Using a bilayer matrix wound dressing for closure of complicated diabetic foot wounds.

Three case studies are described showing how use of this dressing, when combined with debridement, antibiotic therapy, topical negative pressure therapy, offloading and good local wound care, can promote healing in complex diabetic foot ulcers.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced abnormal dendritic cell traffic in the transplanted kidney with delayed graft function.

Delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplantation is associated with an increased risk of acute rejection. Myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) are involved in graft rejection, whereas plasmacytoid DCs may play a role in inducing tolerance. We evaluated the presence and phenotype of the DCs in renal graft biopsies of 15 patients with DGF collected before and 7-15 days after transplantation. Biopsies taken from normal patients and from transplant recipients with acute calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) nephrotoxicity served as a control group. Specific markers of myeloid, plasmacytoid, and mature DCs were imaged by confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry. In normal kidneys and pre-transplant biopsies, sparse niches of myeloid and plasmacytoid cells were found but these were significantly increased with few mature cells during DGF. This same pattern was seen in acute rejection but with overall higher cell numbers. In CNI nephrotoxicity, myeloid cells were slightly increased but plasmacytoid cells were significantly higher than in DGF. Using a pig model, we found that a short period of warm ischemia followed by reperfusion led to myeloid cell infiltration of the kidney. Our data suggest that ischemia-reperfusion injury may cause an imbalance between intragraft myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs, which might be related to DGF and acute rejection.

Confocal laser scanning microscope study of terminal villi vessels in normal term and pre-eclamptic placentas.

The aim of this study was to compare immunocytochemical confocal scanning laser microscopy measures of villus capillarization in control placentas with pre-eclamptic ones. Accordingly, placentas from normal term pregnancies (n=3) and cases of late-onset pre-eclampsia without intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) featuring normal uterine artery Doppler (n=3) were analyzed by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM), which is a powerful technique for obtaining three-dimensional reconstructions of any kind of blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries). A laser light beam is used in order to detect CD34 antibody-related immunofluorescence, which is a marker of endothelial cells. Villus capillarization was assessed by estimating the following parameters: number of pixels, mean, maximum and minimum immunofluorescence amplitude. Our results show a significant hyper-ramification of the capillary loop in pre-eclamptic placentas, featuring irregular profile and narrow lumina. Such findings support the hypothesis that several agents causing angiogenesis and vasoconstriction affect villus vessels in pre-eclamptic placentas, thus promoting a lasting condition of fetal hypoxia by decreasing endothelial surface and materno-fetal exchanges.

The paper monster. Corporate compliance and the board.

Fraud and abuse lawsuits and settlements are getting bigger, and the DOJ shows no signs of letting up on its scrutiny of health care organizations. That's why a strong compliance program is your best defense, and it all starts with the board.

[Moderate cardiac failure: oxygen consumption during exercise predicts ultrafiltration results]. / Scompenso cardiaco moderato: il consumo di ossigeno durante esercizio è predittivo del risultato dell'ultrafiltrazione.

Extracorporeal ultrafiltration (UF) can improve the clinical condition, as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise evaluation, of patients with moderate heart failure (HF); the pre-UF level of physical performance above which UF does not induce clinical benefits, is not defined. For this purpose, we studied 29 patients with stable HF in functional class II-III (NYHA), who underwent UF (veno-venous bypass, removal of 1,830 +/- 550 ml of plasma water), regardless their baseline oxygen consumption at peak exercise (VO2p) and at anaerobic threshold (VO2AT). All patients experienced cardiopulmonary exercise tests (cycloergometer, increasing workloads of 25 W every 3 min) before (pre-UF), and 4 days and 3 months following UF. According to VO2 changes following UF 2 groups of patients were identified: in Group I (9 patients) no differences in VO2p and VO2AT were observed, while in Group II (18 patients) VO2p rose by 2.7 ml/min/kg (p < 0.001) at 4 days and 4.5 ml/min/kg (p = 0.04) at 3 months, and VO2AT rose by 1.2 ml/min/kg (p < 0.001) at 4 days and 2.8 ml/min/kg (p = 0.03) at 3 months. In unresponsive patients baseline values of VO2p > or = 18 ml/min/kg and VO2AT +/- 13 ml/min/kg were detected. Pre-UF VO2p inversely correlated with the shift of VO2p (delta VO2p) both at 4 days (r = -0.62, p < 0.001) and at 3 months (r = -0.53, p = 0.005), and pre-UF VO2AT inversely correlated with delta VO2AT at 4 days (r = -0.71, p < 0.001) and at 3 months (r = -0.63, p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Eikenella corrodens, a rare cause of pancreatic abscess: two case reports and review.

Eikenella corrodens, a slowly growing gram-negative bacillus that is a normal inhabitant of dental plaque, has been recognized as an infrequent cause of invasive disease. To date, only one case of pancreatic abscess due to E. corrodens in association with other bacteria from the oropharynx has been described. We report herein two cases of pancreatic abscess due to E. corrodens. In one case E. corrodens and Escherichia coli were found in the abscess specimens; in the other case no other pathogen was associated with E. corrodens. In addition, we review descriptions from the literature of abdominal infections caused by E. corrodens.

[Survival after gastrectomy for cancer. 209 cases]. / Survie après gastrectomie pour cancer. 209 observations.

The long-term results of 209 gastrectomies performed for adenocarcinoma, including 117 which were prospectively collected, are presented. Resection was curative in 154 cases (73.6 percent). The TNM distribution of the tumours was: stage I (TxNOMO) 75 cases, stage II (TxN1MO) 46 cases, stage III (TxN2MO) 33 cases and stage IV (TxNxM1) 55 cases. Lymph node involvement was more frequent in the prospective than in the retrospective study. With a more than 5 years' follow-up of 80 percent of the patients operated upon, the actuarial survival rate at 5 years (operative mortality included) was 38 percent for all lesions, 52 percent for curative resection and 2 percent for palliative resection. Following curative resection, the survival rates for tumours of the upper, middle and lower thirds of the stomach were 40, 60 and 55 percent respectively. These rates were 60 percent for stage I tumours, 54 percent for stage II tumours and 25 percent for stage III tumours. The results obtained in this series, where most of the curative gastrectomies included excision of N1 and N2 lymph nodes, show that lymph node involvement has no significant importance for the prognosis when it is proximal (N1) and is not incompatible with prolonged survival when it is pedicular (N2).

[Cancer of the pancreas. A plea for resection. 162 operated patients]. / Cancer du pancréas. Plaidoyer pour l'exérèse. 162 malades opérés.

Between 1970 and 1990, 162 patients with carcinoma of the pancreas or the periampullary region were operated upon. A prospective study was conducted in 85 of them who underwent surgery after 1983. The tumour was resected in 63 patients (ductal adenocarcinoma in 43, periampullary carcinoma in 20). Biliary and/or gastrointestinal bypass was performed in 76 patients, and exploratory laparotomy in 23. The operative mortality rate was 3 percent (2/63) among patients with resection and 24 percent (24/99) among those with laparotomy with or without bypass. The longest survival (median: 33 months) was obtained in patients with periampullary tumours; it was 12 months after resection in patients with ductal adenocarcinoma and 4 months in the other cases. The preoperative estimate of unresectability was erroneous in 36.5 percent of the cases. Periampullary tumours were diagnosed only after pathological examination of the lesion removed in 47 percent. These results are in favour of radical surgery, especially since the operative mortality of resection is low and since resection, even palliative, gives a better survival rate than mere bypass.

[Resection of the portal vein in pancreatectomy for cancer: technical considerations. Apropos of 4 cases]. / Résection de la veine porte au cours des pancréatectomies pour cancer: aspects techniques. A propos de quatre observations.

Out of 150 carcinomas of the pancreas operated from 1970 through 1989, 50 pancreatectomies were performed, including 4 cases of segmental resection of portal vein with total pancreatectomy (2 cases) or duodenopancreatectomy (2 cases). The technical procedure is described and discussed. Segmental resection of portal vein is rare in our experience and has been always performed out of necessity because of the over estimation of the resectability. However, mortality and post-operative stay are not increased.

[Adenomyoma of the distal common bile duct. An uncommon cause of stenosis of the extrahepatic bile duct]. / Adénomyome du bas cholédoque. Une cause exceptionnelle de sténose de la voie biliaire principale.

We report the case of a 68-year-old man with adenomyoma of the distal common bile duct, fortuitously discovered on a surgical specimen of a Whipple procedure. To our knowledge, three similar cases have been reported; all patients were operated on with the diagnosis of malignancy: adenomyoma was always discovered on the surgical specimen. Adenomyomas are rare tumors and their origin is discussed. Adenomyoma of the distal common hile duct should be considered as enteropancreatic heterotopia.