Identifying Risk Drinking in Expectant Fathers

Abstract: Background: Identification of risk drinking in expectant fathers may be helpful as an important part of efforts to minimize maternal alcohol use, and as an opportunity to inform them about a problematic practice during a critical developmental stage for the couple. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the T‐ACE screening questionnaire, which asks about t olerance to alcohol, being a nnoyed by other's comments about drinking, attempts to c ut down, and having a drink first thing in the morning (“ e ye‐opener”), in the male partners of pregnant women who themselves were T‐ACE positive. Methods: Two hundred fifty‐four male partners were asked to complete the T‐ACE embedded in a health survey, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and other questions about their alcohol use in the past 30 days when their pregnant partners had a median gestation of 11.5 weeks (T₁). After delivery, male partners again completed the T‐ACE and quantity‐frequency questions (T₂). The predictive ability of the T‐ACE and AUDIT was compared, using risk drinking (>4 drinks/day or >14 drinks/week) as the criterion standard. Results: A substantial minority of male partners had risk drinking, 31 percent at T₁ and 25 percent at T₂. Although the AUDIT was better than the T‐ACE as an independent predictor of risk drinking, the latter was most accurate when the tolerance threshold exceeded 2 drinks, the same established for pregnant women. The sensitivity (T₁ = 84.6%, T₂ = 82.8%) and specificity (T₁ = 43.8%, T₂ = 51.1%) of the T‐ACE at this threshold compared favorably with those of the AUDIT at the standard cut point of 8. Conclusions: The T‐ACE may be a practical way for clinicians to identify risk drinking in both pregnant women and expectant fathers. (BIRTH 33:2 June 2006)     

Blood markers for early detection of colorectal cancer: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite different available methods for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and their proven benefits, morbidity, and mortality of this malignancy are still high, partly due to low compliance with screening. Minimally invasive tests based on the analysis of blood specimens may overcome this problem. The purpose of this review was to give an overview of published studies on blood markers aimed at the early detection of CRC and to summarize their performance characteristics. METHOD: The PUBMED database was searched for relevant studies published until June 2006. Only studies with more than 20 cases and more than 20 controls were included. Information on the markers under study, on the underlying study populations, and on performance characteristics was extracted. Special attention was given to performance characteristics by tumor stage. RESULTS: Overall, 93 studies evaluating 70 different markers were included. Most studies were done on protein markers, but DNA markers and RNA markers were also investigated. Performance characteristics varied widely between different markers, but also between different studies using the same marker. Promising results were reported for some novel assays, e.g., assays based on SELDI-TOF MS or MALDI-TOF MS, for some proteins (e.g., soluble CD26 and bone sialoprotein) and also for some genetic assays (e.g., L6 mRNA), but evidence thus far is restricted to single studies with limited sample size and without further external validation. CONCLUSIONS: Larger prospective studies using study populations representing a screening population are needed to verify promising results. In addition, future studies should pay increased attention to the potential of detecting precursor lesions.     

Gianotti-Crosti-Syndrom nach Impfung

Es wird über 4 Kleinkinder berichtet, bei denen ein Gianotti-Crosti-Syndrom (GCS) mit einer Latenz von 6–8 Tagen nach Impfung auftrat. Nachfolgende Auffrischungsimpfungen wurden problemlos vertragen. W?hrend das Auftreten eines GCS in Assoziation mit einer Virusinfektion gut dokumentiert ist, liegen über das Auftreten eines GCS im Anschluss an eine Impfung nur wenige Mitteilungen vor. Auf einen derartig m?glichen Zusammenhang sollte jedoch bei Vorstellung dieses Krankheitsbildes (GCS) im Rahmen der Anamneseerhebung unbedingt eingegangen werden.     

Health status,work limitations,and return-to-work trajectories in injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the health status and work limitations in injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders at 1 month post-injury, stratified by return-to-work status, and to document their return-to-work trajectories 6 months post-injury. METHODS: A sample of 632 workers with a back or upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder, who filed a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board lost-time claim injury, participated in this prospective study. Participants were assessed at baseline (1 month post-injury) and at 6 months follow-up. RESULTS: One month post-injury, poor physical health, high levels of depressive symptoms and high work limitations are prevalent in workers, including in those with a sustained first return to work. Workers with a sustained first return to work report a better health status and fewer work limitations than those who experienced a recurrence of work absence or who never returned to work. Six months post-injury, the rate of recurrence of work absence in the trajectories of injured workers who have made at least one return to work attempt is high (38%), including the rate for workers with an initial sustained first return to work (27%). CONCLUSIONS: There are return-to-work status specific health outcomes in injured workers. A sustained first return to work is not equivalent to a complete recovery from musculoskeletal disorders.     

Elective open operation for abdominal aortic aneurysm in octogenarians--survival analysis of 105 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To study early mortality and long-term survival of patients more than 80 years of age having elective open repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter cohort study. MATERIAL: One hundred and five patients, 23 women and 82 men, with a median age of 82 years, operated at three Norwegian hospitals during the period 1983-2002. METHOD: Survival analyses were based on data from medical records and the Norwegian Registrar's Office of Births and Deaths. Expected survival was based on mortality rates of the general population, matched by age, sex, and calendar period. Relative survival was calculated as the ratio between the observed and the expected survival. RESULTS: During the study period there has been a 10 fold increase in octogenarians treated with open operation for AAA. Early mortality (30-day) for the whole group of patients was 10.5% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5.3-18.0), and similar for both genders. The 5-year survival rate was 47% (95% CI 35.9-57.4), and not significantly different from that of a matched group in the general population. Patients aged 84 years or more had a median survival time of 35 months (95% CI 18.5-51.6). CONCLUSION: The number of AAA operations in octogenarians has increased considerably during 20 years. Octogenarians operated electively for AAA has higher 30-day mortality as compared to younger patients. Their long-term survival appears similar to a matched control group. The benefit of surgery must be carefully considered against the perioperative risk, especially for the oldest octogenarians.     

One-stage versus two-stage lymph node dissection after investigation of sentinel lymph node in cutaneous melanoma: a comparison of complications, costs, hospitalization times, and operation times

The aim of the study was to evaluate whether complication rate, costs, operation times, and hospitalization times differed in two different patient groups: in group 1, frozen section analysis of the sentinel lymph node and lymph node dissection were carried out in the same operation. In group 2, normal investigation of the sentinel lymph node and lymph node dissection were done in a second operation. One hundred thirty-five patients with cutaneous melanoma were included. Hospitalization times, costs, complication rates, and operation times of two-stage and one-stage lymph node dissection of the draining area after detection of metastases in the sentinel lymph node were retrospectively compared. Lymph node metastasis in the sentinel lymph node was found in 23 patients. In 11 patients, removal of the sentinel lymph node and dissection of the lymph node basin was performed in the same operation. In 12 patients, a two-stage procedure was the treatment of choice. Operation times were not different in the two groups (p=0.87) while two-stage operation patients were hospitalized significantly longer (14.2 ± 9.7 vs 23.9 ± 24 days; p=0.01) and costs were significantly higher (7,836.90 ± 2,397.95 Swiss francs vs 5,279.40 ± 1,994.90 Swiss francs). In addition, more complications were found in the two-stage group.