Endoscopic Occlusion of Tracheoesophageal Fistula in Ventilated Patients Using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder.

Acquired tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a challenging, life threatening condition. It most commonly appears in critically ill patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation, who cannot withstand open neck or chest surgery. An endoscopic technique could be better tolerated by these patients.

Morbidity and mortality after major pulmonary resections in patients with locally advanced stage IIIA non-small cell lung carcinoma who underwent induction therapy.

Background: The optimal treatment for patients with locally advanced stage IIIA non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains controversial, but induction therapy is increasingly used. The aim of this study was to evaluate mortality, morbidity, hospital stay and frequency of postoperative complications in stage IIIA NSCLC patients that underwent major pulmonary resections after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent major pulmonary resections after induction therapy for locally advanced NSCLC from October 2009 to February 2014.

Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy versus lobectomy by thoracotomy for lung cancer: pilot study.

Objective: Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy (VATS-L) has become accepted as a safe and effective procedure to treat early-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). However, the advantages of VATS-L compared with lobectomy by thoracotomy (TL) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of patients who underwent VATS-L with those who underwent TL.

Endobronchial closure of recurrent bronchopleural and tracheopleural fistulae by two amplatzer devices.

We present a case of right pneumonectomy after induction chemotherapy complicated by a large bronchopleural fistula and empyema two weeks after surgery. The patient was treated surgically by transsternal transpericardial bronchopleural fistula closure and open window thoracoplasty. Thereafter, two new fistulae developed, one in the right main bronchial stump and one in the accessory tracheal bronchus.

The effect of splinting implant-supported restorations on stress distribution of different crown-implant ratios and crown height spaces.

Purpose: To assess whether splinting can counterbalance the detrimental effects of varying the crown-to-implant (C/I) ratio and crown height space (CHS) by decreasing nonaxial overload stresses.

Materials And Methods: Three implants were inserted into a photoelastic block model. Two strain gauges were cemented onto the neck of each implant on the buccal and lingual aspects and provided a simultaneous direct reading of strain.

The effect of crown/implant ratio and crown height space on stress distribution in unsplinted implant supporting restorations.

Purpose: To measure the transfer of axial and nonaxial load in unsplinted fixed implant supported restoration with varying crown to implant (C/I) ratios and crown height space (CHS).

Materials And Methods: A photoelastic block model was constructed. Three holes were drilled vertically in a straight line in the mid axis of the photoelastic model at predetermined locations to lengths of 12 mm.

Non-invasive diagnosis of chronic beryllium disease in workers exposed to hazardous dust in Israel.

Objectives: Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is caused by prolonged occupational exposure to beryllium and is characterised by various clinical presentations, mostly pulmonary. The inflammatory process involves non-caseous granulomas and proliferation of CD4+ cells. CBD is diagnosed by lung biopsy showing tissue granuloma formation, and by the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) for past exposure and sensitisation to beryllium.

Chronic beryllium disease among dental technicians in Israel.

Background And Aim: The potential risks of beryllium use in the dental industry have been recognized for some time. This is the first case series that focuses on the effect of a number of potentially harmful effects of substances that induce lung disease among dental technicians with emphasis on beryllium as a major risk factor in the work environment of dental technicians.

Methods: All the dental technicians consecutively recruited to this study had past occupational exposure to beryllium.

Hydrogen peroxide in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) vs eosinophil count in induced sputum (IS) in parenchymal vs airways lung diseases.

We compared exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and induced sputum (IS) for assessing inflammation in pulmonary diseases in patients with obstructive lung disease (n = 20), persistent cough >6 months (n = 20), interstitial lung disease (n = 25) and controls (n = 10). EBC was collected by suspending a Teflon perfluoroalkoxy tube installed in an ice-filled container and connected to a polypropylene test tube. IS was recovered after 20' inhalation of 3% saline with an ultrasonic nebulizer, and 300 cells were differentially counted in cytospin Giemsa-stained slides.

Bronchiectasis: correlation of high-resolution CT findings with health-related quality of life.

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between the severity of bronchiectatic diseases, as evident on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and the patient's quality of life measured using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).

Methods And Materials: Forty-six patients (25 women, 21 men, mean age: 63 years) with bronchiectatic disease as evident on recent HRCT examinations were recruited. Each patient completed the SGRQ and underwent respiratory function tests.

The role of induced sputum in amiodarone-associated interstitial lung diseases.

Amiodarone, a highly effective medication for suppressing cardiac rhythm disturbances, may cause pulmonary injury, such as chronic interstitial lung diseases, in 5-15% of the patients who take it. We applied induced sputum (IS), a non-invasive technique, for diagnosing amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity. Four patients with interstitial lung disease who were treated by amiodarone for ischemic heart diseases were evaluated by a conventional clinical workup.

Combined CD4/CD8 ratio in induced sputum and pulmonary function testing for non-invasive identification of sarcoidosis.

Unlabelled: Induced sputum is a useful noninvasive method for assessing parenchymal diseases. This retrospective study investigated its potential application in combination with functional parameters to differentiate sarcoidosis from non-sarcoid interstitial lung disease (NSA-ILD), especially when bronchoscopy is clinically contraindicated. All 120 study patients (67 sarcoidosis and 53 NSA-ILD) underwent both bronchoalveolar lavage (flexible fiberoptic video bronchoscope; Pentax, Japan) and induced sputum testing (3% NaCl, selecting plugs method, 300 cells differentially counted in Giemsa stained cytopreps).

Use of the Rapiscope vs chest auscultation for detection of accidental bronchial intubation in non-obese patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Study Objective: Main stem bronchial intubation is not always detected by routine means and may occur more frequently during laparoscopic procedures. Tracheal tube positional changes in non-obese patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were detected by either the Rapiscope (Cook Critical Care, Bloomington, Ind) or chest auscultation.

Design: Prospective, double-blind, crossover study.

[Stupor due to sleep apnea syndrome after total knee replacement].

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is defined as a condition of repeated episodes of apnea and hypopnea during sleep, accompanied by excessive daytime sleepiness. This syndrome is common among the adult population, and is related to an increased risk for significant complications, during and immediately after surgery. Often, this condition is undiagnosed, and is not considered in the pre-operative evaluation.

Misdiagnosis of sarcoidosis in patients with chronic beryllium disease.

Background And Aim: Sarcoidosis (SA) is a chronic systemic disorder characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells in affected organs, resulting in the formation of granulomas. Granulomas are observed in numerous infectious diseases and hypersensitivity reactions (e.g.

Nebulized 3% hypertonic saline solution treatment in hospitalized infants with viral bronchiolitis.

Objective: To determine the utility of inhaled hypertonic saline solution to treat infants hospitalized with viral bronchiolitis.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. Fifty-two hospitalized infants (mean +/- SD age, 2.

Carnosic acid inhibits proliferation and augments differentiation of human leukemic cells induced by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and retinoic acid.

Carnosic acid, the polyphenolic diterpene derived from rosemary, is a strong dietary antioxidant that exhibits antimutagenic properties in bacteria and anticarcinogenic activity in various cell and animal models. In the present study, we show that carnosic acid (2.5-10 microM) inhibits proliferation of HL-60 and U937 human myeloid leukemia cells (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 6-7 microM) without induction of apoptotic or necrotic cell death.

[Ethical considerations in mass casualty situation].

Mass casualty is a situation, in which, the physician is compelled to make critical decisions under heavy pressure load, due to severe shortage in time, personnel and information. This task is extremely difficult to fulfill, as the physician has to consider not only professional tools, but needs also to utilize ethical principles, in order to provide the best possible care to most of the casualties who might benefit from it. By definition, in the mass casualty situation the medical facility lacks temporarily the ability to deliver effective therapy to all, as the injured outnumber the medical capacity for a given time.

Primary pulmonary hypertension in Israel: a national survey.

Objectives: To characterize the incidence of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in Israel and their outcomes.

Methods: We have evaluated retrospectively all the patients in Israel in whom PPH was diagnosed between the years 1988 and 1997. We looked at medical history, hemodynamic data, pulmonary function and gas exchange, and demographic variables.

[Acute hyperparathyroidism caused by hemorrhage into a parathyroid adenoma].

Acute hyperparathyroidism is a rare and dangerous condition. It is supposed to result from transformation of a mild chronic form into an acute and stormy illness. The causes and the mechanism of such a transformation are usually unknown.

Is nebulized aerosol treatment necessary in the pediatric emergency department?

Background: Infants and small children admitted to the pediatric emergency department (PED) with acute wheezing episodes (AWE) are currently treated with nebulized wet aerosol (NWA).

Objective: To determine the efficacy of MDI with Nebuchamber (Astra AB; Lund, Sweden), a nonelectrostatic spacer device (NESD), as compared to NWA in the treatment of an unselected population of babies and small children with AWE.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Knowledge and attitudes of children towards cigarette smoking and its damage.

The present study reports the results of knowledge and attitudes of 280 children (mean age = 6.9 +/- 0.75 years) towards cigarettes and smoking.

Rectal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci among high-risk patients in an Israeli hospital.

The prevalence of rectal carriage of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in two high-risk populations--61 patients admitted to ICU and 92 patients on renal dialysis--was studied longitudinally over a period of six months in a 650-bed general hospital. ICU patients were swabbed weekly and dialysis patients monthly. Enterococcal isolates were fully identified using the ATB identification system, and MICs were determined according to the NCCLS recommendations.