Psychopathology in individuals with post-traumatic headaches and other pain types

In this study, the psychological functioning of patients with chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH), chronic combination headache and chronic low back pain without headache, whose time of onset was similar, and a matched group of controls was investigated. The Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form Y (STAI-Y), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to assess the degree of psychopathology. A MANOVA test indicated highly significant differences between groups. In general, the pain groups fell along a continuum with PTH subjects demonstrating the highest elevations, back pain subjects demonstrating the next highest elevations, and combination subjects demonstrating fewer elevations. A cluster analysis indicated that findings were best classified into four clusters, but no one pain diagnosis predominated in any cluster. Eighty-nine percent of controls were assigned to clusters 1 or 2, which revealed essentially normal scores on all tests. It is suggested that while chronic pain patients demonstrate more psychopathology than non-pain controls, a variety of coping styles exists within each pain group independent of diagnostic categorization.     

白藜芦醇对动物离体心房收缩力和心率作用的种属差异性比较

目的:观察白藜芦醇对豚鼠、小鼠和家兔离体心肌收缩力和心率的影响。方法:实验于2005-08/2006-12在河北医科大学西校区实验中心完成。①实验分组:离体豚鼠、小鼠和家兔心肌各分为9组:空白对照组、溶剂对照组、递增累积浓度白藜芦醇组(浓度为10-6,3×10-6,10-5,3×10-5,10-4,3×10-4mol/L),白藜芦醇对照组(5×10-5mol/L),ATP敏感性钾通道阻断剂格列苯脲(5×10-5mol/L)预孵育 白藜芦醇组,钙激活钾通道阻断剂四乙胺(10-3mol/L)预孵育 白藜芦醇组,电压依赖性钾通道阻断剂4-氨基吡啶(10-3mol/L)预孵育 白藜芦醇组,内向整流钾通道阻断剂氯化钡(10-4mol/L)预孵育 白藜芦醇组,乙酰胆碱调节钾通道阻断剂阿托品(10-5mol/L)预孵育 白藜芦醇组。②实验方法:不同类型的钾通道阻断剂均预孵育15min后,分别加入白藜芦醇(终浓度为5×10-5mol/L),连续记录30min,与相应动物白藜芦醇对照组相比较。③评估指标:分析不同阻断剂与白藜芦醇联用对心房收缩力下降率及心率抑制率的影响。结果:①白藜芦醇可降低豚鼠和小鼠离体心肌收缩力和心率(P<0.05),并被ATP敏感性钾通道阻断剂格列苯脲和钙激活钾通道阻断剂四乙胺部分阻断。②白藜芦醇可降低家兔离体心肌心率,格列苯脲可阻断白藜芦醇的负性变时作用。③电压依赖性钾通道阻断剂4-氨基吡啶、内向整流钾通道阻断剂氯化钡、乙酰胆碱调节钾通道阻断剂阿托品均不能阻断白藜芦醇对3种不同动物离体心房收缩力和心率的作用(P>0.05)。结论:白藜芦醇可呈剂量依赖性减慢豚鼠、小鼠和家兔的心率,白藜芦醇可减弱豚鼠心肌收缩力,其作用是与开放ATP敏感性钾通道有关,而与电压依赖性钾通道、内向整流钾通道和乙酰胆碱调节钾通道无关。同时,钙激活钾通道也参与了白藜芦醇对豚鼠和小鼠离体心房收缩力和/或心率的抑制作用。白藜芦醇对离体心肌收缩力和心率的作用有种属差异性。     

Long-term, open catheterization of the spinal subarachnoid space for continuous infusion of narcotic and bupivacaine in patients with "refractory" cancer pain. A technique of catheterization and its problems and complications.

The technique of long-term, open catheterization of the spinal subarachnoid space for infusion of analgesics in patients with refractory cancer pain is sparsely reported in the literature. We report on a technique using 18G Portex nylon catheters and 16G-17G Tuohy needles, and its problems and complications. One hundred fifty-seven catheters were inserted in 142 patients, in most of them (79%) under deep sedation and local anesthesia. Attempts were made to place the catheter tip as close to the painful segments as possible. The catheters were tunneled subcutaneously (87% of them paravertebrally, over the shoulder, and further parasternally to the third chondrocostal cartilage). The Luer connections of the catheters were fixed to the patients' skin with monofilament steel sutures of dimension 0 and connected to a bacterial filter. At the end of the procedure, 10 ml isotonic saline was injected intrathecally to prevent postspinal puncture headache. Absorbent and impermeable dressings were applied over the tunnel exit, catheter Luer connection and bacterial filter. Antibiotics were given on the day of insertion and 2 days thereafter. During the insertion procedure, the following problems and complications were encountered; two or more attempts before successful spinal-dural puncture (32%), accidental puncture of an extradural vessel (10%), difficult dural puncture (18%), absence of free dripping of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in spite of successful dural puncture (4%), blood-stained CSF (9%), radicular pain and paresthesiae (4%), difficult advancement of the catheter (6%), difficult tunneling (11%), and bleeding in the tunnel (0.7%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A randomized, controlled trial of intravenous clodronate in patients with metastatic bone disease and pain

To evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous clodronate in ameliorating refractory bone pain in patients with metastatic bone disease, 60 patients with established osseous metastases and persistent bone pain were randomized to receive either clodronate (600 mg or 1500 mg in 500 mL of normal saline) or 500 mL of saline as placebo. After 2 weeks, the patients were crossed over to receive the alternate treatment. After another 2 weeks, each patient and investigator made a blinded choice. Daily visual analogue scales (VAS) and analgesic diaries were recorded throughout the study period. Forty-six patients were evaluable (77%). A treatment × period interaction was identified in the VAS and daily morphine equivalent dose (DATED) scores. First period analysis of the VAS scores for general pain, pain at rest, and pain upon movement demonstrated an average reduction of 13, 14, and 24 mm, respectively, from baseline, but were not significantly different from changes following placebo. The average change in DMED was −6 .4 (SE = 2.9) following clodronate and was +24.6 (SE = 14.9) following placebo (p = 0.03). In the blinded choice of which agent resulted in improvement in pain, 26 (57%) patients chose clodronate, 12 (26%) chose placebo, and eight (17%) had no preference (p = 0. 0021). For the investigators who also made a blinded selection, clodronate was chosen in 30 (65%) patients, placebo in ten (22%) patients, and no difference was apparent in six (13%) (p < 0.0001). Intravenous clodronate appeared to have analgesic effect in patients with refractory bone pain due to metastatic bone disease. The optimal dose and duration of effect require further evaluation, particularly in patients with stable disease and persistent bone pain.     

A study of HLA (Bg) on red cells and platelets by immunoblotting with monoclonal antibodies

HLA class I antigens (Bg) on red cells (RBCs) are expressed by some normal donors and by many patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To identify the membrane components previously detected by hemagglutination with HLA class I-specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs), RBC membrane preparations were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotted with the HLA class I MoAbs. Two components were obtained that reacted with the MoAbs: a heavy chain of 45 kDa and a light chain termed beta2-microglobulin (beta2-M) of 11 kDa. The effect of chloroquine and acid elution in stripping HLA antigens is shown to be due to the removal of beta2-M, as only that component was detected in eluates from reactive RBCs. Neither antibody elution method affected the heavy chain expression assessed by immunoblotting. It is concluded that HLA class I antigens on RBCs are integral membrane components of the type normally found and wisely distributed on many nucleated cells. Platelets, which have stronger HLA class I antigen expression, were also studied, and their membrane preparations yielded heavy chain and beta2-M molecules; the effect of chloroquine treatment was harder to assess than that of acid elution, owing to the sensitivity with which both components are detected in immunoblotting. In eluates obtained from acid treatment only beta2-M is detected.     

Clinical measurement of swallowing in health and in neurogenic dysphagia

We studied clinical features potentially related to dysphagia and three indices from a timed test of swallowing--average volume per swallow (ml), average time (s) per swallow and swallowing capacity (ml/s)--in 181 screened healthy adults and 30 patients with motor neurone disease (MND). In healthy adults, age, sex and height accounted for 44.3% and 55.6% of the variance of log average volume per swallow and log swallowing capacity, respectively. Symptoms and signs were more prevalent in the MND group and were associated with reduced swallowing capacity and reduced average volume per swallow; repeatability studies on these two indices in both groups showed that the median difference between the mean of two recordings on successive days and the mean of all recordings (6-15 over 3 days) was < 5% (maximum third quartile 12.8%, indices expressed as percent predicted according to age and sex). Using this simple bedside test, swallowing function can be quantified on a ratio scale and expressed as percent of that predicted by age and sex; such information may improve the predictive value of clinical assessment and provides a practical way of monitoring change in patients with dysphagia.      

Respiratory insufficiency in neuronopathic and neuropathic disorders

Twenty-nine patients with a neuronopathic or neuropathic disorder were referred for assessment of respiratory insufficiency between 1978 and 1994. Diagnoses included spinal muscular atrophy (6), chronic idiopathic demyelinating neuropathy (4), Vialetto-van Laere syndrome (3), hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (3) and a miscellaneous group (5). We also describe seven patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) who required long-term ventilatory support for over 6 months to 7 years after the initial illness. Respiratory insufficiency occurred as a consequence of respiratory muscle weakness, impaired bulbar function and restrictive lung defects. In some groups presentation was with progressive nocturnal hypoventilation culminating in acute respiratory failure. Five patients with GBS or chronic idiopathic demyelinating neuropathy were weaned from ventilatory support up to 18 months after the initial illness. The remaining 24 patients required continuous or nocturnal ventilatory support using intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (13), negative pressure ventilation (4), nasal-mask-delivered intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (4), nasal-mask-delivered continuous positive-pressure ventilation (3), mouthpiece-assisted ventilation by day (2) and rocking bed (1). None have been weaned from support after a period of ventilation ranging from one month to 10 years. Eight patients have subsequently died.      

Clinical Impact of Tumour Involvement of the Anastomotic Doughnut in Oesophagogastric Cancer Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Published colorectal cancer surgery data suggest no role for the analysis of the anastomotic doughnuts following anterior resection. The usefulness of routine histological analysis of the upper gastrointestinal doughnut is not clear. Our study assessed the impact of cancer involvement of the doughnut on clinical practice. Factors associated with doughnut involvement and the effect on patients'' survival were also analysed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The clinicopathological details of 462 patients who underwent potentially curative oesophagogastrectomy for cancer with a stapled anastomosis between 1994 and 2006 in two specialist centres were retrospectively analysed. Univariate, multivariate and survival analyses were carried out.

RESULTS

Approximately 5% of doughnuts (22 of 462) were histologically involved with cancer. Microscopic involvement of the proximal resection margin, local lymph node metastasis and lymphatic invasion within the main resected specimen were independently associated with doughnut involvement (all P < 0.05). However, these three factors taken together failed to predict doughnut involvement. Doughnut involvement was an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (P = 0.0013).

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to findings in colorectal surgery, doughnut involvement with cancer appears to have useful prognostic information following oesophagogastrectomy. Routine histological analysis of upper gastrointestinal doughnuts is justified. Doughnut involvement could potentially strengthen the indications for adjuvant therapy in the future.