Comparative Modeling of the Human Monoamine Transporters: Similarities in Substrate Binding

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The Waterlow score for risk assessment in surgical patients

Introduction

Perioperative scoring systems aim to predict outcome following surgery and are used in preoperative counselling to guide management and to facilitate internal or external audit. The Waterlow score is used prospectively in many UK hospitals to stratify the risk of decubitus ulcer development. The primary aim of this study was to assess the potential value of this existing scoring system in the prediction of mortality and morbidity in a general surgical and vascular cohort.

Methods

A total of 101 consecutive moderate to high risk emergency and elective surgical patients were identified through a single institution database. The preoperative Waterlow score and outcome data pertaining to that admission were collected. The discriminatory power of the Waterlow score was compared against that of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade and the Portsmouth Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (P-POSSUM).

Results

The inpatient mortality rate was 17% and the 30-day morbidity rate was 29%. A statistically significant association was demonstrated between the preoperative Waterlow score and inpatient mortality (p<0.0001) and 30-day morbidity (p=0.0002). Using a threshold Waterlow score of 20 to dichotomise risk, accuracies of 0.84 and 0.76 for prediction of mortality and morbidity were demonstrated. In comparison with P-POSSUM, the preoperative Waterlow score performed well on receiver operating characteristic analysis. With respect to mortality, the area under the curve was 0.81 (0.80–0.85) and for morbidity it was 0.72 (0.69–0.76). The ASA grade achieved a similar level of discrimination.

Conclusions

The Waterlow score is collected routinely by nursing staff in many hospitals and might therefore be an attractive means of predicting postoperative morbidity and mortality. It might also function to stratify perioperative risk for comparison of surgical outcome data. A prospective study comparing these risk prediction scores is required to support these findings.     

Growth hormone treatment in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome: the Scandinavian study

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by short stature, muscular hypotonia, cognitive dysfunction, and hyperphagia usually leading to severe obesity. Patients with PWS share similarities with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Few studies have dealt with growth hormone (GH) treatment in PWS adults. The purpose of the Scandinavian study was to evaluate the effects of GH on body composition, lipid and glucose metabolism, physical performance and safety parameters in adults with PWS. Twenty-five women and 21 men with PWS were randomized to treatment with GH or placebo during 1?year followed by 2?years of open labeled GH treatment. At baseline 1/3 had normal BMI, six patients severe GHD, ten impaired glucose tolerance and seven diabetes. At 1?year insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) SDS had increased by 1.51 (P?相似文献   

BMD improvements after operation for primary hyperparathyroidism

Purpose

This study aims to quantify bone mineral density (BMD) changes following surgery in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and to assess their relationship with clinical and biochemical variables.

Methods

A historic cohort of 236 PHPT patients with DXA scans pre- and 1-year postoperatively, clinical data, and biochemical data was analyzed.

Results

The mean age was 60 years (range 19–86) and 81 % of the patients were women. A significant postoperative 2.6 % (95 % CI, 2.1; 3.1) increase in lumbar spine BMD was seen. The increase in BMD was positively associated with preoperative plasma PTH (p?=?0.002), Ca²⁺ (p?<?0.001), and alkaline phosphatase (p?=?0.014). Hip BMD increased 1.5 % (1.1; 1.9). The increase in BMD was positively associated with preoperative plasma PTH (p?=?0.005) and Ca²⁺ (p?<?0.001) and inversely associated with plasma creatinine (p?=?0.004) and age (p?=?0.018). Total forearm BMD did not change significantly (?0.2 % (?0.5; 0.1)). An increase in forearm BMD was seen in 38 % of all patients, and the changes were positively associated with plasma PTH (p?<?0.001) and Ca²⁺ (p?=?0.009). In all 91 patients with mild PHPT (plasma Ca²⁺?<?1.45 mmol/l), there was a significant postoperative increase in spine BMD (1.9 % (1.2; 2.7)) and in hip BMD (1.0 % (0.4; 1.6)), but not in the forearm BMD (?0.3 % (?0.7; 0.2)). The postoperative BMD gain was higher in the hip and forearm in patients operated for adenomas compared with patients treated for hyperplasia.

Conclusions

We found significant postoperative BMD improvements both at the hip and the spine. BMD improvements were also significant in mild cases. At all scan sites, there were positive associations between preoperative plasma PTH levels and postoperative BMD increases. The measured BMD changes may mainly be due to a decrease in PTH-induced bone turnover with refilling of the remodeling space.     

A Novel Missense Mutation,Leu390Val,in the Cardiac ß-myosin Heavy Chain Associated with Pronounced Septal Hypertrophy in Two Families with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Objective: An examination of the genetic background and phenotypic presentation of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) with respect to specific mutations in the MYH7     

Developing and pretesting case studies in dental and dental hygiene education: using the diffusion of innovations model

Case-based learning offers exposure to clinical situations that health professions students may not encounter in their training. The purposes of this study were to apply the Diffusion of Innovations conceptual framework to 1) identify characteristics of case studies that would increase their adoption among dental and dental hygiene faculty members and 2) develop and pretest interactive web-based case studies on sensitive oral-systemic health issues. The formative study spanned two phases using mixed methods (Phase 1: eight focus groups and four interviews; Phase 2: ten interviews and satisfaction surveys). Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data revealed the following positive attributes of the developed case studies: relative advantage of active learning and modeling; compatibility with a variety of courses; observability of case-related knowledge and skills; independent learning; and modifiability for use with other oral-systemic health issues. These positive attributes are expected to increase the likelihood that dental and dental hygiene faculty members will adopt the developed case study once it is available for use. The themes identified in this study could be applied to the development of future case studies and may provide broader insight that might prove useful for exploring differences in case study use across dental and dental hygiene curricula.     

Development and Psychometric Properties of a Computer-Based Standardized Emotional Competence Inventory (MeKKi) for Preschoolers and School-Aged Children

Child Psychiatry & Human Development - A computer-based emotional competence inventory for preschoolers and school-aged children (MeKKi) was developed to assess five components of emotional...     

Cross-reactivity patterns of T cells specific for iodinated contrast media

BACKGROUND: Approximately 3% of patients exposed to iodinated contrast media develop delayed hypersensitivity reactions. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to better understand the molecular basis of contrast media cross-reactivity. METHODS: Cross-reactivity was assessed by skin testing and measurement of T-cell activation (CD69 upregulation) and proliferation ((3)H-thymidine uptake, 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester staining) of PBMCs, T-cell lines, and T-cell clones of 2 patients with delayed hypersensitivity reactions to iohexol and iomeprol, respectively. Thirteen different contrast media and potassium iodide were compared. RESULTS: Skin testing and analyses of PBMCs, T-cell lines, and clones showed broad cross-reactivity in both patients. Broad as well as more restricted cross-reactivity patterns were found in iohexol-specific and iomeprol-specific CD4(+) T-cell clones, whereas 1 iomeprol-specific CD8(+) T-cell clone showed no cross-reactivity at all. The reactivity to equimolar concentrations of iohexol and its dimer iodixanol was very similar, suggesting that the dimer was not more stimulatory than its monomer. Consistently low reactivity to iobitridol was found in both patients, but never to iodide. A frequency analysis of contrast medium-specific peripheral T cells gave values between 0.6 % (iomeprol) and 0.05 % (iobitridol). CONCLUSION: Clinically observed cross-reactivity between different contrast media is a result of the presence of contrast media-specific T cells, some of which show a broad cross-reactivity pattern. Iodide ions, known to be present at low concentration in contrast media solutions, do not seem to be the causative moiety. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Detailed in vitro analysis might help identify noncross-reactive contrast media.