Traumatic Injury of the Superior Mesenteric Vein: Ligate,Repair or Shunt?

Abstract We report a case of SMV injury in a critically ill patient. The patient was a 19-year-old woman involved in a motor vehicle collision. Her injuries included grade II splenic and renal lacerations, devascularized and lacerated right and transverse colon, a transected transverse mesocolon, a massive shear injury of her abdominal wall, and two partial SMV transections. At initial damage control laparotomy, the SMV was ligated, the devascularized bowel resected and a temporary abdominal closure applied. At re-operation, a mesocaval shunt using saphenous vein was employed. The shunt failed and the patient required a saphenous vein jump graft. Although visceral vascular injuries are rare, ligation of the SMV in a damage control situation is acceptable. This case study is the first to discuss appropriate treatment when interruption to a patient's collateral visceral venous drainage limits the surgeon’s ability to ligate. In these situations, bypass shunts may be successful.     

Policy Perspective on Housing and HIV/AIDS

For persons battling HIV/AIDS a stable place to live may decide the length and quality of life itself. It is nearly impossible for a person on the streets to engage in a needed continuous AIDS treatment regimen when the very basic question of where that person will rest his or her head when darkness comes in just a few hours is unresolved. When danger lurks on the streets, when cold numbs the limbs, when tiredness overwhelms the mind, when fear breaks the spirit, a place to call home would make all the difference.     

Nonspecific mitochondrial disease with epilepsy in children: diagnostic approaches and epileptic phenotypes

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to characterize epileptic phenotypes in children with nonspecific mitochondrial disease (MD) and to evaluate MD diagnostic approaches. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical, electroencephalogram, and laboratory records of 142 patients with epilepsy was performed. The patients were evaluated for MD, and 124 patients were included in the final cohort. The MD criteria used included an oral glucose lactate stimulation test (OGLST) and urine organic acid/plasma amino acid (UOA/PAA) assays as metabolic indicators of modified Walker criteria, as suggested by Bernier et al. (Neurology 59:1406-1411, 2002). RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were classified as having definite MD (9), probable MD (5), possible MD (6), or pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) deficiency (3), including one patient which showed a respiratory chain (RC) defect and PDH deficiency. Seven out of eight patients in whom significant RC defects were observed showed complex I defects. In 14 patients, epileptic seizures start at infantile ages. Of 17 patients who substantially presented generalized seizures, 4 patients started with partial seizures. Five patients consistently presented only partial seizures. The OGLST and UOA/PAA assays were useful for a more precise diagnosis of MD, although low positive predictive value of the OGLST was regrettable. No patient was classified as definite MD by Walker's original criteria, but the use of our revised MD criteria resulted in the classification of nine additional patients as definite MD. CONCLUSIONS: MD manifested considerable diverse epileptic phenotypes and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of epilepsy in children with unexplained encephalomyopathy and progressive and fluctuating clinical courses.     

Paradigm shift in hydrocephalus research in legacy of Dandy’s pioneering work: rationale for third ventriculostomy in communicating hydrocephalus

Objective This study aims to question the generally accepted cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bulk flow theory suggesting that the CSF is exclusively absorbed by the arachnoid villi and that the cause of hydrocephalus is a CSF absorption deficit. In addition, this study aims to briefly describe the new hydrodynamic concept of hydrocephalus and the rationale for endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in communicating hydrocephalus. Critique The bulk flow theory has proven incapable of explaining the pivotal mechanisms behind communicating hydrocephalus. Thus, the theory is unable to explain why the ventricles enlarge, why the CSF pressure remains normal and why some patients improve after ETV. Hydrodynamic concept of hydrocephalus Communicating hydrocephalus is caused by decreased intracranial compliance increasing the systolic pressure transmission into the brain parenchyma. The increased systolic pressure in the brain distends the brain towards the skull and simultaneously compresses the periventricular region of the brain against the ventricles. The final result is the predominant enlargement of the ventricles and narrowing of the subarachnoid space. The ETV reduces the increased systolic pressure in the brain simply by venting ventricular CSF through the stoma. The patent aqueduct in communicating hydrocephalus is too narrow to vent the CSF sufficiently.     

Pelvic Ring Fractures: Utility of Clinical Examination in Patients with Impaired Consciousness or Tracheal Intubation

Abstract Objective: To define the diagnostic accuracy of clinical examination in patients with impaired consciousness or endotracheal intubation to detect pelvic ring fractures and to identify those with severe bleeding. Methods: Included in this prospective data collection with retrolective data analysis were a consecutive series of blunt trauma victims with either a Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 13 or tracheal intubation. Clinical examination comprised testing for stability of the iliac wings. Results: From 784 subjects (injury severity score 23.3 ± 17.4) 93 patients (11.9%) were found to have a pelvic ring fracture. Clinical instability of the pelvic ring was found in 42 patients. There was only one false positive. Fifty-two fractures could not be identified by clinical examination, including nine fractures (17%) that required surgical fracture stabilization (sensitivity of clinical examination 44.1%). Seventeen fractures (18.3%) were associated with a blood loss larger than 20% of circulating blood volume. Sixteen of those were identified by clinical instability of the pelvic ring (sensitivity 94.1%, specificity 97.0%, positive predictive value 38.1%, negative predictive value 99.9%). Conclusions: Clinical examination for stability of the pelvis in this selected group of patients missed a significant number of pelvic ring fractures including fractures that require surgical stabilization. The finding of a clinically unstable identifies most of the patients with the pelvic ring fracture being a major source of bleeding. A stable pelvis makes pelvic ring fracture as being the source of bleeding quite unlikely.     

High power, low frequency components of cardiac, renal, splenic and vertebral sympathetic nerve activities are uniformly reduced by spinal cord transection

Others have reported that spinal cord transection non-uniformly affects the activities of the cardiac, renal and splenic nerves. We were unable to confirm this finding while recording the wide band (1-1000 Hz) discharges of these sympathetic nerves in baroreceptor-denervated, chloralose-anesthetized cats. Most of the power in nerve discharges was below 6 Hz. There was high coherence between the low frequency discharges of different nerves, and power below 15 Hz was essentially eliminated by spinal transection. Evidence is presented that the disparities between this and past studies are, in part, due to the use of a 30-Hz high-pass filter in the earlier studies.     

Classification tree analysis of second neoplasms in survivors of childhood cancer

Background  

Reports on childhood cancer survivors estimated cumulative probability of developing secondary neoplasms vary from 3,3% to 25% at 25 years from diagnosis, and the risk of developing another cancer to several times greater than in the general population.     

固定剂量复合剂在省结核病防治规划中应用的研究

目的 研究固定剂量复合剂在省结核病防治规划中应用的可行性.方法 将初治涂阳肺结核病人按登记序号单双分入研究组和对照组.用对照研究方法对两组的完成治疗率、治疗效果、治疗依从性和不良反应等情况进行分析.结果 研究组和对照组在性别、年龄、体重、完成治疗率、督导管理方式和治疗依从性等方面差异无显著性（P值均＞0.05）.研究组的2、3个月未痰菌阴转率和治愈率分别为87.0%、93.5%和93.5%,对照组的2、3个月未痰菌阴转率和治愈率分别为89.4%、93.5%和87.0%,两组间的疗效差异无显著性（P值均＞0.05）.除因链霉素引起的耳鸣（精确概率法P=0.024）外,两组其他不良反应症状出现的比例都无显著性差异（P值均＞0.05）.结论 在结核病防治规划中推广应用固定剂量复合剂是可行的.     

与甲壳素缝线体外复合培养大鼠成肌细胞株L6细胞的形态学

目的：探讨甲壳素作为骨骼肌组织工程支架材料的可行性。 方法：实验于2002-06／12在南方医科大学应用解剖学研究所完成。大鼠成肌细胞株L6与甲壳素医用缝合线体外复合培养。倒置相差显微镜下观察细胞的形态和排列情况。并分别在体外复合培养的第1，2，3，4，5，6天，取出细胞支架复合体，扫描电镜观察成肌细胞的形态和排列情况。 结果：①扫描电子显微镜观察显示，甲壳素医用可吸收缝线的表面比较粗糙。②倒置相差显微镜下可见大鼠L6细胞与甲壳素制备的医用可吸收缝合线间黏附良好，细胞沿缝线排列呈现串珠样，并可以见到细胞聚集现象。③扫描电子显微镜观察，接种24h后，细胞主要为圆球形，随后细胞迁移、伸展、并见突起；第3天，成肌细胞主要为梭形，并见融合趋势；4d后，细胞沿材料纵轴排列并相互融合，并见肌小管样结构形成及细胞外基质分泌。 结论：甲壳素具有作为支架以构建组织工程化骨骼肌的潜能，支架的平行排列有助于工程化骨骼肌纤维良好方向性的形成。