Validation of the Modena bleeding score in endoscopic sinus surgery

IntroductionThe Modena bleeding score is a categorical rating scale that allows the assessment of the surgical field in relation to bleeding during endoscopic surgery. It has recently been presented and validated in the field of endoscopic ear surgery by the present authors. The Modena bleeding score provides five grades for rating the surgical field during endoscopic procedures (from grade 1 ? no bleeding to grade 5 ? bleeding that prevents every surgical procedure except those dedicated to bleeding control).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to validate the Modena bleeding score in the setting of endoscopic sinus surgery.MethodsFifteen three-minute videos of endoscopic sinus surgery procedures (each containing three bleeding situations) were evaluated by 15 specialists, using the Modena bleeding score. Intra and inter-rater reliability were assessed, and the clinical validity of the Modena bleeding score was calculated using a referent standard.ResultsThe data analysis showed an intra-rater reliability ranging from 0.6336 to 0.861. The inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.676 to 0.844. The clinical validity was α = 0.70; confidence limits: 0.64 ? 0.75, corresponding to substantial agreement.ConclusionThe Modena bleeding score is an effective method to score bleeding during endoscopic sinus surgery. Its application in future research could facilitate the performance and efficacy assessment of surgical techniques, materials or devices aimed to bleeding control during endoscopic sinus surgery.     

Melatonin,melatonin isomers and stilbenes in Italian traditional grape products and their antiradical capacity

Although polyphenols represent the paradigm of the health‐promoting effects ascribed to grape products, recently, attention has been paid to dietary melatonin, significantly present in Mediterranean foods. In this work, we measured melatonin, its isomers, stilbenes (trans‐ and cis‐resveratrol and their glucosides, piceids) and total polyphenols in some different grape products (red, white and dessert wines, grape juices and Modena balsamic vinegars) of distinct Italian areas. We also evaluated their antiradical activity by DPPH ^· and ABTS ^{· +} assays. For indoleamine analysis, the separation was carried out on a 1.7‐μm C₁₈ BEH column and the detection performed by means of mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring. The confirmation of the peak identity was accomplished by injection into the high‐resolution system (Orbitrap) using accurate mass measurements (error below 1.0 ppm). Mass spectrometry analyses revealed, for the first time, the presence of melatonin in dessert wines and balsamic vinegars, as well as the occurrence of three different melatonin isomers in grape products.     

Intracardiac electrophysiologic study of dilazep in man

We studied the electrophysiologic effects of intravenous dilazep in 10 hospitalized patients.     

Contrasting performance of right- and left-hemisphere patients on short-term and long-term sequential visual memory

Fifty control subjects and 100 patients with damage restricted to one hemisphere were given two memory tests, one requiring immediate recognition of increasingly longer sequences of pictures and the second learning to criterion the order of presentation of eight pictures.On the short-term memory test, left- but not right-brain-damaged patients scored significantly lower than controls. Their inferiority disappeared when the means were corrected for Token Test scores. On the learning test, right-brain-damaged patients performed more poorly than controls and failed to reach criterion in a significantly higher proportion than left-brain-damaged patients. When the standardized scores on the two tests were compared, the left hemisphere group was found to perform more poorly on the short-term than on the long-term memory test, while the right-brain-damaged group showed the opposite pattern. It was concluded that the aid provided by the verbal code in sequential memory for pictures is limited to conditions requiring brief storage, while long-lasting acquisition of a pictorial sequence is mainly mediated by visual images.     

Indicators of Complex Care During the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Activity at the Transplant Center of the Policlinico Hospital,Modena

Objective

The objective of this study was to identify possible biopsychosocial predictors of organizational complexity in patients referred to the consultant psychiatrist for assessment before liver transplantation.