Quality improvement practices used by teaching versus non-teaching trauma centres: analysis of a multinational survey of adult trauma centres in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Background: Although studies have suggested that a relationship exists between hospital teaching status and quality improvement activities, it is unknown whether this relationship exists for trauma centres.

Methods: We surveyed 249 adult trauma centres in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (76% response rate) regarding their quality improvement programs. Trauma centres were stratified into two groups (teaching [academic-based or -affiliated] versus non-teaching) and their quality improvement programs were compared.

Being ready to treat Ebola virus disease patients.

As the outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa continues, clinical preparedness is needed in countries at risk for EVD (e.g., United States) and more fully equipped and supported clinical teams in those countries with epidemic spread of EVD in Africa.

Diabetic encephalopathy-related depression: experimental evidence that insulin and clonazepam restore antioxidant status in rat brain.

There is increasing evidence suggesting that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of many chronic and degenerative conditions such as diabetic encephalopathy and depression. Considering that diabetic rats and mice present higher depressive-like behaviour when submitted to the forced swimming test and that treatment with insulin and/or clonazepam is able to reverse the behavioural changes of the diabetic rats, the present work investigated the antioxidant status, specifically total antioxidant reactivity and antioxidant potential of insulin and clonazepam, as well as the effect of this drugs upon protein oxidative damage and reactive species formation in cortex, hippocampus and striatum from diabetic rats submitted to forced swimming test. It was verified that longer immobility time in diabetic rats and insulin plus clonazepam treatment reversed this depressive-like behaviour.

Patient personality and therapist countertransference.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive and critical examination of the empirical literature about the relation between patient personality and therapist countertransference.

Recent Findings: The therapist's countertransference can play a crucial role in psychotherapy outcomes, especially in the treatment of personality disorders. The therapist's emotional responses to patients can accomplish the following: inform the clinician about the patient's personality, impact therapy outcome, influence patient resistance and elaboration, mediate the influence of the therapist's interventions and influence therapeutic alliance.

Scaffold hopping approach on the route to selective tankyrase inhibitors.

A virtual screening procedure was applied to identify new tankyrase inhibitors. Through pharmacophore screening of a compounds collection from the SPECS database, the methoxy[l]benzothieno[2,3-c]quinolin-6(5H)-one scaffold was identified as nicotinamide mimetic able to inhibit tankyrase activity at low micromolar concentration. In order to improve potency and selectivity, tandem structure-based and scaffold hopping approaches were carried out over the new scaffold leading to the discovery of the 2-(phenyl)-3H-benzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-one as powerful chemotype suitable for tankyrase inhibition.

Standard versus limited colon resection for high risk T1 colon cancer. A matched case-control study.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends a colectomy in presence of high risk T1 colon polyps considering the risk of incomplete lymph node dissection or presence of residual disease. We evaluated the outcomes of segmental versus standard colon resection for high risk T1 colon cancers, in order to demonstrate if segmental colectomy (SegCR) allows same short-term and oncological results compared to standard radical colectomy (StaCR). METHODS.

Circulating tumor cells count predicts survival in colorectal cancer patients.

Background And Aims: Data on the potential of circulating tumor cells (CTC) count in predicting overall survival (OS) in patients with colorectal cancer are timely and worthy of interest. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of CTC count in both localized and metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: Consecutive patients with histological diagnosis of colorectal cancer were enrolled.

Is EUS-FNA of solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms of the pancreas as a preoperative procedure really necessary and free of acceptable risks?

Background: Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) of the pancreas are infrequent tumors since, as of 2014, only 2744 patients have been described. Its rarity, unclear histogenesis, pleomorphic aspect on radiology (cystic, solid or mixed) and unpredictable biological behavior with an insidious high-grade malignant potential make SPN difficult to recognize preoperatively even in its target patient population which is predominantly composed of young women (about 87% of cases).

Methods: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) showed to improve the preoperative diagnostic yield for this tumor and obviate the risks formerly given by percutaneous biopsy.

Caring for critically ill patients with ebola virus disease. Perspectives from West Africa.

The largest ever Ebola virus disease outbreak is ravaging West Africa. The constellation of little public health infrastructure, low levels of health literacy, limited acute care and infection prevention and control resources, densely populated areas, and a highly transmissible and lethal viral infection have led to thousands of confirmed, probable, or suspected cases thus far. Ebola virus disease is characterized by a febrile severe illness with profound gastrointestinal manifestations and is complicated by intravascular volume depletion, shock, profound electrolyte abnormalities, and organ dysfunction.

Use of sonic instruments for implant biopsy retrieval.

Objective: To evaluate in vitro the quality of dental implant biopsies collected using trephines or a sonic instrument.

Method: Sixty implants, 4 mm long and 2.4 mm in diameter, were installed in twelve fresh bovine ribs.

Hepatitis C virus infection epidemiology among people who inject drugs in Europe: a systematic review of data for scaling up treatment and prevention.

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Treatment options are improving and may enhance prevention; however access for PWID may be poor. The availability in the literature of information on seven main topic areas (incidence, chronicity, genotypes, HIV co-infection, diagnosis and treatment uptake, and burden of disease) to guide HCV treatment and prevention scale-up for PWID in the 27 countries of the European Union is systematically reviewed.

Abdominal aortic endograft collapse due to false lumen radial force of an acute type B aortic dissection.

We report a case of abdominal endograft proximal collapse due to acute type B aortic dissection in a patient previously treated with endovascular repair (EVAR) for an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. Patient underwent axillobifemoral bypass grafting, in emergency. The postoperative computed tomography scan showed reexpansion of the occluded endograft.

Fungal infection of aortic Endograft because of Aspergillus fumigatus.

A 59-year-old male, referred to our center with a ruptured aortic aneurysm, underwent urgent endovascular repair and femoro-femoral crossover bypass. An endograft infection because of Aspergillus fumigatus occurred about 20 days after surgery. We removed the endograft and femoral prosthesis and we then performed an aorto-bi-iliac bypass with autogenous reversed superficial femoral veins.

Lymph-node ratio classification strongly correlates with cancer survivals of patients who underwent r0 resection for gastric cancer with more than 15 nodes harvested.

Background: During the last few years, the gastric cancer nodal staging has been extensively revised. Lately, a new system emerged in this field with the purpose of implementing the prognostic stratification: the lymph-node ratio (LNR). The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the LNR in relation to cancer survivors undergoing resection for gastric adenocarcinoma.

Application of ultrasound phase-shift analysis to authenticate wooden panel paintings.

Artworks are a valuable part of the World's cultural and historical heritage. Conservation and authentication of authorship are important aspects to consider in the protection of cultural patrimony. In this paper we present a novel application of a well-known method based on the phase-shift analysis of an ultrasonic signal, providing an integrated encoding system that enables authentication of the authorship of wooden panel paintings.

WITHDRAWN: Psychosocial treatment for opiate abuse and dependence.

The review has been withdrawn from publication because it is out of date and the authors are currently not available for updating it The editorial group responsible for this previously published document have withdrawn it from publication.

Evidence based medicine and surgical approaches for colon cancer: evidences, benefits and limitations of the laparoscopic vs open resection.

Aim: To report a meta-analysis of the studies that compared the laparoscopic with the open approach for colon cancer resection.

Methods: Forty-seven manuscripts were reviewed, 33 of which employed for meta-analysis according to the PRISMA guidelines. The results were differentiated according to the study design (prospective randomized trials vs case-control series) and according to the tumor's location.

Exploitation of starch industry liquid by-product to produce bioactive peptides from rice hydrolyzed proteins.

Small peptides show higher antioxidant capacity than native proteins and may be absorbed in the intestine without further digestion. In our study, a protein by-product from rice starch industry was hydrolyzed with commercial proteolytic enzymes (Alcalase, Neutrase, Flavourzyme) and microbial whole cells of Bacillus spp. and the released peptides were tested for antioxidant activity.

Effects of chitosan on the protein profile of grape cell culture subcellular fractions.

Grapevine is a large source of healthy polyphenols for human diet, and red table-grapes and wines are the main source of stilbenes. These compounds are important both in the plant defence system and for human health. In the present study, Vitis vinifera cv.

Miniaturized fiber-optic ultrasound probes for endoscopic tissue analysis by micro-opto-mechanical technology.

A new Micro-Opto-Mechanical System (MOMS) technology for the fabrication of optoacoustic probes on optical fiber is presented. The technology is based on the thermoelastic emission of ultrasonic waves from patterned carbon films for generation and on extrinsic polymer Fabry-Perot acousto-optical transducers for detection, both fabricated on miniaturized single-crystal silicon frames used to mount the ultrasonic transducers on the tip of an optical fiber. Thanks to the fabrication process adopted, high miniaturization levels are reached in the MOMS devices, demonstrating fiber-optic emitters and detectors with minimum diameter around 350 and 250 μm respectively.