Transcutaneous dilation tracheostomy in children

The paper presents the experience of transcutaneous dilatation tracheostomy (TDT) in 16 children. Up to date, childhood has been a contraindication for TDT. The experience gained at the Department of Resuscitation, Institute of Neurosurgery, in performing TDT in more than 300 adult patients has permitted this procedure to be also used in childhood. Based on the analysis of the outcome of 16 TDTs, the authors have posed indications for TDT, its performance modification, approaches to preventing perioperative complications, by taking into account the anatomic and physiological characteristics of childhood.     

Celiac disease as a cause of iron deficiency anemia

AIM: To examine incidence of celiac disease in patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) of unclear origin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 331 IDA patients were examined for celiac disease (CD). The diagnosis was made on the basis of histological findings upon examination of the biopsy of small intestinal mucosa, detection of antibodies to alpha-gliadine (AGA) and tissue transglutaminase (TTG). RESULTS: The cause of anemia was revealed in 270 (81.5%) of 331 patients. The rest 61 patients (18.4%) had anemia of unknown cause. A rise of AGA was detected in 33 (54.0%) of 61 patients, TTG--in 29 (47.5%) patients. CD was diagnosed in 29 (47.5%) patients. Four of 61 patients (6.5%) had no symptoms of malabsorption. CONCLUSION: All the patients with IDA of unclear genesis must undergo serological tests for CD. In high titers of antibodies to AGA and TTG, retrobulbar duodenal biopsy is indicated with histological study of small intestinal mucosa.     

Application of zirconium alloys to endoprostheses and osteosynthesis appliances

N. N. Priorov Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. Institute for Aircraft Materials, Moscow. Translated from Meditsinskaya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 14–16, September–October, 1992.     

EDTA-blood filtration: A positive correlation with lymphocyte number

Blood is filtered through nuclear filters with pore diameter 5 μ under a pressure of 0.1×10⁵ dyn/cm² and 0.4×10⁵ dyn/cm². Correlation analysis of the dependence of blood filterability on blood cell count and blood cell adhesiveness is performed. There is a negative correlation between the erythrocyte count and the number of adherent granulocytes. A significant positive correlation is established between blood filterability and the lymphocyte count at a pressure of 0.4×10⁵ dyn/cm² but not at a pressure of 0.1×10⁵ dyn/cm². Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 118, N ^o 9, pp. 262–264, September, 1994 Presented by Yu. M. Lopukhin, Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences     

GDF 15 - A Novel Biomarker in the Offing for Heart Failure

Background:

Several diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are being explored in heart failure. GDF-15 belongs to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) cytokine family that is highly up regulated in inflammatory conditions. We undertook this systematic review to summarize the current evidence on the utility of GDF-15 as a biomarker in heart failure.

Design and Methods:

Multiple electronic databases for studies that reported the association between GDF- 15 and heart failure were searched using different electronic databases such as MEDLINE, Science Direct, Springer Link, Scopus, Cochrane Reviews, and Google Scholar using pre-defined inclusion- exclusion criteria.

Results:

Twenty one original studies were identified that included data from 20,920 study participants. GDF 15 was found to be a strong prognosticator of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients. Several studies found the benefit of using GDF-15 as a component of a multi-biomarker strategy in prognosticating patients with heart failure.

Conclusion:

More studies are warranted to elucidate the molecular pathways involving GDF-15 and to see how knowledge about GDF-15 can be used to make therapeutic decisions in the clinic.     

210Pb and 210Po Content in Air,Water, Foodstuffs,and the Human Body

Concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in air, drinking water, foodstuffs, and human tissues are reported. The main route of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po intake in the human body is ingestion with foodstuffs. The absorption coefficient of ²¹⁰Po into the blood from the digestive tract was estimated to be 35%. The highest concentration of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in the body was observed in the skeleton and hair. The body burden of humans was 773 pCi of ²¹⁰Pb and 513 pCi of ²¹⁰Po. Excretion of these radionuclides from the body in urine was 14 to 15 times less than in feces. The calculated annual radiation doses of ⁷¹⁰Po in the bone, liver, and kidneys were 2.1 to 5.0 millirad/yr, and in other soft tissues, 0.3 to 0.9 millirad/yr.     

Calculation of maximum allowable concentration of N-nitrosodimethylamine and N-nitrosodiethylamine based on chronic experiments in mice

Maximum allowable 24-hour human intakes of NDMA and NDEA, calculated with the use of a log-normal model, a model of logit-transformations and methods of confidence intervals and probability estimations, are 0.15 micrograms/kg and 0.03 micrograms/kg respectively. Maximum allowable concentrations for NDMA and NDEA in water are 5 micrograms/l and 1 microgram/l respectively.