Anterior capsulotomy and continuous passive motion in the treatment of post-traumatic flexion contracture of the elbow. A prospective study.

Thirty-three patients who had a post-traumatic flexion contracture of the elbow were managed consecutively with anterior capsulotomy without tenotomy of the biceps tendon or myotomy of the brachialis muscle. The first fifteen patients (Group I) did not receive continuous passive motion postoperatively. Preoperative active extension for Group I was to an average of 48 degrees short of full extension, which improved to 19 degrees at a mean follow-up time of forty-five months. Subsequently, eighteen patients (Group II) received continuous passive motion postoperatively for a mean of six weeks. Preoperative active extension for Group II was to an average of 55 degrees short of full extension, which improved to 23 degrees at a mean duration of follow-up of thirty-five months. The mean preoperative arc of motion for Group I was 69 degrees, which improved to 94 degrees postoperatively. The mean preoperative arc of motion for Group II was 48 degrees, which improved to 95 degrees postoperatively. Five patients in Group I and six patients in Group II had severe preoperative heterotopic ossification. There was no correlation, however, between preoperative heterotopic ossification and the amount that extension of the elbow improved postoperatively. There was no postoperative increase in heterotopic ossification. Four patients in Group I and six patients in Group II had severe post-traumatic osteoarthrosis preoperatively. Anterior capsulotomy is an effective treatment of post-traumatic flexion contracture of the elbow. Although the postoperative use of continuous passive motion did not significantly improve mean active extension, it did improve active flexion and the total arc of motion.     

Lowering appointment failures in a neighborhood health center.

Failure to keep appointments constitutes a barrier to the delivery of continuous care in many comprehensive health care facilities. At a neighborhood health center in Pittsburgh, Pa., 336 appointments were studied to determine whether reminder letters or reminder calls could improve compliance with appointments scheduled more than three weeks in advance. The failure rate in the control group was 38 per cent compared with 10 per cent for the letter reminder group and 9 per cent for the telephone reminder group. The differences in kept, cancelled, and failed rates between letter and telephone groups were not statistically significant (p greater than .05). The kept rate increased with patient's age in all three groups. Complicance was not affected by sex of the patient, length of time that appointment was scheduled in advance, or day of the week. Compliance was greatest among appointments scheduled for chronic illness follow-up and physical examinations, and least among appointments scheduled for "screening."     

Meloxicam: a reappraisal of pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety

The discovery of two distinct isoenzymes of COX has led to the development and clinical introduction of COX-2 inhibitors with increased selectivity onto the market. Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the oxicam class, and is a preferential inhibitor of COX-2, demonstrating effectiveness with anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activity. Meloxicam is therapeutically utilised in the management of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Trials have examined the risk of gastrointestinal ulceration of meloxicam when compared with traditional non-specific COX-inhibiting NSAIDs with mixed results; meloxicam seems to have a greater gastrointestinal risk than the highly specific COX-2 NSAIDs. Meloxicam has a plasma half-life of approximately 20 h and is convenient for once daily administration. Neither moderate renal nor hepatic insufficiency significantly alters the pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in short-term studies. Furthermore, dose adjustment is not required in the elderly. Recent drug-drug interaction studies have demonstrated that meloxicam interacts with some medications, including cholestyramine, lithium and some inhibitors of cytochrome P450 -2C9 and -3A4. Consequently, increased clinical vigilance should be maintained when coprescribing some medications with meloxicam. Concentration-dependent therapeutic and toxicological effects have yet to be extensively elucidated for meloxicam. Long-term safety in various organ systems, especially in the heart and vascular system and with concomitant drug administration, remains to be proven. The pharmacokinetics of meloxicam enables once daily application, which increases compliance compared with some shorter acting NSAIDs; however, long-term clinical data clearly demonstrating safety and efficacy advantages are lacking.     

CpG-DNA protects against a lethal orthopoxvirus infection in a murine model

CpG-DNA has been described as a potent activator of the innate immune system, with potential to protect against infection caused by a range of pathogens in a non-specific manner. Here two classes of CpG-DNA (CpG-A and CpG-B) have been investigated for their abilities to protect mice from infection with an orthopoxvirus (vaccinia virus). Dosing with either CpG-A or B by the intraperitonal or intranasal route protected mice against a subsequent intranasal challenge with vaccinia virus. To our knowledge, this is the first time CpG-mediated protection has been demonstrated at the lung surface. The level of protection was greater when CpG-DNA was administered intranasally demonstrating a clear relationship between the route of CpG dosing and infection route. Treatment with CpG-B reduced viral titer in the lung by 10,000-fold at day 3 post-infection. The CC chemokines RANTES and MIP-1beta were elevated in the broncho-alveolar lavage from animals treated intranasally with CpG-B compared to untreated and intraperitoneally dosed controls, and it is possible that these chemokines play a role in the clearance of intranasally delivered vaccinia virus.     

Reduction of metastatic load to liver after intraarterial hepatic yttrium-90 radioembolization as evaluated by [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomographic imaging

PURPOSE: To assess the response of hepatic metastases after treatment with intraarterial yttrium 90 radioembolization (ie, use of SIR-Spheres) with use of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients with metastatic cancer to the liver from various solid tumors with progression despite polychemotherapy were included. All patients underwent baseline computed tomography, FDG PET, hepatic angiography, and intraarterial technetium 99 m macroaggregated albumin scan for assessment of lung shunting fraction. Patients were treated with 90Y resin microspheres on a lobar basis and were monitored for 3 months with use of dedicated attenuation-corrected PET. For each patient, regions of interest were drawn along the liver edge to measure total liver standard uptake value (SUV) on axial images, covering the entire liver. Visual estimates were also performed and graded as +1, 0, -1, -2, or -3 for progression, no change, and mild, moderate, and dramatic improvement by posttreatment PET. RESULTS: The median absorbed dose for the tumor was 76 Gy. There was a significant overall decrease in total liver SUV after treatment (baseline, 71,134 +/- 38,055; after SIR-Sphere treatment, 59,941 +/- 26,509; P = .028) for the entire group. Visual estimates placed 15 patients (79%) in response categories (-3 to -1) and four patients (21%) in nonresponse categories (0 to +1) for the liver. The percentage change of total liver SUV after treatment in the response group (-19%) was significantly greater and different in direction than that in the nonresponse group (+27%; P = .03). This percentage change was also correlated significantly with the respective visual estimates (r = 0.72; P < .0005) for each individual patient. Three patients had major complications related to hyperbilirubinemia (transient, n = 1; permanent, n= 2). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that there is significant reduction of hepatic metastatic load as evaluated objectively by PET after 90Y radioembolization for the treatment of unresectable metastatic disease to the liver. 90Y radioembolization provides encouraging results by arresting progression of metastatic cancer to the liver.