Post-Lyme disease syndrome

About 10% of patients with Lyme disease continue to experience musculoskeletal pain and cognitive dysfunction after recommended antibiotic treatment. This condition is called post-Lyme disease syndrome (PLDS) or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. These two terms are used interchangeably. The pathogenesis of PLDS has been controversial. The hypothesis that patients with PLDS may harbor hidden reservoirs of Borrelia burgdorferi after their initial antibiotic treatment is difficult to accept. The prospective, double-blind studies contradict this point of view. Also, recently published research applying xenodiagnosis to PLDS supports the opinion that PLDS most likely has an autoimmune background. Lengthy courses of antibiotics are not justified in patients with PLDS because of the lack of benefit, and they are fraught with hazards. Most patients with PLDS recover from persistent symptoms with time. However, it can take months before they feel completely well.     

Elevación del lactato en el postoperatorio como marcador de isquemia mesentérica aguda. Descripción de dos casos

Serum lactate is a non-specific marker of tissue hypoperfusion. Elevated serum lactate is used in the differential diagnosis of acute intestinal ischemia. Although this practice is controversial, in the absence of other validated markers lactate is still used because of its high sensitivity.We present the cases of two patients who developed acute mesenteric ischemia as a post-surgical complication. The patients reported moderate abdominal pain —a non-specific symptom in the postoperative context— and tests showed progressively increasing serum lactate levels, which facilitated suspicion and subsequent diagnostic confirmation through an imaging test.These cases highlight the physiopathological importance of lactate elevation in the perioperative context and of performing a differential diagnosis of its possible causes, including mesenteric ischemia. Although the outcome was negative in the first case, early suspicion allowed us to make an effective diagnosis and administer appropriate treatment in the second patient.     

Ultrasound-Assist Extrusion Methods for the Fabrication of Polymer Nanocomposites Based on Polypropylene/Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Isotactic polypropylenes (iPP) with different melt flow indexes (MFI) were used to fabricate nanocomposites (NCs) with 10 wt % loadings of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using ultrasound-assisted extrusion methods to determine their effect on the morphology, melt flow, and electrical properties of the NCs. Three different types of iPPs were used with MFIs of 2.5, 34 and 1200 g/10 min. Four different NC fabrication methods based on melt extrusion were used. In the first method melt extrusion fabrication without ultrasound assistance was used. In the second and third methods, an ultrasound probe attached to a hot chamber located at the exit of the die was used to subject the sample to fixed frequency and variable frequency, respectively. The fourth method is similar to the first method, with the difference being that the carbon nanotubes were treated in a fluidized air-bed with an ultrasound probe before being used in the fabrication of the NCs with no ultrasound assistance during extrusion. The samples were characterized by MFI, Optical microscopy (OM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electrical surface resistivity, and electric charge. MFI decreases in all cases with addition of MWCNTs with the largest decrease observed for samples with the highest MFI. The surface resistivity, which ranged from 10¹³ to 10⁵ Ω/sq, and electric charge, were observed to depend on the ultrasound-assisted fabrication method as well as on the melt flow index of the iPP. A relationship between agglomerate size and area ratio with electric charge was found. Several trends in the overall data were identified and are discussed in terms of MFI and the different fabrication methods.     

基于VAS评价右美托咪定在宫颈癌根治术后镇痛及术后快速康复中的临床效果

目的:研究右美托咪定在宫颈癌根治术后镇痛及术后快速康复中的临床应用效果。方法:将2015年7月至2018年7月在本院行宫颈癌根治术的86例患者随机分为对照组和观察组各43例。对照组术后镇痛采用舒芬太尼和格拉司琼，观察组术后镇痛加用右美托咪定。采用视觉模拟评分法（VAS）评价患者术后1 h、6 h、12 h、24 h、48 h疼痛情况，采用Ramesay评分法评价患者不同时间点镇静状况，记录并比较两组患者不同时间点收缩压、舒张压、心率及呼吸频率变化，比较两组患者不良反应发生情况。结果:观察组患者术后6 h、12 h、24 h、48 h VAS评分均明显低于对照组（P＜0.05），Ramesay评分均明显高于对照组（P＜0.05）；观察组和对照组患者术后不同时间点呼吸频率比较，差异无统计学意义，但术后6 h、12 h、24 h观察组患者收缩压、心率均明显低于对照组（P＜0.05），术后1 h、6 h观察组患者舒张压明显低于对照组（P＜0.05）；观察组患者恶心呕吐、高血压发生率较对照组明显减低。结论:右美托咪定用于宫颈癌根治术后镇痛，可以提高镇痛镇静效果，稳定患者血流动力学，有助于术后快速康复。