Otitis media and feeding with breast milk of children with cleft palate.

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the incidence of acute and secretory otitis media (OM), and feeding with breast milk, and the use of a grommet in children with a cleft palate (CP/CLP) or cleft lip (CL), compared with controls. A total of 84 children between 6 and 10 years of age were studied. The CP/CLP group consisted of 48 children with an isolated cleft palate (n = 28), or a cleft lip and palate (n = 20). The CL group consisted of 15 children with an isolated cleft lip. The controls were 21 children without clefts. Children with CP/CLP had acute OM significantly more often than children without clefts (43/48 compared with 10/21), and secretory OM (40/48 compared with 4/21), despite the use of grommets. CP/CLP children were breast fed for a mean of 2.8 months (range 0-13), compared with 3.6 months (0-12) for CL, and 7.5 (0-24) months for controls. There was a significant correlation during the first 18 months of life between longer duration of feeding with breast milk and a lower incidence of acute and secretory OM in the three study groups combined. The incidence of otitis media was not affected by care in a day centre, having a sibling attending a day care centre, or by the family's medical history. Despite cleft repair and early treatment with grommets, both secretory and acute OM are common among children with cleft palate, presumably as a result of their eustachian tube dysfunction. The present study suggests that premature cessation of feeding with breast milk may contribute to an increased incidence of acute and secretory OM.     

Arthrography for the diagnosis of abductor avulsion after total hip arthroplasty: a comparison of arthrographic and surgical findings in 33 patients

Background Weakness of the abductor muscles—or even their avulsion—is a potential risk when total hip arthroplasty (THA) is performed using the anterolateral approach. Avulsion of the re-attached gluteus medius leads to a limp, but can also provide an open canal for joint fluid to escape to the trochanteric region. Thus, our hypothesis was that arthrography can be used to diagnose such detachment.

Methods We compared THA arthrographies with peroperative findings retrospectively in 33 patients who had undergone surgical exploration for a muscle reattachment because of a strong suspicion of abductor avulsion at physical examination.

Results After a mean follow-up time of 22 (2-57) months after THA, 14/33 patients had a positive (pathological) arthrogram whereas 19 had a negative (normal) result. All 14 patients with a positive arthrogram were verified to have an avulsion of the abductor muscle at the operation. 10 of the 19 patients with a negative arthrogram had an intact abductor insertion, but 9 had an avulsion. All of these 9 patients with the peroperatively disclosed avulsion had a fibrous capsule, which obstructed the fistula leading from the joint cavity to the trochanteric bursa region.

Interpretation Arthrography is a valuable diagnostic aid in the evaluation of patients with abductor weakness and with Trendelenburg's gait appearing after a THA performed using the anterolateral approach. A positive finding helps in the operative decision making, but a negative arthrogram is not a reliable predictor.     

Peri-sleep-onset cortisol levels in children and adolescents with affective disorders.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as evidenced by patterns of cortisol secretion, have been of interest in understanding depression and anxiety disorders across the life span. Previous studies of pediatric depression have pointed to the period around sleep onset as a key time point for observing alterations in cortisol secretion associated with affective disorders. Evidence also indicates that pubertal development may influence the expression of HPA dysregulation. We hypothesized that adolescents with depression and youth with anxiety disorders exhibit elevated peri-sleep-onset cortisol. METHODS: Plasma cortisol was sampled every 20 min around sleep onset from children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (n = 116), anxiety disorders (n = 32), or no history of psychiatric disorder (control; n = 76). Sleep onset was determined by polysomnography. Classification of participants as children or adolescents was based on Tanner staging of pubertal maturation. RESULTS: Children with anxiety disorders had higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than children with depression or control children. Adolescents with depression had marginally higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than control adolescents and significantly higher peri-sleep-onset cortisol than children with depression. CONCLUSIONS: Depression and anxiety are associated with altered cortisol secretion around sleep onset, and these changes appear to be influenced by pubertal maturation.     

Lifetime prevalence and projected lifetime risk of DSM-IV disorders in Te Rau Hinengaro: the New Zealand Mental Health Survey

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the lifetime prevalence and projected lifetime risk at age 75 years of DSM-IV disorders in New Zealand. METHOD: A nationwide face-to-face household survey carried out in 2003-2004. A fully structured diagnostic interview, the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), was used. There were 12,992 completed interviews from participants aged 16 years and over. The overall response rate was 73.3%. In this paper, the outcomes reported are lifetime prevalence and projected lifetime risk at age 75 years. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of any disorder was 39.5%. The lifetime prevalences for disorder groups were: anxiety disorders, 24.9%; mood disorders, 20.2%; substance use disorders, 12.3%; and eating disorders, 1.7%. The prevalences for all disorders were higher in the younger age groups. Females had higher prevalences of anxiety, mood and eating disorders compared with males; males had higher prevalences of substance use disorders. The estimated projected lifetime risk of any disorder at age 75 years was 46.6% with the median age of onset being 18 years. Adjustment for age, sex, education and household income did not remove all differences between Māori and the composite other ethnic group in the risk of disorder (hazard ratio = 1.1-1.4). After adjustment, hazard ratios for Pacific people ranged from 0.8 to 2.5. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm those of other studies: mental disorders are relatively common and tend to have early onset. Females are more likely to experience anxiety, mood and eating disorders than males, who experience more substance use disorders. Adjustment for socioeconomic factors and demography does not explain all ethnic differences, although remaining differences are small relative to cohort and even sex differences.     

Child comorbidity, maternal mood disorder, and perceptions of family functioning among bipolar youth

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between youth comorbid psychiatric disorders, maternal mood disorder, and perceptions of family cohesion and conflict among youth diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). METHOD: Three hundred eighty-nine bipolar youths and their parents completed a diagnostic interview and instruments assessing family psychiatric history and functioning. Family functioning was assessed with the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales-II and the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire. RESULTS: The presence of a maternal mood disorder was associated with lower family cohesion. The presence of a youth externalizing disorder with or without a co-occurring anxiety disorder was also associated with lower family cohesion as well as higher family conflict. Furthermore, the negative relationship between maternal mood disorder and family functioning was stronger in the presence of a youth externalizing disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Youth comorbidity and maternal mood disorders appear to be associated with worse family functioning among bipolar youths. Family-based treatments with bipolar youths may need to integrate treatment of youth comorbidity and address maternal mood disorder for optimal results.     

Hip fractures in a city in Northern Norway over 15?years: time trends, seasonal variation and mortality

Summary  

In this open population-based study from Northern Norway, there was no increase in hip fracture incidence in women and men from 1994 to 2008. Age-adjusted hip fracture rates was lower compared to reported rates from the Norwegian capital Oslo, indicating regional differences within the country.     

Periprosthetic femoral fractures treated with a long-stem cementless component

Periprosthetic femoral fractures can be a difficult management problem. Proximal femoral fractures with a loose component are managed best with revision arthroplasty. We reviewed the midterm follow-up of 14 proximal femoral fractures managed with a long-stem extensively porous-coated femoral component. The average follow-up in this series was 8.2 years (minimum, 5.3 years). Fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation, supplemental cortical strut grafting when required, and a canal-filling implant. All fractures achieved union with an average time to union of 4 months. There have been no component failures requiring revision. Twelve prostheses achieved stable bone ingrowth, 1 component showed stable fibrous ingrowth, and 1 component was not stable but was not symptomatic enough to warrant revision.     

Nonoperatively treated burst fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine in adults: a 23- to 41-year follow-up

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Several studies report a favorable short-term outcome after nonoperatively treated two-column thoracic or lumbar burst fractures in patients without neurological deficits. Few reports have described the long-term clinical and radiological outcome after these fractures, and none have, to our knowledge, specifically evaluated the long-term outcome of the discs adjacent to the fractured vertebra, often damaged at injury and possibly at an increased risk of height reduction and degeneration with subsequent chronic back pain. PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term clinical and radiological outcome after nonoperatively treated thoracic or lumbar burst fractures in adults, with special attention to posttraumatic radiological disc height reduction. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. PATIENT SAMPLE: Sixteen men with a mean age of 31 years (range, 19-44) and 11 women with a mean age of 40 years (range, 23-61) had sustained a thoracic or lumbar burst fracture during the years 1965 to 1973. Four had sustained a burst fracture Denis type A, 18 a Denis type B, 1 a Denis type C, and 4 a Denis type E. Seven of these patients had neurological deficits at injury, all retrospectively classified as Frankel D. OUTCOME MEASURES: The clinical outcome was evaluated subjectively with Oswestry score and questions regarding work capacity and objectively with the Frankel scale. The radiological outcome was evaluated with measurements of local kyphosis over the fractured segment, ratios of anterior and posterior vertebral body heights, adjacent disc heights, pedicle widths, sagittal width of the spinal canal, and lateral and anteroposterior displacement. METHODS: From the radiographical archives of an emergency hospital, all patients with a nonoperatively treated thoracic or lumbar burst fracture during the years 1965 to 1973 were registered. The fracture type, localization, primary treatment, and outcome were evaluated from the old radiographs, referrals, and reports. Twenty-seven individuals were clinically and radiologically evaluated a mean of 27 years (range, 23-41) after the injury. RESULTS: At follow-up, 21 former patients reported no or minimal back pain or disability (Oswestry Score mean 4; range, 0-16), whereas 6 former patients (of whom 3 were classified as Frankel D at baseline) reported moderate or severe disability (Oswestry Score mean 39; range, 26-54). Six former patients were classified as Frankel D, and the rest as Frankel E. Local kyphosis had increased by a mean of 3 degrees (p<.05), whereas the discs adjacent to the fractured vertebrae remained unchanged in height during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Nonoperatively treated burst fractures of the thoracic or lumbar spine in adults with or without minor neurological deficits have a predominantly favorable long-term outcome, and there seems to be no increased risk for subsequent disc height reduction in the adjacent discs.     

MALDI imaging–based identification of prognostically relevant signals in bladder cancer using large-scale tissue microarrays

ObjectiveAlthough most patients with urinary bladder cancer present with noninvasive and low-malignant stages of the disease, about 20% eventually develop life-threatening metastatic tumors. This study was designed to evaluate the potential of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to identify molecular markers predicting the clinical course of bladder cancer.Materials and methodsWe employed MALDI-MSI to a bladder cancer tissue microarray including paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 697 patients with clinical follow-up data to search for prognostically relevant associations.ResultsAnalysis of our MALDI imaging data revealed 40 signals in the mass spectra (m/z signals) associated with epithelial structures. The presence of numerous m/z signals was statistically related to one or several phenotypical findings including tumor aggressiveness (stage, grade, or nodal status; 30 signals), solid (5 signals) or papillary (3 signals) growth patterns, and increased (6 signals) or decreased (12 signals) cell proliferation, as determined by Ki-67 immunohistochemistry. Two signals were linked with tumor recurrence in noninvasive (pTa category) tumors, of which one was also related to progression from pTa-category to pT1-category disease. The absence of one m/z signal was linked with decreased survival in the subset of 102 muscle-invasive cancers.ConclusionOur data demonstrate the suitability of combining MSI and large-scale tissue microarrays to simultaneously identify and validate clinically useful molecular markers in urinary bladder cancer.