Long-term results of pectoralis major muscle transposition for infected sternotomy wounds.

During an 11.5-year period, 100 consecutive patients (79 male, 21 female) underwent repair of an infected sternotomy wound. Sixty-five patients had failed attempts at wound closure by other physicians. Median age was 61.5 years (range, 5 to 85 years). Reconstruction included muscle in 79 patients, omentum in 4, and both in 15. A total of 175 muscles were transposed, including 169 pectoralis major, 3 rectus abdominis, 2 external oblique, and 1 latissimus dorsi. Median number of operations was four (range, 1 to 11). Mechanical ventilation was required in 30 patients. Two perioperative deaths occurred, one related to sepsis. Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range, 1.3 to 13.5 years). Twenty-six patients had recurrent infection. Median time from our closure to recurrence was 5.5 months (range, 0.3 to 27.6 months). Cause of recurrence was inadequate removal of cartilage in 16 patients, bone in 6, and retained foreign body in 4. Eighteen patients had the wound reopened with further resection; 10 had another muscle or omentum transposition. There were 30 late deaths, only one related to recurrent infection. At the time of death or last follow-up, 92 patients had a healed chest wall. Transposition of the pectoralis major muscle remains an excellent method of management for infected sternotomy wounds. Failure is directly related to persistent infection of cartilage, bone, or retained foreign bodies.     

Total hip arthroplasty. The role of antiinflammatory medications in the prevention of heterotopic ossification

Postoperative prophylaxis with antiinflammatory medications, primarily indomethacin, is extremely effective in preventing the severest degrees of heterotopic ossification (HO) after a total hip arthroplasty (THA) and the recurrence of excised HO developed after a previous hip surgery. Prophylaxis with indomethacin should be given in 25-mg doses three times daily for at least three weeks, starting on the first postoperative morning. However, a shorter treatment period may be equally effective in preventing the severest degrees of HO, and a postoperative delay of five days before the initiation of prophylaxis does not seem to be followed by the development of severe HO. As evaluated one year after surgery, treatment with antiinflammatory medications in the immediate postoperative weeks did not increase the incidence of implant-bone interface radiolucencies, aseptic loosening, or revisions in cemented or cementless THAs when compared with cases that did not have postoperative treatment. However, although no major complications have been reported regarding the use of antiinflammatory medications in the prevention of HO after THA, orthopedic surgeons prescribing such treatment should be aware of their contraindications as well as early and late side effects. Since several antiinflammatory agents are reported to be effective in preventing HO, future reports dealing with HO after THA should always include information about the postoperative antiinflammatory treatment used.     

Intestinal parasites in a rural community in Kenya: cross-sectional surveys with emphasis on prevalence, incidence, duration of infection, and polyparasitism

A cross-sectional survey of intestinal parasitic infection in a rural community, Nderu, in Kiambu District, Kenya, was carried out in 1985 by examining 1129 individuals from 203 households (about 25% of the total population). This was followed by 3 more cross-sectional surveys, in January, May and October 1986, of 56 families comprising 461 individuals, who had also participated in the first survey. In the first survey, 81.4% of the sample was positive for at least one intestinal parasite and 78% was positive for intestinal protozoa. 72.7% of those infected had multiple infections. The prevalence of most of the protozoa increased with age but that of Giardia lamblia peaked in the 0 to 4 year class at 35.5%. Females were infected more often with several of the protozoa, but males with Ascaris. People living in larger households were more often infected with Entamoeba histolytica and Iodamoeba butschlii, while the opposite was true of H. nana and tended to be for Giardia. Significant positive associations between parasite species were common at all surveys, especially among the amoebae. The majority of negative associations were for Giardia. Unformed stools were significantly associated with Giardia, Blastocystis, and trophozoites of Trichomonas hominis and Chilomastix mesnili. Endolimax nana and Entamoeba coli were found more often in formed stools. Estimates of daily incidence, and duration of infection in days, were calculated for 11 parasites. The longest mean estimated duration of infection for any species was 237 +/- S.D. 151.4 days for H. nana and the shortest was 41.6 +/- S.D. 0.4 days for T. hominis.     

Cosolvency of Dimethyl Isosorbide for Steroid Solubility

Dimethyl isosorbide (DMI), which is currently under investigation for its potential use as a pharmaceutical vehicle and drug permeation enhancer, is a water-miscible liquid with relatively low viscosity. The solubilization behavior of DMI as a cosolvent for nonpolar drugs was characterized via dielectric constant measurements of binary solvent systems containing DMI and either water, propylene glycol (PG), or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Evidence from the dielectric constant profiles and NMR studies suggest that DMI undergoes complexation with water and PG, but not with PEG, through hydrogen bonding interactions. The solvent complexation exhibited a major effect on the solubilities of prednisone, dexamethasone, and prednisolone in the mixed solvent systems. Maximum solubility of each drug was found to occur near a DMI/water or DMI/PG concentration ratio of 1:2. In the DMI–PEG mixed system, while there is no apparent interaction between DMI and PEG molecules, the solubility of prednisone was found to increase with decreasing dielectric constant.     

Prenatal stroke suggested by intrauterine ultrasound and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Cerebral infarction is rare in premature newborns and is most commonly the result of arterial embolization from the placenta. A focal echodense area was identified on prenatal cranial ultrasonography (US) in a premature infant (34 weeks of gestation). After birth, cerebral infarction was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The clinical findings, imaging findings and pathogenesis are discussed. New diagnostic methods such as MRI show to be a useful approach in the neonatal period facilitating recognition of cerebrovascular accidents also in low-birth-weight infants.     

Cloning and characterization of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent PKCs expressed in Aplysia sensory cells

We isolated cDNA clones from an Aplysia sensory-cell library encoding two isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC). Several isozyme-specific regions are conserved in the Aplysia kinases, notably the variable regions V5 in the Ca(2+)-dependent PKC (Apl I) and V1 in the Ca(2+)-independent PKC (Apl II). Neuronal proteins with the properties expected of these two isoforms can be identified with antibodies raised against peptides synthesized from the amino acid sequences deduced from the clones. Sacktor and Schwartz (1990) measured the proportion of kinase activity that can be translocated to membrane in Aplysia sensory neurons and ganglia by stimuli that produce the presynaptic facilitation underlying behavioral sensitization. Much less Apl I and Apl II are translocated, suggesting that still other isoforms of PKC exist in these cells.