Improved Diagnostic Sensitivity of Bowel Disease of Prematurity on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound

Bowel diseases of prematurity, including necrotizing enterocolitis, are dreaded ailments of neonates. Early diagnosis is difficult, with clinical and radiographic findings often inconclusive. We present a novel use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in detection of pediatric bowel disease. Early identification of compromised blood flow or an at-risk bowel can be quantitatively detected and monitored. This ability has implications for guidance of emerging therapies, allowing targeting of inflammation. These findings represent an advancement in detection of bowel disease in neonates.     

The relationships among monocyte subsets,miRNAs and inflammatory cytokines in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes irreversible myocardial damage and release of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines and miRNAs. We aimed to investigate changes in the levels of cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10), miRNAs profiles (miR-146 and miR-155) and distribution of different monocyte subsets (CD14++CD16-, CD14++CD16+, CD14+CD16++) in the acute and post-healing phases of AMI.

Outcomes of Donor Evaluations for Adult-to-Adult Right Hepatic Lobe Living Donor Liver Transplantation

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of liver biopsy and outcome of patients undergoing donor evaluation for adult-to-adult right hepatic lobe living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Records of patients presenting for a comprehensive donor evaluation between 1997 and February 2005 were reviewed. Liver biopsy was performed only in patients with risk factors for abnormal histology. Two hundred and sixty patients underwent a comprehensive donor evaluation and 116 of 260 (45%) were suitable for donation, 14 of 260 (5.4%) did not complete evaluation and 130 of 260 (50%) were rejected. Four patients underwent unsuccessful hepatectomy surgery due to discovery of intraoperative abnormalities. Between 1997 and 2001, the acceptance rate of donor candidates (63%) was higher than 2002-2005 (36%), p < 0.0001. Sixty-six of the 150 eligible patients (44%) fulfilled criteria for liver biopsy and 28 of 66 (42%) had an abnormal finding. Less than half of the patients undergoing donor evaluation were suitable donors and the donor acceptance rate has declined over time. A large proportion of the patients undergoing liver biopsy have abnormal findings. Our evaluation process failed to identify 4 of 103 who had aborted donor surgeries.     

Dental malocclusion is associated with reduced systemic bone mineral density in adolescents.

There is no published data about associations between the state of dentition and bone mass in adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the prevalence of caries and dental malocclusion is associated with bone mass during growth. In 123 healthy Caucasian subjects (72 males, 51 females) aged 14-18 yr, DMFT figures (decayed teeth, missing teeth, filled teeth) and presence of malocclusion, according to Angle classification, were determined. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding dental hygiene, physical activity level, and consumption of sweets. Anthropometry and pubertal stages were examined. Bone mineral density (BMD) was examined using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the total body, head, and lumbar spine. No association was found between DMFT (mean+/-SD: 8.33+/-3.9) and BMD or Z-scores for BMD. Malocclusion was found in 49 subjects (39.8%) and was more prevalent in females than males. Malocclusion was associated with lower total BMD independently of body size (p=0.001; Z-scores: -0.21+/-0.27 vs +0.33+/-0.17; p=0.1) in males (but not females), producing odds ratio 1.6 (95% confidence interval: 1.09-2.34%; p=0.02). Head BMD was also lower in the males with malocclusion than in those without (p=0.004). Neither caries nor the tooth loss appear to be associated with BMD during growth. Boys with malocclusion are at higher risk of reduced BMD. This suggests that inadequate bone mass accrual in males coexists with impaired growth of the masticatory system in childhood and adolescence, however, the causal pathway is unknown. Factors that produce malocclusion may also affect bone mass or size but further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the relationship.     

Sole Use of Dexmedetomidine Has Limited Utility for Conscious Sedation during Outpatient Colonoscopy

Background: This study evaluated the ability of dexmedetomidine to provide analgesia and sedation for outpatient colonoscopy, examining outcomes including cardiorespiratory variables, side effects, and discharge readiness.

Methods: Sixty-four patients were randomly assigned to one of three treatment regimens. In group D, patients received 1 [mu]g/kg dexmedetomidine over 15 min followed by an infusion of 0.2 [mu]g [middle dot] kg-1 [middle dot] h-1. Group P received meperidine (1 mg/kg) with midazolam (0.05 mg/kg), and group F received fentanyl (0.1-0.2 mg intravenous) on demand. The assessment included measurements of heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, quality of sedation/analgesia, and an evaluation of the recovery time.

Results: The study was terminated before the planned 90 patients had been recruited because of adverse events in group D. In all groups, negligible hemoglobin oxygen saturation and respiratory rate variations were observed. In group D, there was a significantly larger decrease in heart rate (to approximately 40 beats/min in 2 of 19 cases) and blood pressure (to less than 50% of the initial value in 4 of 19 patients). Supplemental fentanyl was required in 47% of patients receiving dexmedetomidine to achieve a satisfactory level of analgesia (vs. 42.8% of patients in group P and 79.2% of patients in group F). Vertigo (5 patients), nausea/vomiting (5 patients), and ventricular bigeminy (1 patient) were observed only in group D. Time to home readiness was longest in group D (85 +/- 74, 39 +/- 21, and 32 +/- 13 min in groups D, P and F, respectively; P = 0.007).     

Thromboembolic and inflammatory complications of knee joint alloplasty with cemented endoprostheses]

In the presented paper the authors evaluate the long-term results of treatment for inflammatory and thromboembolic complications in knee joint alloplasty with cemented endoprostheses. The clinical material spanning the years 1998-2003 are 15 patients with analysed complications, it determine 9% of all operated. They have evaluated achieved results using the HSS knee rating scale in their own modification. As far as the authors are concerned, venographic examination is a prerequisite for appropriate care of the patients following knee joint alloplasty who might have deep venous thrombosis. It is necessary to provide similar treatment when developing infections are suspected in the perioperative period and in cases of late infections. Consequently, antibiotic therapy and a possible quick bacteriological checkup for healing a postoperative wound is a prerequisite for successful treatment. Achieved results induce statement, that thromboembolic and inflammatory complications caused at most operated chronic vein insufficiency, deficit of range of motion at operated joint and gait insufficiency. Thromboembolic complications was always related with inflammation of knee joint alloplasty in our own material.     

Vascular Centerline Extraction in 3D MR Angiograms for Phase Contrast MRI Blood Flow Measurement

The accuracy of 2D phase contrast (PC) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) depends on the alignment between the vessels and the imaging plane. PC MRA imaging of blood flow is challenging when the flow in several vessels is to be evaluated with one acquisition. For this purpose, semi-automatic determination of the plane most perpendicular to several vessels is proposed based on centerlines extracted from 3D MRA. Arterial centerlines are extracted from 3D MRA based on iterative estimation-prediction, multi-scale analysis of image moments, and a second-order shape model. The optimal plane is determined by minimizing misalignment between its normal vector and the centerlines’ tangent vectors. The method was evaluated on a phantom and on 35 patients, by seeking the optimal plane for cerebral blood flow quantification simultaneously in internal carotids and vertebral arteries. In the phantom, difference of orientation and of height between known and calculated planes was 1.2° and 2.5 mm, respectively. In the patients, all but one centerline were correctly extracted and the misalignment of the plane was within 12° per artery. Semi-automatic centerline extraction simplifies and automates determination of the plane orthogonal to one vessel, thereby permitting automatic simultaneous minimization of the misalignment with several vessels in PC MRA.     

The effect of bone drilling on pain in gonarthrosis

Summary Seventy-seven patients with mild to moderate gonarthrosis of the knee were treated by subchondral bone drilling, and followed for from 2 to 7 years. Patients with generalised arthrosis benefited more than those with unicompartmental involvement. Pain, assessed by a visual analogue scale, was significantly reduced compared with a control group of 16 patients who had a diagnostic arthroscopy only. Drilling is a safe procedure with few complications and can be used in patients when more extensive surgery is not yet indicated or possible.

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Résumé Vingt-sept cas d'arthrose légère ou modérée du genou, diagnostiqués par arthroscopie et traités par forage, ont été revus avec un recul moyen de 4 ans (de 2 à 7 ans). La douleur, évaluée selon la cotation VAS, était diminuée pendant 24 mois en moyenne (1 à 76) dans les deux tiers des cas. Les résultats étaient meilleurs chez les patients présentant une arthrose globale que chez ceux atteints d'une arthrose uni-compartimentale. Ils étaient obtenus aussi bien dans les cas douloureux au repos (n=39) que dans ceux douloureux lors de la mobilisation du genou (n=14). Les complications ont été exceptionnelles (n=1). La douleur était diminuée dans une proportion significativement supérieure dans les genoux traités par forage que dans un groupe de contrôle de 16 cas, n'ayant subi qu'une arthroscopie à visée diagnostique (p=0.006). Le forage est un procédé sûr, n'entraînant que de rares complications. Il est indiqué dans le traitement des douleurs du genou chez les patients ayant une arthrose légère ou modérée, lorsque des interventions plus importantes ne sont ni nécessaires, ni réalisables.

     

Arthroscopy of the knee in children and adolescents

A retrospective review was done of 69 children and adolescents (7-17 years old) who underwent 75 arthroscopies of the knee during a 5-year period. Girls were overrepresented (71%). Thirty-eight were children under the age of 16. Of 46 injuries, 34 (74%) happened during sports. Children and adolescents were divided into two age groups based on their presumed state of skeletal maturity (boys 9–15 and girls 7–14 in group I and boys 16–17 and girls 15–17 in group II); meniscal lesions were equally common in the two groups, whereas anterior cruciate ligament tears were more common in older children (NS). Eleven of 17 (65%) anterior cruciate ligament lesions were combined with other intra-articular pathology, most often meniscal tears (9/11). As in other studies, half of the prearthroscopic diagnoses were incorrect. A high frequency of incorrect prearthroscopic diagnoses and of combined lesions justifies arthroscopy as an important diagnostic tool in children and adolescents with a history of twisting knee injury or chronic nonspecific knee problems. Girls practising ball games seem to be especially prone to knee injuries leading to arthroscopy.