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.     

Effect of maternal and infant covariates on sibship correlation in birth weight

Birth weight on 12,644 singleton infants from 6,196 sibships born in Maryland between 1980 and 1984 were used to estimate the effects of nine maternal and infant covariates on the sibship correlation in birth weight. Assuming a homogeneous correlation across all families, the estimated intraclass correlation was 0.4664 (+/- 0.0099). This high sibship correlation makes it possible to predict, with reasonable accuracy, the birth weight of a child given information on previous sibs, as well as covariates on the mother and/or infant pertinent to a given pregnancy. The reduction in variance associated with incorporating information on the nine covariates used here was approximately equal to that obtained by conditioning on a single previous sib. Testing for heterogeneity in correlation among different groups of families showed that a crude measure of parity (first live birth vs. other), time between births, mother's marital status, and maternal age at the birth of the last child significantly influenced the sibship correlation in birth weight.     

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.     

Meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies of the efficacy of Epogam in the treatment of atopic eczema. Relationship between plasma essential fatty acid changes and clinical response

Gamma-linolenic acid in the form of a particular variety of evening primrose oil (Epogam) has been reported of value in the treatment of atopic eczema. Nine controlled trials of evening primrose oil were performed in eight centres. Four of the trials were parallel and five cross-over. Doctors and patients assessed the severity of eczema by scoring measures of inflammation, dryness, scaliness, pruritus and overall skin involvement. Individual symptom scores were combined to give a single global score at each assessment point. In the analysis of the parallel studies, both patient and doctor scores showed a highly significant improvement over baseline (P less than 0.0001) due to Epogam: for both scores the effect of Epogam was significantly better than placebo. Similar results were obtained on analysis of the cross-over trials, but in this case the difference between Epogam and placebo in the doctors' global score, although in favour of Epogam, failed to reach significance. The effects on itch were particularly striking. There was no placebo response to this symptom, whereas there was a substantial and highly significant response to Epogam (P less than 0.0001). When the improvements, or otherwise, in clinical condition were related to changes in plasma levels of dihomogammalinolenic and arachidoni acids, it was found that there was a positive correlation between an improvement in clinical score and a rise in the fatty acid levels.     

Nontraumatic glenohumeral instability and coracoacromial impingement in swimmers

Competitive swimming is one of the most demanding and time-consuming sports. Swimmers at elite level practice 20–30 h per week. During 1 year's practice, the average top level swimmer performs more than 500,000 stroke revolutions per arm. These innumerable repetitions over many years of hard training together with an increasing muscular imbalance around the shoulder girdle seem to be the main etiological factors in the development of the overuse syndrome swimmer's shoulder. Shoulder pain in swimmers has in general been regarded as synonymous with coracoacromial impingement, i.e. anterior shoulder pain due to rotator cuff tendinitis, but new knowledge suggests that a concomitant glenohumeral instability plays an additional role. The diagnostic complexity of the problem is as challenging as the search for the gold standard of treatment. The condition should ideally be diagnosed as early as possible, and intensive functional rehabilitation of the shoulder girdle including the scapular muscles should be started in order to restore muscle balance. The surgical possibilities include subacromial decompression in cases of purely mechanical impingement. If a painful glenohumeral instability persists after intensive functional rehabilitation, anterior capsulolabral reconstruction can be performed. Still, however, short- and long-term results show that surgery is less successful in elite athletes involved in overhead sports. Prevention protocols include education of coaches in primary injury prophylaxis and the institution of resistance strength training in prepubescent swimmers. Emphasis should be made to improve muscular balance around the glenohumeral and scapulothoracic joints.     

Ultrasensitive analysis of the intestinal absorption and compartmentalization of aluminium in uraemic rats: a 26Al tracer study employing accelerator mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND: Developments in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) now permit the determination of femtogram amounts of 26Al in blood and in various tissues with good precision and free of external contamination. METHODS: In the present study we used trace quantities of 26Al to investigate the intestinal absorption and compartmentalization of aluminium in rats with renal failure (Nx, 5/6 nephrectomy) and in pair- fed controls (C). Single oral doses of 20 ng 26Al were administered to six animals in each group and, subsequently, 24-h post-load 26Al was analysed in serum, urine, bone, liver, and spleen by means of AMS. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of 26Al were significantly lower in uraemic rats compared to controls, whereas urinary excretion was comparable (Nx, 7.11 +/- 5.78 pg/day vs C, 9.46 +/- 6.10 pg/day), suggesting a higher fraction of ultrafiltrable serum 26Al in uraemia. The target tissues of cellular transferrin-mediated 26Al uptake, liver and spleen, tended to show a larger degree of aluminium accumulation in controls (0.26 +/- 0.31 pg/g vs Nx, 0.14 +/- 0.10 pg/g and 0.37 +/- 0.27 pg/g vs Nx, 0.25 +/- 0.27 pg/g respectively). In contrast, in bone, a site of extracellular aluminium deposition, 26Al concentrations were more elevated in uraemia (1.22 +/- 0.59 pg/g vs C: 0.68 +/- 0.30 pg/g). Estimated total 26Al accumulation in all measured target tissues was significantly higher in uraemic rats (28.15 +/- 9.90 pg vs C: 17.03 +/- 7.03 pg) and total recovery of 26Al from tissue and urine was 26.58 +/- 6.74 pg in controls and 35.75 +/- 7.03 pg in uraemic animals, suggesting a fractional absorption of 0.133% and 0.175% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that fractional absorption from a dietary level dose of 26Al is about 0.13%. Compartmentalization occurs in transferrin-dependent target tissues such as liver and spleen; however, in quantitative terms extracellular deposition in bone is more important. Uraemia has a significant effect on the intestinal absorption and compartmentalization of aluminium. It enhances fractional absorption and increases subsequent extracellular deposition of aluminium in bone. However, at the same time uraemia does not increase transferrin-dependent cellular accumulation of aluminium in liver and spleen.      

A new synthesis of Rink's polymer, 4-(2′,4′-dimethoxyphenylhydroxymethyl) phenoxymethylpolystyrene

For solid-phase peptide synthesis, 2, 4-dimethoxy-4′ -hydroxybenzhydrol linker was prepared via lithium borohydride reduction of 2, 4-dimethoxy-4′-hydroxybenzophenone. The potassium salt of the linker was coupled to chloromethylpolystyrene. This method proved to be better than use of the cesium salt. This new synthesis gave a polymer with appropriate structure and a good degree of substitution.     

Long QT interval syndrome with increased QT dispersion

This case report describes the anaesthetic management of a patient with sporadic-type long QT interval syndrome (LQTS), and increased QT dispersion, who presented for removal of an ovarian cyst. Beta adrenergic blockade and adequate depth of anaesthesia for successful management is emphasized. The Successful use of epidural administration of lignocaine and opioids in addition to general anaesthesia is described.