Mixed Reality Combined with Three‐Dimensional Printing Technology in Total Hip Arthroplasty: An Updated Review with a Preliminary Case Presentation

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology, virtual reality, and augmented reality technology have been used to help surgeons to complete complex total hip arthroplasty, while their respective shortcomings limit their further application. With the development of technology, mixed reality (MR) technology has been applied to improve the success rate of complicated hip arthroplasty because of its unique advantages. We presented a case of a 59‐year‐old man with an intertrochanteric fracture in the left femur, who had received a prior left hip fusion. After admission to our hospital, a left total hip arthroplasty was performed on the patient using a combination of MR technology and 3D printing technology. Before surgery, 3D reconstruction of a certain bony landmark exposed in the surgical area was first performed. Then a veneer part was designed according to the bony landmark and connected to a reference registration landmark outside the body through a connecting rod. After that, the series of parts were made into a holistic reference registration instrument using 3D printing technology, and the patient's data for bone and surrounding tissue, along with digital 3D information of the reference registration instrument, were imported into the head‐mounted display (HMD). During the operation, the disinfected reference registration instrument was installed on the selected bony landmark, and then the automatic real‐time registration was realized by HMD through recognizing the registration landmark on the reference registration instrument, whereby the patient's virtual bone and other anatomical structures were quickly and accurately superimposed on the real body of the patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to use MR combined with 3D printing technology in total hip arthroplasty.     

Spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections in a Kaingáng indigenous village from Southern Brazil

The spatial distribution of enteroparasitosis in an indigenous village from Paraná was evaluated to identify areas of risk for these infections. A cross-sectional study (from November 2010 to June 2011) was performed using Three Faecal Test^® and Kato &; Katz method and a questionnaire on housing and hygiene conditions was administered. Local geostatistical analyses were performed to determine the spatial distribution of intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalence of enteroparasites was 67.2?% (457/680), and the most prevalent taxa were Ascaris lumbricoides (48.8?%) and Trichuris trichiura (44.7?%). The prevalence of heavy infection by soil-transmitted helminths was 3.6?% and the families lived in houses with an average of 5.1 residents and < 2 bedrooms per household. The average number of species per individual present spatial heterogeneity with the highest values (≥0.8) in areas with high clustering of residences. The visualization of the spatial distribution of intestinal parasites in this indigenous village is an important contribution to determining health risk areas and planning decisions and services.     

Impact of medication therapy management on pharmacotherapy safety in an intensive care unit

Background Drug-related problems are mostly preventable or predictable circumstances that may impact on health outcomes. Clinical pharmacy activities such as medication therapy management can identify and solve these problems, with potential to improve medication safety and effectiveness. Objective To evaluate ability of medication therapy management service to detect drug-related problems and prevent adverse drug events. This study also aimed to assess the risk factors for drugrelated problem occurrence. Setting Medical intensive care unit of a public tertiary hospital in Brazil. Methods Patients were evaluated by a clinical pharmacist, who provided medication therapy management service. Detected drug-related problems were categorized according to the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe methodology and analyzed in multinomial regression to identify risk factors. Main outcome measure Potential risk factors for drug-related problem occurrence. Results The proposed medication therapy management service allowed detection of 170 drug-related problems that had potential to reach patients causing harm and other 50 unavoidable adverse events. Drug-related problems identified were more often associated with antibacterial use, caused by improper combinations or inadequate drug dosage. These problems required interventions that were accepted by the multidisciplinary team, resulting in more than 85% adherence and total problem solving. Main risk factors identified were previous diagnosis of kidney injury (OR?=?8.38), use of midazolam (OR?=?7.96), furosemide (OR?=?5.87) and vancomycin (OR?=?4.82). Conclusion Medication therapy management proved to be an effective method not only for drug-related problem detection, but also for adverse drug event prevention, contributing to improve patient safety.

     

Ultrasound Examination and Localization of the Sciatic Nerve: A Volunteer Study

Background: Few studies have examined the use of ultrasound for sciatic nerve localization. The authors evaluated the usefulness of low-frequency ultrasound in identifying the sciatic nerve at three locations in the lower extremity and in guiding needle advancement to target before nerve stimulation.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 15 volunteers underwent sciatic nerve examination using a curved ultrasound probe in the range of 2-5 MHz and a Philips-ATL 5000 unit (ATL Ultrasound, Bothell, WA) in the gluteal, infragluteal, and proximal thigh regions. Thereafter, an insulated block needle was advanced inline with the ultrasound beam to reach the nerve target, which was further confirmed by electrical stimulation. The quality of sciatic nerve images, ease of needle to nerve contact, threshold stimulating current, and resultant motor response were recorded.

Results: The sciatic nerve was successfully identified in the transverse view as a solitary predominantly hyperechoic structure on ultrasound in all of the three regions examined. The target nerve was visualized easily in 87% and localized within two needle attempts in all patients. Nerve stimulation was successful in 100% after two attempts with a threshold current of 0.42 +/- 0.12 (mean +/- SD) eliciting foot plantarflexion or dorsiflexion.     

nm23-H1基因转染对人胆管癌细胞系QBC939体外浸润能力的影响

目的：探讨nm23-H1基因转染对人胆管癌细胞系QBC939体外浸润能力的影响。方法：将含有全长nm23-H1 cDNA的真核表达载体通过脂腩体法转染人胆管癌细胞系。结果：转染成功的QBC939细胞，其nm23-Hl基因的mRNA、蛋白表达明显增加，转染nm23-H1基因的胆管癌细胞体外浸润能力下降，穿越matrigel的细胞数明显低于亲本QBC939细胞，代表浸润能力的IV型胶原酶（MMP-9）分泌量下降。结论：nm23-Hl基因可以抑制胆管癌细胞的体外浸润能力。