ABSTRACT
Blastocystis, an enteric protist, has been reported to be an important cause of protozoal gastrointestinal manifestations in humans and animals worldwide. Animals harboring certain Blastocystis subtypes (STs) may serve as a potential source of human infection. However, information about the prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis in alpacas is limited. In the present study, a total of 366 fecal samples from alpacas in Shanxi Province, northern China, were examined for Blastocystis by PCR amplification of the small subunit rRNA gene, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The prevalence of Blastocystis in alpacas was 23.8%, and gender difference in the prevalence of Blastocystiswas observed. The most predominant Blastocystis ST was ST10, followed by ST14 and ST5. The detection of ST5, a potentially zoonotic genotype, indicates that alpacas harboring ST5 could be a potential source of human infection with Blastocystis. These data provide new insight into the prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis in alpacas.
ABSTRACT
Intraoperative awareness is a very serious complication of general anesthesia.Several studies have evaluated the potential association between bispectral index (BIS) and intraoperative awareness,however,the results obtained were controversial.Therefore,we performed a meta-analysis to further assess the association between the BIS monitoring and the incidence of intraoperative awareness.A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all eligible studies from the online literature databases published prior to Feb.2017.A total of five studies with 17 432 cases and 16 749 controls were included.An odds ratio (OR) and a 95％ confidence interval (CI) were calculated to examine the strength of the association.The results showed that in the overall analysis,the association between the BIS monitoring and the incidence of intraoperative awareness was not significant (OR=0.58,95％ CI=0.22-1.58,P=0.29).A stratified analysis by comparing different anesthesia methods revealed that BIS monitoring group showed a lower incidence of intraoperative awareness in patients with intravenous anesthesia when compared with non-BIS monitoring group (OR=0.20,95％ CI=0.08-0.49,P=0.0004),whereas there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative awareness between BIS and non-BIS monitoring groups in patients with inhalation anesthesia (OR=1.13,95％ CI=0.56-2.26,P=0.73).In conclusion,our meta-analysis showed that BIS monitoring had no appreciable advantage in the reduction of the intraoperative awareness incidence in inhalation anesthesia,while showed a remarkable superiority in intravenous anesthesia.
ABSTRACT
Intraoperative awareness is a very serious complication of general anesthesia.Several studies have evaluated the potential association between bispectral index (BIS) and intraoperative awareness,however,the results obtained were controversial.Therefore,we performed a meta-analysis to further assess the association between the BIS monitoring and the incidence of intraoperative awareness.A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all eligible studies from the online literature databases published prior to Feb.2017.A total of five studies with 17 432 cases and 16 749 controls were included.An odds ratio (OR) and a 95％ confidence interval (CI) were calculated to examine the strength of the association.The results showed that in the overall analysis,the association between the BIS monitoring and the incidence of intraoperative awareness was not significant (OR=0.58,95％ CI=0.22-1.58,P=0.29).A stratified analysis by comparing different anesthesia methods revealed that BIS monitoring group showed a lower incidence of intraoperative awareness in patients with intravenous anesthesia when compared with non-BIS monitoring group (OR=0.20,95％ CI=0.08-0.49,P=0.0004),whereas there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative awareness between BIS and non-BIS monitoring groups in patients with inhalation anesthesia (OR=1.13,95％ CI=0.56-2.26,P=0.73).In conclusion,our meta-analysis showed that BIS monitoring had no appreciable advantage in the reduction of the intraoperative awareness incidence in inhalation anesthesia,while showed a remarkable superiority in intravenous anesthesia.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) is a common traumatic brain injury with a relatively high mortality rate. However, few studies have examined the factors predicting the outcome of isolated traumatic ASDH. This clinical study examined the hospital mortality and analyzed the risk factors for mortality in patients treated surgically for isolated traumatic ASDH.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected 308 consecutive patients who underwent neurosurgery for isolated traumatic ASDH between January 1999 and December 2007 and used multivariate Logistic regression analysis to evaluate the influence of 11 clinical variables on hospital mortality.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall hospital mortality was 21.75% (67/308). Age (OR = 1.807), preoperative Glasgow Coma Score (OR = 0.316), brain herniation (OR = 2.181) and the time from trauma to decompression (OR = 1.815) were independent predictors of death, while no independent association was observed between hospital mortality and haematoma volume, midline shift, acute brain swelling or brain herniation duration, although these variables were correlated with hospital mortality in univariate analyses.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study identified the risk factors for hospital mortality in patients who underwent surgical treatment for isolated traumatic ASDH. An increased risk of death occurs in patients who are over 50 years of age and have lower preoperative Glasgow Coma Scores, the presence of brain herniation and a long interval between trauma and decompression. The findings should help clinicians determine management criteria and improve survival.</p>