The relation between satisfaction with appearance and race and ethnicity: A National Institute on Disability,Independent Living,and Rehabilitation Research burn model system study

Research supports that people of color in the U.S. have poorer outcomes after burn injury compared to White individuals. The current study sought to explore burn health disparities by testing the relationship between racial and ethnic minority status, a proxy for systemic discrimination due to race and ethnicity, with two key constructs linked to functional outcomes, satisfaction with appearance and social community integration. Participants included 1318 burn survivors from the Burn Model System National Database (mean age = 40.2, SD = 12.7). Participants completed measures of satisfaction with appearance and social community integration at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 24-months after burn injury. Linear regressions revealed that racial and ethnic minority status significantly related to lower satisfaction with appearance and social community integration compared to White individuals at all time points. In addition, satisfaction with appearance continued to significantly relate to greater social community integration even while accounting for race and ethnicity, age, sex, burn size, and physical disability at 6-, 12-, and 24-month time points. Overall, the study supports that racial and ethnic minority burn survivors report greater dissatisfaction with their appearance and lower social community reintegration after burn injury.     

Daily nutrient intake represents a modifiable determinant of nutritional status in chronic haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: In maintenance haemodialysis patients, daily food intake is changeable; however, its relationship with nutritional status is unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the isolated, long-term effect of daily nutrient intake on nutritional status in haemodialysis patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective 1-year controlled study in 27 chronic haemodialysis patients, without recognized risk factors for malnutrition. Each day for 1 week, four times in the year, we measured protein nitrogen appearance, and assessed dietary protein (DPI) and energy (DEI) intake from dietary diaries. We compared the nutritional outcome of patients spontaneously reducing nutrient intake below the threshold of 0.8 g/kg body weight/day for DPI and 25 kcal/kg body weight/day for DEI during the week (LOW, n = 8), with controls at adequate nutrient intake (CON, n = 19). An interventional 6-month study was then carried out in LOW to verify the cause-effect relationship. RESULTS: All patients showed a day-by-day reduction of whole nutrient intake during interdialytic period, which was mostly relevant in the third interdialytic day (L3). During the 1-year study, even in the presence of adequate dialysis dose and normal inflammatory indexes, body weight (68.0 +/- 5.5 to 65.8 +/- 5.9 kg), serum albumin (3.96 +/- 0.07 to 3.66 +/- 0.06 g/dl) and creatinine (9.2 +/- 1.1 to 8.1 +/- 0.7 mg/dl) significantly decreased in LOW but not in CON. Diaries evidenced in LOW a reduced number of meals at L3 that was explained by the fear of excessive interdialytic weight gain. During the interventional study, daily DPI and DEI increased at L3; this was associated with a significant increment of body weight, and serum albumin and creatinine levels. CONCLUSIONS: In maintenance haemodialysis patients the persistent, marked reduction of daily nutrient intake, even if limited to a single day of the week, is an independent determinant of reversible impairment of nutritional status.     

Significance of beaten copper appearance on skull radiographs in children with isolated sagittal synostosis

Aims and Objectives The significance of beaten copper appearance (BCA) on skull radiographs in children following surgery for isolated sagittal craniosynostosis has not been studied. This study was designed to look for any correlation between BCA and symptoms suggestive of intracranial hypertension in this group of patients. Materials and Methods Forty-eight consecutive children, who were operated for isolated sagittal synostosis from1987 to 2000 and had postoperative skull radiographs, were included. Patients were divided into: (a) BCA group (n = 20), consisting of children who had beaten copper appearance on skull radiographs at last follow up, and (b) Non-BCA group (n = 28), consisting of children who did not have this finding. Records were reviewed to look for symptoms suggestive of intracranial hypertension, such as headache, head banging, and irritability. Results Median age at surgery was 4.8 months for BCA group and 4 months for the non-BCA group. Follow up ranged from 4 to 156 months with a mean of 36.2 months. Total of 28.6% (n = 6) of the children with follow up radiographs done at ≤18 months of age had BCA. The incidence of BCA increased to 83.3% in children with skull radiographs performed after 48 months of age. In 18 (90%) children, the BCA was ‘diffuse’ with 5 (25%) children having the maximum possible score of 8. In the BCA group, 45% (n = 9) had symptoms compared to 10.7% (n = 3) in the control group (p = 0.0068). Conclusions This study suggests a significant number of children with BCA on radiographs develop symptoms suggestive of raised ICP following surgical treatment in infancy and prolonged follow up may be warranted in this group of patients.     

简易印模术对单个前牙烤瓷冠颈缘外观效果的作用观察

目的:观察和探讨两种印模技术对单个前牙烤瓷冠颈缘外观的改善效果。方法:40位患者用简易印模技术制取印模,制作93件镍铬合金烤瓷瓷冠,设为实验组,另35位患者以常规印模技术制取印模,制作71件镍铬合金烤瓷瓷冠,设为对照组。观察两组戴冠当时与两年后的颈缘适合性、颜色、牙龈形态与健康情况。结果:试验组有98%的合金瓷冠具有优良的边缘适合性,仅2件(2%)出现颈缘黑线,与对照组相比有显著差异(P<0.05)。结论:简易印模技术能更好的保证工作区模型的准确度,从而有效地改善了镍铬合金烤瓷冠颈缘的美观与龈组织的健康。     

Pseudotumoral appearance of small bowel strictureplasty for Crohn's disease

In two patients with Crohn's disease, strictureplasties had been marked operatively by a metal clip, so that definitive location on subsequent small bowel examination was possible. Each stricture-plasty presented radiologically as a short annular constriction with apparently shouldered edges and parallel lumen. Similar radiological features were found in five other patients with strictureplasties, suggesting that a pseudotumoral appearance is characteristic of strictureplasty. Attention is drawn to this finding to avoid confusion with malignancy.     

An autopsy case of hepatic sarcomatoid tumor: Immunohistochemical comparison with a sarcomatous component of hepatocellular carcinoma

A case of primary hepatic tumor exclusively composed of malignant cells with sarcomatous features is described and compared immunohistochemically with two cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a sarcomatous component. More than 30% of HCC cells were positively stained with anti-cytokeratin (CAM5.2), anti-albumin, anti-fibrinogen and anti-α₁-antitrypsin antibodies, and some with anti-epithelial membrane antigen. The present sarcomatoid tumor and the sarcomatous component with HCC showed similar immuno-histochemistry; many tumor cells were strongly immuno-reactive for vimentin and some positive for cytokeratin, albumin, fibrinogen and u,-antitrypsin. Other immunohistochemical markers, indicating specific differentiations to lineage of macrophages, muscle cells, glial cells, endothelial cells and so forth, were not detected in sarcomatous tumor cells of all cases. These findings suggest that the present sarcomatoid tumor would belong to an anaplastic sarcomatous variant of HCC.     

Hypofluorescent spots in indocyanine green angiography of peau d‘orange and fundus

Purpose. Hypofluorescent spots were seen inindocyanine green (ICG) angiography of peau dorangefundus in eyes with angioid streaks. Origin of the hypofluorescentspots were examined with attention to their correlationwith a peau dorange appearance of the central fundususing a computer-assisted image comparison system. Methods. ICG angiography was performed in 5 patientshaving peau dorange appearance of fundus using ascanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) and a digitalvideo-fundus camera. The same central fundus areas corresponding to hypofluorescent spots in an ICGangiogram were then digitally identified in afluorescein angiogram and in a red-free picture in all10 eyes of the 5 patients. Monochromatic lightobservation was also performed with a dark fieldobservation using a SLO to see subretinal orintrachoroidal pigment clumping. Results. In no patient, the areas identified withhypofluorescent spots did show relevant changes ina fluorescein angiogram or a red-free picture. SLOexamination revealed not perfusion defect at the sameareas. The dark field observation showed no pigmentclumping at the peripapillary and papillomacularbundle regions where hypofluorescent spots were seen.Conclusions: Hypofluorescent spots seen in ICGangiograms did not show exact consistency with peau dorange changes in their location and shape. Perfusion defects or blocking by pigments were not acause of hypofluorescent spots. The scatteredhypofluorescent spots were considered to be relevantwith irregular affinity of the fundus to ICG dye.     

二甲苯对不同年龄大鼠脑组织形态学及神经细胞凋亡的影响

目的　探讨年龄对二甲苯神经毒作用的影响。方法　采用 Ｈ Ｅ 染色法和 Ｔ Ｕ Ｎ Ｅ Ｌ 技术对不同月龄大鼠的脑组织病理形态学和神经细胞凋亡情况进行了研究。结果　二甲苯５００ ｍ ｇ／ｋｇ 染毒后,２ 月龄组较８ 月龄组大鼠脑组织形态学改变相对严重,２ 月龄组染毒大鼠神经细胞凋亡的发生率为（１ ．５３ ±１ ．０６） 个／ 视野,明显高于同龄对照组的（０ ．９３ ±０ ．７５） 个／ 视野, Ｆ＝ １２ ．６５９ ６ , Ｐ＜ ０ ．００１ ;８ 月龄组染毒大鼠的神经细胞凋亡率为（１ ．６５ ±１ ．１１） 个／ 视野,明显高于同龄对照组的（１ ．１５ ±１ ．０７） 个／ 视野, Ｆ＝ ６ ．２６３ ３ , Ｐ＜ ０ ．０５ 。结论　低龄大鼠对二甲苯的神经毒作用更为敏感     

Can nuchal cord cause transient increased nuchal translucency thickness?

When detected in a first trimester scan, an increased thickness of nuchal translucency (NT) may be associated with chromosomal, cardiac or genetic disorders. However, less attention has been devoted to the outcome of those fetuses who have confirmed normal anatomies and karyotyping, but have abnormal first trimester scans. Thus, a challenging new issue is how to counsel such cases of transient increased NT in which the translucency rapidly vanishes with no evidence of other underlying abnormalities. Two cases of transient increased thickness of NT are reported. In both, a nuchal cord was ultrasonographically demonstrated and a thorough work-up revealed chromosomally and anatomically normal fetuses. The pathophysiological theories behind these observations and their significance are discussed. Based on these observations, we suggest that transvaginal sonography combined with Doppler flow studies should be utilized for the presize detection of cord patterns to accomplish the work-up in cases of increased NT.     

急性低气压缺氧对小鼠肠系膜微循环的影响

本文介绍了低气压缺氧密封室处理后小鼠肠系膜微循环的改变。结果发现低气压低氧环境能引起小鼠肠系膜微循环明显改变。表现在血液流态、血管内红细胞聚集,微血管形态以及血管周围渗血等方面的改变尤为明显。微血管形态的改变以微静脉囊状扩张最为突出。在离开低气压缺氧环境后,血管周围渗血在一定时间内继续发展,高浓度氧不能阻止血管周围渗血现象的发展。其他改变包括血管分支出现跳级现象、毛细血管网呈虚线状以及微动脉末梢扭曲增多等。