A randomised clinical trial of ultrasound guided cannulation of difficult fistulae for dialysis access.

Background: Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are preferred for dialysis access but require accurate cannulation for effective dialysis. Evidence supports improvements in cannulation and complication rates using ultrasound guidance (USG) in cannulating other sites. This mixed methods, randomised controlled trial aimed to assess effects of USG during AVF cannulation.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Endovenous Laser Ablation Versus Mechanochemical Ablation With ClariVein in the Management of Superficial Venous Incompetence (LAMA Trial).

Objective: This RCT compares the clinical, technical and quality of life outcomes after EVLA and MOCA.

Summary Of Background Data: Thermal ablation is the current mainstay treatment for SVI. Newer nonthermal methods of treatment have been developed which do not require the use of tumescent anesthesia.

A Randomised Clinical Trial of Buffered Tumescent Local Anaesthesia During Endothermal Ablation for Superficial Venous Incompetence.

Objective/background: Endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA) is the recommended first line intervention for superficial venous incompetence (SVI). While the infiltration of perivenous tumescent local anaesthesia (TLA) is key to procedural success, it is paradoxically the predominant source of patient reported discomfort. This randomised controlled trial investigates the potential to reduce peri-procedural pain and improve patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), including quality of life (QoL) using TLA buffered to physiological pH.

Endovenous laser ablation versus mechanochemical ablation with ClariVein(®) in the management of superficial venous insufficiency (LAMA trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Endovenous thermal techniques, such as endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), are the recommended treatment for truncal varicose veins. However, a disadvantage of thermal techniques is that it requires the administration of tumescent anaesthesia, which can be uncomfortable. Non-thermal, non-tumescent techniques, such as mechanochemical ablation (MOCA) have potential benefits.

Defining the optimum tumescent anaesthesia solution in endovenous laser ablation.

Objectives To produce a tumescent anaesthesia solution with physiological pH for endovenous thermal ablation and evaluate its influence on peri- and postoperative pain, clinical and quality of life outcomes, and technical success. Methods Tumescent anaesthetic solution (0.1% lidocaine with 1:2,000,000 epinephrine) was titrated to physiological pH by buffering with 2 ml incremental aliquots of 8.

A systematic review of the compression regimes used in randomised clinical trials following endovenous ablation.

Objectives There is insufficient evidence to inform guidelines on the optimal compression strategy following ablation for varicose veins. This study aimed to identify the practice of key opinion leaders performing randomised clinical trials involving endovenous ablation. Method A systematic review of MEDLINE/EMBASE/CENTRAL was performed identifying the compression strategies used in randomised clinical trials where at least one comparator arm underwent endovenous ablation.

Laser; best practice techniques and evidence.

Laser ablation involves the delivery of laser light through a glass fibre placed into the lumen of a refluxing vein. This energy is converted into heat inducing a permanent, non-thrombotic occlusion. This highly effective and safe approach has significant advantages over traditional surgical treatment and has driven the endovenous revolution in the management of varicose veins.

The associations between metals/metalloids concentrations in blood plasma of Hong Kong residents and their seafood diet, smoking habit, body mass index and age.

The concentrations of metals/metalloids in blood plasma collected from 111 healthy residents (51 female, 60 male) in Hong Kong (obtained from the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, from March to April 2008) were quantified by means of a double-focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). Results showed that concentrations of these toxic metals such as Hg, Cd, and Pb in Hong Kong residents were not serious when compared with other countries. Males accumulated significantly higher (p < 0.

Robotic adherent cell injection for characterizing cell-cell communication.

Compared to robotic injection of suspended cells (e.g., embryos and oocytes), fewer attempts were made to automate the injection of adherent cells (e.

A systematic review of evidence for education and training interventions in microsurgery.

Over the past decade, driven by advances in educational theory and pressures for efficiency in the clinical environment, there has been a shift in surgical education and training towards enhanced simulation training. Microsurgery is a technical skill with a steep competency learning curve on which the clinical outcome greatly depends. This paper investigates the evidence for educational and training interventions of traditional microsurgical skills courses in order to establish the best evidence practice in education and training and curriculum design.

Towards a global understanding and standardisation of education and training in microsurgery.

With an increasing emphasis on microsurgery skill acquisition through simulated training, the need has been identified for standardised training programmes in microsurgery. We have reviewed microsurgery training courses available across the six continents of the World. Data was collected of relevant published output from PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), and EMBASE (Ovid) searches, and from information available on the Internet of up to six established microsurgery course from each of the six continents of the World.

Quantitative analysis of locomotive behavior of human sperm head and tail.

Sperm selection plays a significant role in in vitro fertilization (IVF). Approaches for assessing sperm quality include noninvasive techniques based on sperm morphology and motility as well as invasive techniques for checking DNA integrity. In 2006, a new device using hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated dish for sperm selection was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and entered IVF clinics.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced nigral inflammation leads to increased IL-1β tissue content and expression of astrocytic glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor.

Reactive gliosis and inflammatory change is a key component of nigral dopaminergic cell death in Parkinson's disease (PD). Astrocyte derived glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes the survival and growth of dopaminergic neurones and it protects against or reverses nigral degeneration induced by 6-OHDA and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in rodents and primates. But the effect of increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines on the release of GDNF is unknown.

Three-dimensional rotation of mouse embryos.

Research and clinical applications, such as microinjection and polar-body biopsy involve 3-D rotation of mammalian oocytes/embryos. In these cell manipulation tasks, the polar body of an embryo/oocyte must be made visible and properly oriented under optical microscopy. Cell rotation in conventional manual operation by skilled professionals is based on trial and error, such as through repeated vacuum aspiration and release.

Controlled aspiration and positioning of biological cells in a micropipette.

Manipulating single cells with a micropipette is the oldest, yet still a widely used technique. This paper discusses the aspiration of a single cell into a micropipette and positioning the cell accurately to a target position inside the micropipette. Due to the small volume of a single cell (picoliter) and nonlinear dynamics involved, these tasks have high skill requirements and are labor intensive in manual operation that is solely based on trial and error and has high failure rates.

Robotic ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).

This paper is the first report of robotic intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). ICSI is a clinical procedure performed worldwide in fertility clinics, requiring pick-up of a single sperm and insertion of it into an oocyte (i.e.

Halogenated POPs and PAHs in blood plasma of Hong Kong residents.

The objective of this study was to quantify organic chlorinated pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in blood plasma collected from 111 healthy residents in Hong Kong to assess the levels of these pollutants in the general population during the period of March to April, 2008. Concentrations of these residues in blood plasma obtained from the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Naphthalene, phenanthrene, p,p'-DDE, PCB-180, and PBDE-47 were detected in 100% of the participants.

Persistent organic pollutants in food items collected in Hong Kong.

This study aims to investigate levels of POPs in meat, edible oils, nuts, milk and wine collected from Hong Kong. Naphthalene, pp-DDE, beta-, gamma-HCH and PBDE 47 were detected in most of the food items. Goose liver accumulated the highest PAHs (47.

Automated sperm immobilization for intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Sperm immobilization is a requisite step in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Conventionally, sperm immobilization is performed manually, which entails long training hours and stringent skills. Manual sperm immobilization also has the limitation of low success rates and poor reproducibility due to human fatigue and skill variations across operators.

Body burden of POPs of Hong Kong residents, based on human milk, maternal and cord serum.

This study is one of the very few investigating the body burdens of persistent organic pollutants in residents of Hong Kong. Twenty-nine human milk samples and 21 human blood (and cord blood) samples collected from 2005 were analyzed for PAHs, OCPs and PCBs levels. Higher levels of PAHs, DDTs and PCBs were detected in human milk samples when compared to maternal serum and cord serum (PAHs: milk: 1981 ng g⁻¹ fat, maternal serum: 1461, cord serum: 1158; DDTs: 3099, 1934, 1556; PCBs: 49, 41, 40).

Body burdens of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in childbearing-aged women at an intensive electronic-waste recycling site in China.

Background, Aim And Scope: This study is the first to investigate PBDE body burden with regard to the concurrent analyses of multiple human matrices, namely milk, placenta, and hair, collected from a group of childbearing-aged women at an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site to determine the partitioning of PBDEs in these different human matrices and the possible health risks imposed to infants at the e-waste recycling site.

Methods And Methods: Five sets of milk, placenta, and hair samples were collected from an e-waste site (Taizhou, Zhejiang Province) and a reference site (Lin'an city, Zhejiang Province; 245 km away from Taizhou) in China. The concentrations of total PBDEs in different human tissues were analyzed according to US EPA standard methods.

Continuous subcutaneous infusion of pramipexole protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced dopaminergic cell death without affecting the inflammatory response.

The D2/D3 dopamine receptor agonist pramipexole, protects against toxin-induced dopaminergic neuronal destruction but its mechanism of action is unknown. Inflammation following glial cell activation contributes to cell death in Parkinson's disease and we now report on the effects of acute or chronic administration of pramipexole on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation and nigral dopaminergic cell death in the rat. At 48 h and 30 days following supranigral administration of LPS, approximately 70% of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive (-ir) cells in substantia nigra had degenerated with a corresponding loss of TH-ir terminals in the striatum.