Reliability of Cord Formation in BACTEC 12B/13A Media for Presumptive Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex in Laboratories with a High Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A total of 1208 positive BACTEC vials were examined for the presence or absence of serpentine cording. A very high (92.9%) rate of laboratory prevalence was obtained for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of this test were 92.7%, 95.3%, 99.6% and 50.0%, respectively. It was concluded that testing cord formation in laboratories that have a high prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is an exceptionally reliable method for preliminary reporting of cording-positive cases; however, for cording-negative cases, preliminary reports based solely on cord formation are not reliable. It was also observed that the length of the incubation period has a significant effect on cord formation. Incubation periods of 4 days or less are not sufficient to determine noncording in smears prepared from positive BACTEC vials. Electronic Publication     

Use of autologous fibrin glue in the treatment of splenic trauma: an experimental study.

There is little doubt that preserving the spleen will contribute to a much more favourable outcome in patients undergoing splenic surgery, as a result of avoiding the well known risks of splenectomy. Among many operative methods described for splenic salvage, application of autologous fibrin glue (AFG) is particularly promising because of its unique characteristics. The use of AFG has been evaluated and its efficacy and tissue compatibility assessed in the treatment of splenic trauma in 15 partially splenectomized New Zealand White rabbits. The application of the AFG to the resected splenic surface achieved complete haemostasis in all animals. The animals were divided into four groups and were killed at varying intervals ranging from 24 h to 10 weeks. During re-exploration there was no evidence of recurrent bleeding and histopathological examination revealed progressive absorption of the AFG with a minimal inflammatory response. It is concluded that AFG is an effective haemostatic agent with good systemic and local compatibility and can be used in splenic salvage, which thereby avoids the use of non-autologous products with their risks of disease transmission.     

Prevention of oral mucositis due to 5-fluorouracil treatment with oral cryotherapy

INTRODUCTION: One of the most common and important side effects of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is mucositis with ulcerations in the oral cavity. We investigated the effects of local cryotherapy on mucositis incidence administrated durng 5-FU treatment. METHODS: In a total of 99 courses, 5-FU and folinic acid combination chemotherapy was given to 40 patients. In our study, we considered every course as a single case, and cryotherapy was given to the same patient in one course but not given in the next. RESULTS: While mucositis developed in 6.7% of the courses given with cryotherapy, this ratio was 38.9% in courses given without cryotherapy. In the logistic regression analysis, development of mucositis had been found to correlate only with cryotherapy. Odds ratio (OR) = 11.5; in the 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.2 - 41.9; (p = 0.001). DISCUSSION: Results of initial studies evaluating the effects of cryotherapy in preventing mucositis due to 5-FU based chemotherapy regimens were promising. We concluded that oral cooling prevents 5-FU induced mucositis. This effective prophylactic treatment should be used in patients who are at increased risk for developing 5-FU induced mucositis.     

Comparative morphological differences between umbilical cords from chronic hypertensive and preeclamptic pregnancies

To compare morphological changes in the umbilical cords from chronic hypertensive and preeclamptic patients having normal or pathological umbilical artery Doppler ultrasonographic results. Umbilical cords from 34 normotensive, 31 chronic hypertensive and 70 preeclamptic women with normal and abnormal Doppler flow velocity waveforms (FVW) at 35-40 gestational weeks were studied. Morphological changes in the umbilical cords were examined on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. The total umbilical cord area, total vessel area, and wall thickness of umbilical vessels were measured in systematic random samples using unbiased stereology methods. An ANOVA test was used for statistical analysis. In the chronic hypertensive and preeclamptic groups with normal Doppler FVW, the thickness of the umbilical cord vessels remained nearly constant, whereas both the total area and the lumen area were reduced. These changes correlate with the histopathological findings, suggesting a mainly vasoconstrictive effect. By contrast, analysis of the preeclamptic group with pathologic Doppler FVW showed a comparable reduction of all parameters of the umbilical cord. Histopathological findings were related to smaller, contracted smooth muscle cells of the vessel wall, which is suggestive of a predominant hypoplastic mechanism. As a result of reduced uteroplacental perfusion, fetal hypoxia and intrauterine growth retardation become unavoidable in preeclampsia. The histopathological changes in the umbilical cord between the chronic hypertensive and preeclamptic patients depend on the Doppler results. In conclusion, the umbilical artery Doppler FVW indices provide good values for predicting intrauterine growth retardation in preeclamptic patients.     

Comparison of viable cell yield from excised versus aspirated adipose tissue

The correction of soft-tissue defects by adipose tissue transplantation often produces poor and unpredictable results. The implantation of isolated and cultured preadipocytes offers a solution to this problem since these cells differentiate into adipocytes when implanted in vivo. A field of major interest is to maximize the yield of preadipocytes isolated from adipose tissue showing only low contamination with other cell types. Aspiration and excision are two concurrent clinical ways of harvesting adipose tissue for the isolation of preadipocytes. This tissue is usually discarded after surgery. In this study, the yield of preadipocytes obtained from liposuction material was compared to that of excised adipose tissue. Furthermore, we determined the loss of precursor cells if isolation of preadipocytes was delayed for 24 h. Preadipocytes were isolated from the stromal cell fraction of human subcutaneous adipose tissue samples. Harvesting of adipose tissue by suction was performed according to the Coleman procedure (manually applied negative pressure using a 10-ml syringe with a blunt tip cannula). Isolation was either carried out within 60 min after extraction or after storage for 24 h in culture medium at 4 degrees C. Isolated preadipocytes were cultured for 24 h, trypsinized and counted in a Neubauer chamber. Our results show clearly that the yield of preadipocytes isolated from liposuction material (within 60 min after extraction and after 24 h of storage) is higher than the cell yield from excised adipose tissue. Overnight storage for 24 h leads to a significant loss of preadipocytes in excised tissue but not in liposuction material. The high yield of cells isolated from liposuction material proves that extraction by suction does not damage the stromal cell fraction in the adipose tissue. If cell isolation is not performed immediately after the operation, liposuction material is clearly the better alternative for storage.     

Upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopical investigation in elderly patients with iron deficiency anaemia

Iron deficiency anaemia is frequently observed in male adults and postmenopausal women due to chronic occult bleeding, usually from the gastrointestinal tract. Practically, as endoscopical investigation of the gastrointestinal system is an invasive procedure, iron replacement treatment was generally started without investigation of the underlying aetiology even in first-line health institutions. This study evaluates the role of endoscopy in the investigation of the aetiology of anaemia in 95 patients (51 males, 44 females), aged 64.9+/-12.5 years (range 50-90 years). All patients having iron deficiency anaemia were investigated by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy. Upper and lower gastrointestinal pathologies were seen in 10 (10.6%) and 55 (57.8%) patients, respectively. However, no gastrointestinal lesion was found in 30 (31.6%) patients with iron deficiency anaemia. Out of the 95 patients, 16 (16.9%) had erosive gastritis, 15 (15.8%) duodenal ulcer, 8 (8.4%) gastric ulcer, 7 (7.3%) gastric tumours, 7 (7.3%) oesophagitis. 5 (5.4%) colon tumours, 3 (3.2%) haemorrhoids, 2 (2.1%) non-tropical sprue, 1 (1%) colonic polyp, and 1 (1%) colitis. In the majority of elderly patients with iron deficiency anaemia, upper gastrointestinal system disease was found. In 12 (12.7%) patients in the study group, malignancies were detected. In elderly patients with iron deficiency anaemia, the aetiology should be highlighted before giving iron supplementation.     

Serum vitamin A and β-carotene concentrations and renal scarring in urinary tract infections

OBJECTIVE—To evaluate the role of vitamin A on renal scarring in recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
DESIGN—Twenty three children with UTIs and renal scarring (mean (SD) age 7.3 (3.9) years) and 91 children without renal scarring (6.4 (3.4) years) were studied. All the children had serum vitamin A and β-carotene measurements and nutritional evaluation. Renal scarring was assessed by technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (^99mTc DMSA) scanning. Nutritional status of all the patients was within normal limits and not different between the groups.
RESULTS—Mean (SD) serum vitamin A and β-carotene concentrations were not significantly different between the patients with and without renal scarring (vitamin A 53.2 (22.6)/46.8 (17.0) µg/dl and β-carotene 232.3 (201.3)/272.4 (86.0) µg/dl respectively). However, when the patients with renal scarring and with greater than 10% difference among the DMSA uptakes of their kidneys (11 cases) were evaluated, a significant negative correlation was determined between the serum vitamin A concentrations and the magnitude of the difference in uptakes of each kidney. The same relation was not true for serum β-carotene concentrations.
CONCLUSION—This study demonstrated a relation between serum vitamin A concentrations and magnitude of hypoactivity in ^99mTc DMSA scanning in kidneys with advanced scarring.

     

Immediate Continence Rates in RALRP: A Comparison of Three Techniques

Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the patients who underwent RALRP for localized prostate cancer by a single surgeon in our clinic from January 1, 2009–February 1, 2016. Continence was defined as no leakage or use of a safety pad for minimal leakage. The main outcome measure was continence at postoperative week 1 and months 1, 6, and 12.Results:Between 2009 and 2016, 239 patients underwent RALRP for localized prostate disease. Seventy-four patients underwent a standard approach (group 1), 88 had posterior reconstruction (group 2), and 77 had posterior reconstruction with total anatomic restoration (group 3). After 1 week, 24.3% of the patients in group 1 (18/74), 31.8% in group 2 (28/88), and 45.8% in group 3 (33/72) were continent (P = .02). One month after the surgery, continence rates for groups 1, 2, and 3 were 56.7, 67, and 75%, respectively (0.065). After 6 and 12 months, continence rates for groups 1, 2, and 3 were 72.9 and 87.8%, 81.8 and 89.7%, and 84.7 and 91.6%, respectively (P = .178 and .7484).Conclusion:Anatomic restoration improves continence rates in the early period after RALRP. Even though other parameters were higher in the total restoration group, immediate continence (at 1 week) was significantly better.