Laparoscopic ovarian reconstruction without suturing after cystectomy for endometrioma

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the technique of ovarian reconstruction without suturing after laparoscopic cystectomy of endometrioma. The secondary aim is to find the pregnancy rate following this technique. The study is a prospective observational study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). The interventions used in the study are laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy and reconstruction without suturing. Laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy was performed in 240 patients between May 2007 and April 2012 of which 182 consecutive patients who met the selection criteria were enrolled in the study. Intraoperatively, the cyst wall is completely enucleated. Ovarian tissue is kept apposed together with a bowel grasper for 5 min to reconstruct the ovary. No sutures are used for approximation of ovarian edges. The median (range) operating time for cystectomy and reconstruction was 22 min (15–75), and estimated blood loss was 50 ml (30–200). The ovarian reconstruction was good in 84.6 % of the cases, average in 10 % and poor in 5.4 % of the patients. Postoperative scan on day 1 showed pelvic collection (blood) in five cases (20–50 ml). 9.89 % had intraovarian haematoma of 2–3 cm which resolved spontaneously. All patients were followed at 1 month and pregnancy rate was calculated after a minimum follow up of 12 months. Pregnancy rate was 50.7 % (33 patients) in our study. Approximation of ovarian surface for ovarian reconstruction was associated with shorter operating times, good morphological ovarian reconstruction and comparable pregnancy outcome. This technique requires further well-designed randomized controlled trials.     

Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Prisons,England, 2020

Using laboratory data and a novel address matching methodology, we identified 734 cases of coronavirus disease in 88 prisons in England during March 16–October 12, 2020. An additional 412 cases were identified in prison staff and household members. We identified 84 prison outbreaks involving 86% of all prison-associated cases.     

Unusual clinical and histopathological presentation of facial tuberculosis

Atypical facial lupus vulgaris is described in two cases. The first case resembled sarcoidosis clinically and histologically but responded well to ATT. The second case whose clinical diagnosis of lupus vulgaris was confirmed therapeutically had an atypical histology.     

Prescribing habits and caregiver satisfaction with resources for dosing children: Rationale for more informative dosing guidance

Background  

Physicians, nurses and hospital pharmacists were surveyed to assess attitudes of hospital-based pediatric caregivers regarding the dosing of medicine to children. Our objectives were to gauge how current resources are utilized to guide the management of pediatric pharmacotherapy, assess drugs and drug classes where guidance is most critical and examine the prevalence and practice of dose adjustment in pediatric patients.     

Development and validation of a sensitive, specific, and rapid hybridization-ELISA assay for determination of concentrations of a ribozyme in biological matrices

Ribozymes are RNA or modified RNA polymers capable of catalyzing cleavage reactions in target strands RNA, and are under development as human therapeutics. Previous methods used for quantitation of nucleic acid polymers in serum or plasma required extraction of the polymer followed by capillary electrophoresis, HPLC, or gel electrophoresis. These methods are time consuming and lack sensitivity. A bioanalytical method has been developed that does not require extraction of the ribozyme analyte from serum. This technique relies on hybridization of the ribozyme molecule to two complementary biotin and digoxigenin labeled oligonucleotide probes. Serum containing the ribozyme is mixed with the labeled probes, and the mixture is heated at 75 degrees C for 5 min to disrupt the ribozyme secondary structure. Samples are then cooled to permit probe annealing and are added to a streptavidin-coated 96-well plate. The bound complex is detected with an anti-digoxigenin alkaline phosphatase (AP) conjugate using PNPP (p-nitrophenyl phosphate) as a substrate. The amount of colored product is measured on a microtiter plate reader at a wavelength of 405 nm. Concentrations of unknown ribozyme samples are estimated based on a standard curve (0.37-270 ng/ml) prepared in serum. The validated lower and upper limits of quantification are 5.0 and 120 ng/ml, respectively. The assay can be completed in approximately 5h and does not require extraction procedures or electrophoretic/chromatographic separation. It is therefore a simple, sensitive and rapid technique. This assay has been validated and has been used for quantitation of serum levels of the HEPTAZYME ribozyme in mouse, monkey, and human pharmacokinetic studies.     

High-Resolution Full-3D Specimen Imaging for Lumpectomy Margin Assessment in Breast Cancer

Annals of Surgical Oncology - Two-dimensional (2D) specimen radiography (SR) and tomosynthesis (DBT) for breast cancer yield data that lack high-depth resolution. A volumetric specimen imager (VSI)...