HIT-6 and EQ-5D-5L in patients with migraine: assessment of common latent constructs and development of a mapping algorithm

The European Journal of Health Economics - The aims of this study were to assess whether there is a conceptual overlap between the questionnaires HIT-6 and EQ-5D and to develop a mapping algorithm...     

Pheophytin a, a low molecular weight compound found in the marine brown alga Sargassum fulvellum, promotes the differentiation of PC12 cells

We identified and characterized a neurodifferentiation compound from the marine brown alga Sargassum fulvellum collected from the Japanese coastline. Several instrumental analyses revealed the compound to be pheophytin a. Pheophytin a did not itself promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. However, when PC12 cells were treated with a low concentration of pheophytin a (3.9 microg/ml) in the presence of a low level of nerve growth factor (10 ng/ml), the compound produced neurite outgrowth similar to that produced by a high level of nerve growth factor (50 ng/ml). Pheophytin a also enhanced signal transduction in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, which is also induced by nerve growth factor. The effect of pheophytin a on neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells was completely blocked by U0126, a representative mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor. These results suggest that pheophytin a enhances the neurodifferentiation of PC12 cells in the presence of a low level of nerve growth factor and that this effect is mediated by activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.     

Current determinants of 30-day and 3-month mortality in over 2000 aortic valve replacements: Impact of routine laboratory parameters.

OBJECTIVE: Haematological and biochemical measurements are performed routinely before surgery to exclude organ malfunction and blood cell and coagulation abnormalities. We aimed to test routinely obtained laboratory data as factors predicting operative risk. METHODS: Between 1996 and 2003, 2198 patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) (908 of them with concomitant CABG) in our institute. The mean age of the study population was 69+/-11 years (range 13-91, 43% female). Clinical and laboratory parameters based on the consolidated data mart set were evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall operative mortality (within 30 days) was 3.8% and the mortality after 3 months was 5.9%. In addition to clinical characteristics, the following laboratory values were identified as independent predictors of 30-day mortality: fasting blood glucose, antithrombine III, partial thromboplastine time and creatinine kinase. As independent predictors of 3-month mortality, the following laboratory values were indentified: fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, antithrombine III, partial thromboplastine time, lactate dehydrogenase, sodium concentration and serum proteins. The discriminative power of the models increased if laboratory parameters were included in addition to preoperative clinical characteristics (from 0.75 to 0.79 and from 0.75 to 0.78 for 30-day and 3-month mortality, respectively). The discriminative power using the logistic EuroScore was lower (0.71 and 0.7, for 30-day and 3-month mortality, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory parameters as objective markers for organ function and nutritional status are useful data for the prediction of 30-day and 3-month mortality after aortic valve replacement. Using modern methods of information technology, these valuable data which are stored electronically in most hospitals, can be used efficiently for research and quality control.     

Postoperative radial nerve paralysis caused by fracture callus.

This is a case of late-onset (6 weeks) radial nerve paralysis following open reduction and internal fixation of a comminuted distal humerus fracture. A transected radial nerve within the callus was found at reoperation. The mechanism of transection was thought to be repetitive motion of the nerve across an edge of new bone. The nerve was repaired and tendon transfers done subsequently with less than full functional recovery at 16 months. No such case has been previously reported.