ASO Visual Abstract: Will It Play in Peoria? A Pilot Study of a Robotic Skills Curriculum for Surgical Oncology Fellows

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Stone extraction with loop ureteral catheter versus ureteroscopy in small distal ureteral stones—retrospective comparison of 547 consecutive patients

BackgroundTo evaluate whether stone extraction with a loop ureteral catheter (LUC) in distal ureteral stones is associated with a higher frequency of ureteral strictures compared to treatment with primary ureteroscopic stone removal (p-URS) or ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy (l-URS).MethodsFive hundred and forty-seven consecutive patients were primarily endourologically treated for distal ureteral stones in our department between 2005 and 2019 and included in the study protocol. Data was retrospectively obtained from the patients’ charts and medical reports as well as from office-based urologists. Data analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test or Student’s t-test as appropriate. A level of P<0.05 was assigned statistical significance.ResultsFour hundred and twelve patients were treated by URS (p-URS n=304, l-URS n=108) and another 135 by LUC stone extraction. Median follow-up was 41 [2–159] months. There was no difference between the groups concerning age, gender, proportion of patients with ureteral stenting, operating time, hospitalization or readmission rates. The number of ureteric strictures was small in all procedures [n=3 (1.0%) in p-URS, n=2 (1.9%) in l-URS and n=2 (1.5%) in LUC] and there was no difference between the groups concerning this serious complication (p-URS vs. LUC: P=0.6465; l-URS vs. LUC: P=0.9999).ConclusionsIn small distal stones, LUC stone extraction still is an alternative to URS procedures in stone management with comparable results concerning postinterventional ureteral strictures. In experienced hands, it still has its value in accurately selected patients.     

State planning for community mental health programs: Implications for psychologists

Official planning bodies in every state are engaged in an intensive two-year analysis of public and voluntary mental health programs. This planning is an integral part of the national effort to provide community mental health services to regions of 75,000 to 200,000 persons. Experiences in establishing and operating the Massachusetts Planning Project are described. Particular attention is paid to the manner in which broad citizen and professional participation has been obtained. Implications for the future functioning of mental health professionals are highlighted. Specific reference is made to the profound crises confronting psychologists and their professional organizations.A brief version of this paper was read at the September, 1964 meeting of the American Psychological Association in Los Angeles.     

The effect of glycogen depletion and supercompensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold

Summary The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of glycogen depletion and super-compensation on the physical working capacity at the fatigue threshold (PWC_FT). Ten adult males (mean age 23 years, SD 3) volunteered as subjects for this study. During the first laboratory visit the subjects performed a maximal bicycle ergometer test for the determination of maximum oxygen consumption . Between 48 and 72 h later, the subjects pedaled to exhaustion at a power output which corresponded to a mean of 76% of (range, 72–80%) for the purpose of glycogen depletion. For the next 3 days, the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ · day^–1 low carbohydrate diet which consisted of 7.5% carbohydrates, 22.0% protein and 70.5% fat. The subjects then performed an incremental cycle ergometer test to the onset of fatigue or PWC_FT, which was estimated from integrated electromyographic voltages of the vastus lateralis muscle. For the next 3 days the subjects were fed a 10.5 MJ high carbohydrate diet which consisted of 72.2% carbohydrates, 12.4% protein and 15.4% fats for the purpose of glycogen supercompensation. The subjects then performed a second PWC_FT test. A paired t-test indicated that there was no significant (p > 0.05) difference between the means of the PWC_FT values (depletion 246 W, SD 30; supercompensation 265 W, SD 28) and they were highly correlated atr=0.884. The results of this investigation suggested that the methods commonly used to affect glycogen depletion or supercompensation had no effect on PWC_FT.     

Investigations with the selective PKC inhibitor chelerythrine on human basophils

Modulation of protein kinase C (PKC) activity in basophils (B) can influence IgE-mediated histamine release (HR). The present study investigated the effects of chelerythrine, which inhibits isolated PKC (IC₅₀ 0.7 M), on different activation pathways in B. FcRI-mediated HR was strongly inhibited by chelerythrine (86.5±5.4%, 5 M,n=11). TPA-induced mediator release was also suppressed: 77.1±8.5% inhibition (7.5 M). HR due to non-immunological stimuli (A23187, FMLP) was strongly inhibited by chelerythrine. Previously, other selective PKC-inhibitors have been shown to potentiate IgE-mediated HR from B suggesting a negative modulatory role of PKC, whereas non-specific inhibitors such as staurosporine inhibited HR. Chelerythrine might therefore be less selective for PKC. This may be indicated by the fact that chelerythrine inhibits PKC at its catalytic domain, which is homologous with other protein kinases.     

Pathways linking major depression and immunity in ambulatory female patients

OBJECTIVES: The goals of this study were to investigate whether depression is associated with cellular immunity in ambulatory patients and to identify neuroendocrine and behavioral pathways that might account for this relationship. METHODS: We studied 32 women who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, fourth edition, criteria for major depressive disorder and 32 healthy female control subjects. The groups were matched for age and ethnicity. None were taking medication, and all were free of disease involving the immune system. RESULTS: Depressed subjects had reduced proliferative responses to the mitogens concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin compared with control subjects. Natural killer cell activity was reduced among older depressed subjects but enhanced among younger depressed subjects. Although depression was associated with elevated circulating levels of norepinephrine and estradiol, these hormones could not account for the immunologic differences between depressed and control subjects. Depression was also associated with greater tobacco and caffeine consumption, less physical activity, and poorer sleep quality. Mediational analyses were consistent with physical activity acting as a pathway through which depression was associated with reduced lymphocyte proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulatory patients with mild to moderately severe depression exhibit reduced mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferative responses and altered natural killer cell cytotoxicity. The relationship between depression and proliferative responses may be mediated by physical activity.     

Contribution of erythrocytes to thrombin generation in whole blood

Thrombin generation (TG) initiated by diluted tissue-factor was investigated in whole human blood, in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), in platelet-poor plasma (PPP), and in PPP supplemented with red blood cells (RBCs). TG was characterized by the lag time preceding the thrombin burst and by the endogenous thrombin potential (ETP). RBCs at normal haematocrit were found to influence the lag time to the same extent as platelets. When TG was carried out in PRP or in PPP + RBCs, both the ETP and lag time were dependent on the platelet count or on the haematocrit, but the shapes of the dose-response curves were different. The inhibition of TG in PPP+ RBCs by two direct thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors: hirudin and DX 9065A, and two antithrombin III (AT)-dependent anticoagulants: heparin and SR 90107A was found to be similar to that previously described in PPP and in PRP: hirudin and DX 9065A only delayed TG whereas heparin and SR 90107A both delayed and decreased TG. FACscan analysis following labelling with FITC-annexin V or with phycoerythrin-labelled antiglycophorin A of samples taken in the course of TG initiated in PPP + RBCs showed that no significant haemolysis occurred and revealed that 0.51+/-0.075% (mean +/- sem, n = 3) of RBCs steadily exposed procoagulant phospholipids on their outer surface throughout the TG course. Furthermore, incubation of factors Xa and Va with washed RBCs sampled during TG in PPP +RBCs resulted in a significant and constant prothrombinase activity. Taken together, these data show for the first time that normal RBCs may participate in the haemostatic process through exposure of procoagulant phospholipids.     

Laboratory monitoring of pentasaccharide in a dog model of hemodialysis

Varying dosages of pentasaccharide (400-800 nmol/kg) were compared to a 250-U/kg single bolus dosage of unfractionated heparin (UFH) in a dog model of hemodialysis. Several laboratory assays were used to monitor the effects of pentasaccharide and UFH. The pentasaccharide did not produce any anticoagulant effects as measured by the activated partial thromboplastin time. However, in the anti-Xa chromogenic assay and the Heptest assays, there was a dose-dependent prolongation after pentasaccharide administration. In the group of dogs administered 800 nmol/kg of pentasaccharide, there was a 50% decrease in the thrombin antithrombin (TAT) complex level after 60 minutes on dialysis. In the UFH-treated dogs, wide variations in assays were observed. There was a marked elevation in the activated partial thromboplastin time and Heptest assays up to 6 hours after UFH administration. Both anti-Xa and anti-IIa activity was measured up to 4 hours. In the TAT assay, UFH was found to have a stronger effect in suppressing the formation of TAT in comparison to the pentasaccharide. These results suggest that pentasaccharide can be used as a replacement for UFH in a dog model of hemodialysis to keep the dialysis circuit patent. In addition, the anti-Xa-based assays such as the Heptest and the chromogenic anti-Xa assays can be used to monitor the effects of pentasaccharide in this model.     

Discriminating mirror symmetry in foveal and extra-foveal vision

The ability to discriminate perfect from imperfect mirror symmetry was examined at the fovea and at eccentricities out to 10 degrees in the nasal visual field. A 2-AFC method of constant stimuli was employed in which a bilaterally symmetric pattern was presented in one interval and a degraded version of this symmetric pattern in the other. The subject's task was to decide which interval contained the perfectly symmetric pattern. Pattern size was varied by changing the viewing distance. Probit analysis revealed the degree of asymmetry corresponding to 75% correct performance. Given sufficient size scaling, perfectly symmetric stimuli can be discriminated from degraded symmetric stimuli in extra-foveal vision. Spatial scaling with an E2 value similar to that for positional acuity was successful in removing the eccentricity dependence for the task.