Emergency management for preventing and controlling nosocomial infection of the 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for the dermatology department

Since cases first emerged in December 2019, COVID-19 (a type of coronavirus) has rapidly become pandemic. This fast-tracked paper (published quickly) from China on COVID-19 is written by dermatologists at the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan. Dermatology clinic staff may be at risk because protective equipment is not routinely available, and skin lesions might possibly transmit the virus indirectly. These authors suggest preventive measures based on experience in this and previous coronavirus outbreaks. Online consultation for non-urgent patients reduces the numbers of patients attending clinics. Nurse-led triage, to identify patients with possible COVID-19, at the entrances of hospital and skin clinics directs patients with a cough or fever to a specific COVID-19 area and a dermatologist is consulted if the fever might be related to skin disease. Clinic staff wear N95 masks and observe hand hygiene during consultations. Patients are admitted to a ward only if routine blood tests and chest CT scans exclude COVID-19. Triage will not detect patients who are showing no symptoms but who are developing the disease, so the hospital should provide an on-call expert team to discuss inpatients suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19 and refer them to radiology, respiratory or intensive care colleagues as required. Confirmed cases are managed following local policies. Skin disorders in COVID-19 inpatients can usually be managed remotely using photographs, email and teleconferencing. If necessary a multidisciplinary team (a team of medical staff from different specialties) can meet in the clean area of the isolation ward. If the dermatologist must see the patient, all records should be provided in advance to minimise exposure time. With these precautions, as of 20th February 2020 no infected patients were detected in the Wuhan Dermatology Department. This is a summary of the study: Emergency management for preventing and controlling nosocomial infection of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for the dermatology department     

CT myelography with low concentration and/or a low dose of nonionic contrast water-soluble medium

This paper presented the results of CT myelography with a low concentration and/or low dose of nonionic contrast water-solvable medium was used for 170 patients. The results had shown that the micro-structure within the spinal canal was shown clearly, the quality of film screen images were good, the interval between the time of injection and that of scanning was shortened, the scope of plain CT was widened, and its diagnostic accuracy was high. The side effects did occur infrequently and were usually mild in nature.     

Lung and heart-lung transplantation in respiratory tract diseases. Evaluation and development of the indications based on our first 15 cases

Since January 1988, the Bordeaux group has performed 15 transplantations for lung disease: 9 heart-lung transplants, 1 heart + left lung, 1 double lung, 2 right lungs and 2 left lungs. The transplantations were performed for pulmonary emphysema (10 cases), pulmonary artery hypertension (2 cases), cystic fibrosis (1 case), pulmonary fibrosis (2 cases). Cardiopulmonary transplantation was not always performed because of associated heart failure but sometimes because of large intrahilar adenopathy or intractable bronchial infection. Pulmonary transplantation is recommended on the right side in cases of pulmonary fibrosis. One patient died postoperatively (ischaemia of the transplant). Four others died during the 2nd and 3rd months from poorly defined but probably infectious pulmonary syndromes. The tracheobronchial patency of the 10 survivors was 80% or 100% of the predicted value. The respiratory functional result was excellent in the short and intermediate term. Specific difficulties essentially consisted of pleural symphyses, hilar adenopathy, bronchial infection, steroid dependence of certain subjects, the difficulty of identifying the cause and treating lung opacities during the 2nd and 3rd months.     

Identification of aortic thrombus by magnetic resonance imaging

The unique properties of magnetic resonance imaging result in the potential to differentiate various components of the diseased arterial wall. In this article four cases are presented in which magnetic resonance imaging showed mural aortic thrombus and its anatomic relationship to the visceral and renal arteries. Once thrombus is identified and localized specific operative strategies can be undertaken to prevent recurrent embolic events and/or avoid perioperative thromboembolic complications.     

Changes in humoral substances in induced cirrhosis and their effects on portal hemodynamics

The change of humoral substances in the blood of cirrhotic rat was studied at different stages of development, together with their effects on the portal hemodynamics. The profiles of humoral substances and hemodynamics in two different cirrhotic rat models, as well as the changes of portal hemodynamics in the normal rats after perfusion with the arterial blood from cirrhotic rats were also investigated. It was found that: during the development of cirrhosis, glucagon increased markedly at all stages, histamine and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) increased at early stage only, while serotonin (5-HT) and somatostatin(SS) increased at middle and advanced stages. In the CCl4 induced cirrhosis, glucagon was the main humoral substance, whereas in the thioacetamide (TAA) induced cirrhosis, histamine and 5-HT were mainly elevated. The portal hemodynamics altered differently in different stages during the development of cirrhosis and in the two different cirrhotic rat models. The perfusion with the arterial blood from cirrhotic rats caused an increase of portal venous pressure and portal venous flow in normal rats.     

One-stage surgical procedure for congenital dislocation of the hip in older children. Long-term results

The one-stage procedure described in this article, which has been used in children older than three years of age, is the method of choice in the treatment of late-diagnosed congenital dislocation of the hip. The present authors and their patients have been more than satisfied with the results of this procedure. With femoral shortening as the fundamental step, this method can be applied in high dislocations, as well as in cases of subluxation in which a pelvic osteotomy is indicated, to restore the depth of the acetabulum and to prevent undue pressure on the femoral head, which is the main cause of avascular necrosis, joint stiffness, and failures. Evaluation of the results is confusing but should rely on resistance of the hip in daily function, clinical appearance, range of hip motion, and the patient's opinion. Roentgenologic evaluation seems to be even more difficult, because numerous parameters need to be taken into consideration and correlated with the preoperative appearance of the hip. Certainly, it is reasonable to expect the majority of patients to develop osteoarthritic changes eventually, but nearly all patients can live a normal or satisfactory life for a number of years. The present authors are convinced that many patients will remain symptom-free for a long period.