Incidence of Chest Tube Malposition in the Critically Ill: A Prospective Computed Tomography Study

Background: Malposition of percutaneously inserted chest tubes is considered as a rare complication in critically ill patients. Its incidence, however, remains uncertain. The aims of the study were to assess the true incidence of chest tube malposition in critically ill patients and to identify predicting factors.

Methods: The authors prospectively studied 122 chest tubes percutaneously inserted in 75 consecutive critically ill patients. For clinical reasons independent of the study, thoracic computed tomography scanning was performed in 63 patients, allowing direct visualization of 106 chest tubes. Based on these findings, chest tube position was classified as intrapleural, intrafissural, or intraparenchymal. Factors predicting chest tube malposition were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results: The mean delay between chest tube placement and thoracic scan was 3.5 +/- 2.9 days. Twenty-two chest tubes were diagnosed as being intrafissural (21%), and 10 were diagnosed as being intraparenchymal (9%). The only predicting factor associated with the risk of malposition was the use of a trocar for the percutaneous insertion of the chest tube (P = 0.032).     

邻近皮瓣修复面部皮肤缺损

目的 探讨邻近皮瓣修复面部皮肤缺损的应用效果。方法 162例面部病变切除后皮肤缺损患者，其中先天性色素痣63例，基底细胞癌28例，鳞状细胞癌6例，其他皮肤病变65例。均采用邻近皮瓣即时修复，其中菱形皮瓣57例、双叶皮瓣8例，A-T皮瓣23例、V-Y皮瓣13例、Z成形术23例、推进皮瓣27例、鼻状皮瓣11例。结果 162例皮瓣存活良好，手术切口1期愈合，存活后皮瓣颜色与邻近部位无明显差异，术后无眼睑、眉毛、鼻梁及口角牵扯歪钭，术后3个月切口不显露。结论 邻近皮瓣是修复面部较大皮肤缺损的良好方法，手术外观效果好。     

上胸椎骨折手术治疗方法的探讨

目的 探讨上胸椎骨折的特点及治疗。方法 15例病人按AO分型，A型2例、B型10例、C型3例。均经后路切开复位、脊髓减压、长节段内固定、取髂骨植骨融合术治疗。结果 随访18-24个月，后路长节段固定随访时无一例失败，完全瘫的患者9例中有1例神经功能改善I级．不完全瘫的5例均有Ⅲ级改善，1例无神经损伤。结论 上胸椎骨折损伤严重，后路长节段固定技术是一种合理的有效治疗方法。     

Ⅰ期趾甲延长术9例报告

目的:总结Ⅰ期在第2足趾游离移植再造拇(手)指中行趾甲延长的临床应用经验.方法:采用趾甲延长方法对9例(男7,女2例)第2足趾移植再造拇(手)指的患者进行了趾甲延长术,其中拇指8例,食指1例.年龄18～46岁,平均25岁.在再造指距甲根皮缘5 mm处,去除1块矩形皮肤,勿损伤皮下血管网.其高度2 mm,宽度与趾甲相等,将U形皮瓣向近端柔和推剥并缝合.结果:1例术后供区发生表浅感染,经换敷料逐渐愈合.再造的拇(手)指全部成活,可延长趾甲2～3 mm,改善了再造拇(手)指的外形,无指甲生长畸形发生.随访7个月～2年(平均13个月),趾甲外形较好.结论:在第2足趾游离移植再造拇(手)指中应用Ⅰ期趾甲延长术,使趾甲从短小向纵向延长,缩小手指甲与足趾甲之间差异,能改善再造拇(手)指甲外形,且不影响再造指的活动功能,是一种简单有效的手术方法.     

Inhibitory effects of benzoate on chiral inversion and clearance of N(G)-nitro-arginine in conscious rats.

N(G)-nitro-arginine (NNA) is known to exhibit stereoselective pharmacokinetics in which N(G)-nitro-d-arginine (d-NNA) has a faster clearance rate than N(G)-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA) in anesthetized rats, and d-NNA undergoes unidirectional chiral inversion. It was postulated that chiral inversion of d-NNA was performed in a two-step pathway by d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) followed by an unidentified transaminase. Such chiral inversion contributes (at least partially) to the pharmacokinetic stereoselectivity of NNA. This study used the selective inhibitor of DAAO, sodium benzoate, to test the above hypothesis. An i.v. bolus injection of d-NNA (32 mg/kg) and l-NNA (16 mg/kg) in conscious rats exhibited biphasic disposition with different pharmacokinetic parameters in a stereospecific manner (approximately 5-10-fold differences). Unidirectional chiral inversion of d-NNA but not l-NNA was found from these animals. In addition to its similar inhibitory effects on the d-NNA conversion and DAAO activity in kidney homogenates, sodium benzoate completely blocked chiral inversion of d-NNA and led to a smaller stereospecific difference, reflected by a nearly 50% reduction of d-NNA clearance and a 2-fold increase in t(1/2) and area under the curve of d-NNA in benzoate-pretreated rats. The results suggest that DAAO plays an essential role in chiral inversion of d-NNA and chiral inversion contributes mostly to the pharmacokinetic stereospecificity of NNA.     

TGF-β1、Smad 3和P-Smad 2/3在病理性瘢痕中的表达

目的检测瘢痕疙瘩、增生性瘢痕和正常皮肤组织中转化生长因子-β1(TGF-β1)、Smad3和P-Smad2/3的表达情况,探讨上述细胞因子对瘢痕产生的重要性及影响。方法采用免疫组织化学的方法检测上述3种细胞因子在3种不同组织共36例标本中的表达,ImagePro-Plus6.0软件进行阳性面积测量和细胞计数。结果TGF-β1在瘢痕疙瘩和增生性瘢痕中均为增强高表达,而在正常皮肤中几乎不表达;Smad3在三组标本间表达水平无显著性差异;P-Smad2/3在瘢痕疙瘩中表达最强,增生性瘢痕次之,正常皮肤组织中最低。结论TGF-β1表达增强是病理性瘢痕产生的重要原因,P-Smad2/3的表达水平则可认为与瘢痕增生程度密切相关。     

Small proportions: what to report for confidence intervals?

The original article to which this Erratum refers was published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2005; 14: 239–247.     

Glutamate acts at NMDA receptors on fresh bovine and on cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells to trigger release of ATP

Efficient vesicle membrane recycling at presynaptic terminals is pivotal for preventing depletion and maintaining high firing rates in neuronal networks. We used a new approach, based on the combination of spectrally different optical probes, to investigate how stimulation determines the fate of synaptic vesicles after endocytosis. We found that in the small central synapses of rat hippocampal neurones low frequency stimulation (40 action potentials at 2 Hz) targets vesicles preferentially to vesicle pools that were kinetically faster. Vesicles taken up during endocytosis triggered by high frequency stimulation (400 action potentials, 20 Hz) were also placed in the back of the release queue. We performed a spatial analysis of the recycled vesicles in living hippocampal boutons using two spectrally different FM-dyes (FM1-43 and FM5-95). By using these consecutively, vesicles endocytosed by either stimulation protocol were labelled with a different colour. This revealed that the kinetic arrangement was also reflected in the spatial organization of vesicles within the bouton. Next, we identified the postsynaptic site of the active zone by transfecting the neurones with postsynaptic density protein PSD-95-CFP. The data from these triple colour experiments suggest that retrieval after low frequency stimulation keeps vesicles in a more confined region closer to the active zone as identified by PSD-95-CFP expression at the postsynaptic site.