Urban legends series: Sjögren’s syndrome

Oral Diseases (2012) 19 , 46–58 Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is one of the most common autoimmune rheumatic diseases, clinically characterized by xerostomia and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. We investigated the following controversial topics: (i) Do we have reliable ways of assessing saliva production? (ii) How important are the quantity and quality of saliva? (iii) Are only anti‐SSA/Ro and anti‐SSB/La relevant for the diagnosis of SjS? (iv) Are the American‐European Consensus criteria (AECC) the best way to diagnose SjS? Results from literature searches suggested the following: (i) Despite the fact that numerous tests are available to assess salivation rates, direct comparisons among them are scarce with little evidence to suggest one best test. (ii) Recent developments highlight the importance of investigating the composition of saliva. However, more research is needed to standardize the methods of analysis and collection and refine the quality of the accumulating data. (iii) In addition to anti‐Ro/La autoantibodies, anti α‐fodrin IgA and anti‐MR3 autoantibodies seem to be promising diagnostic markers of SjS, but more studies are warranted to test their sensitivity and specificity. (iv) AECC are classification, not diagnostic criteria. Moreover, recent innovations have not been incorporated into these criteria. Consequently, treatment directed to patients diagnosed using the AECC might exclude a significant proportion of patients with SjS.     

Reduction in length of stay for patients undergoing oesophageal and gastric resections with implementation of enhanced recovery packages

Introduction

The high mortality and morbidity associated with resection for oesophagogastric malignancy has resulted in a conservative approach to the postoperative management of this patient group. In August 2009 we introduced an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway tailored to patients undergoing resection for oesophagogastric malignancy. We aimed to assess the impact of this change in practice on standard clinical outcomes.

Methods

Two cohorts were studied of patients undergoing resection for oesophagogastric malignancy before (August 2008 – July 2009) and after (August 2009 – July 2010) the implementation of the ERAS pathway. Data were collected on demographics, interventions, length of stay, morbidity and in-hospital mortality.

Results

There were 53 and 55 oesophagogastric resections undertaken respectively for malignant disease in each of the study periods. The median length of stay for both gastric and oesophageal resection decreased from 15 to 11 days (Mann– Whitney U, p<0.001) following implementation of the ERAS pathway. There was no significant increase in morbidity (gastric resection 23.1% vs 5.3% and oesophageal resection 25.9% vs 16.7%) or mortality (gastric resection no deaths and oesophageal resection 1.8% vs 3.6%) associated with the changes. There was a significant decrease in the number of oral contrast studies used following oesophageal resection, with a reduction from 21 (77.8%) in 2008–2009 to 6 (16.7%) in 2009–2010 (chi-squared test, p<0.0001).

Conclusions

The introduction of an enhanced recovery programme following oesophagogastric surgery resulted in a significant decrease in length of median patient stay in hospital without a significant increase in associated morbidity and mortality.     

Using mobile technology to overcome language barriers in medicine

Australia has a large migrant population with variable fluency in English. Interpreting services help ensure that healthcare services are delivered appropriately to these populations. However, the use of professional interpreters in hospitals is expensive. There are also issues with service availability and convenience. Mobile devices containing software with translating abilities have promising potential to improve communication between patients and hospital staff as an adjunct to professional interpreters. It is highly convenient and inexpensive. There are concerns about the accuracy of the interpretation done with such software and more research needs to be carried out to support or allay these concerns. For now, clinically important and medicolegal related interpretation should be undertaken by professional interpreters whereas less crucial tasks may be performed with the help of interpreting software on mobile devices.     

Effects of inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms on warfarin maintenance doses in Korean patients with mechanical cardiac valves

Cytokines that are involved in inflammation are related to blood coagulation, which could indirectly affect warfarin dose requirements. This study aimed to examine the effects of inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms on warfarin dose requirements for Korean patients with mechanical heart valves. In total, 191 patients with mechanical heart valves who were on warfarin anticoagulation therapy and maintained INR levels of 2–3 for three consecutive occasions were retrospectively followed up. In addition to vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 polymorphisms, the interferon-γ, interleukin-1β (IL1B), interleukin-6, interleukin-10, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFB1), tumor necrosis factor-α, and C-reactive protein genotypes were determined. The predictive contribution of age, VKORC1, and CYP2C9 to variability was 46.0 %. The addition of IL1B and TGFB1 polymorphisms increased the R ² to 48.8 % for stable dose requirements, and significantly higher doses were found, especially when the TGFB1 CC genotype was combined with the IL1B TT genotype. Based on the results, it was concluded that inflammatory cytokine genes, such as TGFB1 and IL1B, can be predictive variables for stable warfarin doses in Korean patients.     

Thrombin causes subsecond changes in protein phosphorylation of platelets

We have developed a general quenched-flow approach to study platelet function as early as 0.3 seconds after stimulation. Phosphorylation of 20- and 40-kd proteins has been analyzed during the first five seconds of platelet response to thrombin from 0.1 to 5.0 U/mL and compared with the progress of aggregation and serotonin secretion. The onset time for aggregation and phosphorylation of both proteins was less than one second, although with lowest (less than 0.5 U/mL) thrombin levels, a lag of up to 0.6 seconds occurred before 40K phosphorylation increased. The thrombin sensitivity of aggregation and 20K phosphorylation was approximately twice that of 40K phosphorylation, with Ka values of 0.51 and 0.53 v 1.10 U/mL, respectively. External calcium was necessary for maximal 20K phosphorylation, since EDTA inhibited this by 30%. The 40K phosphorylation was not affected by EDTA. Platelet activation by thrombin thus induced biochemical changes well before one second. The quenched-flow approach may help to reveal relationships between phospholipase activation, calcium fluxes, and protein phosphorylation during these early periods of platelet function.