Retrospective Study on Efficacy of Intermaxillary Fixation Screws

Background

We evaluated the efficacy of intermaxillary fixation (IMF) screws in the treatment of mandibular fractures.

Methods

Two hundred patients with mandibular fractures, treated by IMF using these screws, were evaluated by pre and postoperative panoramic radiographs. Clinical testing was carried out for vitality and abnormal mobility of teeth adjacent to the site of screw insertions. Other factors such as possible iatrogenic dental injuries, loss, breakage or screw cover by oral mucosa and postoperative occlusion were also studied.

Result

The most important complication noticed was iatrogenic damage to dental roots.

Conclusion

Use of intraoral cortical bone screws for IMF is a valid alternative to arch bars in the treatment of mandibular fractures. Iatrogenic injury to dental roots is the commonest problem which can be minimized by an experienced surgeon.Key Words: Intermaxillary fixation, Bone screws, Mandibular fractures, Iatrogenic injury     

Does Everolimus Associated With a Low Dose of Cyclosporine in Long-Term Cardiac Transplant Recipients Improve Renal Function? Initial Experience

Background

Cyclosporine (CsA) renal toxicity is a well-known side effect. Various immunosuppressive strategies have been developed to minimize renal insufficiency. The use of everolimus associated with low levels of CsA can be an alternative strategy.

Methods

From October 2007 to April 2008, everolimus was started with a lower dose of cyclosporine (trough levels from 109.3 ± 27.5 to 93.7 ± 30.1 ng/mL after 45 days) in 21 cardiac transplant recipients (18 male and 3 female patients, mean age 56.4 ± 10.7 years). Pre-everolimus therapy creatinine levels, creatinine clearances, and glomerular filtration rates were 1.9 ± 0.9 mg/dL, 54.2 ± 18.1 mL/mins and 44.3 ± 16.5 mL/min/m², respectively.

Results

We observed a significant reduction in creatinine levels (from 1.9 ± 0.9 to 1.4 ± 0.3 mg/dL, P = .022) as well as a significant improvement in creatinine clearances (from 54.2 ± 18.1 to 69.0 ± 19.0 mL/min, P = .020) and glomerular filtration rates (from 44.3 ± 16.5 to 57.1 ± 16.3 mL/min/m², P = .010) after 7 days of everolimus therapy. Upon univariate analysis patient age, pretransplantation creatinine clearance, creatinine clearance after everolimus introduction, glomerular filtration rate at 45 days, and time from transplantation were associated with renal improvement. Upon multivariate analysis, only creatinine clearance at 7 days was related to the renal improvement.

Conclusions

These preliminary data suggested that everolimus with a low dose of CsA may be safe and effective to reduce CsA-related renal insufficiency among selected, heart transplant patients.     

Acute thrombosis of mechanical mitral valve prosthesis successfully treated with thrombolysis

A 61-year-old female patient using a mechanical prosthesis for 11 years was admitted to the hospital with sudden dyspnea, pallor and atrial fibrillation. The diagnostic evaluation included transesophageal echocardiogram, which showed a significantly reduced motion of one of the leaflets of the mitral prosthesis and immobility of the other, in addition to a thickened structure compatible with a thrombus adherent to the valve. The patient was diagnosed with thrombosis of mechanical mitral valve prosthesis. Thrombolytic therapy (rtPA) was started successfully. The patient has been followed up for more than one year with a favorable outcome.     

Radiation Induced Oral Mucositis

Patients receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy will receive some degree of oral mucositis The incidence of oral mucositis was especially high in patients: (i) With primary tumors in the oral cavity, oropharynx, or nasopharynx; (ii) who also received concomitant chemotherapy; (iii) who received a total dose over 5,000 cGy; and (iv) who were treated with altered fractionation radiation schedules. Radiation-induced oral mucositis affects the quality of life of the patients and the family concerned. The present day management of oral mucositis is mostly palliative and or supportive care. The newer guidelines are suggesting Palifermin, which is the first active mucositis drug as well as Amifostine, for radiation protection and cryotherapy. The current management should focus more on palliative measures, such as pain management, nutritional support, and maintenance, of good oral hygiene     

Normal and impaired reflexive orienting of attention after central nonpredictive cues

Recent studies suggest that stimuli with directional meaning can trigger lateral shifts of visuospatial attention when centrally presented as noninformative cues. We investigated covert orienting in healthy participants and in a group of 17 right brain-damaged patients (9 with hemispatial neglect) comparing arrows, eye gaze, and digits as central nonpredictive cues in a detection task. Orienting effects elicited by arrows and eye gaze were overall consistent in healthy participants and in right brain-damaged patients, whereas digit cues were ineffective. Moreover, patients with neglect showed, at the shortest delay between cue and target, a disengage deficit for arrow cueing whose magnitude was predicted by neglect severity. We conclude that the peculiar form of attentional orienting triggered by the directional meaning of arrow cues presents some features previously thought to characterize only the stimulus-driven (exogenous) orienting to noninformative peripheral cues.     

HDAC6 Deacetylates Ku70 and Regulates Ku70-Bax Binding in Neuroblastoma

Ku70 was first characterized as a nuclear factor that binds DNA double-strand breaks in nonhomolog end-joining DNA repair. However, recent studies have shown that Ku70 is also found in the cytoplasm and binds Bax, preventing Bax-induced cell death. We have shown that, in neuroblastoma cells, the binding between Ku70 and Bax depends on the acetylation status of Ku70, such that, when Ku70 is acetylated, Bax is released from Ku70, triggering cell death. Thus, to survive, in neuroblastoma cells, cytoplasmic Ku70 acetylation status is carefully regulated such that Ku70 is maintained in a deacetylated state, keeping Bax complexed with Ku70. We have shown that overexpression of CREB-binding protein (CBP), a known acetyltransferase that acetylates Ku70, releases Bax from Ku70, triggering apoptosis. Although we have shown that blocking deacetylase activity using non-type-specific inhibitors also triggers Ku70 acetylation and Bax-dependent cell death, the targets of these deacetylase inhibitors in neuroblastoma cells remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that, in neuroblastoma cells, histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) binds Ku70 and Bax in the cytoplasm and that knocking down HDAC6 or using an HDAC6-specific inhibitor triggers Bax-dependent cell death. Our results show that HDAC6 regulates the interaction between Ku70 and Bax in neuroblastoma cells and may be a therapeutic target in this pediatric solid tumor.     

The Hong Kong Society of Rheumatology consensus recommendations for the management of gout

Clinical Rheumatology - Gout is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases in Hong Kong. Although effective treatment options are readily available, the management of gout in Hong Kong remains...     

Surgical considerations for ‘intrinsic＇ brainstem gliomas： proposal of a modification in classification

BACKGROUND： Brainstem gliomas are highly heterogeneous tumors both in their clinical manifestation and in their pathology. Despite significant advances in the surgery for brainstem gliomas many aspects of this pathology are still unelear. OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the clinical, radiological and surgical outcome of 40 focal ＂intrinsic＂ brainstem gliomas and propose a surgical strategyoriented classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS： A total of 40 focal ‘intrinsie’ （＂expanding variety＂） tumors have been operated over a period of 8.5-years （January 1998-June 2007）. Our criteria included patients with （1） well-defined gadolinium enhancing tumor, （2） relatively long duration of symptoms （〉 six months） and （3） good neurological functional status and independent for all activities of davy living. The cutoff size of 2 cm was not rigidly adhered to. RESULTS： The ＂intrinsic＂ brainstem tumors were classified into three types： Expanding, diffuse infiltrative and pure ventral varieties.