Assessment of postural sway with a pendant-mounted wearable sensor

BackgroundBody-worn inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors have been widely used in postural stability and balance studies because of their low cost and convenience. In most of these studies, a single IMU sensor is attached to a waist belt near the body’s center of mass. Some populations such as pregnant women, however, may find a waist belt challenging in terms of fit and comfort. For this reason it may be useful to identify an alternative location for placement of an IMU and a more comfortable means for attaching the sensor to the body.Research questionDoes placing an IMU sensor in a pendant worn around the neck permit discrimination between conditions with varying postural stability?MethodsTwenty-six healthy participants performed three standing tasks (double-leg, tandem, and single-leg standing) under eyes-open and eyes-closed vision conditions to preliminarily assess the ability of the pendant sensor to discriminate between balance conditions. Discrimination based upon data from a belt-mounted IMU was assessed in the same trials. Differences in standard deviation of acceleration components, sway area, and jerkiness due to trial condition and sensor were evaluated using analysis of variance followed by post hoc comparisons. These data were also incorporated into receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess the effectiveness of each sensor at discriminating between conditions.ResultsStability was found to vary across conditions, but there was no interaction between stability and sensor location (all p ≥ 0.323). ROC curve analysis showed that sensors in both locations were good discriminators between conditions.SignificancePlacing an IMU in a pendant may be feasible for studying and monitoring postural instability. This approach may be especially valuable when considering populations for which wearing a belt is uncomfortable.     

What women want: Fertility sparing surgery in Borderline ovarian tumours patients and pregnancy outcome

ObjectiveBorderline ovarian tumours (BOTs) are characterized by the presence of cellular proliferation and nuclear atypia without stromal invasion. Compared to malignant ovarian tumours, BOTs have better prognoses. The most important treatment of BOT is surgery. Considering the good prognosis of BOT, fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) can be considered for young women who desire to preserve fertility. Our study evaluated the pregnancy rate in patients with childbearing desire, the efficacy and risk of recurrence of women affected by BOTs who have undergone FSS.Materials and methodsPatients characteristics have been restrospectively retrieved for diagnosis made from June 2000 to December 2017 from San Raffaele Hospital and Policlinico Cagliari. Patients underwent FSS for BOT were interviewed about child wishing and pregnancy outcomes.Results85 patients were recruited for the study. Median age at diagnosis was 33 years. Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 33 patients (38%), unilateral cystectomy in 40 (47%) and 12 underwent both procedures (14%). 40 women (50%) tried to conceive after surgery. The pregnancy rate was 73% and live birth rate was 67%. Childbearing desire and age at diagnosis were significantly associated with the pregnancy rate.ConclusionsConservative surgical treatment seems to be a reasonable therapeutic option for women with BOTs who wish to preserve fertility. Our results suggest that the obstetric outcomes after FSS are promising. Maternal desire and the age of diagnosis are the most important factors affecting PR after surgery. Fertility counselling should be an integral part of the clinical management of women with BOT.     

美国胃肠病协会关于急性胰腺炎胰腺坏死处理临床实践专家共识更新解读

美国胃肠病协会（AGA）于2019年8月在Gastroenterology（《胃肠病学》）杂志上发表了针对胰腺坏死处理的临床实践专家共识的更新，归纳并总结了当前的临床证据与专家意见，旨在为胰腺坏死这一复杂临床情况的最佳干预提供指导建议。近年来，随着临床实践的不断深入，急性胰腺炎胰腺坏死的处理经历了较大的变革。从一开始的以手术为主的清创策略过渡到现阶段较为成熟的升阶梯治疗模式。针对胰腺坏死的治疗主要包含两个方面：非手术治疗和有创干预。其中，非手术治疗主要包括抗菌治疗和营养支持等。一旦坏死组织发生感染或无菌性坏死使病人产生显著临床症状，提示有强烈干预指征时，此时更多地依赖于有创干预。升阶梯治疗模式的主要内容为：以经皮引流或透壁内镜引流为首要手段，对于引流无法处理的大量固体坏死，可进行经皮微创或经内镜下坏死清除，若微创手段干预无效可进行开放手术清创。关于选择经皮微创阶梯治疗还是经内镜阶梯治疗，目前尚无研究显示两者之间对病死率等主要临床结局产生影响，不同治疗中心可根据各中心的专业特长和医疗资源，合理选择治疗方案。     

儿童外科教学方法实践及探讨

目的探讨儿童外科的教学特点及教学方法,提高儿外科医生的总体执业水平,促进儿童外科学的发展。方法通过分析四川大学华西医院多年儿童外科疾病的临床教学实践经验,总结出适合医学生、初级儿童外科专科医生的实用的教学方法及经验。结果结合儿童外科特有的疾病特点所总结出的故事式讲述教学、典型病例教学、漫画形式学习、比较学习法及多媒体素材教学五种方式是非常适合儿童外科教学的方法。能够加深记忆,提高兴趣,轻松快捷,事半功倍的掌握相关医学专业知识。结论独特有趣的儿童外科教学方法可提高医学生及儿童外科初级从业者的学习兴趣、专业知识和执业水平。     

Cervicofacial non-tuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis: clinical determinants of incomplete surgical removal

In patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial cervicofacial lymphadenitis, incomplete surgical removal of infected lymph nodes leads to delayed healing and a higher recurrence rate, with eventual spontaneous drainage through the skin. However, complete surgical removal is not always achievable due to the extent of the infected tissue and proximity to vulnerable structures, such as the facial or accessory nerve. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical determinants of the (in)ability to perform complete surgical removal. The electronic health records of patients aged 0–15 years with bacteriologically proven non-tuberculous mycobacterial cervicofacial lymphadenitis, who underwent surgical treatment and preoperative sonographic imaging, were analysed. This was a case–control study. A total of 103 patients met the inclusion criteria. Most of the infections were unilateral, submandibular, and caused by Mycobacterium avium. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that higher age (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.47) and fistulization (odds ratio 3.15, 95% confidence interval 1.13–8.75) were significantly associated with a limited ability to surgically remove all infected tissue. However, a larger sonographic lymph node size was not significantly associated. These findings could aid clinicians when informing the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the patient preoperatively and in properly estimating the intraoperative and postoperative course.