Longer Operative Time Results in a Higher Rate of Subsequent Periprosthetic Joint Infection in Patients Undergoing Primary Joint Arthroplasty

Background

Whether prolonged operative time is an independent risk factor for subsequent surgical site infection (SSI) and periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) remains a clinically significant and underexplored issue. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between operative time and the risk of subsequent SSI and PJI in patients undergoing primary TJA.

Premature ovarian failure

Premature ovarian failure (POF) causing hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism occurs in 1% of women. In majority of cases the underlying cause is not identified. The known causes include: (a) Genetic aberrations, which could involve the X chromosome or autosomes. A large number of genes have been screened as candidates for causing POF; however, few clear causal mutations have been identified. (b) Autoimmune ovarian damage, as suggested by the observed association of POF with other autoimmune disorders. Anti-ovarian antibodies are reported in POF by several studies, but their specificity and pathogenic role are questionable. (c) Iatrogenic following surgical, radiotherapeutic or chemotherapeutic interventions as in malignancies. (d) Environmental factors like viral infections and toxins for whom no clear mechanism is known. The diagnosis is based on finding of amenorrhoea before age 40 associated with FSH levels in the menopausal range. Screening for associated autoimmune disorders and karyotyping, particularly in early onset disease, constitute part of the diagnostic work-up. There is no role of ovarian biopsy or ultrasound in making the diagnosis. Management essentially involves hormone replacement and infertility treatment, the only proven means for the latter being assisted conception with donated oocytes. Embryo cryopreservation, ovarian tissue cryopreservation and oocyte cryopreservation hold promise in cases where ovarian failure is foreseeable as in women undergoing cancer treatments.     

Leishmania promastigote membrane antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting for differential diagnosis of Indian post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis

Diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), caused by Leishmania donovani, is difficult, as the dermal lesions are of several types and resemble those caused by other skin diseases, especially leprosy. Since the disease generally appears very late after the clinical cure of kala-azar in India, it is also difficult to correlate PKDL with a previous exposure to L. donovani. Very few attempts have been made so far to diagnose PKDL serologically, and the diagnostic methods vary in their sensitivities and specificities. Diagnosis of PKDL through sophisticated PCR methods, although highly sensitive, has limited practical use. We have developed a serodiagnostic method using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect specific immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes and IgG subclass antibodies in the sera of Indian PKDL patients. Our assay, which uses L. donovani promastigote membrane antigens, was 100% sensitive for the detection of IgG and 96.7% specific for the detection of IgG and IgG1. Optical density values for individual patients, however, demonstrated wide variations. Western blot analysis based on IgG reactivity could differentiate patients with PKDL from control subjects, which included patients with leprosy, patients from areas where kala-azar is endemic, and healthy subjects, by the detection of polypeptides of 67, 72, and 120 kDa. The recognition patterns of the majority of serum samples from patients with PKDL were also distinct from those of the serum samples from patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), at least for a 31-kDa polypeptide. To further differentiate patients with PKDL from those with active and cured VL, we analyzed the specific titers of the Ig isotypes and IgG subclasses. High levels of IgG, IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 antibodies significantly differentiated patients with PKDL from patients cured of VL. The absence of antileishmanial IgE and IgG4 in patients with PKDL differentiated these patients from those with active VL. These results imply intrinsic differences in the antibodies generated in the sera from patients with PKDL and VL.     

Novel 6-Month Treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis,United States

The US Food and Drug Administration approved a 6-month regimen of pretomanid, bedaquiline, and linezolid for extensively drug-resistant or multidrug-intolerant tuberculosis after a trial in South Africa demonstrated 90% effectiveness 6 months posttreatment. We report on a patient who completed the regimen using a lower linezolid dose.     

Epidemiology of early neonatal mortality

During 1981-1991 at a rural teaching hospital (Kasturba Hospital) of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in Sevagram, Wardha, India, 454 of 13,939 newborns died during the early neonatal period for an early neonatal mortality rate (ENMR) of 33.7/1000 live births. The ENMR for boys was not significantly different from that for girls (36.1 vs. 28.6). Community medicine specialists analyzed data on these early neonatal deaths to examine distribution of early neonatal mortality, especially its relationship with prematurity, low birth weight, birth order, and by sex. They calculated average percent deaths (APD) per hour to examine the dynamics in early neonatal mortality. The mean age at death was lower among newborns of birth order greater than 2 than those of birth order less than 2 (23.47 vs. 26.85 hours; p 0.001). ENMR was higher for newborns of birth order greater than 2 than those of birth order less than 2 (41.74% vs. 27.35%; P 0.001). The mean age at death increased as gestation increased (10.34 for 28 weeks; 24.27 for 28-33 weeks, 31.53 for 33-37 weeks, and 34.43 for 37 weeks; p 0.001). ENMR decreased as gestation increased (850 for 28 weeks; 375 for 28-33 weeks, 147.02 for 33-37 weeks, and 8.77 for 37 weeks; p 0.001). The mean age at death increased as birth weight increased for newborns weighing less than 1500 gms through 2000-2500 gms (23.36-37.13 hours; p 0.001). It was lowest among those weighing more 3000 gms (11.55 gms). ENMR fell as birth weight increased (614.33 for 1500 gms, 116.19 for 1500-2000 gms, 19.38 for 2000-2500 gms, 10.99 for 2500-3000 gms, and 5.41 for 3000 gms; p 0.001). The APD/hour for the first hour of life was 3.74% for a relative risk of 12.9. It decreased steadily as the hours of life increased (3.08% for 1-6 hours, 1.19% for 6-24 hours, 0.67% for 24-72 hours, and 0.29% for 72-168 hours). Knowledge of time of likely death can help providers know where they need to focus their attention to prevent early neonatal deaths.     

Complete inversion of the urinary bladder through a vesicovaginal fistula

This is the case of an Indian woman who was hospitalized after a diagnosis of chronic inversion of the uterus with a vesicovaginal fistula. She suffered from urinary incontinence for 40 years, the condition having developed following a difficult labor. Ultimately, she proved to have a complete inversion of the bladder through a vesicovaginal fistula.     

The effects of sex, parity and maternal age on birth weights in a specialist hospital setting in Nigeria.

This study looked at the combined effects of maternal age, fetal sex and parity in a specialist hospital setting and compared it with already published figures obtained from public health-care data in Nigeria. The results show a relationship exists with bivariate analysis between these variables and birth weight, but with multivariate analysis the relationship proves to be spurious. Socio-economic status and maternal health were felt to be the most important considerations within the specialist hospital setting, as patients who attend are more likely to be of high socio-economic status and therefore on a higher income and better educated. This has a beneficial impact on maternal health and a positive outcome on birth weight.