Peripheral artery disease in patients with schizophrenia as compared to controls.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have an increased prevalence of risk factors for peripheral artery disease (PAD) and is expected to have an increased prevalence of PAD. PAD can be detected utilizing toe-brachial index (TBI) which screens for vascular pathology proximal to the toes.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we defined the subpopulations: (1) Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia less than 2 years before inclusion (SCZ < 2), (2) Psychiatric healthy controls matched to subpopulation 1 on sex, age, and smoking status, and (3) Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia 10 or more years before inclusion (SCZ ≥ 10).

Normal Splanchnic Blood Flow in a Patient with Severe Stenosis of the Celiac Artery and Superior Mesenteric Artery.

The diagnosis of chronic mesenteric ischaemia is typically based on angiographic findings along with a classic symptomatology. Only a few methods are available for functional testing to establish the diagnosis, such as indirect measurement of the splanchnic blood flow and hepatic vein oxygenation. The present case is a 76-year-old woman with weight loss and intermittent abdominal pain who was clinically suspected of chronic mesenteric ischaemia based on severe stenosis of the celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery.

Improvement of the splanchnic blood flow and hepatic vein oxygenation following revascularization in patients with chronic mesenteric ischaemia.

Objectives: Chronic mesenteric ischaemia (CMI) is an underdiagnosed but severe condition. Access to functional testing is often limited and the diagnosis is usually based primarily on symptoms and imaging. One of the functional tests available is measurement of the splanchnic blood flow (SBF).

The Laparoscopic Implantation of Neuroprosthesis Procedure Increases Leg Lean Mass in Individuals With Paraplegia Due To Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objectives: We hypothesized that the laparoscopic implantation of neuroprosthesis (LION) procedure would significantly alter the body composition of patients with chronic traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The objectives were to determine the effect of the LION procedure on lean mass (LM), fatty mass (FM), and bone mineral content (BMC) in patients with SCI.

Materials And Methods: Five consecutive patients underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans before the LION procedure and at the one-year postoperative follow-up to determine changes in LM, FM, and BMC.

Evaluation of a novel probe based on laser Doppler flowmetry and comparison with photo plethysmography for assessment of the skin perfusion pressure.

This study aims to compare skin perfusion pressure measurements (SPP) at midfoot and below knee level performed with a novel laser Doppler flowmetry (LD) probe with a reference method based on photo plethysmography (PP). It includes 40 patients referred with known or suspected peripheral arterial disease. The SPP was performed with both devices.

Chronic mesenteric ischaemia: the importance of the individual mesenteric artery.

Background: Chronic mesenteric ischaemia (CMI) is a vastly underdiagnosed condition that typically leads to postprandial abdominal pain and weight loss. The aim of the study was to explore the involvement of various mesenteric vessels in total splanchnic blood flow (SBF) and hepatic vein oxygenation.

Methods: Single-blinded comparative trial of 476 patients clinically suspected of CMI.

Bedside Toe Pressures Measurements in a Department of Vascular Surgery: A Study of Diagnostic Accuracy.

Objective: In patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), measurements of distal blood pressure form the basis of assessing the severity of the disease along with symptoms and objective findings. The reliability and accuracy of a fully automated bedside device (SysToe) vs. strain gauge plethysmography (SGP) in patients with low toe pressures in a bedside setting in an outpatient clinic of vascular surgery were investigated.

The Ability of the Toe-Brachial Index to Predict the Outcome of Treadmill Exercise Testing in Patients with a Normal Resting Ankle-Brachial Index.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the presence of a normal ankle-brachial index (ABI) can be diagnosed noninvasively by measuring a postexercise ABI or by measuring the toe-brachial index (TBI).

Methods: This was a prospective comparative study. Over a period of 30 months, a total of 415 patients who were referred with the suspicion of vascular claudication and resting values of 0.

Risk factors and haemodynamic variables in patients with low toe-brachial index but normal ankle-brachial index.

Background And Aims: Classically, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is diagnosed by a low ankle-brachial index (ABI), but the diagnosis can also be made based on toe-brachial index (TBI) measurements. The objective of this study was to characterize patients with low TBI but normal ABI, and chart potential underestimation of PAD prevalence by solitary use of ABI.

Methods: A total of 3739 consecutive patients with known or suspected PAD referred for ABI and TBI measurements in a four-year period were compared to an age- and gender matched control group (n = 17,340).

Improvement in image quality of Tc-99m-based ventilation/perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through pretest continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Ventilation/perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography performed using an aerosol of carbon-coated technetium is frequently used for diagnosing pulmonary embolism. Certain patients may suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); for such patients, the formation of mucus clots in airways can cause accumulation of the aerosol in the larger airways. This centralized deposition of the aerosol leads to insufficient activity in peripheral lung segments and subsequently results in ventilation images of substandard or even nondiagnostic quality.

Practical application of spatial ecosystem service models to aid decision support.

Ecosystem service (ES) spatial modelling is a key component of the integrated assessments designed to support policies and management practices aiming at environmental sustainability. ESTIMAP ("Ecosystem Service Mapping Tool") is a collection of spatially explicit models, originally developed to support policies at a European scale. We based our analysis on 10 case studies, and 3 ES models.

The performance of tranchet blows at the Late Middle Paleolithic site of Grotte de la Verpillière I (Saône-et-Loire, France).

This paper focuses on the technological characteristics of Keilmesser with a lateral tranchet blow modification on the cutting edge. It examines the underlying technological production of these bifacial objects: this implies the evaluation of their working stage succession, as well as produced forms necessary for the execution of tranchet blow performance. Furthermore, it offers a techno-morphological description of these enigmatic tools.

Comparison of two methods based on photoplethysmography for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease.

Aim: To examine the interchangeability of two methods for distal pressure measurement based on photoplethysmography using a truncated or full display of the arterial inflow curve, respectively.

Methods: Toe and ankle pressures were obtained from 69 patients suspected of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Observer reproducibility of the curve readings was examined by blinded reassessment of the pressure curves in a randomly selected subgroup (60 limbs).

Homicide in Greenland 1985-2010.

Purpose: Homicide in Greenland has not often been investigated. The latest published study documented a dramatic rise in the homicide rate from around 1/100,000 inhabitants to more than 23/100,000 inhabitants from 1946 to 1984. The aim of our study was to characterize homicides in Greenland from 1985 to 2010 and to compare trends during this period with those in previous studies and with homicide characteristics in Denmark, northern Europe, and other Arctic regions.

Time matters--realism in resuscitation training.

Background: The advanced life support guidelines recommend 2min of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and minimal hands-off time to ensure sufficient cardiac and cerebral perfusion. We have observed doctors who shorten the CPR intervals during resuscitation attempts. During simulation-based resuscitation training, the recommended 2-min CPR cycles are often deliberately decreased in order to increase the number of scenarios.

The unexpected finding of a benign mature teratoma in a forensic pathology autopsy: a rare cause for sudden, unexpected death.

Intracranial teratomas are rare tumors that are usually discovered in infancy due to progressive symptoms. We describe a case of a 38-year-old man who was found dead 9 hours after the last sign of life. The deceased's medical history could not explain the sudden, unexpected death.

Diagnostic accuracy of laser Doppler flowmetry versus strain gauge plethysmography for segmental pressure measurement.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) with mercury-in-silastic strain gauge plethysmography (SGP) as a reference test for measuring the toe and ankle pressures in patients with known or suspected peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, blinded diagnostic accuracy study. Toe and ankle pressures were measured using both methods in 200 consecutive patients, who were recruited at our vascular laboratory over a period of 30 working days.

The toe-brachial index in the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease.

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be diagnosed noninvasively by segmental blood pressure measurement and calculating an ankle-brachial index (ABI) or toe-brachial index (TBI). The ABI is known to be unreliable in patients with vascular stiffness and fails to detect the early phase of arteriosclerotic development. The toe vessels are less susceptible to vessel stiffness, which makes the TBI useful.

Reliability of mercury-in-silastic strain gauge plethysmography curve reading: influence of clinical clues and observer variation.

Aim: Mercury-in-silastic strain gauge pletysmography (SGP) is a well-established technique for blood flow and blood pressure measurements. The aim of this study was to examine (i) the possible influence of clinical clues, e.g.

Investigation of a fatal airplane crash: autopsy, computed tomography, and injury pattern analysis used to determine who was steering the plane at the time of the accident. A case report.

A fatal accident is reported in which a small single-engine light airplane crashed. The airplane carried two persons in the front seats, both of whom possessed valid pilot certificates. Both victims were subject to autopsy, including post-mortem computed tomography scanning (PMCT) prior to the autopsy.

Long-term survival and health-related quality of life 6 to 9 years after trauma.

Background: Trauma systems have improved short-term survival of the severely injured but knowledge on long-term outcome is limited. This study aimed to assess outcome 6 years to 9 years after moderate to severe injury in terms of survival, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) and employment status.

Methods: Patients admitted to Aarhus Level I Trauma Center in 1998 to 2000, aged 15 years or more, with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥9 were included.

What you see is not what you get in the PDF document format.

The sharing and storage of scientific knowledge, information and data are today mainly in digitized form, which will become the predominant means of communicating scientific work in the future. One of the best-established formats is the open standard of PDF (Portable Document Format), which is renowned for its flexibility and stability. In this article, we expose a major flaw in the format with respect to the security of confidential information, such that even organizations responsible for safeguarding and setting the standards for data management were unintentionally revealing confidential patient data.

Standards of resuscitation during inter-hospital transportation: the effects of structured team briefing or guideline review - a randomised, controlled simulation study of two micro-interventions.

Background: Junior physicians are sometimes sent in ambulances with critically ill patients who require urgent transfer to another hospital. Unfamiliar surroundings and personnel, time pressure, and lack of experience may imply a risk of insufficient treatment during transportation as this can cause the physician to loose the expected overview of the situation. While health care professionals are expected to follow complex algorithms when resuscitating, stress can compromise both solo-performance and teamwork.

Comparison of the quality of chest compressions on a dressed versus an undressed manikin: A controlled, randomised, cross-over simulation study.

Background: Undressing the chest of a cardiac arrest victim may delay the initiation of chest compressions. Furthermore, expecting laypeople to undress the chest may increase bystander reluctance to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Both of these factors might conceivably decrease survival following cardiac arrest.