One Week of Hospitalization Following Elective Hip Surgery Induces Substantial Muscle Atrophy in Older Patients

Objectives

Short successive periods of skeletal muscle disuse have been suggested to substantially contribute to the observed loss of skeletal muscle mass over the life span. Hospitalization of older individuals due to acute illness, injury, or major surgery generally results in a mean hospital stay of 5 to 7 days, during which the level of physical activity is strongly reduced. We hypothesized that hospitalization following elective total hip arthroplasty is accompanied by substantial leg muscle atrophy in older men and women.

Intracranial circulation: pulse-sequence considerations in three- dimensional (volume) MR angiography

The technique and feasibility of magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of intracranial vessels were studied in 35 healthy volunteers. Variations in image orientation, repetition time (TR), and flip angle were evaluated to determine their effects on flow-related enhancement. Gradient modifications--including echo time (TE), motion compensation, bandwidth, and field of view--were also studied in an effort to reduce motion-induced phase shifts. Results indicated that a FISP (fast imaging with steady precession) sequence with a TR of 50 msec, TE of 15 msec, velocity compensation in the read and section-select directions, acceleration compensation in the read direction, anisotropic volume, and a 1.25-mm partition thickness produced three-dimensional angiographic MR images that were accurate and reproducible in the depiction of the major intracranial vessels. Difficulties with field of view, persistent signal void secondary to higher-order motion, and spatial resolution remain major problems requiring additional study.     

Paediatric dacryocystorhinostomy

Of 258 cases of dacryocystorhinostomy performed on children in the period September 1981 to September 1991, 130 were for simple, unresolved congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Other indications for surgery included punctal agenesis, lacrimal fistula, post-traumatic and post-inflammatory canalicular obstruction. Of 177 children without canalicular pathology, 171 (96%) were relieved of symptoms with one operation, without canalicular intubation. Of 81 cases with canalicular disease, 55 of 70 (79%) who underwent DCR plus canalicular intubation, and 10 of 11 who underwent DCR plus Lester-Jones tube, were substantially improved with one operation. No child required peroperative or postoperative blood transfusion. Dacryocystorhinostomy in childhood, in experienced surgical hands, is a safe procedure, achieving relief of symptoms in most cases, particularly in the absence of canalicular disease.     

Structural chromosome 1 aberrations in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: interphase cytogenetics combining a centromeric, telomeric, and library DNA probe.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to study numerical and structural chromosome 1 aberrations in interphase nuclei of transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs) of the urinary bladder. One of the characteristic numerical aberrations, as detected previously in low-grade noninvasive TCCs, included trisomy for chromosome 1 (A. H. N. Hopman et al., Cancer Res., 51: 644-651, 1991). We examined in more detail 22 cases with a centromeric (1q12) and a telomeric associated (1p36) DNA probe and with a library DNA probe from sorted human chromosome 1 in single- and double-target FISH procedures. All flow cytometrically determined DNA diploid TCCs (13 cases), which showed three spots for 1q12 (6 cases), had two spots for 1p36. Since the library DNA probe showed three separate domains in the nuclei of these cases, the additional copy for 1q12 could be explained as an extra chromosome 1p-, containing the 1q12 target. In the flow cytometrically determined DNA tetraploid/aneuploid tumors, the results were more complex. In 6 of 9 cases, we observed an overrepresentation of 1q12 as compared to 1p36, also suggesting the presence of extra copies of 1p- chromosomes. The results of the present study demonstrate the utility of the FISH method to assess structural chromosome aberrations in interphase nuclei of solid tumors.     

The influence of synovial fibroblasts on the phagocytosis of Staphylococcus by polymorphonuclear cells

Summary It has been suggested that the reduced resistance of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to bacterial joint infections may be due in part to polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) function. To obtain further insight into the mechanis that contribute to the increased susceptiblity of RA patients to such infections we investigated the influence of different solid surfaces on the ingestion of various bacterial strains by PMN. Both in the presence and absence of serum, phagocytosis of bacteria by PMN was significantly lower on monolayers of synovial fibroblasts as compared to monolayers of endothelial cells and embryonic fibroblasts. It could be shown that the relative influence of the solid surfac on the results of the phagocytosis assay increased when decreasing concentrations of purified IgG were used. The results of this study sugpurified IgG were used. The results of this study suggested that the effect of synovial fibroblasts on PMB may lead to reduced clearance of bacteria from the joint.     

Effects of tailored feedback on multiple health behaviors

Background: The effects of tailored intervention on multiple behaviors and possible moderators of tailoring effects have not yet been sufficiently demonstrated.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a computer-tailored intervention on smoking; physical activity; and fruit, vegetable, and fat intake; and to test potential moderators of the effectiveness (BMI, age, SES, gender, motivation, and the number of behaviors for which respondents met the recommendations from national guidelines).Methods: Respondents were randomly assigned to a tailored intervention group, receiving one tailored letter on all of these behaviors, or a control intervention group, receiving one general information letter on all behaviors.Results: Three months after the baseline assessment, the tailored intervention group showed significantly better effects than the control group for all behaviors studied, except for smoking. Notably, the intervention did not enhance the health behaviors, but rather reduced a decline in these behaviors during the 3-month study interval. Effect sizes were small. No moderating factors were found, except for the number of behaviors for which recommendations were met in the tailoring intervention group on fruit consumption. The largest effects of the tailored intervention were found for fruit in respondents who did not meet the recommendations for any behavior (Cohen’s d=0.3).Conclusions: A tailored intervention on multiple behaviors had significant, but limited effects when compared to generic information. The number of bad habits influenced the effects of the tailored intervention on fruit consumption.