ABSTRACT
Application of upper lip catch test [ULCT] for airway evaluation in edentulous patients. This research is an evaluation of a clinical diagnostic test in edentulous patients prior to operation. Five hundred eighty eight edentulous patients in a referral university hospital, between March 2008 and June 2011 scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled. Those unable to open the mouth and those with pharyngo-laryngeal pathology were excluded. ULCT was assessed and compared with Cormack-Lehane grading as a gold standard for airway evaluation. A high negative predictive value of 99.4% was a notable finding for the ULCT. The results also showed a high specificity [89.4%], high sensitivity [75.0%] and a high accuracy [89.3%] in a comparatively higher range for the ULCT. The ULCT proved to be a useful predictor for airway assessment in edentulous patients in this setting. Further studies are needed to reconfirm its validity in other ethnic groups
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Male , Mouth, Edentulous , Intubation, IntratrachealABSTRACT
Many experimental studies have reported behavioral improvement after transplantation of peripheral nerve tissue into the contused spinal cord, even in large animals. The safety of this treatment in human remains unknown. In this translational phase 1 study, safety of peripheral nerve grafting for chronic spinal cord injuries and possible outcomes are being reported. Twelve complete motor spinal cord injury patients, who had finished their rehabilitation program, were enrolled. There were 4 thoracic and 8 cervical cases. Patients underwent sural nerve preconditioning in the calf, followed 1week later, by intramedullary transplantation of the harvested nerve fascicles. The patients were followed up for potential complications periodically, and final assessment by American Spinal Injury association [ASIA] and Spinal Cord Independence Measure [SCIM] III were reported after 2 years of follow-up. The median duration of the spinal cord injury was 31 months. At two years of follow up, out of 7 cases with ASIA Impairment Scale [AIS] A, 4 [57.1%] cases improved to AIS B and 1 [14.3%] case became AIS C. There were 1 patient with transient increased spasm, one case of transient cystitis, 3 patients with transient increased neuropathic pain and 1 case with transient episode of autonomic dysreflexia, all being managed medically. There was no case of donor site infection. The above complications were transient as they responded to temporary medical treatment. It may be deduced that after two years follow-up of patients that the procedure may be safe, however further controlled studies are needed to prove its efficacy
ABSTRACT
This study developed and validated a questionnaire to measure the sexual health of patients with spinal cord injuries [SCI]. This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Brain and Spinal Injury Research Center [BASIR], Tehran, Iran. Extensive review of literature, expert opinions, and encounters with SCI patients were used to develop and validate the questionnaires. There were 40 [32 males, 8 females] patients with SCI that presented for treatment at BASIR who enrolled in the study. Participants completed the questionnaires while they were admitted for medical care and during treatment follow-up visits. Participants completed the questionnaires twice, at a 2-4 week interval. Reliability testing for each measure was performed separately. Cronbach's alpha was used for internal consistency and test-retest was used for reliability. An expert committee approved the face and content validities of the questionnaires, Internal consistency of our questionnaires, was acceptable according to Cronbach's alpha that ranged from 0.73 for the sexual activity measure to 0.90 for the sexual adjustment measure. Test-retest reliability was satisfactory. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient [ICC] of measures ranged from 0.65 for sexual function to 0.84 for sexual activity. The sexual health measures has provided a valid assessment of sexuality-related matters in this sample of patients with SCI, which suggests that evaluation of sexual well-being may be useful in clinical trials and practice settings. Overall, the sexual health measures shows good internal consistency and test-retest reliability
ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the health-related quality of life [HRQOL] in a sample of Iranian patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. The data were compared with the HRQOL for the Iranian general population. Two-hundred and fifty patients undergoing hemodialysis were included using a convenience sampling approach in a cross-sectional study. Data collection was performed using a Persian translation of the Short Form-36 questionnaire in combination with demographic and clinically related questions. The collected data were analyzed using a logistic regression model with physical and mental summary scales as dependent variables. The patients' mean Short Form-36 scores were significantly lower than those obtained for the general population for all scales. Patients with longer duration of being on hemodialysis, poor adherence to treatment, higher body mass index, and comorbidity diseases suffered from a poorer physical health. Poor mental health was associated with a lower level of education, longer duration of hemodialysis, lower economic status, a lower degree of knowledge on disease, and comorbidity diseases. This study affirms the fact that patients undergoing hemodialysis suffer from poor HRQOL. In comparison with data from other studies from Asian and European countries, this sample of Iranian patients on hemodialysis had a lower HRQOL, a discrepancy that might be due to differences in life style, socioeconomic status, the general level of education of the patients, as well as physician-patient communication