International, prospective cohort study comparing non-absorbable versus absorbable sutures for skin surgery: CANVAS service evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Absorbable or non-absorbable sutures can be used for superficial skin closure following excisional skin surgery. There is no consensus among clinicians nor high-quality evidence supporting the choice of suture. The aim of the present study was to determine current suture use and complications at 30 days after excisional skin surgery. METHODS: An international, prospective service evaluation of adults undergoing excision of skin lesions (benign and malignant) in primary and secondary care was conducted from 1 September 2020 to 15 April 2021. Routine patient data collected by UK and Australasian collaborator networks were uploaded to REDCap©. Choice of suture and risk of complications were modelled using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Some 3494 patients (4066 excisions) were included; 3246 (92.9 per cent) were from the UK and Ireland. Most patients were men (1945, 55.7 per cent), Caucasian (2849, 81.5 per cent) and aged 75-84 years (965, 27.6 per cent). The most common clinical diagnosis was basal cell carcinoma (1712, 42.1 per cent). Dermatologists performed most procedures, with 1803 excisions (44.3 per cent) on 1657 patients (47.4 per cent). Most defects were closed primarily (2856, 81.9 per cent), and there was equipoise in regard to use of absorbable (2127, 57.7 per cent) or non-absorbable (1558, 42.2 per cent) sutures for superficial closure. The most common complications were surgical-site infection (103, 2.9 per cent) and delayed wound healing (77, 2.2 per cent). In multivariable analysis, use of absorbable suture type was associated with increased patient age, geographical location (UK and Ireland), and surgeon specialty (oral and maxillofacial surgery and plastic surgery), but not with complications. CONCLUSION: There was equipoise in suture use, and no association between suture type and complications. Definitive evidence from randomized trials is needed.

Standardised virtual fracture clinic management of radiographically stable Weber B ankle fractures is safe, cost effective and reproducible.

BACKGROUND: Virtual clinics have been shown to be safe and cost-effective in many specialties, yet barriers exist to their implementation in orthopaedics. Ankle fractures are common and therefore represent a significant clinical workload. The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of radiographically stable Weber B ankle fractures using a standardised treatment protocol in a virtual fracture clinic setting, to assess clinical outcomes, any complications and its cost effectiveness. METHODS: All patients referred to the VFC with an actual or suspected stable Weber B ankle fracture between September 2013 and September 2015 were identified. The primary outcome measure was successful fracture union. Any complications were noted and a cost analysis comparing the VFC and traditional fracture clinic models was undertaken. RESULTS: 314 patients referred with a radiographically stable Weber B ankle fracture were identified. Follow up was complete for 98.4% (309/314) of patients. The union rate was 99.4% (307/309) in patients where follow up was completed. 3.5% (11/309) of patients were underwent acute surgical intervention. Of these patients, 6 were identified as having an unstable injury on weight bearing radiographs at 2 weeks and underwent ORIF, 4 were identified as having an unstable injury on EUA and underwent ORIF and 1 had an EUA with no fixation. 2 patients required ORIF for radiographically confirmed non-union. A cost saving analysis comparing the traditional fracture clinic model and VFC model revealed a saving of £237 per patient (32% reduction) with a VFC model. This represents an estimated saving of almost £40,000 per year for the management of this injury alone in our institution. CONCLUSION: Our study supports the use of a virtual fracture clinic model that is standardised, initiated in ED, and is both safe and cost-effective in the management of radiographically stable Weber B ankle fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cardiovascular status after Kawasaki disease in the UK.

OBJECTIVE: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis that causes coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) in young children. Previous studies have emphasised poor long-term outcomes for those with severe CAA. Little is known about the fate of those without CAA or patients with regressed CAA. We aimed to study long-term cardiovascular status after KD by examining the relationship between coronary artery (CA) status, endothelial injury, systemic inflammatory markers, cardiovascular risk factors (CRF), pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) after KD. METHODS: Circulating endothelial cells (CECs), endothelial microparticles (EMPs), soluble cell-adhesion molecules cytokines, CRF, PWV and cIMT were compared between patients with KD and healthy controls (HC). CA status of the patients with KD was classified as CAA present (CAA+) or absent (CAA-) according to their worst-ever CA status. Data are median (range). RESULTS: Ninety-two KD subjects were studied, aged 11.9 years (4.3-32.2), 8.3 years (1.0-30.7) from KD diagnosis. 54 (59%) were CAA-, and 38 (41%) were CAA+. There were 51 demographically similar HC. Patients with KD had higher CECs than HC (p=0.00003), most evident in the CAA+ group (p=0.00009), but also higher in the CAA- group than HC (p=0.0010). Patients with persistent CAA had the highest CECs, but even those with regressed CAA had higher CECs than HC (p=0.011). CD105 EMPs were also higher in the KD group versus HC (p=0.04), particularly in the CAA+ group (p=0.02), with similar findings for soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1. There was no difference in PWV, cIMT, CRF or in markers of systemic inflammation in the patients with KD (CAA+ or CAA-) compared with HC. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of endothelial injury persist for years after KD, including in a subset of patients without CAA.

Revision total hip replacement using the cement-in-cement technique for the acetabular component: technique and results for 60 hips.

The technique of femoral cement-in-cement revision is well established, but there are no previous series reporting its use on the acetabular side at the time of revision total hip replacement. We describe the technique and report the outcome of 60 consecutive acetabular cement-in-cement revisions in 59 patients at a mean follow-up of 8.5 years (5 to 12). All had a radiologically and clinically well-fixed acetabular cement mantle at the time of revision. During the follow-up 29 patients died, but no hips were lost to follow-up. The two most common indications for acetabular revision were recurrent dislocation (46, 77%) and to complement femoral revision (12, 20%). Of the 60 hips, there were two cases of aseptic loosening of the acetabular component (3.3%) requiring re-revision. No other hip was clinically or radiologically loose (96.7%) at the latest follow-up. One hip was re-revised for infection, four for recurrent dislocation and one for disarticulation of a constrained component. At five years the Kaplan-Meier survival rate was 100% for aseptic loosening and 92.2% (95% CI 84.8 to 99.6), with revision for any cause as the endpoint. These results support the use of cement-in-cement revision on the acetabular side in appropriate cases. Theoretical advantages include preservation of bone stock, reduced operating time, reduced risk of complications and durable fixation.

Surgical outcome and risk stratification for primary retinal detachment repair: results from the Scottish Retinal Detachment study.

OBJECTIVES: To report the early surgical outcome, risk of failure and predictive value of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) classification based on all participants in the Scottish Retinal Detachment study. METHODS: Over 2 years, all incident cases of RRD in Scotland were approached for recruitment. Early postoperative success was defined as an attached retina following one procedure with a minimum follow-up of 6-8 weeks. Using a regression model, the influence of clinical factors on the failure risk was estimated and the sensitivity and specificity of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) grading for RRD and the vitrectomy in retinal detachment stratification risk formula (VR-SRF) in predicting operative failure were assessed. RESULTS: Primary outcome data were available for 86.2% (975/1130) of patients. The overall primary success rate was 80.8% (95% CI 78.1 to 83.3%). The presence of preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy of any degree and each additional clock hour of detachment increased the risk of failure by an OR of 2.4 and 1.13 respectively (p<0.05). A specificity of >95% in predicting early surgical failure was noted for highly complex RRDs according to the VR-SRF formula and the RCOphth classification. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with previous series, the overall early success rate of RRD repair was 80% after one operation. The type of surgical repair did not influence overall success rates. Significant predictors of failure are the presence of preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy of any grade and the extent of detachment. The analytical value of current classification systems in predicting failure is most useful in complex RRDs.

First-trimester combined ultrasound and biochemical screening for Down syndrome in routine clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of combined ultrasound and biochemical (CUB) screening for chromosome abnormalities in singleton pregnancies in a routine antenatal clinic and laboratory setting. METHODS: Women whose pregnancies fell within the gestational age range of 11 to 14 weeks by ultrasound assessment were offered CUB screening on the basis of measurement of nuchal translucency (NT), maternal serum free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (FbetahCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A). NT measurements were obtained using a standardised method defined by the Fetal Medicine Foundation and FbetahCG, and PAPP-A were measured using the DELFIA immunoassay system. Each screening marker measurement was converted to a multiple of the appropriate gestational median and a risk was derived using previously published parameters for each marker in chromosomally abnormal and unaffected pregnancies. A combined risk of Down syndrome and of trisomy 18/13, incorporating the maternal age risk, was calculated for all women. Invasive diagnostic testing was offered to women whose combined risk exceeded the cut-off risk of 1 in 250 (term). RESULTS: Five thousand and eighty-four women accepted a first-trimester screening test for Down syndrome, representing 75% of the eligible booking population. Out of the population eligible for CUB screening at the time of booking, NT measurements were obtained from 93% at the first clinic visit and 7% had to return for a second attempt. After excluding women who defaulted on a return visit, satisfactory NT measurements were obtained in 99.5% of pregnancies. Fifteen cases of Down syndrome and eleven pregnancies with other chromosome abnormalities were ascertained. The detection rate for Down syndrome was 93% (14/15) at a false-positive rate of 5.9% and for all chromosome abnormalities it was 96% (25/26) at an overall false-positive rate of 6.3%. CONCLUSIONS: CUB screening offers a significant improvement in sensitivity over second-trimester biochemical screening and is deliverable within a routine prenatal clinical setting.

Lanthanide-chiral carboxylate and chiral ester mixtures as NMR shift reagents.

Achiral lanthanide tris beta-diketonate complexes are added to the acid and ester derivatives of the chiral NMR solvating agents dinitrobenzoyl-L-leucine and N-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylaminocarbonyl-L-valine to enhance enantiomeric discrimination. With the acid derivative, the solvating agent bonds directly to the lanthanide(III) complex to create an anionic species, and larger shifts are usually observed for the resonances of the enantiomer that associates more strongly with the solvating agent. With the ester derivative, the solvating agent generally does not bind to the lanthanide, whereas the substrate does. In this situation, the enantiomer that associates less strongly with the solvating agent exhibits the larger lanthanide-induced shifts. The effectiveness of adding neutral lanthanide complexes containing two beta-diketonate ligands and one chiral carboxylate ligand is compared to the anionic species with three beta-diketonate ligands and a chiral carboxylate ligand.

Hematologic toxicity of zidovudine in HIV-infected patients.

Zidovudine is now used extensively in an effort to control infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The drug is associated with major hematologic toxicity, especially anemia and granulocytopenia. Conservative management of hematologic toxicity includes dosage reduction or cessation of therapy, diagnosis and treatment of chronic debilitating diseases, and supportive care, such as blood transfusions. New investigational agents, including hematopoietic growth factors, are being studied to combat the toxicities associated with zidovudine. The efficacy of these agents has yet to be established. Recent advances in drug efficacy at reduced dosage and in combination therapy promise to permit use of zidovudine with markedly reduced toxicity.

mRNA usage during Drosophila melanogaster embryonic development. Analysis of nine cloned DNA segments.

A set of nine phage lambda clones containing inserts from Drosophila melanogaster which are complementary to cDNA made from oocyte poly(A)+ RNA were selected from a larger group. These cloned elements code for a range of middle abundant RNA sequences which show no appreciable change in abundance during Drosophila embryogenesis. Seven of the nine clones are complementary to two oocyte RNAs, one to three RNAs and one to four RNAs. This study describes the changes that occur in these RNAs during embryonic development in the polysomal and non-polysomal fraction, and in the poly(A)+ RNA and poly(A)- RNA fraction. In all nine of these clones, greater than 70% of the complementary RNA is found in the polysomal region of a sucrose gradient. This proportion increases somewhat during development. Specific changes have been found during development in the proportion of RNA that is poly(A)+. Depending to the cloned sequence, this proportion may increase, decrease, or remain unchanged. For those clones that show a change, most of this change occurs between 8 and 19 h of development. Our data suggest, furthermore, the presence of a class of non-adenylated RNA being utilized during embryogenesis.