The effect of anti-scatter grids on radiation exposure during transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure in premature infants.

Background: Radiation exposure and the effect of anti-scatter grids are not well studied in premature infants during transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure.This study aimed to investigate whether the use of anti-scatter grids altered the level of radiation exposure to premature infants undergoing transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure.

Methods And Results: Demographic and radiation exposure data for premature infants who underwent transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus closure at the Stead Family Children's Hospital from 10/2019 to 10/2021 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed.

Analysis of the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the Management of Adults With Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD).

Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) continues to rapidly increase worldwide. With an estimated 1.5 million adults with ACHD in the USA alone, there is a growing need for better education in the management of these complex patients and multiple knowledge gaps exist.

Beyond Hypnograms: Assessing Sleep Stability Using Acoustic and Electrical Stimulation.

Objective: Conventional polysomnographic recordings reflect brain dynamics associated with sleep architecture. We hypothesized that noninvasive tools like transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and acoustic stimulation (for generating event related potentials [ERPs]) would help to predict sleep stability and provide a window to actively assess brain activity during sleep.

Materials And Methods: Twelve healthy male volunteers participated in the multiple whole-night polysomnography (PSG) recording protocol.

Neuropsychological deficits in drug naïve, non-depressed obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

There are several studies that compared neuropsychological performance of OCD patients with healthy controls. However, there are hardly any studies which have used drug-naïve as well as non-depressed OCD subjects in their studies. The present study compared eighteen drug-naïve non-depressed OCD patients with similar number of age, education and sex matched healthy controls on neuropsychological tests.

An adverse event of suprapubic catheter SPC insertion. A call for updating the existing guidelines.

The suprapubic catheter (SPC) is a useful and widely used tool in urological practice. However, complications can arise from its insertion or ongoing care. We add to the literature a case of an adverse event of its insertion where it has gone through a vascular graft and recommending updating the SPC insertion guidelines.

Calcific myonecrosis: a case report and review of the literature.

Calcific myonecrosis is a rare post-traumatic sequel of the lower limb, presenting in a delayed manner several years after the initial injury. We report a case of a 43-year-old gentleman who presented emergently with an enlarging painful mass in the lateral side of his left leg, that although present for several years had recently worsened with respect to the pain and erythema. Following laboratory and radiological investigations this was diagnosed to be calcific myonecrosis, which was then treated conservatively, and patient discharged when symptomatically improved.

Evaluation of functional outcomes in congenital hydrocephalus.

Aim: The long term outcomes of congenital hydrocephalus are still not clearly known despite it being a common clinical condition. Several clinical, radiological factors were correlated to predict the functional outcomes. This study aimed to correlate the clinical, radiological parameters with the regional functional outcomes of the brain.

"Mini-open" repair of acute tendo Achilles ruptures--the solution?

Background: The standard surgical exposure for repair of acute tendo Achilles rupture gives favourable results, but such extensive exposure increases the possibility of peritendinous adhesion, wound breakdown and infections which increases morbidity and impairs functional outcome. Open repair also increases post-operative hospital stay and hence encroaches on valuable bed space availability. To evade this mini-open technique was developed which provide anatomic apposition of the tendon ends and minimal damage to epitendon.

Common extensor origin release in recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis - role justified?

The aim of our study was to analyse the efficacy of operative management in recalcitrant lateral epicondylitis of elbow. Forty patients included in this study were referred by general practitioners with a diagnosis of tennis elbow to the orthopaedic department at a district general hospital over a five year period. All had two or more steroid injections at the tender spot, without permanent relief of pain.

Toe gangrene in an infant subsequent to application of adult-type pulse oximeter probe for 10 min.

We present a case of ischemic changes after application of an adult pulse oximeter probe in an infant for a short period of only 10 min. To understand the physiology behind this mishap, we studied pressure exerted by the adult pulse oximeter probe on simulated fingers (fluid-filled pouches), which were filled under gravity through the three-way stopcock. A catheter was placed inside the pouch to continuously measure the pressure.

Robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy: perianaesthetic concerns.

Background: Robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy has brought new challenges to the anaesthesiologists. Here we present a study of 17 patients undergoing robotic thymectomy.

Patients And Methods: The present study was a prospective study, which included 17 patients with myasthenia gravis scheduled for robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy.

Passage of peritoneal fluid into lumbar epidural catheter during pelvic exenteration.

Migration of an epidural catheter into either paravertebral tissues or pleural cavity has already been described. Up to now, no case of passage of peritoneal fluid into the epidural space has been reported. Here we report such an event in a patient submitted to pelvic exenteration, and discuss its diagnosis and management.

Odontoid metastasis: a potential lethal complication.

Nearly one third of cervical spine metastasis has a primary breast malignancy. Patients with cervical metastasis have higher mortality due to advanced stage of the malignancy. Treatment is palliative to relieve pain, prevent pathological fracture, improve mobility and function, and prolong survival.

EEG power spectra differentiate positive and negative subgroups in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenia patients.

Electroencephalogram spectral power was estimated at 30 scalp locations in 28 neuroleptic-naive, recent-onset schizophrenia (NRS) patients and 25 healthy comparison subjects in the resting eyes closed condition. Weighted relative power values in the various bandwidths were initially compared between NRS subjects and comparison subjects and subsequently between the positive symptom subgroup, negative symptom subgroup, and comparison subjects, to look for characteristic spectral power profiles of the homogeneous symptom subgroups. Significant differences were noted especially in alpha2, delta, and theta bands between NRS patients and healthy comparison subjects, while the positive symptom and negative symptom subgroups showed characteristic spectral power profiles in alpha1, alpha2, delta, and theta bands.

Management of late periprosthetic femur fractures: a retrospective cohort of 72 patients.

We present our series of 72 patients with periprosthetic fractures. The Vancouver classification was used to evaluate the fractures; there was one type A, seven type B1, 42 type B2, 17 type B3 and five type C fractures. Demographics, pre and postoperative data using Charnley-D'Aubigne-Postel score for assessment of function were recorded.

A case of relapsing Salmonella osteomyelitis in a thalassaemia trait patient.

We report a case of chronic relapsing osteomyelitis caused by Salmonella Stanley in a beta-thalassaemia trait patient who is otherwise normal. The importance of obtaining definitive bacteriological diagnosis and timely intervention to treat bone infection effectively is emphasised here.

Cognitive deficits in children of alcoholics: At risk before the first sip!

Background: High family loading for alcoholism, early onset of alcohol use and childhood disinhibitory behaviors, persisting into adulthood, increase the susceptibility to alcoholism. At the psychophysiology level, reduced amplitude of the P300 component of the Evoked Response Potential is associated with externalizing psychopathology in children. Children of alcoholics have reduced P300 amplitudes.

Are we overusing blood transfusing after elective joint replacement?--a simple method to reduce the use of a scarce resource.

Objectives: To determine the proportion of patients who received a blood transfusion after joint replacement, and to devise a simple method to ensure patients were transfused based on strict clinical and haematological need.

Design: Prospective audit over 2 years.

Patients And Methods: The study group was 151 patients who underwent total hip and knee arthroplasty in a typical district general hospital (Kettering) over a 2-year period.

Frontal deficits in alcoholism: an ERP study.

Alcoholism is a major health problem afflicting people all over the world. Understanding the neural substrates of this addictive disorder may provide the basis for effective interventions. So-called "executive processes" play a role in cognitive functions like attention and working memory, and appear to be disrupted in alcoholism (Noel et al.

Spectral EEG effects of electroconvulsive shock stimulus parameters: the development of a rationale for the optimization of the ECT stimulus.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) stimulus parameters, such as pulse amplitude, pulse width, pulse frequency, and stimulus duration, differently influence seizure threshold and, possibly, other neurobiological effects of ECT. We examined the influence of these parameters on the EEG power spectrum in an animal model.

Methods: Adult, male, Wistar rats (n=54) were randomized to receive one of five differently constituted (approximately) 30-mC electroconvulsive shock (ECS) stimuli administered once on alternate days for a total of three ECS.

EEG alpha coherence and psychopathological dimensions of schizophrenia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between psychopathological dimensions in recent-onset neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients and EEG alpha coherence in the resting state. 37 neuroleptic-naive recent-onset schizophrenic patients were assessed on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, and psychopathological dimension scores on reality distortion, psychomotor poverty and disorganization were calculated. EEG alpha coherence was computed across 14 intra-hemispheric and 8 interhemispheric electrode pairs in the resting eyes closed and eyes open conditions.

Mast cell mediation of muscle and pulmonary injury following hindlimb ischemia-reperfusion.

We have observed extensive mast cell degranulation in the reperfused hindlimb muscle of the mouse, accompanied by pathological changes within the muscle. As quantitated by the tissue:blood (125)I permeability ratio, both the hindlimbs and lungs exhibited a significant increment in permeability during hindlimb reperfusion. In lungs of the same mice, mast cell-derived chymase mMCP-1 coats alveolar macrophages, an event noted by us in acid-induced direct lung injury.

The presence of v-abl-transformed V3 mast cells in the lungs augments pulmonary vascular permeability to acid aspiration.

Acid aspiration causes pulmonary vascular permeability and PMN sequestration. By increasing pulmonary mast cells through adoptive transfer of v-abl-transformed mast cells (V3MCs) into BALB/c mice, we now show that the greater mast cell number in the lung is associated with increased pulmonary injury.

Apert syndrome variant with overlapping features of Crouzon syndrome.

A rare variant of Apert syndrome having overlapping features of Crouzon syndrome is described. The salient features of the two syndromes are briefly discussed and overlapping features are highlighted. A possible genetic explanation for the same is mentioned.