An evaluation of the shock index in predicting ruptured ectopic pregnancy.

In order to evaluate the shock index in predicting a ruptured ectopic pregnancy in a Nigerian obstetric population, a prospective observational study of consecutive pregnant women presenting to the emergency room of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu with complaints of abdominal pain and/or vaginal bleeding in the first trimester of pregnancy over a 23-month period (1 February 2003 to 31 December 2004) was carried out. A total of 152 subjects were studied. Of these, 15 (9.9%) of the women had ruptured ectopic pregnancy while the rest had other causes of bleeding in early pregnancy. The mean shock index for ruptured ectopic pregnancy was significantly different from that for threatened abortion (p < 0.001), incomplete abortion (p = 0.022) and inevitable abortion (p < 0.001) but not from that for unruptured ectopic pregnancy and septic abortion (p > 0.05 for both categories). The areas under the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curves for shock index and heart rate were statistically significant (p < 0.001 for both variables) but those under the curves for systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressure were not statistically significant (p > 0.05 for the three variables). From the curves, the cut-offs that combined highest sensitivity with lowest false positivity (1-specificity) were 0.935 for the shock index and 99 bpm for heart rate. On univariate logistic regression, the odds ratio (OR) for predicting ruptured ectopic pregnancy was 52.9 (95% CI = 10.9 - 257.3, p < 0.001) for shock index > or =0.935 and 26.4 (95% CI = 6.8 - 102.8, p < 0.001) for heart rate > or =99/min. On multivariate logistic regression using both shock index > or =0.935 and heart rate > or =99/min, only shock index > or =0.935 was statistically significant with an OR of 4.5 (95% CI = 1.8 - 11.6, p = 0.002). We conclude that when faced with the possibility of ruptured ectopic pregnancy, shock index has a high predictive value in the Nigerian population studied and is a useful addition to the currently available diagnostic armamentarium in ruptured ectopic pregnancy.     

Health-related quality of life and pressure ulceration assessment in patients treated in the community

Little is known of the impact of pressure ulceration on adult patients' health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact pressure ulceration has on pressure ulcer patients cared for in the community. A case control study design was used by drawing a random sample from patients receiving community nursing care, stratified by the presence of pressure ulceration. In all, 75 patients with pressure ulcers were compared with 100 controls without ulcers using the four-point ulcer grading scale described by United Kingdom consensus guidelines. Patients were interviewed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire and activities of daily living assessed using the modified Barthel scale. Patients with pressure ulcers had significantly poorer physical function (mean difference (d) = 37.6, 95% CI 28.6-46.6, p < 0.001) and social functioning (d = 33.9, 95 % CI 24.0-43.9, p < 0.001) than published age- and sex-matched normative data from the United Kingdom. The difference between cases and controls was much smaller in these domains, with neither approaching statistical significance. After adjustment for age and gender, scores for bodily pain were poorer in patients with no ulceration (d = -10.5, 95% CI - 20.6 to - 0.4, p = 0.042) indicating greater pain in these patients compared with the cases with ulceration. Activities of daily living determined by the modified Barthel scale showed reduced self-care (d = -7.6, 95% CI -12.5 to - 2.7, p = 0.010) and mobility (d = -9.2, 95% CI -14.6 to - 3.8, p = 0.001) in patients with pressure ulceration. The overall ability to perform these activities was also significantly poorer in this group (d = -16.3, 95% CI -27.3 to -5.3, p = 0.004). While patients with pressure ulceration experience some deficits in their health-related quality of life compared with a normal population, these differences are similar to those experienced by other patients receiving community nursing care.     

Mucosal defense against gastrointestinal nematodes: responses of mucosal mast cells and mouse mast cell protease 1 during primary strongyloides venezuelensis infection in FcRgamma-knockout mice

A possible role for the gamma subunit of immunoglobulin Fc receptors (FcR) in mucosal defenses against intestinal nematode parasites was studied using age-matched FcRgamma-knockout (FcRgamma(-/-)) and wild-type (FcRgamma(+/+)) C57BL/6 mice. Mice were infected subcutaneously with 3,000 infective larvae of Strongyloides venezuelensis, and the degree of infection was monitored by daily fecal egg counts and adult worm recovery on days 8 and 13 postinfection. Mucosal mast cell (MMC) responses were assayed by in situ intestinal mast cell counts in stained histological sections of the jejunum and by measuring mouse mast cell protease 1 (MMCP-1) release in serum using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. FcRgamma(-/-) mice had significantly higher egg counts (P<0.01) and numbers of adult worms (P<0.05) than FcRgamma(+/+) mice, but mastocytosis and serum MMCP-1 release were comparable. It was concluded that MMCP-1 release may be spontaneous, does not depend on mast cell degranulation via the FcRgamma signaling system, and appears to play no role in the expulsion of S. venezuelensis. The delay in worm expulsion in the FcRgamma(-/-) mice might be related to inability of the MMC to degranulate and release effector molecules other than MMCP-1, since FcRgamma deletion abrogates mast cell degranulative responses.     

Three novel PROC gene lesions causing protein C deficiency

Hallam PJ, Mannucci P, Tripodi A, Bevan D, Laursen B, Tengborn L, Wacey A, Cooper DN. Three novel PROC gene lesions causing protein C deficiency. Clin Genet 1998: 54: 231–233. 0 Munksgaard, 1998
Missense mutations. three of them novel (Am210→Val, Asn248→ Ile, Ah355→Val), were found in the protein c ( PROC ) genes of 7 patients with inherited protein C deficiency associated with venous thrombosis. Comparison with the phenotypic effects of mutations in the analogous residues of factor IX causing hdernophilia B and the use of molecular modelling has provided explanations as to how these lesions might alter either the structure, function or secretion of the protein C molecules encoded.