Pyroglutamic acid improves the age associated memory impairment

Pyroglutamic acid (PCA) was compared with placebo in a randomized, double blind trial for assessing its efficacy in treating memory deficits in 40 aged subjects. Twenty subjects were treated with PCA and 20 with placebo over a period of 60 d. Memory functions were evaluated at baseline and after 60 d of treatment by means of a battery made up of 6 memory tasks. The results suggest that PCA is effective in improving some verbal memory functions in subjects affected by age-related memory decline.     

Presence of residual basal cell carcinoma in re-excised specimens is more probable when deep and lateral margins were positive

In order to quantify presence of residual BCC in patients with histologic positive margins after the first excison and to correlate the presence of residual tumor in re‐excised lesions with the location of the positive margin on the first excision, a retrospective evaluation of 2053 surgically treated BCC was performed. Only 38.3% of the re‐excised lesions showed residual tumor. In the group of re‐excised lesions where residual BCC was found, 13% had lateral positive margin in the first excision, 39% had deep positive margin and 48% had both lateral and deep positive margins. In the group of re‐excised lesions where no residual BCC was found, 49% of the primary excised lesions had lateral positive margin, 32% had deep positive margin and 19% had both deep and lateral positive margins. The association between residual tumor and positive margins was statistically significant (p = 0.01). Our findings confirm that presence of residual tumour is more likely when both lateral and deep margins are compromised.     

Blood transfusion and postoperative infection in orthopedic patients

Adverse effects of the transfusion of homologous blood on tumor recurrence and resistance to bacterial infection have been reported previously, but the findings are inconclusive. A retrospective review of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery was conducted, and the rate of the postoperative infectious complications was compared among those receiving homologous blood, autologous blood, both types, or no transfusion support. An overall postoperative infection rate of 6.1 percent was observed: 6.9 percent among persons receiving homologous blood, 5.0 percent among those receiving autologous blood, 11.9 percent among those receiving both homologous and autologous blood, and 4.9 percent among those not receiving transfusions (p = 0.37). Among patients receiving homologous blood, a subset of 15 patients received homologous whole blood and had an infection rate of 20 percent. Significant predictors of postoperative infection included increasing age, spinal surgery, high admission hematocrit, and greater time in surgery. Of factors relating to transfusion, only the use of homologous whole blood was a significant predictor of postoperative infection, which suggests a detrimental effect of homologous plasma. It can be concluded that, in this group of patients undergoing relatively nontraumatic surgery, several variables that are not related to transfusion, as well as the use of homologous whole blood, were significant predictors of postoperative infection.