Elevated nitric oxide production in rheumatoid arthritis: Detection using the fasting urinary nitrate:creatinine ratio

Objective. To develop a simple method for assessing endogenous nitric oxide (NO) production applicable to routine clinical practice in rheumatology. Methods. NO production was assessed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as serum nitrate levels and as the urinary nitrate:creatinine ratio in morning samples of urine following an overnight fast. The influence of dietary intake of nitrate on these measurements was investigated in healthy volunteers. The clinical value of the urinary nitrate:creatinine ratio was validated in patients with infectious gastroenteritis, in whom its production is known to be increased. Results. Urinary nitrate:creatinine ratios were significantly elevated in patients with RA (average 3-fold elevation over controls; P < 0.005) or infectious gastroenteritis (average 10-fold elevation, P < 0.001). Serum nitrate was significantly elevated only in patients with infectious gastroenteritis (P < 0.001). Dietary intake of nitrate had no significant influence on the fasting morning urinary nitrate:creatinine ratio in the healthy volunteers, showing that this parameter is a useful indicator of endogenous NO production. Conclusion. We have developed a simple procedure for evaluating endogenous NO production that is readily applicable to routine clinical practice. Assessment of NO production will help in our understanding of its role in inflammatory conditions such as RA.     

Effect of training in the Emergency Management of Severe Burns on the knowledge and performance of emergency care workers as measured by an online simulated burn incident

Objective

To determine the value of training for the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) for medical and nursing staff working in emergency care as measured by their performance in a simulated burn incident online program.

Methods

An Internet-based questionnaire, which included a simulated burn incident, was developed. All of the medical and nursing staff in hospital emergency departments and ambulance services in the Netherlands were invited to complete this questionnaire. The effect of EMSB training on the individual's knowledge of and performance in the emergency management of a burn victim was evaluated because some of the respondents had participated in EMSB training, whereas others had not.

Results

Of the 280 responses received, 198 questionnaires were included in the analysis. The analyzed questionnaires were submitted by nurses (43%), ambulance workers (33%), and physicians (23%). Only 14% of the people in the study had participated in EMSB training, whereas 78% had received other or additional life support training and 22% of respondents had no additional life support training.Medical and nursing staff who had participated in EMSB training performed better in the following subjects: mentioning hypothermia as a focus of attention (70% versus 53%, p = 0.085), correct use of hand size (70% versus 36%, p = 0.001) and use of the correct hand percentage in the estimation of total body surface area (TBSA, 82% versus 57%, p = 0.015), suspicion of no airway obstruction in an outdoor trauma (93% versus 63%, p = 0.002) and referral of functional area burns to a burn center (22% versus 8%, p = 0.04). However, both groups overestimated the TBSA (34% of the total group overestimated ≥20%) and did not know the correct formula for fluid resuscitation (87% of the total group).

Conclusion

There is some evidence that medical staff members who have participated in EMSB training have a better knowledge of emergency management and are more effective in the management of a simulated burn case. However, both individuals who had participated in EMSB as well as those who had not participated in EMSB needed additional training in EMSB.     

Accuracy of stress Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion tomography for the diagnosis and localization of coronary artery disease in women

Background  Earlier studies have suggested a modest accuracy of stress thallium 201 myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. The accuracy of stress MPI with technetium 99m tetrofosmin has not been studied in women. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of stress Tc-99m tetrofosmin MPI for the diagnosis and localization of CAD in women. Methods and Results  We studied 88 women who underwent exercise or dobutamine stress Tc-99m tetrofosmin tomography and coronary angiography within 3 months. Significant CAD was defined as a stenosis 50% or greater in diameter in at least 1 major epicardial coronary artery. Myocardial perfusion abnormalities were detected in 44 of 53 patients with significant CAD and in 7 of 35 patients without significant CAD (overall sensitivity, 83% [95% confidence interval (CI), 73%-93%]; specificity, 80% [95% CI, 67%-93%]; and accuracy, 82% [95% CI, 74%-90%]). The sensitivity was 72% (18/25) in patients with single-vessel CAD and 93% (26/28) in patients with multivessel CAD. Perfusion abnormalities were detected in 2 or more vascular distributions in 20 of 28 patients with multivessel CAD and in 4 of 60 patients without multivessel CAD (sensitivity for the identification of multivessel CAD, 71% [95% CI, 55%-88%]; specificity, 93% [95% CI, 86%-98%]; and accuracy, 86% [95% CI, 79%-93%]). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 82%, 84%, and 83%, respectively, for the diagnosis of CAD in the left anterior descending artery; 77%, 84%, and 81%, respectively, for CAD in the right coronary artery; and 74%, 80%, and 78%, respectively, for CAD in the left circumflex artery. Conclusion  Stress Tc-99m tetrofosmin MPI is an accurate noninvasive technique for the diagnosis and localization of CAD in women. Supported in part by a publication grant from GE Healthcare     

Nonsilver treatment vs. silver sulfadiazine in treatment of partial‐thickness burn wounds in children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The evidence for application of silver‐containing dressings and topicals in the treatment of partial‐thickness burns in pediatric patients is largely based on clinical trials involving adult patients despite the important differences between the skin of children and adults. A systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed of all randomized controlled trials comparing nonsilver treatment with silver‐containing dressings and silver topical agents in children with partial‐thickness burns in the acute stage. Endpoints were wound healing, grafting, infection, pain, number of dressing changes, length of hospital stay, and scarring. Seven randomized controlled trials were included involving 473 participants. All trials used silver sulfadiazine as control in comparison with five different nonsilver treatments. Most trials were of moderate quality with high risk of bias. Use of nonsilver treatment led to shorter wound healing time (weighted mean difference: ?3.43 days, 95% confidence interval: ?4.78, ?2.07), less dressing changes (weighted mean difference: ?19.89 dressing changes, 95% confidence interval: ?38.12, ?1.66), and shorter length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference: ?2.07 days, 95% confidence interval: ?2.63, ?1.50) compared with silver sulfadiazine treatment, but no difference in the incidence of wound infection or grafting was found. In conclusion, nonsilver treatment may be preferred over silver sulfadiazine, but high‐quality randomized controlled trials are needed to validly confirm the effectiveness of silver containing preparations, in particular silver‐containing dressings, above nonsilver treatments.     

The application of platelet‐rich plasma in the treatment of deep dermal burns: A randomized,double‐blind,intra‐patient controlled study

Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) is a fraction of blood with a platelet concentration above baseline. When platelets get activated, growth factors involved in wound healing are released. The application of PRP has shown good results in wound care, however, up to date no substantial research has been performed on the effect of PRP in burn treatment. This randomized double blind intra‐patient controlled study investigates the effect of autologous PRP on wound healing in burns that require surgery with a meshed split skin graft (SSG). Fifty‐two patients with various areas of deep dermal to full thickness burns, receiving surgery with a SSG were included after informed consent. Comparable study areas A and B (intra‐patient) were appointed, randomized and either treated with a SSG and PRP or with a SSG alone. At day 5 to 7 postoperative, the epithelialization and graft take rate were assessed. Three, six, and twelve months postoperative, follow‐up measurements were performed in the form of POSAS‐questionnaires, DermoSpectroMeter, and Cutometer measurements. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean take rate nor the mean epithelialization rate at day 5–7 between the PRP‐treated and control areas. However, PRP‐treated wound areas showed more often better or equal epithelialization and take rates at day 5–7 than the standard treated areas. Minor effects were also seen in the reoperated and early operated subgroups. At 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative, POSAS scores from the patients and the observers, Dermaspectro‐, and Cutometer measurements did not depict a significant difference between the PRP and standard treated areas. Concluding, the addition of PRP in the treatment of burn wounds did not result in improved graft take and epithelialization, nor could we demonstrate better scar quality. There was, however, a considerable variation in our clinical population.     

15-Year outcome after normal exercise 99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging: What is the duration of low risk after a normal scan?

Objective

The goal of this study was to evaluate the very long-term outcome after normal exercise ^99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Exercise ^99mTc-sestamibi SPECT is widely used for risk stratification, but data on very long-term outcome after a normal test are scarce.

Methods

A consecutive group of 233 patients (122 men, mean age 54?±?12?years) with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent exercise ^99mTc-sestamibi SPECT and had normal myocardial perfusion at exercise and at rest. Follow-up endpoints were all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization. Predictors of outcome were identified by Cox proportional hazard regression models using clinical and exercise testing variables.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 15.5?±?4.9?years, 41 (18%) patients died, of which 13 were cardiac deaths. A total of 18 (8%) patients had a nonfatal myocardial infarction, and 47 (20%) had coronary revascularization. The annualized event rates for all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, cardiac mortality/nonfatal infarction, and major adverse cardiac events were, respectively, 1.1%, 0.3%, 0.7%, and 1.8%. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the variables age, male gender, diabetes, diastolic blood pressure at rest, rate pressure product at rest, peak exercise heart rate, and ST segment changes were independent predictors of major adverse cardiac events.

Conclusion

Patients with suspected or known CAD and normal exercise ^99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT have a favorable 15-year prognosis. Follow-up should be closer in patients with known CAD, and/or having clinical and exercise parameters indicating higher risk status.     

Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy useful in stage I-II Hodgkin's disease: more extended disease identified

Somatostatin receptor (SS-R) scintigraphy successfully shows primary cancers and metastases in patients with a variety of SS-R-positive tumours. In vitro studies have shown that SS-Rs are present in lymph nodes from patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD). We performed a prospective study in 126 newly diagnosed patients with HD and compared the results of SS-R scintigraphy with conventional staging procedures, i.e. physical examination, computerized tomography (CT) scanning and other imaging techniques. We report positive scintigraphy in all patients. The lesion-related sensitivity was 94% and varied from 98% for supradiaphragmatic lesions to 67% for infradiaphragmatic lesions. In comparison with CT scanning and ultrasonography, SS-R scintigraphy provided superior results for the detection of Hodgkin's localizations above the diaphragm. In the intra-abdominal region, the CT scan was more sensitive than the SS-R scan. A false-positive scan was rarely seen. In stages I and II supradiaphragmatic HD patients, SS-R scintigraphy detected more advanced disease in 18% (15 out of 83) of patients, resulting in an upstaging to stage III or IV, thus directly influencing patient management. Our data would support the validity of SS-R scanning as a powerful imaging technique for the staging of patients with HD.     

Fluorine-18 FDG imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma using positron coincidence detection and single photon emission computed tomography

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We prospectively evaluated whether fluorine-18 deoxyglucose (FDG) positron coincidence detection (PCD) or FDG single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) provides additional benefits to our conventional preoperative evaluation of lesion detection in patients suspected to have hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Thirteen consecutive patients with a suspected HCC underwent conventional preoperative evaluation with ultrasonography (US), triple-phase helical computed tomography (CT), superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIO) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level. All 13 patients had an FDG-PCD and SPECT. These results were evaluated to assess the value of FDG-PCD and SPECT in addition to US, SPIO-enhanced MRI and triple-phase helical CT. RESULTS: Ten of the 13 (77%) patients had at least one histologically confirmed HCC without extrahepatic abdominal spread. The tumors ranged in size from 1 to 8 cm and the serum AFP ranged from 3 to 30 000 microg/l. Of these 10 patients, two patients had an increased tumor F-FDG uptake (sensitivity of 20%); one patient with an AFP of 5 microg/l and a tumor size of maximum 4.5 cm and one patient with an AFP of 249 microg/l and a tumor size of maximum 2 cm. In three patients with a benign liver mass, FDG imaging with either PCD or SPECT was negative. There was no false positive finding. CONCLUSIONS: We found poor sensitivity of FDG-PCD and FDG-SPECT for the detection of HCC. There were no clear relations between AFP or tumor size and FDG uptake. Therefore, we conclude that FDG imaging with PCD or SPECT has no value in the preoperative work-up for HCC in patients with cirrhosis.