The impact of two-dimensional versus three-dimensional ultrasound exposure on maternal-fetal attachment and maternal health behavior in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of timing and type of ultrasound, particularly three-dimensional (3D), exposure on maternal-fetal attachment and maternal health behavior during pregnancy. METHODS: Subjects were 68 women aged 18 years or older expecting their first child who presented for a routine ultrasound scan at around either 12 or 18 weeks' gestation in Nepean Hospital, Western Sydney. Women completed questionnaires assessing maternal-fetal attachment and health behavior, and were then allocated arbitrarily to either two-dimensional (2D) or 3D ultrasound examination. Repeat questionnaires were completed 1 week later. RESULTS: Maternal-fetal attachment increased after both 2D and 3D ultrasound exposure, and the effect was moderated by the timing of exposure, with women receiving their first ultrasound examination at around 12 weeks showing the greatest change. Alcohol consumption was the only behavior to show significant change following ultrasound exposure, with a reduction in the reported average number of drinks per week. There was no significant difference in the pattern of change for 2D compared with 3D ultrasound exposure, and no effect of ultrasound exposure on maternal perception of the fetus. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound has a positive impact on maternal-fetal attachment, particularly in the first trimester. 3D ultrasound did not offer enhanced benefits. Associations between ultrasound exposure and alcohol consumption warrant further investigation. Larger samples are needed to clarify the moderating effects of gestational age and type of ultrasound exposure.     

Prognostic factors for surgical resection in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Although surgical lung resection could improve prognosis in some patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), there are no reports on the optimal candidates for this surgery. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the prognostic factors for surgery in patients with MDR-TB. Patients who underwent lung resection for the treatment of MDR-TB between March 1993 and December 2004 were included in the present study. Treatment failure was defined as greater than or equal to two of the five cultures recorded in the final 12 months of treatment being positive, any one of the final three cultures being positive, or the patient having died during treatment. The variables that affected treatment outcomes were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. In total, 79 patients with MDR-TB were included in the present study. The treatment outcomes of 22 (27.8%) patients were classified as failure. A body mass index <18.5 kg x m(-2), primary resistance, resistance to ofloxacin and the presence of a cavitary lesion beyond the range of the surgical resection were associated with treatment failure. Low body mass index, primary resistance, resistance to ofloxacin and cavitary lesions beyond the range of resection are possible poor prognostic factors for surgical lung resection in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients.     

Altered apoptosis in bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes after allergen exposure of atopic asthmatic subjects.

The increased number of lymphocytes in airways during an asthmatic response is believed to be the result of increased recruitment of these cells. However, it is possible that a decreased apoptotic rate could also contribute to the increased number. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether allergen airway provocation influences the apoptotic phenotype of lung and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in subjects with atopic asthma. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocytes and PBL from 12 asthmatic subjects previously challenged with allergen (n = 7) or saline (n = 5) were exposed to the apoptotic stimulus tributyltin (TBT) in vitro and assayed for apoptosis. Airway allergen provocation resulted in decreased sensitivity of BAL lymphocytes to TBT-induced apoptosis, with 42.2% (range 33.9-62.5%) apoptotic cells before challenge versus 23.5% (range 15.3-42.4%) after challenge, while PBL were unaffected. The increased apoptosis resistance correlated with higher numbers of Bcl-2-expressing lymphocytes. Interestingly, baseline caspase-3-like activity was significantly elevated in viable BAL lymphocytes compared with viable PBL, and was unaltered by allergen exposure. In conclusion, allergen inhalation renders bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes more resistant to apoptosis while peripheral blood lymphocytes were not influenced at all, indicating that the apoptotic phenotype of airway lymphocytes may play a role in asthmatic inflammation.     

Response to treatment with rosiglitazone in familial partial lipodystrophy due to a mutation in the LMNA gene

Background Familial partial lipodystrophy (FPLD) is a monogenic form of diabetes characterised by a dominantly inherited disorder of adipose tissue associated with the loss of subcutaneous fat from the limbs and trunk, with excess fat deposited around the face and neck. The lipodystrophy causes severe insulin resistance, resulting in acanthosis nigricans, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Preliminary results from animals and man suggest that increasing subcutaneous fat by treatment with thiazolidinediones should improve insulin resistance and the associated features of this syndrome. Case report We report a 24-year-old patient with FPLD caused by a mutation in the LMNA gene (R482W) treated with 12 months of rosiglitazone. Subcutaneous fat increased following rosiglitazone treatment as demonstrated by a 29% generalised increase in skin-fold thickness. Leptin levels increased from 5.8 to 11.2 ng/ml. Compared with treatment on Metformin, there was an increase in insulin sensitivity (HOMA S% 17.2–31.6) but no change in glycaemic control. The lipid profile worsened during the follow-up period. Conclusion This initial case suggests that, for modification of cardiovascular risk factors, there are no clear advantages in treating patients with FPLD with rosiglitazone despite increases in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Larger series will be needed to identify moderate beneficial effects and treatment may be more effective in patients with generalised forms of lipodystrophy.     

Pancreatic Panniculitis Associated with Allograft Pancreatitis and Rejection in a Simultaneous Pancreas–Kidney Transplant Recipient

Pancreatic panniculitis is an uncommon condition that can occur in association with pancreatic disease. We present a case of pancreatic panniculitis in a female pancreas-kidney transplant recipient 5 months post-transplant. The patient was on standard immunosuppressive medications and had acute rejection of her renal allograft. The diagnosis of allograft pancreatitis and rejection presenting with pancreatic panniculitis was supported clinically, histopathologically and by laboratory and imaging data. This is the fourth case of pancreatic panniculitis occurring in a transplant recipient and the first in a simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant recipient. It is also the first case associated with allograft rejection. Clinicians should be aware that pancreatic panniculitis may be a manifestation of underlying allograft pancreatic disease.     

Outcomes of Donor Evaluations for Adult-to-Adult Right Hepatic Lobe Living Donor Liver Transplantation

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of liver biopsy and outcome of patients undergoing donor evaluation for adult-to-adult right hepatic lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Records of patients presenting for a comprehensive donor evaluation between 1997 and February 2005 were reviewed. Liver biopsy was performed only in patients with risk factors for abnormal histology. Two hundred and sixty patients underwent a comprehensive donor evaluation and 116 of 260 (45%) were suitable for donation, 14 of 260 (5.4%) did not complete evaluation and 130 of 260 (50%) were rejected. Four patients underwent unsuccessful hepatectomy surgery due to discovery of intraoperative abnormalities. Between 1997 and 2001, the acceptance rate of donor candidates (63%) was higher than 2002-2005 (36%), p < 0.0001. Sixty-six of the 150 eligible patients (44%) fulfilled criteria for liver biopsy and 28 of 66 (42%) had an abnormal finding. Less than half of the patients undergoing donor evaluation were suitable donors and the donor acceptance rate has declined over time. A large proportion of the patients undergoing liver biopsy have abnormal findings. Our evaluation process failed to identify 4 of 103 who had aborted donor surgeries.     

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A UNOS/OPTN Database Analysis

We previously reported poorer survival among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) compared to non-Hispanic whites at our center. In the current study, we hypothesized that these disparities would exist in a nationwide cohort of wait-listed patients with IPF. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 2635 patients with IPF listed for lung transplantation between 1995 and 2003 at 94 transplant centers in the United States. The age-adjusted mortality rate was higher among non-Hispanic blacks [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.45, p = 0.009] and Hispanics (HR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.06-1.56, p = 0.01) compared to non-Hispanic whites. These findings persisted after adjustment for transplantation, medical comorbidities and socioeconomic status. Worse lung function at the time of listing appeared to explain some of these differences (HR for non-Hispanic blacks after adjustment for forced vital capacity percent predicted = 1.16, 95% CI 0.98-1.36, p = 0.09; HR for Hispanics = 1.21, 95% CI 0.99-1.48, p = 0.056). In summary, black and Hispanic patients with IPF have worse survival than whites after listing for lung transplant.     

Subclinical course of adult visceral Niemann–Pick type C1 disease. A rare or underdiagnosed disorder?

Summary  We present the third case of Niemann–Pick disease type C without neurological symptoms. The patient was a 53-year-old woman without significant prior health problems who died of acute pulmonary embolism. Autopsy findings of hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and ceroid-rich foam cells raised the suspicion of the visceral form of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (Niemann–Pick disease type B; NPB) or a much rarer disorder, variant adult visceral form of Niemann–Pick disease type C (NPC). To verify the histopathological findings, SMPD1, NPC1 and NPC2 genes were analysed. Two novel sequence variants, c.1997G>A (S666N) and c.2882A>G (N961S) were detected in the NPC1 gene. No pathogenic sequence variants were found either in the SMPD1 gene mutated in NPB or in NPC2 gene. The pathogenicity of both NPC1 variants was supported by their location in regions important for the protein function. Both variations were not found in more than 300 control alleles. Identified sequence variations confirm the diagnosis of the extremely rare adult visceral form of Niemann–Pick disease type C, which is otherwise dominated by neurovisceral symptoms. Although only three patients have been reported, this (most probably underdiagnosed) form of NPC should be considered in differential diagnosis of isolated hepatosplenomegaly with foam cells in adulthood. Electronic supplementary material  Supplementary material is available for this article at