The Postoperative Morbidity Survey was validated and used to describe morbidity after major surgery

OBJECTIVES: To describe the reliability and validity of the Postoperative Morbidity Survey (POMS). To describe the level and pattern of short-term postoperative morbidity after major elective surgery using the POMS. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a prospective cohort study of 439 adults undergoing major elective surgery in a UK teaching hospital. The POMS, an 18-item survey that address nine domains of postoperative morbidity, was recorded on postoperative days 3, 5, 8, and 15. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability was perfect for 11/18 items (Kappa=1.0), with Kappa=0.94 for 6/18 items. A priori hypotheses that the POMS would discriminate between patients with known measures of morbidity risk, and predict length of stay were generally supported through observation of data trends, and there was statistically significant evidence of construct validity for all but the wound and neurological domains. POMS-defined morbidity was present in 325 of 433 patients (75.1%) remaining in hospital on postoperative day 3 after surgery, 231 of 407 patients (56.8%) on day 5, 138 of 299 patients (46.2%) on day 8, and 70 of 111 patients (63.1%) on day 15. Gastrointestinal (47.4%), infectious (46.5%), pain-related (40.3%), pulmonary (39.4%), and renal problems (33.3%) were the most common forms of morbidity. CONCLUSION: The POMS is a reliable and valid survey of short-term postoperative morbidity in major elective surgery. Many patients remain in hospital without any morbidity as recorded by the POMS.     

Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation by human liver microsomes.

As a substrate for human liver microsomes, ethoxyresorufin appears to be metabolised by a group of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes which are inducible by cigarette smoking. Kinetic studies in microsomes from four human livers indicate that only one enzyme component is involved over the full substrate range. Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation activity at both high and low substrate concentrations correlated with the high affinity component of ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation and of diphenyloxazole metabolism.     

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in obese parturients

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie -     

The effect of alcoholic cirrhosis on the two kinetic components (high and low affinity) of the microsomal 0-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin in human liver

Summary 1. The activities of the two kinetic components (high and low affinity) of the microsomal 0-deethylation of 7-ethoxycoumarin have been measured in liver from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and in normals. 2. The activity (expressed as pmol 7-OH coumarin formed/mg microsomal protein/min) of both components of the enzyme was significantly lower in alcoholic cirrhosis (high affinity=3.27±1.18, low affinity 60.9±11.6) than in normals (high affinity 9.43±2.37, low affinity 111.3±9.2). 3. These results are further evidence that there is a broad impairment of hepatic microsomal mono-oxygenase activity in alcoholic cirrhosis.     

Mortality and causes of death in idiopathic Parkinson's disease: results from the Aberdeen whole population study

Two hundred and forty-nine patients with Parkinson's disease previously examined by Mutch et al 1,2 were followed up three and a half years after the original study. Cognitive impairment, age, some postural signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease and high scores on the Hoehn and Yahr scale predicted premature death. Patients were more likely to die from respiratory infections than controls. Respiratory diseases as cause of death recorded on the death certificate were not related to kyphosis, posture scores or Hoehn and Yahr scores before death. The hypothesis is advanced that death of respiratory causes might be associated with signs of general autonomic dysregulation.