Do ethnicity and gender have an impact on pain thresholds in minor dermatologic procedures?

Background and Objectives: The perception of pain is a personal experience influenced by many factors, including genetic, ethnic and cultural issues. Understanding these perceptions is especially important in dermatologic patients undergoing minor surgical operations and who often differ in their pain response to surgical treatments. Little is known about how these differences affect the perception of experimental pain. The purpose of this study was to determine experimental pain perception differences in three distinct East Asian ethnic populations.
Methods: Pain thresholds were examined with a psychophysical computerized quantitative thermal sensory testing device (TSA 2001) in healthy volunteers recruited from three different Asian ethnic groups. Using the methods of limits, experimental pain perception threshold was measured on the forehead and volar aspect of the forearm in 49 healthy subjects. The measurements were then repeated after skin barrier perturbation with adhesive tape stripping of the stratum corneum. All three ethnic groups were analyzed separately with respect to age, gender educational level and skin type.
Results: A total of 20 Chinese, 14 Malay and 15 Indian subjects completed the study. Thermal pain thresholds were similar in all three ethnic groups before and after tape strippings. No significant differences were noted between genders.
Conclusions: Using quantitative sensory thermal testing, we demonstrated that no significant differences in pain occur between different races and genders.     

Double-orifice mitral valve with intact atrioventricular septum: an echocardiographic study with anatomic and functional considerations.

We identified 18 patients with double-orifice mitral valve (DOMV) and intact atrioventricular (AV) septum out of 40,179 echocardiographic studies performed between 1997 and 2002 at Children's Hospital, Denver, CO. In this study we describe (1) the anatomic characteristics of the DOMV in the absence of AV septal defect, (2) the function of the mitral valve by spectral and color Doppler flow mapping, and (3) associated lesions. The topographic location of the orifices in the leaflets suggests possible embryologic mechanisms of DOMV. In this series, DOMV was most commonly associated with left-sided obstructive lesions (in 39% of patients). Spectral and color Doppler interrogation demonstrated a normal flow profile in most cases; only 2 patients had significant mitral regurgitation or stenosis. Therefore, due to the uncertain natural history of this lesion and the potential need for endocarditis prophylaxis, careful imaging of the mitral valve is recommended, particularly in the presence of left-sided obstructive lesions.     

Changes in life roles after hand injury.

This study examines how acute hand injuries affect patients in their roles as spouse, caregiver, and/or worker. Qualitative data from patient interviews were used to analyze how these life roles were affected by the individuals' hand injuries. Data were extracted from interviews of three hand patients who had one or more roles of spouse, caregiver, and/or worker affected by their injury. Data were then examined and categorized for each life role by participant. Participants' views of how hand therapy affected their recovery and resumption of occupational role performance were also examined. Results showed that the participants expressed profound degrees of change in their ability to perform satisfactorily in their various life roles.     

Autoantibodies and levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in persons living near a hazardous waste treatment facility.

BACKGROUND: Increased autoantibody prevalence has been described in instances of high-dose exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In 1996, an equipment malfunction at the Swan Hills Treatment Centre in Alberta, Canada, caused the release of gases containing PCBs into the ambient air. In view of the immune effects of PCBs and their potential as endocrine disruptors, we assessed autoantibody prevalence and looked for correlations with PCB levels. METHODS: Fifty-seven persons living within a 100 km radius of the waste treatment facility were assessed. Autoantibodies were measured by indirect immunofluorescence, double immunodiffusion, and immunoblotting. The levels of 26 congeners of PCBs were measured by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Provincial health records for physician visits and hospitalizations were reviewed for diagnoses of autoimmune disease. RESULTS: The prevalence of autoantibodies was 11% in the study participants and 0% in healthy controls. There was no correlation of PCB levels with autoantibody results. There was no associated increase in autoimmune disease noted on physician visits or hospitalizations. PCB levels were comparable to background levels reported for other populations. CONCLUSION: A correlation of titers of autoantibodies in the sera of individuals at risk and the blood levels of PCBs was not found, and the prevalence of autoantibodies in the at-risk group was not statistically different (p > .05) from that of an unexposed control group. The study group had higher titers of autoantibodies and some strong reactivity with intracellular antigens, but the significance of this observation may be understood only after long-term clinical assessments and follow-up.     

18F-FDG PET can replace conventional work-up in primary M staging of nonkeratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Conventional work-up (CWU) with chest radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and skeletal scintigraphy has limited value in M staging of nonkeratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our aim was to evaluate whether (18)F-FDG PET could replace CWU by comparing their diagnostic efficacies. METHODS: Patients with histologically proven nonkeratinizing NPC and no prior treatment were prospectively enrolled. All study participants underwent CWU and (18)F-FDG PET for primary M staging. Distant metastasis was considered to be present if there was any reliable evidence identified within 1 y after diagnosis. The comparative diagnostic efficacies of (18)F-FDG PET, CWU, and the combination of (18)F-FDG PET and CWU (PET+CWU) were evaluated using the areas under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Sixty-one (20.3%) of 300 eligible patients were found to have distant metastases. On a patient-based analysis, (18)F-FDG PET was found to be more effective than CWU (P < 0.001), whereas it was equally effective with PET+CWU (P = 0.130). On region-based analyses, (18)F-FDG PET was more effective than skeletal scintigraphy and chest radiography for detecting bone metastases (P < 0.001) and chest metastases (P < 0.001), respectively. (18)F-FDG PET and abdominal ultrasound were equally effective for detecting hepatic metastases (P = 0.127). On region-based analyses, the combination of (18)F-FDG PET and CWU did not yield any noticeable increase in diagnostic efficacy. CONCLUSION: (18)F-FDG PET can replace CWU in primary M staging of nonkeratinizing NPC.     

Comparison of morning versus afternoon cecal intubation rates

Background  

Many factors impacting cecal intubation rates have been examined in detail; however, little information exists regarding the effect of the timing of the procedure. We sought to examine any difference in cecal intubation rates between morning and afternoon colonoscopies and identify factors contributing to a discrepancy.     

Stenting of coronary bifurcation lesions by using modified crush technique with double kissing balloon inflation (sleeve technique): immediate procedure result and short-term clinical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Sleeve technique is a modified version of crush technique. It is specifically designed to increase the success rate of final kissing balloon inflation, which used to be a major limitation of the latter. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility, safety, and early clinical outcomes of sleeve technique in stenting different types (de novo, in-stent restenotic or in-stent bifurcation) of coronary bifurcation lesions at different locations. METHODS: From August 2005 to May 2006, 41 consecutive patients with symptomatic, nonleft-main coronary bifurcation stenoses of diameter narrowing >or=50% were treated with two-stent strategy, using sleeve technique. RESULTS: The mean age was 63.6 +/- 11.6 years with male predominance (70.7%). High prevalence of diabetes mellitus (31.7%), total occlusion (22.0%), and multi-vessel disease (65.9%) was observed in this cohort. Intravenous abciximab was given in 35 (85.4%) patients. Final kissing balloon inflation was successfully performed in all patients. The minimal luminal diameter in main vessel and side branch was increased from 0.97 +/- 0.53 mm and 0.81 +/- 0.45 mm to 2.76 +/- 0.34 mm and 2.22 +/- 0.35 mm, respectively. The mean procedure time was only 66.6 +/- 24.6 min. There was one (2.4%) case of subacute stent thrombosis presented as non-Q-wave myocardial infarction at day 3 postprocedure. The resultant in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac event rate were both 2.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Sleeve technique is a feasible and efficient approach in stenting of coronary bifurcation stenoses.