡萄糖代谢率 (M ,mg·kg- 1 ·min- 1 )。从基本病理生理学概念推导新 β细胞功能指数MBCI=(FINS×FPG) / (PG2h +PG1h- 2×FPG) (FINS :空腹胰岛素 ;FPG :空腹血糖 ;PG1h和PG2h分别为OGTT 1h和 2h的血糖 )。以线性回归分析正葡萄糖钳技术测定的胰岛素敏感性与不同的β细胞功能指数的组合对血糖水平的贡献 ,探讨以OGTT的简单参数评估β细胞功能的可能性。 结果　 (1 )调整M后 ,IGT组AIR、ΔI30 /ΔG30 、Homa β和MBCI与OGTT 2h血糖水平的偏相关系数分别为 - 0 .30、- 0 .30、- 0 .2 9及 - 0 .37(P均 <0 .0 0 1 ) ,但在NGT组则分别为 - 0 .0 6(P >0 .0 5)、0 .0 1 (P >0 .0 5)、- 0 .30 (P <0 .0 0 1 )及 - 0 .43(P <0 .0 0 1 )。 (2 )以OGTT 2h血糖为因变量 ,分别以M +AIR ,M +ΔI30 /ΔG30 ,M +Homa β,M +MBCI为自变量做线性回归分析 ,显示M +MBCI能解释     

Chronische Bronchitis, COPD

Chronic bronchitis is part and precursor of COPD, a complex disease triggered mostly by exposure to cigarette smoke. However COPD develops only in patients with specific susceptibility probably determined by genetic factors or additional risk factors. A specific type of inflammation resides in the bronchial and bronchiolar walls, that infers damage not only to airway structure but also to surrounding alveolar attachments and thus to the lung parenchyma. Chronic bronchitis, fibrosing bronchiolitis and emphysema constitute the three main stems of pathology of the disease but may coexist with varying extent. The clinical picture is therefore quite variable. Treatment exists largely in bronchodilation combining different mechanisms and using long acting drugs usually applied by inhalation. Acute exacerbations promote progression of the disease, which must be counteracted by adaptation and intensification of therapy, in some cases including non invasive or invasive ventilation. Several non-pharmacologic measures such as smoking cessation, rehabilitation, nutritional support, long term oxygen therapy, lung volume reduction and possibly lung transplantation may be available for appropriate patients and have to be considered.     

Exhaled breath condensate acidification in acute lung injury

Lung injury in ventilated lungs may occur due to local or systemic disease and is usually caused by or accompanied by inflammatory processes. Recently, acidification of exhaled breath condensate pH (EBC-pH) has been suggested as marker of inflammation in airway disease. We investigated pH, ammonia, Lactate, pCO2, HCO3-, IL-6 and IL-8 in EBC of 35 ventilated patients (AECC-classification: ARDS: 15, ALI: 12, no lung injury: 8). EBC-pH was decreased in ventilated patients compared to volunteers (5.85 +/- 0.32 vs. 7.46 +/- 0.48; P < 0.0001). NH4+, lactate, HCO3-, pCO2, IL-6 and IL-8 were analyzed in EBC and correlated with EBC-pH. We observed correlations of EBC-pH with markers of local (EBC IL-6: r = -0.71, P < 0.0001, EBC IL-8: r = -0.68, P < 0.0001) but not of systemic inflammation (serum IL-6, serum IL-8) and with indices of severity of lung injury (Murray's Lung Injury Severity Score; r = -0.73, P < 0.0001, paO2/FiO2; r = 0.54, P < 0.001). Among factors potentially contributing to pH of EBC, EBC-lactate and EBC-NH4+ were found to correlate with EBC-pH. Inflammation-induced disturbances of regulatory mechanisms, such as glutaminase systems may result in EBC acidification. EBC-pH is suggested to represent a marker of acute lung injury caused by or accompanied by pulmonary inflammation.     

Coronary Bifurcation Intervention: What Role Do Bifurcation Angles Play?

Bifurcation angles play an important role in coronary bifurcation intervention. Bifurcation angles affect the coronary bifurcation intervention from many aspects: (1) impact the atherosclerosis proliferation via affecting the hemodynamic parameters at bifurcation regions; (2) impact side branch compromise after main vessel stenting via hemodynamics, atherosclerosis proliferation, geometric characteristics, and plaque/carina shift; (3) affect the long‐term clinical outcome after coronary bifurcation stenting. Bifurcation angles are key factors to formulate the intervention strategy of stenting procedure and can also be modified by different bifurcation stenting strategies. In the last few years, significant improvements have occurred in understanding the role of bifurcation angles. However, there are still questions remain to be clarified: (1) How to measure the bifurcation angles accurately and comprehensively? (2) How do bifurcation angles impact the immediate and long term outcome of PCI? (3) Why the results of previous studies remain controversial? The exact influence of bifurcation angles on post‐PCI effect like side branch compromise and clinical outcome has not been fully elucidated. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge of bifurcation angles, summarize the questions remained to be clarified, and discuss the implications for clinical practice and future studies. (J Interven Cardiol 2015;28:236–248)