The role of intra-operative void score during transurethral resection of prostate as a marker of efficacy: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: To assess the feasibility of a novel intra-operative void scoring technique. To determine if intra-operative void score (VS) could act as a marker for post-operative success following TURP. METHODS: Fifteen patients undergoing TURP were included in this single-centre feasibility study. All patients had indwelling urinary catheters for recurrent retention due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In theatre, immediately before- and after TURP, an intra-operative VS was measured and graded 0-5. Primary outcomes were the feasibility of measuring intra-operative VS and its accuracy in predicting surgical outcome. RESULTS: A combined pre- and post-score with a threshold ≥6 correctly predicted 82% of those who were catheter free (sensitivity) and 100% of those who were not catheter free (specificity) at follow up and the positive predictive value was 100% and negative predictive value 60%. CONCLUSION: Intra-operative void score during TURP is simple, reproducible, fast and requires minimal resources. In TURP it may predict successful outcomes by identifying patients who will be catheter free post-operatively as opposed to those who will be catheter dependent despite the procedure.

The role of vitamin D testing and replacement in fibromyalgia: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition, characterized by extensive muscular pain and fatigue. Vitamin D is essential for overall health, with ubiquitous involvement in various inflammatory and pain pathways. Little is known about its role in fibromyalgia. We performed a systematic literature review to determine if vitamin D contributes to the pathology and disability of patients with fibromyalgia, and to assess the role of vitamin D supplementation in disease management. METHODS: We searched Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for clinical studies and randomized controlled trials published in English during January 2000 to June 2017, using the terms vitamin D or hypovitaminosis D combined with fibromyalgia or FMS. References were reviewed manually and articles were only included if they were specific in their diagnosis of fibromyalgia and used appropriate control groups. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-six studies were retrieved, of which fourteen fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Six studies, of which two had the best quality evidence, found that patients with fibromyalgia have low levels of vitamin D compared to healthy controls. Conflicting results were obtained on the effect of vitamin D on pain or symptom control, with no clear consensus as to the role of supplementation in the management of fibromyalgia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight an association between vitamin D deficiency and fibromyalgia. However, its role in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia and the clinical relevance of identifying and treating this requires further elucidation with appropriately controlled studies.

Recurrent atraumatic metatarsal, rib and sacral insufficiency fractures in a woman with the antiphospholipid syndrome.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterised by recurrent arterial and/or venous thromboses and recurrent late miscarriages in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, and can be a hugely debilitating disorder. While the commonest thrombotic manifestations of this condition such as deep vein thrombosis and stroke are well documented, there has been increasing recognition of numerous less common complications in most organ systems. We present a female patient with APS and a lupus-like illness who had atraumatic sacral fractures as well as multiple spontaneous fractures affecting her ribs and the metatarsals in both her feet.

Temporal arteritis presenting with tongue necrosis.

Spontaneous glossodynia is uncommon and glossodynia progressing to necrosis is especially rare. Although the commonest cause of lingual necrosis is giant cell arteritis, only a few cases of a new diagnosis of giant cell arteritis, clinically presenting with isolated lingual necrosis, have been reported.

The management of peripheral blood cytopenias in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Haematological complications are frequently seen in SLE. Anaemia, leucopenias and thrombocytopenia may result from bone marrow failure or excessive peripheral cell destruction, both of which may be immune mediated. Drugs and infection are other common causes. In this review, we will focus on the diagnosis and management of immune-mediated leucopenias and thrombocytopenia in SLE. The roles of bone marrow examination and the measurement of antibodies against leucocytes and platelets are discussed. Although many patients do not require specific treatment for cytopenias in SLE, CSs remain the mainstay of treatment. Other conventional therapies include AZA, CYC and human normal immunoglobulin. More recently, MMF has found a role as a CS and CYC-sparing agent. We also review B-cell depletion in the management of thrombocytopenia associated with SLE and other novel therapies including thrombopoeitin receptor agonists.

In vivo evidence for apoptosis in the bone marrow in systemic lupus erythematosus.

An increase in leucocyte apoptosis and impaired clearance of apoptotic cells has been observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Apoptotic cells are likely to be a key source of autoantigens in SLE as they express many of the nuclear autoantigens (in surface blebs and apoptotic bodies) that are relevant to this disease. The clearance of apoptotic cells is usually a rapid process, such that few cells are usually seen in the extracellular environment in vivo. We report a case in which multiple apoptotic bodies were observed in the bone marrow of a patient with SLE that was complicated by an immune-mediated pancytopenia. We have subsequently examined the frequency of apoptotic cells, identified morphologically, and by caspase-3 staining in bone-marrow trephine samples taken from patients with SLE over a 10-year period of follow-up. A high proportion of bone marrows contained apoptotic debris. The novel demonstration of apoptotic bodies in vivo in patients with SLE is unusual and supports the notion that the marrow may be a target organ in the disease. Their abundance is also consistent with the hypothesis that normal clearance mechanisms are defective and/or overwhelmed in SLE.