Lupus and Perioperative Complications in Elective Primary Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: The number of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (herein, lupus) undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing. There is disagreement about the effect of lupus on perioperative complication rates. We hypothesized that lupus would be associated with higher complication rates in patients who undergo elective primary THA or TKA.METHODS: Records of more than 6.2 million patients from the National Inpatient Sample who underwent elective primary THA or TKA from 2000 to 2009 were reviewed. Patients with lupus (n = 38,644) were compared with those without lupus (n = 6,173,826). Major complications were death, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, pneumonia, and acute renal failure. Minor complications were wound infection, seroma, deep vein thrombosis, hip dislocation, wound dehiscence, and hematoma. Patient age, sex, duration of hospital stay, and number of Elixhauser comorbidities were assessed for both groups. Multivariate logistic regression models using comorbidities, age, and sex as covariates were used to assess the association of lupus with major and minor perioperative complications. The alpha level was set to 0.001.RESULTS: Among patients who underwent THA, those with lupus were younger (mean age, 56 vs. 65 years), were more likely to be women (87% vs. 56%), had longer hospital stays (mean, 4.0 vs. 3.8 days), and had more comorbidities (mean, 2.5 vs. 1.4) than those without lupus (all p < 0.001). In patients with THA, lupus was independently associated with major complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 1.7) and minor complications (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.5). Similarly, among patients who underwent TKA, those with lupus were younger (mean, 62 vs. 67 years), were more likely to be women (93% vs. 64%), had longer hospital stays (mean, 3.8 vs. 3.7 days), and had more comorbidities (mean, 2.8 vs. 1.7) than those without lupus (all p < 0.001). However, in TKA patients, lupus was not associated with greater odds of major complications (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.9 to 1.4) or minor complications (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.9 to 1.3).CONCLUSIONS: Lupus is an independent risk factor for major and minor perioperative complications in elective primary THA but not TKA.

The Association of Delirium with Perioperative Complications in Primary Elective Total Hip Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to determine whether postoperative delirium is associated with inpatient complication rates after primary elective total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: Using the National Inpatient Sample, we analyzed records of patients who underwent primary elective THA from 2000 through 2009 to identify patients with delirium (n = 13,551) and without delirium (n = 1,992,971) and to assess major perioperative complications (acute renal failure, death, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and stroke) and minor perioperative complications (deep vein thrombosis, dislocation, general procedural complication, hematoma, seroma, and wound infection). Patient age, sex, length of hospital stay, and number of comorbidities were assessed. We used multivariate logistic regression to determine the association of delirium with complication rates (significance, p < 0.01). RESULTS: Patients with delirium were older (mean, 75 ± 0.2 vs. 65 ± 0.1 years), were more likely to be male (56% vs. 52%), had longer hospital stays (mean, 5.7 ± 0.07 vs. 3.8 ± 0.02 days), and had more comorbidities (mean, 2.8 ± 0.03 vs. 1.4 ± 0.01) (all p < 0.001) versus patients without delirium. Patients with delirium were more likely to have major (11% vs. 3%) and minor (17% vs. 7%) perioperative complications versus patients without delirium (both p < 0.001). When controlling for age, sex, and number of comorbidities, delirium was independently associated with major and minor complications (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 2.3). CONCLUSIONS: Delirium is an independent risk factor for major and minor perioperative complications after primary elective THA.

Large Steel Tank Fails and Rockets to Height of 30 meters - Rupture Disc Installed Incorrectly

At a brewery, the base plate-to-shell weld seam of a 90-m3 vertical cylindrical steel tank failed catastrophically. The 4 ton tank "took off" like a rocket leaving its contents behind, and landed on a van, crushing it. The top of the tank reached a height of 30 m. The internal overpressure responsible for the failure was an estimated 60 kPa. A rupture disc rated at < 50 kPa provided overpressure protection and thus prevented the tank from being covered by the European Pressure Equipment Directive. This safeguard failed and it was later discovered that the rupture disc had been installed upside down. The organizational root cause of this incident may be a fundamental lack of appreciation of the hazards of large volumes of low-pressure compressed air or gas. A contributing factor may be that the standard piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) symbol for a rupture disc may confuse and lead to incorrect installation. Compressed air systems are ubiquitous. The medium is not toxic or flammable. Such systems however, when operated at "slight overpressure" can store a great deal of energy and thus constitute a hazard that ought to be addressed by safety managers.

Household air pollution and lung cancer in China: a review of studies in Xuanwei / 癌症

Over half of the world's population is exposed to household air pollution from the burning of solid fuels at home. Household air pollution from solid fuel use is a leading risk factor for global disease and remains a major public health problem, especially in low- and mid-income countries. This is a particularly serious problem in China, where many people in rural areas still use coal for household heating and cooking. This review focuses on several decades of research carried out in Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, where household coal use is a major source of household air pollution and where studies have linked household air pollution exposure to high rates of lung cancer. We conducted a series of case-control and cohort studies in Xuanwei to characterize the lung cancer risk in this population and the factors associated with it. We found lung cancer risk to vary substantially between different coal types, with a higher risk associated with smoky (i.e., bituminous) coal use compared to smokeless (i.e., anthracite) coal use. The installation of a chimney in homes resulted in a substantial reduction in lung cancer incidence and mortality. Overall, our research underscores the need among existing coal users to improve ventilation, use the least toxic fuel, and eventually move toward the use of cleaner fuels, such as gas and electricity.

Association between Ischemic Stroke and Vascular Shear Stress in the Carotid Artery

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vascular shear stress is essential for maintaining the morphology and function of endothelial cells. We hypothesized that shear stress in the internal carotid artery (ICA) may differ between patients with ischemic stroke and healthy control subjects. METHODS: ICA shear stress was calculated in 143 controls and 122 patients with ischemic stroke who had a normal ICA or an ICA with <50% stenosis. The stroke group included patients who presented with a first-ever or recurrent ischemic stroke but excluded cardioembolic stroke and uncertain etiologies. Of the 122 patients, 107 (87.7%) and 15 (12.3%) patients were categorized as first-ever and recurrent stroke, respectively. RESULTS: Carotid diameters were significantly larger, and both peak-systolic and end-diastolic velocities were significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke than in controls (all p values <0.05). Mean values of peak-systolic and end-diastolic shear stress in both ICAs were significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke in models that adjusted for age, sex, and vascular risk factors (p for trend <0.05). The ICA shear stress was lowest in patients with recurrent stroke or the subtype of small-vessel occlusion. Higher peak-systolic and end-diastolic shear stresses in both ICAs were independently and negatively associated with ischemic stroke after adjusting for potential confounders (all p values <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ICA shear stresses were significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke than in control subjects. Future studies should attempt to define the causal relationship between carotid arterial shear stress and ischemic stroke.

Gene therapy: light is finally in the tunnel

After two decades of ups and downs, gene therapy has recently achieved a milestone in treating patients with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA). LCA is a group of inherited blinding diseases with retinal degeneration and severe vision loss in early infancy. Mutations in several genes, including RPE65, cause the disease. Using adeno-associated virus as a vector, three independent teams of investigators have recently shown that RPE65 can be delivered to retinal pigment epithelial cells of LCA patients by subretinal injections resulting in clinical benefits without side effects. However, considering the whole field of gene therapy, there are still major obstacles to clinical applications for other diseases. These obstacles include innate and immune barriers to vector delivery, toxicity of vectors and the lack of sustained therapeutic gene expression. Therefore, new strategies are needed to overcome these hurdles for achieving safe and effective gene therapy. In this article, we shall review the major advancements over the past two decades and, using lung gene therapy as an example, discuss the current obstacles and possible solutions to provide a roadmap for future gene therapy research.

Early Detection of and Screening for Colorectal Neoplasia

There are approximately one million new cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) per year worldwide, with substantial associated morbidity and mortality. The long natural history of colorectal neoplasia affords the opportunity to use preventive measures to improve survival in this disease. Currently screening for adenomatous polyps and early-stage cancers is the best methodology for improving survival. The increasing knowledge of CRC pathogenesis and its natural history is allowing the development of new tools to identify patients who will benefit most from colon cancer screening and the defining of appropriate surveillance intervals. The guidelines for screening for colorectal neoplasia have recently been substantially revised by several organizations based on developing technologies and a growing body of data on the efficacy of CRC screening.

Doctor of medicine training: reflections on the UWI (Mona) experience / La formación postgraduada del doctor en medicina: reflexiones en torno a la experiencia de UWI (Mona)

Postgraduate Doctor of Medicine (DM) training at the University of the West Indies (UWI) has grown in response to the need to meet the regional requirements for high quality, competent clinical specialists. The progress of these programmes are examined from historical and health manpower development perspectives. More than 600 persons have been trained through the DM programmes at UWI, Mona and 89% of them continue to provide critical services in the region. Such statistics underscore the success of the programme in meeting the Caribbean Corporation in Health (CCH), UWI and Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) objectives. The relevance of the programme to the Caribbean's needs is manifestly clear. Curriculum changes including a mandatory research component for all DM degrees reflect the evolution of training programmes as they adjust to current expectations of modern clinical practice and new emphases on evidence-based medicine and policies. Nevertheless, challenges exist including the deterioration of the physical plant for training, availability of training posts and funding of research. Monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance of existing programmes are to be continued.

La formación postgraduada del doctor en medicina (DM) en la Universidad de West Indies (UWI) ha crecido en respuesta a la necesidad de satisfacer las demandas regionales de especialistas clínicos competentes, de alta calificación. Se examina el progreso de estos programas desde la perspectiva de la historia y el desarrollo de los recursos humanos en el campo de la salud. Más de 600 personas han recibido entrenamiento a través de los programas en UWI, Mona, y el 89% de ellos continúan proveyendo servicios críticos en la región. Estas estadísticas subrayan el éxito del programa en cuanto a satisfacer los objetivos de la Corporación para la salud en el Caribe (CCH), la Universidad de West Indies (UWI), y la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas (FCM). La importancia del programa para las necesidades del Caribe es claramente ostensible. Los cambios en el currículum incluyen un componente de investigación obligatoria. Todos los grados de DM reflejan la evolución de los programas de entrenamiento a medida que se ajustan a las expectativas del momento en relación con la práctica clínica moderna y los nuevos énfasis en las políticas y la medicina basada en la evidencia. No obstante, existen retos que incluyen el deterioro de la base material para el entrenamiento, la disponibilidad de puestos de trabajo para el entrenamiento, y los fondos para la investigación. El monitoreo, la evaluación, y el aseguramiento de la calidad de los programas existentes, deben continuar.

Improving Conventional or Low Dose Metronomic Chemotherapy with Targeted Antiangiogenic Drugs / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

One of the most significant developments in medical oncology practice has been the approval of various antiangiogenic drugs for the treatment of a number of different malignancies. These drugs include bevacizumab (Avastin(R)), the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody. Thus far, bevacizumab appears to induce clinical benefit in patients who have advanced metastatic disease only or primarily when it is combined with conventional chemotherapy. The reasons for the chemo-enhancing effects of bevacizumab are unknown, and this is a subject that we have been actively studying along with additional ways that antiangiogenic drugs may be combined with chemotherapy. In this respect, we have focused much of our effort on metronomic low dose chemotherapy. We have been studying the hypothesis that some chemotherapy drugs at maximum tolerated doses or other cytotoxic-like drugs such as acute "vascular disrupting agents" (VDAs) can cause an acute mobilization of proangiogenic cells from the bone marrow which home to and colonize the treated tumors, thus accelerating their recovery. These cells include endothelial progenitor cells. This systemic process can be largely blocked by a targeted antiangiogenic drug, e.g. anti-VEGFR-2 antibodies. In addition, metronomic chemotherapy, i.e., close regular administration of chemotherapy drugs at low non-toxic doses with no breaks, over prolonged periods of time not only prevents the acute CEP bone marrow response, but can even target the cells. This potential antiangiogenic effect of metronomic chemotherapy can also be boosted by combination with a targeted antiangiogenic agent. Treatment combinations of metronomic chemotherapy and an antiangiogenic drug have moved into phase II clinical trial testing with particularly encouraging results thus far reported in metastatic breast and recurrent ovarian cancer. Oral chemotherapy drugs such as cyclophosphamide (CTX), methotrexate are the main chemotherapeutics used for such trials. Oral 5-FU prodrugs such as UFT would also appear to be highly suitable based on long term adjuvant therapy studies in patients. Recent preclinical results using metronomic cyclophosphamide and metronomic UFT in models of advanced metastatic breast cancer suggest that this type of combination might be particularly promising for metronomic chemotherapy in this indication, particularly when combined with a targeted antiangiogenic drug.

Metabonomics and its applications / 生物工程学报

The concept, characteristics and history of metabonomics are introduced. The techniques used in data acquisition and data analysis in metabonomics including their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. In data acquisition platform, NMR, GC/MS, LC/MS (/MS) are the prevalent techniques although at present, none of them is a perfect technique that could meet with the requirement of the metabonomics for measuring all metabolites. While in data analysis, the PCA, PLS and ANN are the major techniques. The researchers could select them according to the research destination. Recent advances and applications of metabonomics in disease diagnosis, drug toxicity evaluation, plant metabolomics and microbial metabolomics are reviewed. In addition, by giving the situation on the establishment of the related corporations, the conferences about metabonomics and proclamation of NIH roadmap the current boom of the metabonomics is reflected. It can be expected that with the development of the function genomics, metabonomics will play a major role in the discovery of the phynotype of the genome and searching for the disease diagnostic biomarkers, and it will also bring much benefit to the drug discovery, clinical diagnosis and nutrition science.

A challenge for reform in South Korea

No abstract available.

Percutaneous transmyocardial revascularization induces angiogenesis: a histologic and 3-dimensional micro computed tomography study

The purpose of this study was to visualize the spatial patterns and connection of channels created after percutaneous transmyocardial revascularization (PTMR) in normal porcine hearts, and to estimate the relative contributions of transmyocardial and coronary perfusion. Six pigs underwent PTMR creating channels using radiofrequency ablative energy. Three-dimensional computed tomography imaging of channels 1 hr after PTMR showed the direct connection of PTMR channels to the myocardial capillary network and to epicardial coronary vessels. In the heart, examined 28 day after PTMR, there was a fine, extensive, network of microvessels originating from the site of the original PTMR channel, also connecting the left ventricular cavity to myocardial capillaries. Histopathologic examination of the 1-hr specimens showed numerous regions of myocardial hemorrhage and associated inflammatory cell infiltration. In the 28-day specimens, newly developed new vascular network suggested neovascularization within the core of these channel remnants. The immunoreactivity for basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were intense within myocardium and neovascular structure surrounding PTMR channel remnants. The vascular connections occur by direct communication with existing myocardial vasculature acutely, and angiogenesis in these channel remnant chronically.

Metabolic studies of skin flaps of rats using NMR spectroscopy

No abstract available.

Rectus abdominis myocutaneous free flap for the reconstruction of oral cavity and oropharynx

No abstract available.

Unrecorded Aedes (Edwardsaedes) bekkui (Diptera: Culicidae) from Korea: Notes on taxonomic diagnosis of adult and larva

Thirty-six females and 1 male of Aedes bekkui were captured at human bait in Kyungki Province, Korea Republic, in June 1987. This is the 1st time the species has been recorded from that country. Notes on the taxonomic diagnosis of adults and larvae are given.