Recommendations and rationale for the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is one of the most common serious infections of nonpregnant women of reproductive age. Management of PID is directed at containment of infection. Goals of therapy include the resolution of clinical symptoms and signs, the eradication of pathogens from the genital tract and the prevention of sequelae including infertility, ectopic pregnancy and chronic pelvic pain. The choice of an antibiotic regimen used to treat PID relies upon the appreciation of the polymicrobial etiology of this ascending infection including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and other lower genital tract endogenous anaerobic and facultative bacteria, many of which are associated with bacterial vaginosis. Currently available evidence and the CDC treatment recommendations support the use of broad-spectrum antibiotic regimens that adequately cover the above named microorganisms. The outpatient treatment of mild-to-moderate PID should include tolerated antibiotic regimens consisting of an extended-spectrum cephalosporin in conjunction with either azithromycin or doxycycline. Clinically severe PID should prompt hospitalization and imaging to rule out a tubo-ovarian abscess. Parenteral broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy with activity against a polymicrobial flora, particularly Gram-negative aerobes and anaerobes, should be implemented.     

Morphine: double-faced roles in the regulation of tumor development

Morphine, a highly potent analgesic, is one of the most effective drugs for the treatment of severe pain associated with cancer. It directly acts on the central nervous system to relieve pain, but also cause secondary complications, such as addiction, respiratory depression and constipation due to its activities on peripheral tissues. Besides pain relief, morphine is of great importance on cancer management with its effect on tumor development being the subject of debate for many years with some contradictory findings. Morphine has shown both tumor growth-promoting and growth-inhibiting effects in many published research studies. And various signaling pathways have been suggested to be involved in these effects of morphine. Based on a thorough literature review, we summarized the double-faced effects of morphine in tumor development, including tumor cell growth and apoptosis, metastasis, angiogenesis, immunomodulation and inflammation. And we attempted to optimize morphine administration in cancer patients to attenuate its tumor growth-promoting effects.     

Reversal by antrectomy of endocrine cell hyperplasia in the gastric body in pernicious anemia: a morphometric study

Multifocal gastric carcinoid tumors occasionally develop in patients with pernicious anemia, associated with hyperplasia of endocrine cells in the atrophic and metaplastic gastric body mucosa. This constellation of findings probably requires a trophic drive from hypergastrinemia associated with antral G cell hyperplasia, a consequence of achlorhydria in these patients. We report a case in which antrectomy was performed on such a patient in order to abrogate the trophic stimulus. Antrectomy was followed by resolution of hypergastrinemia and a decrease in the size of polyps endoscopically. Nine months later, the gastric remnant was resected. Using morphometric techniques, endocrine cells in the initial antrectomy specimen (which included body mucosa at the resection line) were compared with those in the subsequently removed gastric body. Antrectomy resulted in striking decreases in number (137 versus 34/mm2; P = 0.0001) and size (93 versus 56 microns2; P = 0.0001) of endocrine cells of body mucosa. The findings suggest that antrectomy may be useful in the management of endocrine cell hyperplasia, and possibly also associated carcinoid tumors, in pernicious anemia.     

How pediatricians can respond to the psychosocial implications of disasters. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, 1998-1999

Natural and human-caused disasters, violence with weapons, and terrorist acts have touched directly the lives of thousands of families with children in the United States.1 Media coverage of disasters has brought images of floods, hurricanes, and airplane crashes into the living rooms of most American families, with limited censorship for vulnerable young children. Therefore, children may be exposed to disastrous events in ways that previous generations never or rarely experienced. Pediatricians should serve as important resources to the community in preparing for disasters, as well as acting in its behalf during and after such events.     

A prospective cohort study to investigate cost-minimisation,of Traditional open,open fAst track recovery and laParoscopic fASt track multimodal management,for surgical patients with colon carcinomas (TAPAS study)

Background

The present developments in colon surgery are characterized by two innovations: the introduction of the laparoscopic operation technique and fast recovery programs such as the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) recovery program. The Tapas-study was conceived to determine which of the three treatment programs: open conventional surgery, open 'ERAS' surgery or laparoscopic 'ERAS' surgery for patients with colon carcinomas is most cost minimizing?

Method/design

The Tapas-study is a three-arm multicenter prospective cohort study.All patients with colon carcinoma, eligible for surgical treatment within the study period in four general teaching hospitals and one university hospital will be included. This design produces three cohorts: Conventional open surgery is the control exposure (cohort 1). Open surgery with ERAS recovery (cohort 2) and laparoscopic surgery with ERAS recovery (cohort 3) are the alternative exposures. Three separate time periods are used in order to prevent attrition bias.Primary outcome parameters are the two main cost factors: direct medical costs (real cost price calculation) and the indirect non medical costs (friction method). Secondary outcome parameters are mortality, complications, surgical-oncological resection margins, hospital stay, readmission rates, time back to work/recovery, health status and quality of life.Based on an estimated difference in direct medical costs (highest cost factor) of 38% between open and laparoscopic surgery (alfa = 0.01, beta = 0.05), a group size of 3×40 = 120 patients is calculated.

Discussion

The Tapas-study is three-arm multicenter cohort study that will provide a cost evaluation of three treatment programs for patients with colon carcinoma, which may serve as a guideline for choice of treatment and investment strategies in hospitals.

Trial registration

ISRCTN44649165.

     

Prevention and management of hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with hematological malignancies treated with anticancer therapy

Hepatitis due to hepatitis B virus(HBV) reactivation can be severe and potentially fatal, but is preventable. HBV reactivation is most commonly reported in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy, especially rituximabcontaining therapy for hematological malignancies and those receiving stem cell transplantation. All patients with hematological malignancies receiving anticancer therapy should be screened for active or resolved HBV infection by blood tests for hepatitis B surface antigen(HBs Ag) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen(antiHBc). Patients found to be positive for HBs Ag should be given prophylactic antiviral therapy to prevent HBV reactivation. For patients with resolved HBV infection, no standard strategy has yet been established to prevent HBV reactivation. There are usually two options. One is pre-emptive therapy guided by serial HBV DNA monitoring, whereby antiviral therapy is given as soon as HBV DNA becomes detectable. However, there is little evidence regarding the optimal interval and period of monitoring. An alternative approach is prophylactic antiviral therapy, especially for patients receiving highrisk therapy such as rituximab, newer generation of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, obinutuzumab or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This strategy may effectively prevent HBV reactivation and avoid the inconvenience of repeated HBV DNA monitoring. Entecavir or tenofovir are preferred over lamivudine as prophylactic therapy. Although there is no well-defined guideline on the optimal duration of prophylactic therapy, there is growing evidence to recommend continuing prophylactic antiviral therapy for at least 12 mo after cessation of chemotherapy, and even longer for those who receive rituximab or who had high serum HBV DNA levels before the start of immunosuppressive therapy. Many novel agents have recently become available for the treatment of hematological malignancies, and these agents may be associated with HBV reactivation. Although there is currently limited evidence to guide the optimal preventive measures, we recommend antiviral prophylaxis in HBs Ag-positive patients receiving novel treatments, especially the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitors, which are B-cell receptor signaling modulators and reduce proliferation of malignant B-cells. Further studies are needed to clarify the risk of HBV reactivation with these agents and the best prophylactic strategy in the era of targeted therapy for hematological malignancies.     

甲状腺术中喉返神经监测技术的标准化

目的在甲状腺手术中缺少术中神经监测(intra operative neuromonitoring,IONM)的标准化操作可导致结果变异性强,这些结果可产生错误信息并增加喉返神经损伤的危险性。因此有必要进行IONM操作的标准化。方法本研究共招募了289例进行过甲状腺切除术的患者(435根神经有危险),均由一位外科医师实施手术。每例患者均由同一位麻醉师使用EMG气管导管进行插管。每例患者均进行标准化IONM操作。该操作包括术前和术后对声带运动进行录像监测、保证电极在正确位置、喉返神经剥离前后刺激迷走神经并记录EMG信号,并摄像记录暴露的喉返神经。结果5例患者出现IONM波形异常,是由于电极错位所致,这一问题被立刻监测到。监测到1例患者在手术较早阶段出现非喉返神经损伤。甲状腺剥离时18例患者的神经失去了EMG信号,使用我们的标准化IONM操作后神经损伤的原因得以清楚阐明。结论标准化IONM操作不仅在消除错误的IONM结果方面有用且有帮助,而且有助于阐明喉返神经损伤的机制。在确定外科手术的缺陷并提高外科手术技巧后,本研究显著降低了神经麻痹的发生率。