Patient and parental scar assessment after single incision versus standard 3-port laparoscopic appendectomy: Long-term follow-up from a prospective randomized trial

Background

Single site laparoscopy for appendectomy is a technique with several case series suggesting a cosmetic advantage, but without prospective comparative data. We conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing single site laparoscopic appendectomy to the standard 3-port approach, including scar assessment at early and long-term follow-up.

Methods

Enrolled patients over 12 years old and parents of patients less than 12 years old were asked to complete the validated Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ) at early follow-up around 6 weeks and by phone after 18 months. The PSAQ consists of 4 scored subscales: Appearance, Consciousness, Appearance Satisfaction, and Symptom Satisfaction. Each subscale has a set of questions with a 4-point categorical response (1 = most favorable, 4 = least favorable). The sum of the scores quantifies each subscale.

Results

Early questionnaires were obtained from 98 3-port and 100 single-site patients with the single-site approach producing superior overall scar assessment (P = 0.003). By telephone follow-up, questionnaires were completed by 49 3-port and 56 single-site patients at a median of 25 (18–32) months. In this longer-term follow-up, overall scar assessment was not significantly different between groups (P = 0.06).

Conclusion

Patients or parents express superior scar assessment with the single site approach at early follow-up, but this difference disappears in the long-term.     

The evolution of a purpose designed hybrid trauma operating room from the trauma service perspective: The RAPTOR (resuscitation with angiography percutaneous treatments and operative resuscitations)

Traumatic injury is the leading cause of potentially preventable lost years of life in the Western world and exsanguination is the most potentially preventable cause of post-traumatic death. With mature trauma systems and experienced trauma centres, extra-abdominal sites, such as the pelvis, constitute the most frequent anatomic site of exsanguination. Haemorrhage control for such bleeding often requires surgical adjuncts most notably interventional radiology (IR). With the usual paradigm of surgery conducted within an operating room and IR procedures within distant angiography suites, responsible clinicians are faced with making difficult decisions regarding where to transport the most physiologically unstable patients for haemorrhage control. If such a critical patient is transported to the wrong suite, they may die unnecessarily despite having potentially salvageable injuries. Thus, it seems only logical that the resuscitative operating room of the future would have IR capabilities making it the obvious geographic destination for critically unstable patients, especially those who are exsanguinating.     

HIV Prevention Needs Among Street-Based Male Sex Workers in Providence,Rhode Island

We examined data derived from a needs assessment of the personal and social characteristics and HIV risk behavior of street-based male sex workers, in Providence, Rhode Island, who engage in transactional sexual intercourse with other men. Substance use, injected drugs, needle sharing, and psychosocial distress were highly prevalent among the sample. History of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse was associated with increased risk of condomless anal sexual intercourse with paying male clients.In the United States, studies show that male sex workers (MSWs) engage in sexual and drug-using risk behaviors that put themselves and their partners at risk for HIV acquisition. Male sex workers have a significantly higher HIV prevalence (7.3% vs 1.1%) and incidence (4.7% vs 0.9%) than do men who have sex with men but who do not engage in transactional sexual intercourse.1–6 Street-based MSWs have been shown to have the highest rates of HIV risk behavior both with clients and nontransactional partners.5,7 Several psychosocial factors, including sexual abuse, homelessness, and substance use (particularly injecting), are known to heighten sexual risk behavior among street-based MSWs.8–13Given the clandestine nature of sex work, there are limited surveillance data on MSWs in the United States. Project Weber (http://www.projectweber.org), a nonprofit health service organization serving MSWs in Providence, Rhode Island, estimates that there are between 300 and 500 street-based MSWs in the city. Collected by Project Weber as part of a needs assessment of street-based MSWs in Providence, the data reported here detail the personal and social characteristics and HIV risk behavior among this group.     

多发性骨髓瘤患者症状群管理研究进展

多发性骨髓瘤（multiple myeloma,MM）是起源于浆细胞的恶性骨髓增殖性疾病。近年来随着新药的出现,MM患者的预后有了极大改善,但由于疾病进展和治疗的毒副作用仍存在症状负担大、生活质量差等问题。症状群是指同时存在2个及以上相互关联且同时出现的症状组合,目前症状管理领域已由单一症状管理转变为症状群管理。本文总结了MM患者的症状群种类、评估工具以及症状干预现状,以期为优化MM患者症状群的识别与管理提供参考,减轻患者症状负担。     

Centella asiatica extract selectively decreases amyloid β levels in hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease animal model

PSAPP mice expressing the ‘Swedish’ amyloid precursor protein and the M146L presenilin 1 mutations are a well‐characterized model for spontaneous amyloid β plaque formation. Centella asiatica has a long history of use in India as a memory enhancing drug in Ayurvedic literature. The study investigated whether Centella asiatica extract (CaE) can alter the amyloid pathology in PSAPP mice by administering CaE (2.5 or 5.0 g/kg/day) starting at 2 months of age prior to the onset of detectable amyloid deposition and continued for either 2 months or 8 months. A significant decrease in amyloid β 1–40 and 1–42 was detectable by ELISA following an 8 month treatment with 2.5 mg/kg of CaE. A reduction in Congo Red stained fibrillar amyloid plaques was detected with the 5.0 mg/kg CaE dose and long‐term treatment regimen. It was also confirmed that CaE functions as an antioxidant in vitro, scavenging free radicals, reducing lipid peroxidation and protecting against DNA damage. The data indicate that CaE can impact the amyloid cascade altering amyloid β pathology in the brains of PSAPP mice and modulating components of the oxidative stress response that has been implicated in the neurodegenerative changes that occur with Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

骨髓基质细胞体外培养骨发生潜能及条件研究

目的：建立一种骨髓基质细胞（ＢＭＳｃ）向成骨细胞转化的体外培养方法,观察其成骨过程,并探讨部分因子在ＢＭＳｃ转化及增殖中的作用。方法：将兔ＢＭＳｃ悬液进行体外培养,进行形态学观察和组织学检测;检测ｂＦＧＦ对ＢＭ－Ｓｃ的促增殖作用。结果：传代培养的细胞ＡＬＰ阳性率达８０％以上,细胞逐渐分化散在致密的岛状结构并分泌细胞外基质形成钙结节;ｂＦＧＦ能刺激ＢＭＳｃ的增殖。结论：培养的ＢＭＳｃ在体外仍具有成骨     

Penetrating popliteal artery injuries in children

Two children, aged 8 and 12, were seen recently at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Metropolitan Nashville General Hospital with gunshot injury to the popliteal artery. Both patients presented with late complications following missed penetrating injury to the popliteal artery. At presentation, distal pulses were palpable despite significant proximal arterial injury. Arteriography detailed traumatic popliteal artery aneurysms in both children, and an arteriovenous fistula in one child. These two children represent the youngest patients recorded in the surgical literature with gunshot trauma to the popliteal artery, subsequent formation of traumatic aneurysms, and an arteriovenous fistula. The increasing availability of guns and rifles in the household will likely increase the incidence of such injuries to children. As evidenced by these children, palpable pulses distal to an injury do not obviate the need for arteriography when arterial injury is suspected. Autogenous repair of the injured artery or reconstruction with autogenous vein graft is preferable for repair of vascular injuries in children.     

Experience with hepatic hemangioendothelioma in infancy and childhood

This report describes our experience with 16 infants and children with a mean age of 7 months and a median age of 6 weeks with hepatic hemangioendothelioma. Fifteen patients presented with hepatomegaly. Seven had congestive heart failure and four had associated cutaneous lesions. Although diagnosis was clinically evident in 15 of the 16 patients, arteriography and computerized tomography (CT) were diagnostic. A variety of treatment approaches were used including radiation, resection, systemic steroids, hepatic artery ligation, angiographic embolization, and various combinations of these modalities. The following information was gained from this experience. CT with enhancement is as specific a diagnostic tool as hepatic arteriography. Angiographic and CT appearances do not correlate with prognosis. Most patients can be treated successfully with steroids; those who do not respond should have other approaches tried such as embolization or ligation. The angiographic appearance determines whether embolization therapy is worthwhile, as we found that hemangioendotheliomatosis with portal as well as hepatic arterial supply will not respond to embolization. The survival rate in this series was 80%.     

Comparison of 10 different hemostatic dressings in an aortic injury

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled hemorrhage is the leading preventable cause of death on the battlefield. Similarly, hemorrhage accounts for 80% of all deaths within the first 48 hours of injury in civilian trauma patients. New methods of hemostasis are required to reduce hemorrhagic mortality. The purpose of this study was to compare nine hemostatic dressings for their efficacy in controlling bleeding from an otherwise fatal aortic injury in a pig model. Each hemostatic dressing was compared with the current standard U.S. Army field gauze dressing for a 1-hour period. METHODS: Fifty-nine anesthetized pigs were instrumented with catheters and splenectomized. Nine test dressings (n = 5 per group) and two control groups (gauze, n = 9; suture, n = 5) were applied to a 4.4-mm aortotomy through the spraying jet of blood, and direct pressure was held for 4 minutes and then released. Survival, blood loss, and other variables were measured over a 1-hour period. RESULTS: All animals with fibrin dressing and those receiving suture repair (five of five in both groups) survived the 1-hour observation period with minimal bleeding in the postocclusion period (< 37 mL). Those in the other dressing groups exsanguinated within 10 minutes, except for two animals in the gauze group surviving 1 hour. CONCLUSION: With one 4-minute application, a single fibrin dressing stopped bleeding from an aortotomy, which was equivalent to sutured repair. No other test group exhibited any evidence of significant hemostatic efficacy.     

普通窄带成像内镜对结直肠增生性息肉和腺瘤的鉴别诊断价值

目的 分析普通窄带成像(NBI)内镜下结直肠增生性息肉与腺瘤腺管及微血管特征的差异,评价NBI的鉴别诊断价值.方法 将普通内镜下诊断结直肠息肉、病理检查证实为增生性息肉或腺瘤者纳入研究并进行NBI内镜检查.将腺管形态参照改良的工藤分型法分为A型和B型.将微血管形态分为3型,无微血管判为Ⅰ型,微血管沿腺管开口排列、粗细均匀判为Ⅱ型,微血管粗细不均、排列紊乱判为Ⅲ型.比较增生性息肉和腺瘤NBI图像中腺管形态和微血管形态特征的差异,同时对无放大NBI图像观察者间的一致性进行评价.结果 共87例患者的107个息肉(腺瘤73个、增生性息肉34个)进行普通NBI内镜检查.腺瘤组息肉最大径和表面分叶者比例明显高于增生性息肉组(P值分别=0.0023和0.0047).腺瘤组中B型腺管形态[86.3％(63/73)]及Ⅱ或Ⅲ型微血管形态[82.2％(60/73)]者较多.以B型腺管形态、Ⅱ型或Ⅲ型微血管中任一特征诊断腺瘤的敏感度、特异度、准确率分别为97.3％、82.4％、92.5％.以B型腺管形态联合Ⅱ型或Ⅲ型微血管诊断腺瘤的敏感度、特异度、准确率分别为71.2％、91.2％、77.6％.观察者间一致性评价平均Kappa值为0.761.结论 普通NBI内镜下结直肠腺瘤和增生性息肉的微血管特征和腺管特征存在差异,依据以上两方面可在NBI内镜下实时初步鉴别腺瘤和增生性息肉.