Care of the child with sickle cell disease: acute complications

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a term used to describe a group of genetic disorders of hemoglobin production characterized by a predominance of the abnormal hemoglobin known as hemoglobin S. Common acute complications of SCD in children requiring hospitalization include painful episodes, febrile illness, and splenic sequestration. The staff nurse has an important role in providing prompt treatment and instituting preventative measures to avoid the adverse clinical outcomes of SCD such as acute chest syndrome, severe anemia, cardiovascular instability, and bacterial sepsis. A basic understanding of the pathophysiology of vaso-occlusion, the immune system, hemolysis, and the spleen is essential in the care of a child during an acute complication of SCD. Additionally important are a knowledge of the genetics, pathophysiology, medical and nursing management, and a familiarity with patient and family education material relating to sickle cell disease.     

"Excessive tears": a diagnostic sign for cocaine-induced mood disorder?

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate excessive tearfulness as a sign to help determine the etiology of depressive symptoms. METHODS: Clinicians were instructed to document the occurrence of excessive tearfulness in all patients seen in the Psychiatric Emergency Service. Excessive tearfulness was defined as crying to the severity that at least 1 tear drops off the face. A comparison group was formed from the general population of the Psychiatric Emergency Service. RESULTS: Excessive tearfulness was documented in 36 different patients. The prevalence of the sign in the general population was 1.9%. Patients with excessive tearfulness were more likely to have cocaine in their urine (P < .0001, chi(2) test), receive a substance-related primary diagnosis (P < .0001, chi(2) test), and be admitted for psychiatric hospitalization (P < .001 chi(2) test). Patients with excessive tearfulness had significantly shorter voluntary hospital stays (P < .05, t test). CONCLUSION: Excessive tearfulness could be a useful clinical sign of cocaine-induced depression.     

[76Br]BMK‐I‐152, a non‐peptide analogue for PET imaging of corticotropin‐releasing hormone type 1 receptor (CRHR1)

The study of corticotropin‐releasing hormone is of significant interest in mental health. We have developed a radiobromination procedure for the preparation of [⁷⁶Br]BMK‐I‐152, a high‐affinity corticotropin‐releasing hormone type 1 receptor antagonist. The radiobromination procedure resulted in the formation of two radiobrominated products from the same trialkyltin precursor. Utilizing the results of several reaction conditions and the chromatographic and mass spectral data obtained from Waters Acquity and Q‐TOF, we determined that both 3‐bromo and 4‐bromo isomers could be obtained. The authentic sample of the 3‐bromo isomer was prepared to confirm the identity of a previously unknown radioactive side product; affinity assays revealed that the 4‐bromo isomer had ～70 times higher affinity than that of the 3‐bromo compound. By manipulation of reaction conditions, the individual products could be selected. Under no‐carrier‐added conditions at room temperature in aqueous acetonitrile, the major radioactive product (>80%) was identified as the 3‐[⁷⁶Br]bromo‐4‐tributylstannyl analogue of BMK‐I‐152. The 4‐[⁷⁶Br]bromo isomer accounted for less than 1% of the total activity. The 3‐[⁷⁶Br]bromo BMK‐I‐152 could be obtained by treating this intermediate with trifluoroacetic acid to effect removal of the trialkyltin. If the radiobromination was conducted after first evaporating the water from the aqueous ammonium hydroxide solution of [⁷⁶Br]bromide, the desired 4‐[⁷⁶Br]bromo isomer was obtained with a 58% radiochemical yield. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Change of phonation control after cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of acquired auditory control on some voice parameters in deaf children and adults after cochlear implantation. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Twenty-nine prelingually deafened children and 11 postlingually deafened adults. INTERVENTIONS: The samples of a vowel /a/ were analyzed with an Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (Kay Elemetrics Corporation, Lincoln Park, NJ) before and 6 to 12 months after the cochlear implantation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The average fundamental frequency (F0), the short-term variation of F0 (JIT) and the amplitude (SH), the very long-term variation of F0 (vF0) and the amplitude (vAm), and the noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR) were determined and compared for both age groups. The results of the acoustic analysis performed before the implantation were compared with the results after the implantation for children and adults. RESULTS: Significantly greater JIT, SH, vF0, and vAm were detected in the children than in the adults before and after the implantation. The prelingually deafened children significantly improved the control of their phonation after 6 to 12 months' use of the cochlear implant (JIT: p=0.014, SH: p=0.011, vF0: p=0.014, vAm: p=0.031). In the postlingually deafened adults, no significant improvement was found in any of the studied voice parameters after the implantation. F0 showed little or no change after the implantation in children and adults. CONCLUSION: As expected, the voice quality of the prelingually deafened children was significantly worse than that of the postlingually deafened adults. After cochlear implantation, the children significantly improved their short-term and long-term F0 and amplitude variability. In adults, no significant improvement was detected. We suppose that the improvement is a consequence not only of the acquired hearing control but also of the adaptation ability of neuromuscular phonation control and the maturing of these control mechanisms in children. In adults, better phonation quality in general and lesser improvement after the implantation can be the results of well-developed and stable phonation patterns.     

Clinical policies: their history, future, medical legal implications, and growing importance to physicians

The proliferation of research, particularly research into evidence-based care and quality improvement, has brought about a void in the need to educate, summarize, and distill scientific advances. Clinical policies or practice guidelines are a unique method of filling this void. While the number of policies published has increased significantly over the last 10 years, their impact on physician practice remains ill-defined. This article aims to provide historical background and methodology, explore physician attitudes toward them and their effectiveness at impacting clinical care, as well as discuss their future medical legal implications.     

Emergency Neurological Life Support: Airway,Ventilation, and Sedation

Airway management and ventilation are central to the resuscitation of the neurologically ill. These patients often have evolving processes that threaten the airway and adequate ventilation. Furthermore, intubation, ventilation, and sedative choices directly affect brain perfusion. Therefore, airway, ventilation, and sedation was chosen as an emergency neurological life support protocol. Topics include airway management, when and how to intubate with special attention to hemodynamics and preservation of cerebral blood flow, mechanical ventilation settings, and the use of sedative agents based on the patient’s neurological status.     

Proteomic profiling of naïve multiple myeloma patient plasma cells identifies pathways associated with favourable response to bortezomib‐based treatment regimens

Toward our goal of personalized medicine, we comprehensively profiled pre‐treatment malignant plasma cells from multiple myeloma patients and prospectively identified pathways predictive of favourable response to bortezomib‐based treatment regimens. We utilized two complementary quantitative proteomics platforms to identify differentially‐regulated proteins indicative of at least a very good partial response (VGPR) or complete response/near complete response (CR/nCR) to two treatment regimens containing either bortezomib, liposomal doxorubicin and dexamethasone (VDD), or lenalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (RVD). Our results suggest enrichment of ‘universal response’ pathways that are common to both treatment regimens and are probable predictors of favourable response to bortezomib, including a subset of endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways. The data also implicate pathways unique to each regimen that may predict sensitivity to DNA‐damaging agents, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, and immunomodulatory drugs, which was associated with acute phase response signalling. Overall, we identified patterns of tumour characteristics that may predict response to bortezomib‐based regimens and their components. These results provide a rationale for further evaluation of the protein profiles identified herein for targeted selection of anti‐myeloma therapy to increase the likelihood of improved treatment outcome of patients with newly‐diagnosed myeloma.     

Respiratory symptoms in fish processing workers on the Adriatic coast of Croatia

This article describes respiratory symptoms and lung function in 98 fish processing female workers employed in a fish processing plant located on the Croatian Adriatic coast and 95 matching controls. The study included chronic and acute respiratory symptoms which developed during the shifts. Lung function measurements included forced vital capacity (FVC), one-second forced expiratory volume (FEV(1)) and maximal expiratory rates at 50 % and the last 25 % (FEF(50), FEF(25)). Chronic respiratory symptoms were significantly dominant in fish processing workers compared to controls. The most common chronic symptoms were hoarseness (57.1 %), nasal catarrh (51.0 %), chronic cough (42.9 %), chronic phlegm (34.7 %), and frequent chest cold (35.7 %). Exposed smokers and nonsmokers had a similar prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Acute symptoms over the work shift were high, with headache in lead (smokers: 62.5 %; nonsmokers: 56.1 %). Most of the ventilatory capacity parameters were significantly lower than predicted, FEF(25) in particular, indicating obstructive changes predominantly in the smaller airways. These findings suggest that fish processing workers are prone to developing acute and chronic respiratory symptoms as well as to lung function changes. This calls for medical and technical preventive measures to be introduced in the work environment of the fish processing plant.     

I Am the 1 in 10—What Should I Eat? A Research Review of Nutrition in Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic, painful, estrogen-related inflammatory disease that affects approximately 10% of the female population. Endometriosis has a significant negative impact on quality of life. Nutrition may be involved in the development and severity of endometriosis. The purpose of this paper is to discuss in detail the nutritional recommendations for patients with endometriosis. This article discusses the importance of nutrients such as polyphenols, vitamins C, D and E, PUFAs, and iron in the development of endometriosis. Alternative diets, such as the Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory, vegetarian, low-nickel and low-FODMAP diets, have also been presented in the context of their potential beneficial effects on the course of endometriosis.