Early mobilization in the treatment of shin injuries.

The treatment of shin injuries requiring skin grafting by a method which included early mobilization is described.     

Bilateral anterior dislocation of the shoulders: a case report.

A case of bilateral subcoracoid dislocation of the shoulder is described and the clinical presentation commented on.     

Entonox in the emergency department

The use of Entonox (BOC Medishield) was examined in a large accident and emergency department and was found to give satisfactory relief from pain in 92 per cent of cases. This compares favourably with reports of its results in other applications.     

Maternal anxiety and neonatal wellbeing

The level of anxiety in 146 patients in their third trimester of pregnancy was established using the IPAT Anxiety Self-Analysis Form. The results were compared with physical status of the child as assessed by its five-minute apgar score. It was found that the apgar scores of babies born to highly-anxious mothers was significantly less than those born to mothers with normal anxiety scores. An association is proposed between maternal anxiety during pregnancy and future mental retardation and neurological abnormalities.     

Serum interleukin-18 levels in patients with Behçet’s disease. Is its expression associated with disease activity or clinical presentations?

Interleukin (IL)-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine which plays a crucial role in T helper (Th)1 type immune response. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of serum levels of IL-18 with disease activity and clinical presentations in patients with Behcet’s disease (BD). Sixty patients with BD and 20 healthy controls were included in the study. Patients were grouped as having active or inactive disease according to the Leeds activity score. They were also separated as a systemic involvement or mucocutaneous symptoms only. Patients with systemic involvement were further grouped according to the presence of ocular, articular and vascular involvement. IL-18 levels were significantly higher in all patient subgroups as compared to healthy controls and found to be correlated with the activity score in patients having active disease. In conclusion, this cytokine participates in the pathogenesis of BD and its levels are correlated with the disease activity. Detection of increased levels of IL-18 in patients with inactive disease implies that Th1 activation and subclinical inflammation persist during the inactive period of the disease.     

3种神经病理性疼痛筛查量表在中轴型脊柱关节炎患者中的评价

目的 比较3种神经病理性疼痛筛查量表在中轴型脊柱关节炎患者中的信度、效度和适用性。方法 采用painDETECT问卷、神经病理性疼痛4问卷和利兹神经病理性症状和体征评估疼痛量表对186例中轴型脊柱关节炎患者进行调查,评价量表的信度和效度。结果 painDETECT问卷、神经病理性疼痛4问卷和利兹神经病理性症状和体征评估疼痛量表的Cronbach α系数分别为0.807,0.697和0.623, Guttman分半系数分别为0.846、0.691和0.701。painDETECT问卷共提取2个公因子,累计方差贡献率55.171%。神经病理性疼痛4问卷共提取4个公因子,累计方差贡献率66.627%。利兹神经病理性症状和体征评估疼痛量表共提取2个公因子,累计方差贡献率50.836%。3种量表评估结果一致性Kappa值和相关性r值均大于0.500。患者对3种量表首选率分别为71.5%、3.2%和14.0%。结论 painDETECT问卷信度和效度良好,首选率最高。其余2种量表信度尚可,效度良好。3种量表一致性与相关性较强。