Endoscopic monopolar coagulation of internal haemorrhoids: a surgeon's experience of the first 100 cases.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate one surgeon's initial experience with a novel technique of retroflexed endoscopic coagulation of internal haemorrhoids. METHOD: Patients who presented with symptoms and signs indicating Grade II-III haemorrhoids were counselled before the procedure. Those who were assessed to require an examination of their colon, based on their age and symptoms, underwent a full colonoscopy before treatment of the haemorrhoids. After the procedure, patients were routinely prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and laxatives. RESULTS: The first 100 patients of median age 52.0 (20.8-78.5) years included 65 (65%) women. Five (5%) patients suffered from postprocedural complications, of which three (3%) were postprocedural bleeding and two (2%) were postprocedural pain, all treated conservatively. The recurrence rate was 6% at a median follow-up time of 36 (6-76) months. The median duration of follow-up was 36.5 (8.5-57.0) months. CONCLUSION: This novel technique appears to be safe and effective for the treatment of Grade II-III internal haemorrhoids, and can be incorporated seamlessly into the end of a colonoscopy for the evaluation of haematochezia. Comparative trials should be performed.

Systemic lupus erythematosus pregnancies: the Sarawak experience and review of lupus pregnancies in Asia.

We performed a cross-sessional study of all systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pregnancies during a 4-year period (2006-2009) to describe the clinical features, maternal and foetal outcomes in our centre. There were 48 pregnancies in 44 women with SLE. Our patients have a mean age of 30.0 years (SD 6.36) and a mean disease duration of 40.67 months (SD 48.23). Our patients have complicated pregnancies: 32.7% have SLE flares, 17.3% have preeclampsia and 48.9% needed caesarean sections. There were 20.0% foetal losses and 17.8% preterm deliveries in our patients. SLE flares contributed to 60.0% of foetal losses in our patients. Lupus pregnancies in our centre generally have a good maternal and foetal outcome comparable to developed countries in Asia. The low incidence of APS, the high usage of hydroxychloroquine and the high SLE remission rate in our patients prior to conceptions contributed to the good outcome.

Systemic lupus erythematosus pregnancies: a case series from a tertiary, East Malaysian hospital.

We performed a retrospective study of all systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pregnancies during a two-year period (2006-2007) to describe the clinical features, maternal and foetal outcomes in our centre. There were 17 pregnancies in 16 women with SLE. Our patients have a mean age of 28.31 years (SD 5.24) and a mean disease duration of 38.62 months (SD 38.03). Our patients have complicated pregnancies: 35.3% have SLE flares, 21.1% have preeclampsia and 47.4% needed caesarean sections. There were 15.8% foetal losses and 12.5% preterm deliveries in our patients. All the foetal losses occurred in patients with severe SLE flares during pregnancies. Lupus pregnancies in our centre generally have a good maternal and foetal outcome comparable with developed countries. The low incidence of antiphospholipid syndrome, the high usage of hydroxychloroquine and the high SLE remission rate in our patients before conceptions are the possible factors contributing to the good outcome.

Human-eye versus computerized color matching.

This project compared the difference in color matching between human-eye assessment and computerized colorimetry. Fifty dental personnel were asked to color match Vita Lumin shade tabs to seven different randomly arranged test tabs from the Z100 shade guide. All evaluators were blinded to the shades of the test tabs and were asked to match only body shade of the Vita Lumin tab to the middle third or body of each test tab. The results obtained were subsequently computed into L*a*b* values and compared with results obtained by computerized colorimetry. Results indicate that the difference in color matching between human-eye assessment and computerized colorimetry is shade dependent. Discrepancy was significant for b* coordinates for shades A1 and B2 and L* and b* coordinates for shade C4. For all shades evaluated, color difference between human-eye and computerized color matching is perceivable under clinical settings, as delta E values are greater than 3. There is a need for correction factors in the formal specification of the color-matching software due to the discrepancy between human-eye and computerized colorimetric color matching.

Temperature programmed decomposition (TPDE) of [Mo(CO)(6)] on metal oxide supports: a novel tool to elucidate surface acidity and surface-mediated reactions.

A novel technique, the temperature programmed decomposition (TPDE) of [Mo(CO)(6)], has been developed to examine surface acid/base properties. In particular, the nucleophility of different surface hydroxyl groups can be quantified with this method, and it is found that the activation energy for decarbonylation of the carbonyl complex correlates well with the field strength of the metal cations in the support. Activation energies are derived from the CO peak maxima in the TPDE spectra by means of the Redhead equation. TPDE is also used to probe surface-mediated reactions of metal carbonyls. The technique enables identification of intermediates formed during the thermal decomposition process. Comparison with simulated TPDE spectra provides evidence for cluster formation during decarbonylation. By quantifying the amounts of CO and H(2) generated during the TPDE reaction, the surface concentration of the adsorbed species and the oxidation state of the central atom can be deduced at any given temperature.